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Shakhtar Raise Eyebrows!



A 3-1 win over Dnipro was the perfect way to start a long month. Stepanenko netted for us in the first half, before Jojic and Ferreyra added number 2 and 3 for us in the second period.
Next up, Dynamo Kyiv. A close fought battle ended in a point for each side. Ferreyra was the man who scored for us, ensuring we wasn't beaten.
Another draw to follow up, this one at home against Metalurg D. 2 second half goals bought us back from behind, thanks to Ferreyra and Bernard.
Off to Madrid in the Champions League Quarter Final. Bolbat fired us into the lead 11 minutes in, but Aboubakar found the net twice for the hosts before the break. Second half we came out fighting, continued in the same way, and got our reward. Ferreyra had the chance from the spot with 11 minutes to go, which he put away to bring us level. Then with just 2 minutes to go, he was at it again, turning in his second of the game, and sending us home with the advantage!
Our Cup tie again Zorya came 4 days later. We were helped into it by a Chaykovskyi own goal. But the visitors picked away at us and salvaged a late draw. We should of wrapped the game up before they had the chance to take this!
The return leg of the Champions League. Aboubakar once again found the net against us, just 17 minutes in. Inevitably Ronaldo was on the scoresheet, and Madrid went in 2-0 up. 4-2 on aggregate. At half time we got desperate for a goal. We changed to a 3-5-2 formation, and chucked on overload. Substitute Benteke came up with the goal 7 minutes from time, and sent us into the next round! A fantastic gamble had payed off!
With determination to retain our domestic double, we went all out against Zorya. We had to wait until the second half for a breakthrough though. Rakitskyi got us started. Then in the 87th minute our other center back Ordets was on the scoresheet, before a minute later Vernydub turned the ball into his own net to confirm our place in the next round.
We only had to wait 3 days to play in the next round too, facing Dynamo Kyiv. For the second time this month we drew 1-1 with our rivals. They took a very early lead, but it was soon cancelled out by Ferreyra in the 12th minute. Unfortunately, not alot more happened in this match, so it'll be settle in the second leg!



In our most comfortable season in the league to date, we sit 8 points clear of our rivals. Just 2 games remain this season for us, with 1 in hand over most other teams.



With just 2 months left on my contract, the board offered me a 4 year contract extension. It's signed, I'm staying!

Back To Competitive Games



We returned straight into the deep end of competitive games, a trip away to play Dortmund. Hummels gave them the lead early in the first half, before we were gifted a penalty 31 minutes in, converted by Ferreyra. Kruse gave the hosts the lead again just 3 minutes later, and that rounded off the scoring for the match.
Into March now and Goverla were our first league game since the break. Bolbat and Bernard with the goals in this game to send us to a 2-0 victory.
Our second leg match against Dortmund was up next. Wallace got us off to the perfect start 3 minutes in, but Hummels scored his second past us in two games just 4 minutes later.Bernard put us back ahead in the second half, to eventually send the game to penalties. We scored all 4 of our penalties, taken by Benteke, Ferreyra, Wallace and Casemiro. Only Bender scored for the German side, with Reus and Hummels failing to score from 12 yards.
A win over Metalurg Zp wrapped up another 3 points for us. Bernard scored for us in the first half, before an own goal in the second half, Bernards second and a goal for Ferreyra, which sent us to a comfortable victory.
High flying Chornomorets couldn't put up a fight against us. 2 goals in 2 minutes was enough to seal the points. The goals provided by Jojic and Bernard.
However, we then fell to our second defeat of the season, this time against Kartpaty. Ferreyra was the only scorer for us on this occasion, as we ran out disappointed.
Back to winning ways at the end of the month, just one goal again though. Ferreyra was the man again to score for us.



With 5 games to go we hold a 9 point lead over Dnipro, aswell as having a game in hand. It's been a straightforward league season for us this season, and I fully expect to wrap up the title!

Shakhtar Finally Lose!



