Jovicevic: Ukrainian championship is the main priority for Shakhtar

Head coach of Shakhtar Igor Jovicevic about victory over Minaj.

– Do the matches and opponents in the UPL allow you to prepare well for the European Cup matches?
– These are two different tournaments. The championship is the main priority for us, because without successful performances in the championship, there will be no European Cups. It is important that the following matches end in the same way as against Minaj, because this will allow us to play in the European Cups again. Today's match went as we wanted it to: to show ourselves aggressively at the start in order to direct the game in the direction we needed. We played against a strong opponent. Although the result is convincing, but I would not say that it was smooth sailing. There were enough moments to bring up the score. But in the first half Minaj showed that in counterattacks they can intensify the game with any opponent. Three points are very important because we closed the gap with Dnipro-1. Now a very interesting second round begins, where every match will be very significant and there will be no room for mistake. We are ready and want to continue with the same spirit, even though there are still European Cup matches. Only time will tell where we will be, but the team are ready both mentally and physically.

– How long will Marian Shved's recovery take?
– According to the latest information, he will work individually for two more days and join the general group. It is very important for us to have such a football player in the team. Kryskiv also has to practise individually tomorrow, and then he will join the team.

– Comment on Yukhym Konoplia's performance.
– Konoplia plays steadily in his position, he already knows the requirements and feels confident. You can see that Yukhym is efficient in every game, because he earned two spot-kicks.

– Should we still expect transfers from Shakhtar?
– This is a question for Darijo Srna, because he deals with this issue. We have one more day, so stay tuned for news. The main thing is that now the players complement each other on the field, and it inspires and motivates me. Today was a very good working day, because the attitude was up to par. The result was a reflection: the goals coupled with the quality bring results.