Pusic – about Shakhtar’s game: Perfect execution of the plan, the players are incredible

The head coach of the Donetsk club commented on his team’s victory over Barcelona in the Champions League.

Marino Pusic thanked the Shakhtar players after winning the Champions League group stage against Barcelona. According to the head coach of the Pitmen, the result was achieved thanks to the implementation of the game plan, which the players did in full. According to the specialist, his players showed an incredible game.

– Mister, you have made history with Shakhtar in Ukrainian football. Simple question: how did you do it? Do you believe that the team can qualify for the next stage of the Champions League?

– How did we do it? Like I said, if you’re going out to play, you have to prove yourself, fight. This is the attitude I want to see in my team right from the start. This is exactly what I am asking of them. Second, you have to believe in a good ending, because everything starts with thinking. We must believe and act. Of course, we also have a game plan. We analyzed our previous meeting, as well as the matches Barcelona played between our two matches. Make some big changes. The players did a wonderful job. I must say that Barcelona had the ball longer, but we could have scored more without even taking. A perfect performance from my team. And about the second question. We don’t think about the next stage. To be honest, all my thoughts are now focused on the next game, which will take place in the Ukrainian championship and will be difficult. At night we celebrate, because we deserve it, but tomorrow my team and I are fully focused on the next match in the championship.

– First of all, congratulations on your success. Stepanenko and Sikan were unable to continue the match due to injuries. How serious are the injuries?

– We still do not know. Unfortunately, they had to pull out of the game earlier than I expected. I think they are both strong men, true warriors. We’ll see how serious it is, but I expect them to come back soon.

– How do you feel as a head coach after a historic victory?

– It’s so beautiful. But it is beautiful not only for me. Of course I am very happy, but I am very proud of my players and all the people at the club who have worked hard to help me achieve what we have achieved today.

– We saw that Kriskiv and Sudakov showed a great game and dominated the field. Was it planned or were you surprised by their talent?

“I am not surprised by their talent, because I know this talent. I saw them play against Feyenoord when I worked there, so I know what kind of players they are. At the same time, every young footballer must develop to reach the next level, it must always be demanded of themselves. And the boys showed that they can reach the next level. I am very proud of them, as well as the whole team. It was a team victory. It’s the team that makes individual players better, not the other way around. Of course, they performed well, but so did the whole team.

– In the second half, Shakhtar started to defend. Was there a chance to miss it?

– We must consider the opponent we played. First of all, we don’t want to play defense, but when your opponent is that strong, he just forces you to do it. We knew this could happen, so we made a plan accordingly. We occupied important space, created opportunities for counterattacks, and had good transitions. I think it was a fantastic achievement for my team not to concede a goal. We are standing next to the wall. They didn’t give me a chance. Speaking of defense – an amazing achievement. We tried to play, we wanted to play, develop attacks, but it is not always possible to keep possession for a long time when we have to defend against very strong opponents. But the way we came out in defence, the way we organized attacks and created danger, was again impressive. I think we can score more than one goal. Therefore, the reason for this is the strength of the opponent, which sometimes forces me to sit deeper than I want. However, you must still dominate. For me, this also manifests itself not only in possession of the ball, but also in moments without the ball. And if you dominate at this level, then there is a big chance to win, like we did today. In my opinion, when you see the big picture, you realize that we deserve it.

– Did the players execute your plan perfectly?

– Yes, as I have already answered to your colleagues, this is an ideal implementation of the plan. My players deserve the best praise. I can have something, I can have a plan, but they have to execute it on the pitch – and they are fantastic, so I want to give them credit. As I said, it is not easy to play against Barcelona. They are a very strong team, fantastic on the ball and have incredible quality in all aspects. And you have to be brave enough to decide to do what you want. We wanted to play, have the ball, and we tried to do that as long as we had the chance. And this is what I am most proud of – not only the perfect organization and defensive work, but also the fact that every time we tried to develop an attack, keep the ball, create opportunities. Like I said, if you watch the game, we might have another goal, but if it’s offside, I don’t know. We deserve this victory.

– The end of November will be very tense for Shakhtar. Would you ask for UPL matches to be postponed due to Champions League workload?

– I do not know. I’m not the type of person to postpone a match, I’m used to playing fast, two games a week. However, unfortunately, the situation in the country is such that you can call it a home match, but it takes us a lot of time to travel and sometimes we need one or two extra days to recover. It is not only about the game and the fact that we devote a lot of energy and strength to it, but also about resting after the move. That’s why it’s not that easy. So maybe we should change something. I am glad that this option is good, because it is also important for Ukrainian football and the country to be represented in Europe as we did today. But I also like the rhythm of the battles. We will see.

– First of all, our congratulations. Second, before today I read your quote, where you said that there is potential for a European spring, but in the Europa League. Have your goals changed after this success? And I would like to note that the last time Shakhtar beat Barcelona was in the 2008/09 season, when the team won the UEFA Cup. Maybe this is a good sign?

– How great is that. Like I said, we have to stay calm and think little by little, game by game. This is a very strong group, two big matches are ahead. And, of course, everything is possible. But, to be honest, I’m not thinking about it tonight. I noticed that I was already thinking about the next game in the Ukrainian championship when I got here. So, if we achieve it, it will be incredible, if not, then the European spring is also a very good result for the club under such conditions.

– Sorry, you already talked about Georgy Sudakov, who was recognized as the best player of the match. Can you tell us more about him and how difficult it was for a young player to develop in Ukraine under such circumstances?

– Of course, it’s not easy. But, as I have already said, it is amazing how the players behave in these conditions, how they work and concentrate. It deserves nothing but great respect. What else can be said about Sudakov is that he is extremely talented, and has shown it for a long time. And he takes the next steps at this level, at the highest level: not only in attack, but also in defense – this is necessary for this level. He is a very intelligent person with a great character and I am really happy for him.

We remind you that Shakhtar defeated Barcelona in the fourth round of the group stage of the Champions League with a score of 1:0.

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