Andriy Shevchenko: “I am satisfied with the game and the energy costs we needed”

12.10.2019 02:32

Photo by Pavlo Kubanov

After the match with the Lithuanian national team in Kharkiv, the head coach of the national team of Ukraine Andriy Shevchenko held a press conference.

- I want to convey to the fans words of gratitude for the support, - Andriy Shevchenko addressed the audience. - A full stadium gathered today. Guys are always happy to play with such support.

- During the match, fans chanted your name. What does this mean for you?

- I am very pleased. For the third year I am pursuing a professional career as the head coach of the national team. Such as today, it happened infrequently. I think this is a sign that the fans like the team's game. I am Ukrainian, I love my country and I do my best for the national team to develop and for the players to grow and succeed together with it.  

- What did you succeed in today and what did you fail to implement on the field?

- I liked how the team reacted to the game. There was a balance, we didn't do anything to the opponent, we switched well from attack to defense. I said the day before that the match would be difficult. There may have been nervousness after a series of unrealized moments, but it did not happen. Our players moved the ball well from flank to flank and created moments. Implementation, however, is a bit disappointing, we need to make better use of moments. In fights with the best teams, there will not be as many of them as today, so you need to learn to squeeze the most.

- Were quite early substitutions made today given the match with Portugal?

- We were preparing for today's game, in the process of forming the starting lineup we took into account the damage that Mykolenko had. But I warned the players that there will be replacements, we will have a difficult match with Portugal, which we also took into account. This team is on the move, European champion ... Substitutions of Marlos and Yarmolenko were planned in advance. Stepanenko received a yellow card, and we responded.

Overall, I'm pleased with the game and the energy costs we needed today. I think there will be enough time to recover from the match with the Portuguese.

- The team has two strikers. Rate the Moraes game today. Did you give Yaremchuk a rest?

- I can't answer unequivocally. We have two equal forwards. Most importantly, they both work for the team. Moraes really wants to score, but, nevertheless, kept the defense of rivals in suspense today, helped his partners. Yaremchuk does the same when he goes out on the field. Each of them is taught as much as possible.

- In order not to go to the Euro, you need to lose to Serbia with a score of 0: 6. What will you say to the players to prevent distractions in the match against Portugal?

- It is excluded. Our task is to hold all matches at a high level. We are accountable to the fans and to ourselves. We have no right to lower our level. We have to show our faces in the remaining two matches.

- As a well-known master of penalties, did you have a feeling that Malinowski would score from the standard?

- There was a feeling that he would hit the gate. I told him to just hit and for the other players to go for the finish. If Ruslan hits the plane, it is a problem for any goalkeeper.

Finally, I would like to thank the journalists for their support. We feel the support of the media.