November started off with a goalless draw to Athletico Madrid, at the Donbas Arena. Plenty of chances created for both side, but neither could get the upper hand in this fixture.
Another draw followed as we went behind to Illichivets. A second half goal from center back Rakitskyi rescued our unbeaten record this season.
Then we finally tasted defeat. A 9th minute penalty put the hosts ahead, before Bolbat got us level in the 29th minute. 2 minutes later the hosts converted another penalty, to restore their advantage. Things got worse for us when they made it 3-1, before Azevedo got us a consolation goal 9 minutes from time.
Our fixture against Sparta Prague was a simple one this time. Rakitskyi on the scoresheet again, before two second half goals sent us to victory. Marin and Jojic with the second and third.
Olexandriya saw us get back to winning ways in the league, with a 2-0 victory. Teixeira and Benteke with the only goals of the game, both in the first half.
Rounding off our Champions League Group Stage fixtures, we faced Galatasaray in Turkey. Rakitskyi and Stepanenko scored goals in the first half to give us 2 goal lead at the break! Teixeira added our third before Melo got a late goal back for the hosts.



16 games gone, 14 wins, a draw and a defeat. This record sees us sit comfortably at the top of the league, and for once it's tighter down the bottom end of the league than it is at the top, as we've run away with it so far!



We managed to pip Athletico to top spot in our group, after both teams won 3 and drew 3! A fantastic start to our Champions League journey this season!



Finally, the Champions League 1st Knockout Round draw, and for the second year running, we'll face Dortmund at this stage! Let's hope we can do the same as last year, and progress to the next round!

Unbeatable Shakhtar!



This month saw us play 6 games, 5 of which were away from home. The first of which was against Metalurg D. Bernard scored in the first half, as we went into the break at 1-1. Benteke was gifted a chance from the spot which he tucked away late on, before Sobol confirmed the win for us.
Next up, 2nd placed Metalist, Ferreyra scored either side of the break to ensure a 2-0 victory. What a massive result this could be!
A trip to Spain next to face Athletico Madrid. Camacho put the hosts ahead before Jojic bought us level before the break. Athletico then took the lead again through Koke, with 59 minutes on the clock, before Oblak scored an own goal to put us level again a minute later. The game finished 2-2.
Zorya were our next opponents, and we won 2-0 for the second time this month. Bernard fired us ahead on the stroke of half time, before Benteke scored 3 minutes into the second half. The Ukrainian Cup 3rd Round 2nd Leg saw us travel to play Dnipro. Bernard gave us the lead in this fixture too, from the spot after 36 minutes. Ferreyra doubled our advantage in the first half. Dnipro got 1 back and started to make a late push, but we restored our 2 goal advantage with Ferreyras second of the game. Dnipro scored a penalty 3 minutes from the end of time, but couldn't grab the equalizer.
Finally, our only home game of the month. Inform Ferreyra netted in the 3rd minute, before Roberts scored a screamer 19 minutes later. Benteke rounded off our scoring 20 minutes from the end. Another comfortable league victory.



Our perfect league record continues as we've now won all our league games in the first half of the season! We're 9 points clear of Metalist now, with 2 games in hand. It's looking like Chornomorets will soon be second though!



The draw against Athletico keeps us in 2nd place, 2 points adrift of the Spanish side. Sparta Prague and Galatasaray played out a 1-1 draw, so I remain 3 points clear in 2nd!

More Of The Same For Shakhtar



We continued in fine for against Metalurg Zp, with Rakitskyu and Roberts both finding the net within 13 minutes, before Benteke made it 3-0 from the spot moments later. The visitors grabbed a second half goal, no more than a consolation though.
A disappointing draw against Sparta Prague was next, a game that we really should of won. Bernard gave us the lead in the second half, before the hosts hit back to steal a point.
Karpaty were hard for us to break down, and we went into half time goalless. A little tweak in the second half, and we had our breakthrough, Roberts netting in the 65th and 85th minutes to lead us to a 2-0 win.
The Ukrainian Cup was back in action, and we'd face Dnipro, first leg being at home. Grechyshkin gave us the lead, but another that we couldn't hold, and Dnipro leveled up. We've got it all to do in the second leg.
We tried a different approach against Dnipro in the league game, and we were dominant. Rakitskyi scored an early free kick, before Benteke made it 2-0. 2 goals from Ferreyra in the second half secured our win.
Finally, a tough game against Galatasaray, which we made look easy in the end, but in truth, it could of gone either way. It was looking likely to end 0-0, but the visitors had Chedjou sent off in the 74th minute, which opened the game up for us. 2 from Stepanenko and a goal from Rakitskyi, all in 5 minutes gave us our first 3 points of this Champions League campaign.



