-First of all, I congratulate everyone at the Turkish and Ukrainian press conference. Tomorrow may be psychologically most special in the season, because Besiktash has its own history and past, which allows the team to play regardless of circumstances. We respect football with respect and focus on the game as much as possible. Although this is only the beginning of the season, it is one of the finals for us that we will hold this year.
To progress and move to a new level, we will focus on this match completely, because in August we are waiting for nine games in 30 days. It will be the finale for us where we will play for victory. But it is never easy to confront Besiktash, because, as I said, they have history, as well as very important players who need to be respected. If we are at least a little arrogant or relaxed in this game, the problems that arise can reach us all season.
– We see that in a short time you made a very good, compact team. You were able to do this within a very short time. How did you succeed?
– Shakhtar is laid in culture – the dominance and control of the ball. Of course, players are able to respond quickly in a short period of time, but a large number of repetitions are required for automatism and coherence. To be honest, we and our coaching staff expect some recession in our game, but we are ready for it. We will answer physically, we will look for other game plans to compensate for. It is very important that we are already at such a level. But, to get to the highest level and that the system will work and stabilize, short time, of course, is not enough.
We lost the chances and made mistakes in the transition phase, but in general I am satisfied with the game and control of the ball. Yes, it is good that we get such results at this stage, but we need more for automatism and mechanism. I think we are completely on the right path. During these forty days of work, I want to thank all my players, because we lived constantly in the hotel due to circumstances. And it’s not so easy. I am grateful to them for work and concentration. This is very important and I think it was a good step for us.
– Perhaps this question is more about the future, but the UEFA Europa League finals will take place in Istanbul this season. As a Turkish coach, would you like to play in the finale and maybe get a trophy in Istanbul?
– For us, to be honest, the only finale is tomorrow, and we will be 100% ready for it. If you think too much about the future, you can stumble in the way between the future and the present. Of course, everyone wants to get to the finals, but we move step by step. Tomorrow we will be completely present in the game for our dreams – to win. Our only dream now is to win tomorrow and happy to go by bus to Lviv.
