Shakhtar’s coach is pleased with his players’ performance
Head coach Shakhtar Patrick van Leeuwen spoke about the work of the Gornyaks during the international break, and also assessed the team’s actions in the friendly match with Rukh (2:0).
“First of all, we lack players from the national team, and for all the other players who are not part of the national team, this is almost a two-week break, which is why we organized a friendly match with Rukh for them. Also this week, some Academy players trained with us, which allowed us to watch the youth in sparring with the first team. For me it was a positive experience, considering not the result, but the way we played, how the players were able to show themselves after two days of hard training. I’m happy with the sparring, happy with the group and how everyone worked in the last days. For part of this group it was preparation for the next championship match. We are waiting for the collections to return to extend the tactical part of the work.”
“It is always important to continue to perform at a high level so that players who are not involved in national teams have adequate physical and tactical training. So that when the team gets together, everyone is on the same level and wearing the same uniform. Such breaks allow coaches to organize friendly matches and provide playing time to players who play less in championship and Champions League matches.”
“We gave young players the opportunity to play. I love working with a group of 20 players, allowing us to do 11v11 practice games and watch the youngsters. It’s also good considering the future: if something happens, you’ve already seen some of the young performers and have an idea of their performance. I’m pleased with the work done.”
“This is a friendly match, so the approach is different. Firstly, Rakitsky played more than 20 minutes, this is the biggest difference. In the championship match, within 20 minutes we were already down to ten men. In my opinion, Rukh acted in the same style as last time: he tried to put pressure, play aggressively. At the beginning we had some difficulties, but after ten minutes everything returned to normal and the guys started playing football, creating chances and scoring.”
Shakhtar takes third place in the UPL, having played one match less for Krivbass and Polesie. On October 21, van Leeuwen’s team will play against LNZ.
Source: Sportarena
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
