Valeriy Kryventsov: Benfica will offer us technical football with passing ball around

16-03-15 12:34:39

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The head coach of Shakhtar U-19 team told us about the team’s readiness for the upcoming UEFA Youth League Last 8 fixture.

- Valeriy, what are the personnel news. In what condition are you approaching the game against Benfica?
- We’ve got one loss: Kuksenko feels pain in his knee again. Therefore, in all likelihood, he will miss the game. The rest are back to the ranks now, approaching the meeting in a good mood. I hope that our every player will show their best qualities and, most importantly, they will cope with the anxiety. Still, back in the duel with Olympiacos they felt the burden of responsibility, and it ‘stiffened’ the team a bit.

- So the mental side comes to the fore?
- I think so.

- What are Benfica’s strengths? What should you be wary of?
- Firstly, they have very fast forwards. Secondly, this team is well equipped technically, they just love and know how to make quick transitions from defence to attack. Benfica players impose their game and try to regain possession immediately after losing the ball. We have the information – the eight matches we have found. Benfica do not like to play without the ball. Meanwhile, we know that in order to achieve a result, each team must fulfil their strengths. They will offer us some fluid, technical football with passing the ball around, trying to pull us onto their half of the pitch. Well, we will play based on our trump cards.

- What do you tell the boys before the game? How do you prepare them, how do you psych them up?
- Well, we are not going to tell them a lot before the game. We had plenty of time to slowly prepare the players for the meeting. At the moment, it is not necessary to say anything, they must be ready inwardly.

- Do you feel that only three games have been potentially left until you win the title?
- We feel that we have the next game. When talking with the team before the season started, we agreed not to divide the opponents into strong and weak ones. There is a particular match. We must take to the pitch and win.

FC Shakhtar 
Press Office