Myron Markevych: Douglas gave the game a new direction

14-03-10 20:11:55

It looked like being defeated by Shakhtar was not favorable for the conversation with the head coach of the Kharkiv team, but Myron Markevich satiated the informational hunger of the reporters, after all.

- The game was very intense, I think the spectators must have enjoyed it. Before this game we had certain issues with lineups. Obradovich, Berezovchuk, Devic are injured. We could not count on them. Of course I realized that I needed to fortify the lineups with replacements. But we didn’t have equal substitutes like, say, Douglas in Shakhtar who gave the game a new direction. I think we did not play worse than the home team. It’s just that Shakhtar got lucky today.

- How did the candidates for the national cap from both teams show their talents in this game, in your opinion?
- Pyatov didn’t play bad at all. Rakytskyy also played a consistent game. I haven’t seen anything more for now. As for our team… Oleynyk could have played. I liked the younger players. It was the first on-pitch appearance for Selin, and Putivtsev was playing for the second time. They were both a pleasure to watch. True, they play for the junior cap. I do not want to mention any particular names, I cannot see no point in it. We will watch the players closely until May. And when the national team gathers for the first training camp we shall see about that.

- Did your appointment as Ukrainian national team head coach bring  more advantages or disadvantages to your work?
- That’s an interesting question. Of course, there are both advantages and disadvantages to this. I have been watching my players in action today, watched Pyatov, Rakytskyy. That was an advantage, the disadvantage being a considerable amount of pressure. The team is trying to snatch the winning three points, and this task should be fulfilled. And of course the focusing on the progress of the national team must not be underestimated. You might be right. We’ll play the season to the end and then we shall see.

- What would you say about Fininho’s and Lysenko’s game when they went onto the pitch in the end of the match?
- Lysenko is still not completely ready. He’s been away for almost half a year and of course it’s been tough for him. Fininho didn’t underperform. His adapting period is somewhat extended, but I think he will make up for that eventually.

- You mentioned that you played no worse than the home team. But after a certain moment the game turned around. Could you dwell on that?
- Yes, after Douglas went onto the pitch we slowed down a bit. I repeat, we did not have a sub of an equal value. Shakhtar brought on players that increased the squad’s ability to work as a team. I think we might need to get reinforcements by this summer. We shall see.

- So you are satisfied with the way young Selin and Putivtsev played?
- Yes, I am happy they played in the way they did. Although with the second missed goal Selin first joined the attack and then got back, and Douglas applied pressure on him. It was at this moment that Putivtsev should have backed up his partner. But they are still young. I think playing against one of the best teams in Europe was a good experience for them. Therefore I am glad that they did not underperform. And if Selin would have scored instead of hitting the goalpost I could have said that his debut was a success.

FC Shakhtar
Press Office