Mentor Gornyakov is pleased with the team’s performance and result in the first sparring of the year
Head coach Shakhtar Marino Pusic commented on the result and performance of his players in the first winter sparring of 2024.
“As I already said before the start of the meeting, there are two important things: firstly, playing conditions – we wanted to see a lot of aggression and movement, secondly, we were interested in the style of play, which the players did quite well in many moments. Winning in sparring gives a good mood for off-season games, which is also important. It’s not always a roo mentality – it’s about attitude, and it was great. We worked very hard, created a number of chances and I think we deserved this win.”
“First of all, the emphasis was on getting to the level we usually have during matches, with a lot of running. This applies to playing conditions. Regarding the style of play, I saw a lot of things that we worked on. I must note that during the first 10-15 minutes we made too many unnecessary technical errors, but this is also a feature of the first meeting and the first minutes on the field after almost two months without playing. Therefore, I am happy with this friendly match.”
“All players need minutes. We can’t start with 90 minutes, so we always start with 45, spreading out the time. And I also gave the opportunity to young football players to watch them in action: such as Tsukanov and Ocheretko, and also Luka, a young guy from Georgia who is now on trial with us. I want to see these guys too. They had quite heavy loads during the week, because, if you remember, before this fight we had ten training sessions, which is not so little. We do this to become stronger mentally and physically. This is the goal of this game. I’m pleased with how the young players performed.”
“During the match it was clear that Kevin is a strong, powerful footballer, plays well one on one, and his actions showed this. I am glad that at that moment Zubkov was in an advantageous position. It’s always nice to see the interaction and desire to score. I hope they score more goals in the championship.”
“In fact, there are still many aspects that we started working on at the end of the first part of the season, in the first months of my stay at the club, but we have added intensity and are keeping it at a high level. We also became more unpredictable in the last phase of the attack. And we need to improve further, so we’re working on it.”
Let us remind you that on January 22, in their first test match at a training camp in Turkey, Shakhtar defeated Pyunik (2:0). For the first time, the expensive Brazilian newcomer Kevin played for Gornyakov. He played the first half as a left winger and scored an assist on Alexander Zubkov. The second goal for Gornyakov was scored by 17-year-old Viktor Tsukanov.
19-year-old Georgian defender Luka Latsabidze also received playing time for Shakhtar. He came on as a substitute in the second half.
Let us remind you that Shakhtar arrived in Turkey on January 14. In total, the Miners planned six control matches at the training camp.
In February, Shakhtar will play in the 1/16 of the Europa League, where its opponent will be Marseille. In the Ukrainian Championship, the Miners are in fourth place, three points behind the leaders, but with two matches in hand.
Source: Sportarena
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