After we continued our fantastic league start, we sit comfortably on the top of the table. 9 wins from 9! We hold a 2 point lead over Metalist, and have a game in hand!



Finally, the Champions League table. Athletico sit top having won 2 both their games. We're second on 4 points, 3 ahead of Sparta Prague. Galatasaray prop the table up after losing both their matches.

Unbeaten Shakhtar Continue!



As ever, lets start with the months fixtures. First up was Illichivets, a team we found hard to break down, but the breakthrough came 63 mintues in through young Englishman Patrick Roberts to keep our 100% league start going.
Next up, Vorskla, and Ferreyra put us ahead after 4 minutes, before Stepanenko. Stepanenko grabbed his second 4 minutes from time, with Roberts also finding the net 2 minutes later. A convincing win.
Newly promoted Olexandriya couldn't stand in our way of another win. Benteke scored in the first half for us as we entered half time at 1-1. Rakitskyi and Ferreyra found the net in the second half to secure a 3-1 win.
Poltava were our opponents in the Ukrainian Cup 2nd round. Roberts was on the scoresheet again,along with Ferreyra and Grechyshkin in the first half. Stepanenko also scored again to overcome a side who put up a decent fight, as we recorded a 4-2 victory.
Finally, Dynamo Kyiv. Ferreyra opened the scoring 9 minutes in before Garmash levelled for Kyiv 5 minutes later. The winner was Ferreyras second goal of the game, a minute from time. A gift from the Kyiv keeper who dropped the ball at his feet, and Ferreyra took advantage of it!



We've won our opening 6 games of the season, whilst Metalist are trying to keep up pace in 2nd place, dropping just 3 points. We're happy to see rivals Dynamo Kyiv lose three of the opening 6 games, having won the other half of them. It's great to have a 9 point cushion over them already!



The Champions League draw has taken place, and we'll face Athletico Madrid, Galatasaray and Sparta Prague. A group I feel we'll easily qualify from, and could challenge Athletico for the top spot!



Transfers out saw alot of players leave on a free which aren't shown here. We also sold an unused Dentinho for just 50k. Volovyk left for Metalurg D for just under £1 million. Back-up goalkeeper Kanibolotskyi joined Metalist in a deal for £3.1 million, along with Taison for a fee of £3 million. Our final deal which bought in some money was Shynder leaving for Chornomorets, for £1.5 million.



Onto the players we've bought in, and I bought in a few young Ukrainians to help the side out in a few years time, aswell as some foreign talent to help our push in the Champions League. First up Dmitry Vasijev from Chornomorets for £2 million. At 17 years of age, I'm sure he'll manage to grow into the first team a couple seasons down the line. Olexiy Tarasov also joined for £2 million, coming from the relegated Desna. A 16 year old striker who already has a few encouraging stats. Again, a play for the future. Artem Yakolev joined us for £1.5 million from Metalurg D, and with some work I'm hoping he can bolster our options in midfield in the future. Bogdan Ilchyshyn has been bought in for the same reason as Yakolev, costing just £1 million. Again, with some work he'll be a useful player for us in the future. Onto the foreign talent we bought in. Chelseas Brazilian right back Wallace was up for sale, and a player I didn't want to miss out on. The 22 year old cost me just £3 million, and should have a long future here! Real Madrid man Casemiro made the switch to us in the summer. A promising 24 year old who will really make a difference in the center of the park, and a steal at just £2 million. Our next move was for a young French goalkeeper. Fabien Leroy we managed to steal from under the noses of Chelsea and Barcelona. He shows alot of promise to be Muslera's replacement in the future! Another great deal at just £800k. Finally, we made a move for Dortmunds Milos Jojic, another midfielder who will really help us out this season, especially in Europe! Another bargain, costing us just £8.25 million.

