And about. Shakhtar’s coach gave an interview where he revealed the details of Van Leeuwen’s dismissal and his own appointment
Athletic Director and Acting Head Coach Shakhtar Darijo Srna talked in detail about the details of the appointment and the reasons for the dismissal Patrick van Leeuwenas well as about his own appointment and search for a successor in the coaching post of the Donetsk club.
“The invitation of Patrick van Leeuwen was due to the fact that he showed very good, spectacular football in Zarya – until the last two rounds he fought for the championship, got into the Conference League and made a very good result. And he brought himself to Shakhtar with his quality of play and results.”
“Of course, we knew that it would be difficult for every coach at Shakhtar at first. Paulo Fonseca, Luis Castro, Igor Jovicevic, and Roberto De Zerbi all went through this – they all experienced certain difficulties, and we always met them halfway and helped them.”
“We knew that from the beginning of the off-season, Patrick’s training camp arrived a little later after the U-21 European Championship, there were injuries: Georgy Sudakov had immediate surgery, Taras Stepanenko had a knee. Therefore, we went through a very difficult period, had patience, provided support, like every Shakhtar coach.”
“But the day has come when we must say honestly and frankly, in order to be honest and fair in front of our fans, which, unfortunately, did not work out for us. We failed to play the kind of football that the fans, the club president, and all of us needed. We couldn’t find a way to play miner’s football. And I can only say thank you to Patrick and the coaching staff for a good job, but we decided to go a different way. We wish him all the best, success and excellent sporting results.”
“The president was still young when he fired Bernd Schuster and Nevio Scala at once, he had no patience. Today he has patience. I know the president very well. And if the president does not see tomorrow, then a decision needs to be made. Unfortunately, he did not see him in such a situation. We must be honest, fair and tell it like it is. We supported Patrick and his coaching staff and some games were good, but unfortunately we were not confident and did not see tomorrow. This is the absolute truth. And it’s better to part than to endure and suffer for all of us.”
“As for me, Shakhtar is my club and this is my family. To be honest and frank, I could have become Shakhtar’s coach even earlier. But I am a person who trusts others, and I always want to help every coach in his work. And I want to say from my own experience that each Shakhtar team made the coach very strong. They all came here alone, and went to the top clubs after Shakhtar as others.”
“There is the work of the club, the team and the coach – when this triangle exists, there will be success. Today I accepted Shakhtar because they are my family. When a family is having a hard time, you need help. Therefore, I was not afraid, even before such games, to take the team and try to do everything in my power. I told them yesterday that I am not Guardiola, I am not Klopp, I am Darijo Srna, who does not have much coaching experience, but I have a miner’s heart. A “miner’s” heart, which is very important for everyone. And this heart told me that I need to help the team today.”
“In such a difficult situation for the country, for Shakhtar, I could not refuse and told the president that I was in favor with both hands.” The president offered me two rounds ago to immediately take the team, become the head coach, sign a contract, choose a coaching staff. And he said that he was ready to suffer with me. And I answered him: “President, I love this club and I assure you that today I want to bring you a coach who is stronger than me. Who today is better than me, more experienced than me and who today can give the team more than I can.”
“I put the club above myself, it cannot be otherwise. I put the club above myself because no one can be above the club. My ambitions cannot be higher than the ambitions of the club. Therefore, I told you briefly the situation that has occurred in the last two weeks. As for the new coach, I assure the president every day, together with director Palkin, that this is the right choice. And he trusts completely. And we are negotiating. And I hope that this coach will want to join us.”
Let us remind you that on October 16, Shakhtar officially parted ways with Patrick van Leeuwen, who would lead the Miners in the summer of 2023. On the same day, Darijo Srna, 41, was appointed acting. head coach.
Later, information appeared that the Miners were negotiating only with European coaches. At the same time, it was not possible to reach specific agreements with any of the potential candidates. One of them was the Spaniard Oscar Garcia, who refused the Donetsk club.
As a player, Srna played for Shakhtar from 2003 to 2018. The defender won 10 Ukrainian champion titles with the club, won the UEFA Cup and many other trophies. After finishing his playing career, the Croatian joined the Miners as a technical development coach, and in 2020 became the club’s sporting director.
Shakhtar takes third place in the UPL, having played one match less for Krivbass and Polesie. On October 21, the team will play against LNZ in the Ukrainian Championship. The Pitmen also occupy third place in the Champions League group, and in the next match of the European Cup tournament they will play against Barcelona on October 25.
Source: Sportarena
I am Ben Stock and I work in Athletistic as an author. My specialty is covering football news and other related topics. I have been writing for this website since the past 2 years, crafting compelling stories with the latest updates in the sports world. My articles have gained widespread appreciation amongst readers due to their accuracy and depth of research.
