Shakhtar head coach, Igor Jovicevich, recently spoke about his journey with the team and the challenges he faced in an interview with The Coaches Voice. Jovicevich joined Shakhtar after gathering a new team in a year following the flight of legionnaires due to the war in Ukraine. He insists that he has been preparing for a long time to lead a top club and that there are always challengers waiting for you to fail. In the 2022/2023 season, Jovicevich led Shakhtar to their 14th Ukrainian league title.
Shakhtar head coach Igor Jovicevich, after winning the UPL title last season, analyzed the difficulties he faced after joining the team.
Jovicevich, in an interview with The Coaches Voice, spoke in detail under what circumstances he left Dnepr-1 for Shakhtar, having gathered a new team in a year after the flight of legionnaires due to the war in Ukraine.
“Five months after the start of the war, the Ukrainian government allowed football to be played. I was then bound by a contract with Dnepr-1. Two years have passed, but I can extend it for another season. At this time, a miner contacted me. I realized that I couldn’t say no. See if he is ready to lead the best club. Especially in that state,” explained Jovićević.
- Also read: The symbolic team of the UPL season 2022/23 according to experts: Leonenko, Sabo and Fedorchuk named the best players and coaches
Shakhtar’s mentor insists that he has been preparing for a long time to lead a top club.
“There is always a lot of doubt about coaches in a club like Shakhtar. There are always challengers waiting for you to fail. If you can’t live with it, go work at McDonald’s. I tell football players, “You can’t get adrenaline if there’s no fear.” This adrenaline takes you forward,” concluded the mentor.
- In the 2022/2023 season, Jovićević led Shakhtar to their 14th Ukrainian league title;
- Jovićević also has the “gold” of the Croatian championship, which he won with Dinamo Zagreb in the 2019/2020 season.
Premier League standings
| # | The team | me | INSIDE | N | P | M | ABOUT | Latest 5 games |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Shakhtar D | 30 | 22 | 6 | 2 | 69:21 | 72 | |
| 2. | Dnepr-1 | 30 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 61:27 | 67 | |
| 3. | Dawn | 30 | 21 | 4 | 5 | 64:31 | 67 | |
| 4. | Dinamo K | 30 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 51:25 | 60 | |
| 5. | Vorskla | 30 | 13 | 6 | 11 | 38:37 | 45 | |
| 6. | Alexandria | 30 | 10 | 14 | 6 | 42:39 | 44 | |
| 7. | Krivbass | 30 | 12 | 5 | 13 | 26:30 | 41 | |
| 8. | Ears | 30 | 10 | 6 | 14 | 23:36 | 36 | |
| 9. | Chernomorets O | 30 | 9 | 8 | 13 | 35:40 | 35 | |
| 10. | pass by | 30 | 8 | 9 | 13 | 22:33 | 33 | |
| 11. | Movement | 30 | 7 | 11 | 12 | 31:37 | 32 | |
| 12. | Metal worker 1925 | 30 | 6 | 14 | 10 | 23:42 | 32 | |
| 13. | Heather | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 35:45 | 31 | |
| 14. | Ingulec | 30 | 8 | 7 | 15 | 22:34 | 31 | |
| 15. | metal worker | 30 | 5 | 7 | 18 | 27:58 | 22 | |
| 16. | Lviv | 30 | 3 | 4 | 23 | 18:52 | 13 |