Competitive Kick-Off



We kicked off the season with our Super Cup match against Dynamo Kyiv. Dudu scored early for our rivals, before Benteke hit back in the 14th minute. Kravets went and put Kyiv ahead for the second time in the match, but we cancelled out their lead 3 minutes later through Teixeira. The game ended up going to a shootout! Kyiv would take first. Garmash scored, Benteke scored. Dudu then stepped up, scored, Kryvstov scored. Gusev was next in line ... scored. Casemiros penalty was saved. 3-2 Kyiv. Sydorchuk also had his penalty saved. Captain Rakitskyi scored. We were back level! Haruna missed, Roberts had the chance to win the game ... but missed. Sudden death it was! Veloso scored. Wallace to keep us in the game ... scored. Mbokani missed. If Stepanenko scores the next penalty, we retain the Super Cup! Up he stepped, and scored! The Super Cup was ours again!
Onwards to the start of the league, our first match was against Zorya. A hat-trick from returning loan start Facundo Ferreyra gave us a comfortable 3-0 lead, before the visitors grabbed a consolation goal late on.
Next up a trip to Volyn, and another win. Wallace opened the scoring for us 16 minutes in, before captain Rakitskyi doubled our lead with just minutes to go! A 2-0 victory!



After just 2 matches it's only us and Metalist who have 6 points. It's great to see Kyiv have already dropped 3 points, it'll be nice to open up an early gap!

Pre-Season




It's that time of the season again where I have a little rest, in terms of taking charge of games, and sit back and take care of the transfer side of the game again. So, as ever, my assistant took charge of the friendly matches. Overall I'm happy with the results, especially considering we had a number of players playing a the European Championships throughout the summer. Despite losing to Villa, I'm sure Benteke was happy to find the net against his former club!



In other news, we've moved back to our real home stadium. My first match here since taking charge will be the Super Cup against Dynamo Kyiv. Lets hope there's a sweet homecoming!

The Run In



The 2nd leg against Metalug D poised no problems for us, with Stepanenko scoring in the first half, and Rakitskyi scoring in stoppage time at the end of the match.
4 days later we faced Dnipro in the Final. Benteke opened the scoring within 20 minutes, before Patrick confidently dispatched his chance from the spot to make it 2-0 before the break. Dnipro managed to get one back in the second half, though it was now more than a consolation for them. We had retained our cup!
Goverla were our final fixture of the season. Knowing a win would seal the title, we went out attacking from the off. Rakitskyi turned in a free kick early on, before Benteke and Marin made it 3-0. Benteke netted two more in the first half to complete his hat-trick, and our scoring for the season. An emphatic victory! With that, we retained our status as champions of Ukraine!



After a long, hard fought season, we won the league by just 2 points over Dynamo Kyiv. failing to win just 5 of our games, which were 2 draws and 3 defeats. We scored 75 goals in our 26 matches, and conceded just 18!



An award that was only going to Benteke this season after his return from injury, as he continued to find the net all season! An incredible performance, and a man we can rely on to bang in the goals!



We dominated the team of the year, with seven players included! I can't believe the leagues top goalscorer Benteke was left out!

April - A 9 Game Month!



