Pusic named Shakhtar’s task for the match in Antwerp

The Pitmen head coach spoke about the team’s problems ahead of the Champions League group round game.

In the game against Antwerp, Artem Bondarenko could play again for Shakhtar after a long break. The head coach of the Pitmen, Marino Pusic, announced this in a press conference before the match in Antwerp. According to the coach, the football player has been training in the general group for a long time. At the same time, Efim Konoplya will definitely not appear on the field this year.

“It’s actually very simple, because every game has its own story. This is the first thing. Every tournament has its own energy and its own purpose. For me and for the team this is important. There are draws and losses in these games , but we easily won two times. If we complete all our attacks and realize all the opportunities. Sometimes, if you don’t do it, you can get a draw or lose. For me, this is part of game. What’s more important is how we played. Especially in the last meeting, we created a lot of scoring chances, sometimes we lacked a bit of luck to realize one of the chances in time, change the course of the game and win … I’m not happy with the result, but I liked our game and what we showed.

Bondarenko has worked hard to come back from injury and has already given us a few sessions. Slowly, but surely, he is taking part in group practice and preparing to get some playing time. Artem will be in the lineup tomorrow, and during the game we will see if we need his help. But I’m glad he’s coming back soon.

Against Polesie we didn’t take our chances. You know, football is like that sometimes. I’m happy with how we played, how many chances we created – it’s very good for our team. We didn’t complete our attacks, so we ended up with a draw. But it’s a good draw. We didn’t like the final result, but the way we played, how many chances we created, it was very good. Sometimes you just need to have one such chance to score more goals later. Many things were discussed after this game, but for me the main thing is how we played. Each game has its own energy, its own uniqueness. We always try to find a way to win, but with our own strategy. It’s bad when you don’t do anything, but we did a lot. We were at a point where we could have done forty times more than we did. It’s important for me too. I praised my players after the match exactly for the way they played, for their strength and discipline. Everything is almost perfect except the heads. I agree with you here.

Regarding the Hemp situation, when a player is removed ten minutes after the start of the match, the situation may seem serious, however, according to the first data, the damage is not too serious. He could return to the squad in two to three weeks. The good thing is that the recovery should not take much time. There were a few more injuries after that fight because of the aggression used against our players. Fortunately, however, all but Konoplya are ready to play in tomorrow’s starting lineup.

Daniil Sikan is in good condition. He is an ambitious soccer player, loves to score goals, works hard and makes a great contribution to the team. Honestly, I’m not used to talking about individual players, but if there’s such a question, I always put the team before specific players. Only the team makes the player better – not the other way around. Because as a team we make each other better, and in this case, as a team, we also help Danil get better and give him the chance to score goals. He is developing fast, scores a lot, works very hard for the team. Of course, like every young player, he has room to improve. He and the other boys have great ambitions and are eager to prove themselves, and as a coach I am very pleased with this.

I think, if your question is about work under the circumstances that exist today in Ukraine, then as a coach you do not only the work of a football mentor, but also many others. One of them is to help your players feel good and confident enough to explore their talents and play well. It is clear that the situation is completely different from everything that each of us sees in our countries and requires adaptation, social skills, as well as the desire to work hard every day for the team development. The club employees helped me a lot, I’m grateful for that. As I said before, I see a good organization, people who try to do their best under these circumstances, which is not that easy. As you know, my team drove here for about 10 hours yesterday. Such a schedule requires a lot of effort, and especially such a trip. At the same time, we have the mental strength to face this challenge and do our best. Therefore, this is not a common situation, but it is what it is. Everyone in the club, including myself as a coach, tries to make every effort to find the best way out of the situation and compete with other teams.

It’s part of the motivation and extra push when you play for your country, trying to energize the people there, to play in a way that makes them proud. But the main motivation is to perform as a professional for his teammates and for the club. At the same time, you represent your country in Europe, and now it is very important that people are proud of Shakhtar and that we stay in European competition as long as possible.

With Mark van Bommel, Antwerp achieved a great result, became the champion last year and won trophies. It was not easy to do, it was a great achievement. Respect to him, his team and the Antwerp club. They are strong opponents. I know this season didn’t start well for them, but sometimes bad luck can happen. I think he is a very good coach and he has shown it. His team is not easy to beat,” Shakhtar’s website quotes Pusic as saying.

We remind you that Shakhtar and Antwerp will play in a group match of the Champions League on Tuesday, November 28. The match will take place in Hamburg at the Volksparkstadion. The game starts at 19:45 Kyiv time.

Earlier, the application of the Pitmen for the match against Antwerp became known.

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