Artem Chobanian
Undoubtedly the major talking point in Ukraine this season has been the possible dismissal of Mircea Lucescu from his position as coach of Shakhtar Donetsk. There are a number of reasons for this, but also perhaps an equal number of reasons why Lucescu could end up keeping his job.
Dark clouds began gathering above the coach’s head about a year ago, when Lucescu couldn’t seem to, no matter how hard he tried, improve the club’s position in Europe. Had he not claimed the Ukrainian title then, he would have been on his way.
Rinat Ahmetov, the oligarch owner of Shakhtar, stressed that Lucescu’s days were numbered unless visible changes occurred within the team. At the same time Ahmetov stressed personally he would like the coach to remain at the club until the end of his career, but he had to weigh what he wanted as an owner with the needs of the club. Needless to say Ahmetov is sure the club must come first.
The beginning of this season was shocking for Shakhtar – one victory, two draws and two defeats. Then three defeats and yet more draws followed. Almost all the major sports newspapers in the country reported Lucescu was on the verge of being dismissed, and a list of candidates for the Romanian coach’s job was even published. Sources suggest even Lucescu was extremely worried. The media circus calmed down somewhat though when Ahmetov said publicly that he would not sack Lucescu whilst the club was still involved in the Champions League.
Ahmetov stated: “We have a lot to prove at home yes, but even more to prove in Europe. So there shouldn’t be any crucial decisions made before we know how we have performed in the Champions League”.
For Lucescu this was important because Ahmetov is well known for sticking to his word. The Ukrainian and Eastern European media instantly understood that the Romanian was safe at least until the end of 2008, and the speculation stopped.
The Champions League campaign however contained only bad luck for Shakhtar. The side performed with great credit against Barcelona in Donetsk, leading 1-0 with just three minutes left to go, but then, despite having had chances to make it more than 1-0, Barcelona scored twice and Shakhtar were beaten 2-1. Eventually a defeat against Sporting Lisbon condemned the Ukrainians to the UEFA Cup.
The questions about Lucescu’s future began once again almost immediately. What about Lucescu Mr Ahmetov? Is he doomed now? Who will lead Shakhtar into the UEFA Cup games? Rinat Ahmetov was bombarded with question after question from all over Ukraine.
Ahmetov though, had decided he was not going to change horses in mid-stream. “Lucescu stays, that’s final”, he concluded.
Even though the owner had been frustrated with his side not managing to negotiate the group stages, he blamed it on bad luck and decided the coach was not the culprit. By the end of the year Shakhtar had improved their position in the Ukrainian Premier League and had the UEFA Cup in their sights as a fitting end to the season (catching Dynamo Kyiv in the title race is out of the question).
Lucescu has commented that he appreciates Ahmetov’s patience with him, and will do everything possible to bring the UEFA Cup back to Donetsk.
“You cannot imagine how hard it is to work under constant pressure” commented Lucescu. “I realise myself that I will have to walk away from Shakhtar if the team perform poorly in the New Year. My desire to win is even stronger than it used to be. I am free from inevitability, so to say, and can work, create, and, I hope, win”.
The results of this new attitude have already been seen in the UEFA Cup. Lucescu left the defence untouched, but made various changes in the midfield and attack. In spite of a huge range of options up front the coach went with his Brazilian stars. Ties against Tottenham Hotspur and CSKA Moscow showed that Lucescu had made the most important change of all – he chose a clear attacking strategy for his team.
In recent years Shakhtar have played uncertain football. Despite having quality throughout the team, there was no plan, no blueprint for success. Now, after four years in Donetsk, Lucescu has decided upon attacking football as the hallmark of the team. The second-leg against Tottenham showed quite clearly that Shakhtar can play this type of football, even if at times it leaves them open to counter attacks.
Even Rinat Ahmetov stated he “was afraid to watch the players surging towards their opponents goals so freely, because even defenders took part in the attacks. In some moments I doubted Lucescu’s new strategy for our games in Europe, but there was nothing I could do, because I have said so many times before that I will never interfere with a manager’s work”.
Ukrainian football writers reacted promptly to this change in fortunes, now stating their belief that Lucescu would remain with Shakhtar forever, and that Ahmetov had re-discovered his love for the Romanian coach.
Recently Lucescu commented: “I have a lot to do with my team. Shakhtar have such great potential that it would be complete nonsense to leave now. But as coach, I take the responsibility upon myself and will not stay if we fail in Europe, especially when we are just three steps from the trophy”.
Ahmetov echoed the coach’s words: “We have to wait until the end of the season anyway. It would be hard to catch Dynamo Kyiv, and it is most likely we will fight with Metalist Kharkiv for second place. That’s one of our goals, to play in the Champions League every year. However, we have another goal, to win the UEFA Cup. Believe me, we want it very much”.
Whilst Ahmetov has not been specific about Lucescu’s future, Ukrainian journalists hurried to bury him once more. What is clear however is that both the coach and the owner want him to stay at least until the end of the season, because even if the UEFA Cup was lost, the club must take the second domestic Champions League spot.
The future for Mircea Lucescu remains unclear. If Shakhtar reach at least the final of the UEFA Cup then it is likely he will remain at least for another year. What is evident though is that Ahmetov will not renew the Romanian’s contract for more than a year. Lucescu must prove he is capable of getting Shakhtar to compete in Europe, and that means being involved in the Champions League after Christmas.