Our first game of an extraordinarily long month was against Metalurg D. Marin put us ahead with a goal in the first half. Benteke scored early in the second half, before Bernard got our third. Stepanenko and Kryvstov were both also on the scoresheet.
Next up the second leg against Juventus, after our 3-1 victory at home we felt quietly confident of progression. Goals from Tevez and Pogba in the opening 11 minutes gave the hosts the lead on away goals. A minute later Barardi scored an own goal, and a crucial away goal for us! Berardi then netted at the right end to make it 3-1. Kryvstov scored 15 minutes from time to secure our place in the next round!
A huge game against Dynamo Kyiv followed next, and it wasn't at good timing for us. Duda and Ruben gave Kyiv a 2-0 lead going into half time. Khacheidi got sent off for the hosts 5 minutes into the second half, giving us hope of getting back into the match. But with little more than 20 minutes remaining, Lens took the lead to 3! Benteke got a goal back for us before Patrick missed a penalty. Teixeira then scored 12 minutes from time, but we couldn't find an equalizer, as we fail to beat Kyiv for the first time since I've taken charge, taking them 6 attempts!
Ukrainian Cup action next, and Goverla led us for most of the game, until a Marko Marin free kick rescued a draw in stoppage time.
3rd placed Chornomorets gave us stern competition, but Benteke found a breakthrough on 62 minutes, running out 1-0 winners.
The Champions League Semi Final saw Barcelona come to Ukraine, in a game where they were outplayed, managing just 41% of possession! Bernard gave us a dream lead before we gave Messi the chance from the spot! Saved by Muslera, but Messi smashed the rebound into the net. 1-1! Patrick then showed Messi how to score from the spot, regaining our advantage. Suarez bought the game to 2-2 12 minutes from time, before Benteke looked to give us the victory in the 83rd minute. It wasn't to be though, Munir found the net 4 minutes into stoppage time to give the Spanish side the lead on away goals.
The second leg of the Ukrainian Cup Quarter Final was next, and again Goverla were ahead at half time. Second half Benteke pulled us back on track, before Patrick scored what proved to be the winner. After a tough battle, we progressed.
We set out to face Barcelona in Spain, and we went defensive, trying to catch them on the break. We were on the back foot as expected for most of it, but a minute into the second half, Martin Montoya saw red! This gave us hope and we chucked more and more men forward, desperate to steal a goal. Unfortunately our moment didn't come, and after a massive fight, we dropped out of the Champions League!
A long month was rounded off with the Ukrainian Cup Semi Final 1st Leg against Metalurg D, who we beat 5-1 at the start of the month. Marin gave us the advantage before Benteke doubled it before the break. A goal from Patrick gave us a 3-1 win!



With 1 game remaining this season, our defeat to Kyiv may prove crucial in the title race. We hold a 2 point gap, only needing a draw for the title. We've got a 1 game shootout now for the title! Desna have been relegated, scoring just 12 points this season, and only recording 2 wins!

Shakhtar Continue To Surprise!



A disappointing start to the month with a 2-2 draw against Karpaty. Benteke and Bernard scored the goals for us, as we were unfortunate to only come away with a point.
Back to winning ways against Metalurg Zp, with Bernard on the scoresheet once again, this time on there twice though!
Our second leg against Dortmund was always going to be tough, especially in Germany. We went behind 17 minutes in after Kagawa found the net. 3 minutes into the second half and Hummels had them 2-0 up, level on aggregate! We kept chipping away and finally got our reward, Benteke scored 18 minutes from time to give us the away goal! Into the next round we went,despite the 2-1 loss on the night.
Dnipro were our final league game of the month, and 2 goals in 3 minutes gave us a 2-0 win. Marin and Grechyshkin were the match winners.
The Champions League 2nd Knockout Round saw us drawn against Italian giants Juventus. I was surprised with the start we made, Grechyshkin fired us ahead after 15 minutes.Bernard gave us a 2 goal lead shortly before the break. Marchision got Juventus an away goal 11 minutes into the second half, before Patrick restored out 2 goal advantage shortly after. A cracking victory!



Our gap has increased by 1 point over Dynamo Kyiv, who are still keeping up the pressure, sitting just 5 points behind us. We've got 4 games remaining in the league this season, 1 of which is against our fierce rivals! It could be a tight end to the season!

Back To Competitive Action



Here's the round-up from the winter break. We done well to win most of the games throughout this period, although we did suffer a couple of disappointing losses. However, it's only friendlies so it's not too important!



Our first match after the break was the 1st leg against Borussia Dortmund. We got off to a great start in Ukraine with a 15th minute goal from Roberts. 10 minutes later Benteke made it better for us. Unfortunately, we couldn't add to our advantage to take to the second leg, but we did prevent them from getting an away goal!
Only 1 league fixture to report and that was against 14th placed Desna. A routine 5-1 victory in which Benteke scored 4 of the goals, with the other coming from former Chelsea man Marko Marin.



With just 7 games to go this season we still hold our 4 point advantage over Dyamo Kyiv, but have a far superior goal difference.

