Mircea Lucescu: I'm happy with the result and with Malyshev’s debut

19-07-15 19:40:11

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The press conference by Shakhtar head coach after defeating Oleksandriya.

- I wish we’d played at the temperature like here ... (Smiles.) The meeting was strongly affected by climatic conditions – the heat. Plus as always, of course, no spectators. Because of those two things, perhaps, the game pace was not that high. I want to note Oleksandriya, who defended in a very good and organized way. The opponents produced a few dangerous counterattacks. We still had more scoring opportunities, the score might be bigger. But I'm happy with both the result and with Malyshev’s debut. Plus Kovalenko grows from game to game. We also keep an eye on Ordets, we will watch him in the games to follow. Most likely, he will start in the Champions League. This match gave me a reason to reflect on some things - I will make certain conclusions.

- Considering the heat and the fact that Shakhtar has many Brazilians, you had a slight advantage?
- I am sure that they felt just as hot as the rest did! There isn’t a big difference between different people standing the heat. Because it can be both cool and very hot in Brazil. Just as here. Maybe they are not used to our cold weather – that’s true! But they suffer from the heat in the same way as we do.

- You said that you are happy with Malyshev and Kovalenko. What would you say about Eduardo?
- He showed great agility. There were chances to score, which, unfortunately, he hasn’t converted so far. But gradually Eduardo will remember our game organization, getting better and better. He is a player who, I am sure, will help us in the domestic league and the Champions League alike.

- How ready is Bernard? He appeared from the off ...
- To answer this question, I would say this: the whole team are not in their top form physically yet. Next week we will work on this component. There is no optimum form yet, and this is normal. Today, Bernard did just what was required of him. Hopefully, he will step it up in terms of his efficiency and attacking effectiveness.