Taras Stepanenko: “I take the role of team captain very seriously”

27.07.2018 17:20

Photo by Pavlo Kubanov

Shakhtar Donetsk and Ukraine midfielder Taras Stepanenko spoke about Miners start in the championship of Ukraine, newcomers to the team and his role as captain in the team of Paulo Fonseca.

- Taras, how do you assess Shakhtar's start in the new championship and what do you expect from the next match against Arsenal-Kyiv?

- I haven't seen the game of Kyiv, but I know that they took the first place in the first league. We recently played with Desna, which also played in the first division, and I really liked this team. I believe that the level of "Arsenal" should not be lower than the level of "Desna". Therefore, a difficult match awaits us.

- Shakhtar has been joined by several newcomers. How were they received in the team?

- The guys came during the meeting, so it was time to get acquainted, to understand who is playing. It is clear that the guys need time to join the team, to understand the culture of Ukraine, what football is here. I'm sure that when you find yourself in another country, it's not so simple. We support the guys in every way. Later they will show why they were taken here, because they are players with great talent.

- In the match with Desna you were the captain of the team, but now Tyson is back. Who will be in this role in the match with Arsenal?

- We have a captain - Tyson. But while he was away, I was the captain. I think that in the next match he will come out with a bandage, and then I will replace him. This role is very responsible. You need to behave properly on the field, representing the team. I take this very seriously.