Pusic: In the match with Rukh I wanted to see other players in action

Head coach Shakhtar Marino Pusic commented on the test match with Rukh (1:3).

“Firstly, it was important for me to play this match because I wanted to see other players in action to better understand their capabilities. Secondly, most football players need practice and playing time. The game is a game: it was difficult, there were a lot of fouls, but this is part of the game. We must adapt.”

“I think we had a lot of good and bad moments. We shouldn’t concede three goals at this level. But, unfortunately, this happened, so we need to learn from mistakes. Most of the players who took to the field did not play much during the season, so they were out of a certain rhythm of the game. I don’t blame anyone at all, these are learning moments. I liked the energy of the team. The guys did their best, worked hard, but it turned out that this was not enough to win. The game was very useful for us, we saw a lot. We tried to put in a lot of energy.”

“We gave the opponent two goals – it’s simple. Of course, these are mistakes, but we win and lose together. Rudko is an excellent goalkeeper, a good person. He tried to comply with all the principles that we strive to see in the build-up. Of course, sometimes you have to make a choice whether to play through short or long passes, but we are learning this. I saw that the team made an effort, tried to implement our principles with and without the ball as productively as possible. I’m glad we played this game.

I note that the opponent had moments, especially in the first half, when we acted very openly. However, we also created chances in the second half and, perhaps, in the first, for example, the episode with Shved. However, there is no need to analyze the match from this point of view: it is important for me to see the players in the game and better understand their capabilities. That’s all. It’s not about the result at all. Of course, when we go on the field, we strive to win, but for me it was more important to watch the players so that I know what I can count on and what I need to work on.”

“We continue to train every day. Training camps will return on Tuesday; the squad that played against Rukh will have a recovery session. On Wednesday we’ll all get together and start preparing for the next fight.”

“I can’t say much about the players of the youth team, because it was a very short period of time. I gave three of them the opportunity to play. It is clear that they want to play, to compete, like every young footballer, there is potential for progress. You should work hard to improve your abilities. They are talented and will sometimes train with us.”

The Miners, who played in an experimental lineup, opened the scoring in the 7th minute through the efforts of Kevin Kelsey. Rukh quickly came back, and then managed to snatch a strong-willed victory – goals scored by Bohdan Slyubik, Vitaly Kholod and Andrei Stolyarchuk.

Shakhtar is in fourth place in the UPL with 24 points. In the next match, Marino Pusic’s team will play against Polesie on November 24.