One piece of transfer news from January, as we didn't have much action. But ageing right back Darijo Srna left for Athletico Madrid in a deal costing £1 million.

Final Game Before The Break



Our final match before we stopped for the winter was the Champions League clash with Ludogorets. We didn't hang about in this fixture. Benteke opened the scoring in the first minute, before Bernard made it 2-0 after 16 minutes. Benteke added his second, and our third before the break. An own goal and a goal from Marin both in the last 10 minutes concluded a convincing scoreline.



Our place in the next round was already confirmed, but here's the final standings. Chelsea won the group with 5 wins and a draw. We finished 2nd with 4 wins, only losing to Chelsea, both times unfortunately. Porto were poor, gaining just 4 points from the 6 games. As expected, Ludogorets finished bottom of the group.



The draw for the next round, and it pits us against German giants Dortmund! There are several other teams in this round I would of rather faced, but that's the luck of the draw. We'll have to give it our best shot!

Another Solid Month



The second game against Porto was our first fixture of November, and we brushed them aside again. Roberts had us off to a flyer, before Benteke made it 2. Rakitskyi made it 3-0 midway through the second half, before Otavio got a consolation goal for Porto.
Roberts was on the scoresheet again when we faced Zorya. Into the second half, Stepanenko grabbed our second of the game to secure 3 more points.
Illichivets couldn't stop us either, as we recorded a 4-0 victory away from home. 2 goals from Benteke, with 1 each from Teixeira and Stepanenko was plenty to guide us to another league victory.
Our clash with Vorskla was even more comfortable than that though, as we finished 5-0 winners. Top scorer Benteke was clinical infront of goal as usual, banging in a hat-trick. Teixera grabbed himself another goal, who's also been on the scoresheet a fair few times in recent weeks. Patrick was the other scorer.
Chelsea came to Ukraine with a perfect record in the groups to date, and that wasn't about to change. Rakitskyi scored an own goal to put The Blues ahead, before Diego Costa added their second, and ensured the victory.
Finally, we faced Volyn, and put in another great performance. Patrick had our first of the match, before it was doubled by Benteke. Grechyshkin and Bernard also netted before the break, and saw us to an easy 4-1 victory.



A perfect month in the league from both us and Dynamo Kyiv sees us remain just 4 points clear. Slightly disappointing as after a month like that you'd expect the gap to open. Hopefully they'll slip soon!



After another victory over Porto and defeat to Chelsea, we're safely into the 1st Knockout Round of the Champions League, for the first time under my management!

More Good Form for Shakhtar



We were happy to start the month against our rivals, Dynamo Kyiv, and that showed on the pitch. Rakitskyi, Marin, Stepanenko and Benteke (2), all finding the net in an inpressive 5-2 victory! A massive result, just what we needeed against them!
High flying Chornomorets were next in our path, despite a goalless first half, we eventually ran out victorious. Bezotosnyi gifted us the lead through an own goal, before Benteke and Marin both found the net.
Next up, off to Portugal, for our tie against Porto. Marin continued his fine goalscoring form by scoring twice in the first half, along with a Srna penalty, leading us to an impressive 3-1 victory.
Back to domestic action, and back at home we faced Goverla. Patrick scored on his return to the squad, as did Teixeira. Grechyshki mad it 3-0 before the break. The scoring was rounded off with an own goal, completing the 4-0 scoreline.
The Ukrainian Cup 3rd Round gave us no problems, when we faced a home tie against Karpaty. All 4 of our goals came in the first half, with Patrick opening the scoring. Twenty minutes later Benteke got our second, before Roberts and Rakitskyi both netted in the final three minutes of the half. A routine victory in this fixture.
We did taste defeat this month, and that was given to us by Metalist. Despite us creating more chances, we couldn't take them. Metalist found the net both times in the second half.



After an almost perfect month, we sit top of the league, with a 4 point cushion over Dynamo Kyiv. We need to push on and open up a decent gap at the top!



A decent win over Porto this month leaves us is a great position halfway through the group stage. Chelsea expectedly lead, winning 3 out of 3, whilst we're 2nd having won 2 and lost 1 so far. Suprisingly Ludogorets have 3 points, and Porto in 4th with no points!