Srna: I could not refuse in such a difficult situation for the country and Shakhtar

Added at:
another languages: uk ru

Shakhtar's acting head coach Darijo Srna talks about the dismissal of Patrick van Leeuwen and his decision to lead the team.

– First of all, I agreed to the interview, because there are many questions for me and the club. I have not given any comment anywhere, so I would like to clarify this situation a bit. Patrick’s invitation was due to the fact that he showed very beautiful, spectacular football at Zorya – he fought for the title until the last two rounds, qualified for the Conference League and gave a very good result. And he led himself to Shakhtar with his quality of play and results.

Of course, we knew that every coach would have a hard time at Shakhtar at first. Fonseca, Castro, Jovicevic and De Zerbi went through this – they all had some difficulties, and we always met them halfway and helped them. We knew from the beginning of the pre-season, that the internationals returned to Patrick a little later after the European U21 Championship, there were injured players: Sudakov had a surgery right away, Stepanenko had a knee injury. That is why we went through a very difficult time, had patience, gave support, as we do for every Shakhtar coach. But the day has come when we have to speak honestly and openly, to be upfront and fair to our fans, which, unfortunately, we did not manage to do. We failed to play the kind of football that the fans, the club president and all of us need. We could not find a way to play Shakhtar’s football. And I can only thank Patrick and the coaching staff for a good work, but we decided to take a different approach. We wish him all the best, success and great competitive results.

As for me, Shakhtar is my club and my family. Truth be told, I could have become Shakhtar coach even earlier. But I am a person who trusts others, and I always want to help every coach with their work. And I want to say from my experience that every Shakhtar team made the coach very strong. They all came here and went to top clubs after Shakhtar being different people. There is the work of the club, the team and the coach – when this triangle exists, there will be success.

Today I accepted Shakhtar, because they are my family. When the family has a hard time, you have to help. So, I was not afraid to take the team even before such games and try to do everything I can. I told them yesterday that I am not Guardiola, I am not Klopp, I am Darijo Srna, who does not have much experience in coaching, but I have miner’s heart. Miner’s heart, which is very important for everyone. And this heart told me that I need to help the team today. In such a difficult situation for the country, for Shakhtar, I could not refuse and told the president that I am all for it.

Two rounds ago, the president offered me to immediately take over the team, become the head coach, sign a contract, and choose the coaching staff. And he said that he was ready to suffer with me. And I told him, “President, I love this club and I assure you that today I want to bring you a coach who is stronger than me, who is currently better than me, more experienced than me and who can give the team more at the moment.” I put the club before myself, and there is no other way. I put the club before myself because no one can be above the club. My ambitions cannot be higher than the club’s ambitions. That is why I spoke briefly about the situation that happened in the last two weeks.

As for the new coach, I assure the president every day, together with CEO Palkin, that this is the right choice. And he fully trusts me. And we are negotiating. And I hope that this coach wants to join us.

another languages: uk ru

NewsRSS - News - Terrikon

24 August

08:33
Lyon Go Top of Ligue 1: Fonseca's Side Cruise Past Metz in 3–0 Victory
00:53
Barcelona Go Top of La Liga After Dramatic Comeback Win Over Levante
00:42
Milan Stunned by Serie A Newcomers as Allegri and Modrić Era Begins with Defeat
00:02
AS Roma Edge Bologna as Wesley Secures Opening Day Win

23 August

23:54
Atletico Madrid Held at Home by La Liga Newcomers Elche
21:57
Borussia Dortmund Blow Two-Goal Lead in Six-Goal Thriller vs St. Pauli
21:46
Kevin De Bruyne Scores on Serie A Debut as Napoli Claim Opening Win
21:35
Arsenal's Machine in Motion: Mikel Arteta's Side Thrash Leeds
18:59
Bayer Leverkusen Fall to Shock 2-1 Defeat Against Hoffenheim
17:20
Tottenham Haunt Manchester City Again with Clinical 2-0 Victory at the Etihad
12:47
Eberechi Eze Joins Arsenal in £67m Move from Crystal Palace
12:04
Real Betis Pushing Hard to Bring Antony Back from Manchester United
11:03
Gianluigi Donnarumma Bids Emotional Farewell to PSG Fans
08:14
Chelsea Remind West Ham Who the Real World Champions Are
00:00
Fabian Ruiz Goal Edges PSG Past Angers After Dembélé Misses Penalty

22 August

23:42
Harry Kane Hat-Trick Inspires Bayern Munich to 6–0 Rout Over RB Leipzig
23:03
Trump Confirms 2026 FIFA World Cup Draw to Be Held in Washington D.C.
16:12
Official: Renato Veiga Leaves Chelsea for La Liga Record Move to Villarreal
14:31
Shakhtar Donetsk Eye Brentford’s Gustavo Nunes as Potential Kevin Replacement
08:35
UEFA Europa Conference League: Thursday’s Playoff Drama Unfolds
08:20
Europa League: Thursday’s Qualifying Results Round-Up

21 August

18:48
Victor Boniface Joins AC Milan on Loan with €25M Buy Option
18:07
Jeremie Frimpong Ruled Out as Liverpool Face Right-Back Crisis
16:57
Arsenal Hijack Tottenham’s Move for Eberechi Eze in £67M North London Transfer Twist
16:06
Premier League Billionaire Spending Smashes All-Time Transfer Record
14:21
Official: Noah Okafor Joins Leeds United from AC Milan in €20.5M Deal
13:48
Napoli Make Bold Move for Artem Dovbyk With Six-Year Contract Offer
12:11
No Messi, No Problem: Luis Suárez Sends Inter Miami into Leagues Cup Semi-Finals
11:00
Milan Ready to Offer Two Players in Bid for Artem Dovbyk
10:25
Big Night for Ukrainian Football in European Competitions
08:17
All Wednesday Results from the UEFA Champions League Play-Offs

20 August

21:14
Renato Veiga Set to Become Villarreal’s Record Signing
19:14
Newcastle Raise Bid to £40M for Brentford Forward Yoane Wissa
17:47
Napoli Drop Interest in Højlund and Dovbyk Due to High Price Tags
16:44
AC Milan Close In on Bayer Leverkusen Star Victor Boniface
15:06
Arsenal Hit by Injury Blow as Kai Havertz Faces Spell on the Sidelines
14:56
Nottingham Forest Seal €30M Deal for Juventus Midfielder
14:16
Roma Secure Leon Bailey Signing, Set Their Sights on Jadon Sancho
13:24
Brazilian Goalkeeper Fábio Silva Breaks All-Time World Record
10:11
Adrien Rabiot and Jonathan Rowe Set for Marseille Exit After Dressing Room Clash