Last month, Marino Pusic exchanged his role as assistant to Arne Slot for the head coach position at FK Shakhtar Donetsk. It was difficult for him to have to make that announcement to Slot, with whom he maintains a warm relationship. “That was quite difficult to be honest,” he tells ESPN.
“We have not only been good colleagues and a successful duo, but also friends. That sometimes made it difficult, but also very normal because we knew exactly what we had in each other. We were able to discuss everything openly with each other. That actually characterizes our collaboration,” Pusic reflects.
The 52-year-old trainer heard of the Ukrainian club’s extensive interest the day before the match against Vitesse, but kept it to himself for a while. “On the match day against Vitesse, I actually didn’t want to bother him (Slot, ed.) with it, because then all the focus and energy has to go to the match. The same evening after the match I could no longer keep it to myself and I told him that I wanted to take this step. We discussed everything that same evening.”
Pusic is happy that Slot and the club wanted to cooperate in the transfer. “It characterizes Arne as a person, a professional and perhaps our relationship that he responded positively to this. He was happy for me and completely understood my choice. At the same time, he had hoped that this would not happen, but we both know that this is inherent in football. Over the past four years, a number of projects have come along that I did not choose for various reasons. But now I felt like this was the right time.”
Champions League
The now former Feyenoord player has started well at the Ukrainian top club, with the highlight being the 1-0 victory in the Champions League against FC Barcelona. The fact that he was able to make rapid progress is mainly because he found a malleable group. “It is important that a group embraces your vision very quickly, so that you can quickly implement certain ideas. That is not always easy, but this is an eager to learn group that is well put together. If everything falls together, things can happen quickly. Above all, it is a close-knit team, which is an important starting point for a trainer.”
The war in Ukraine has brought Pusic into a different football world, he says. “You go from one extreme to another. The situation is complex of course. The players have a lot to deal with. If you continuously play away games – which are characterized as home games, but not in practice – this requires a lot of mental skills from the player group. It’s a lot of traveling, which takes up a lot of time and energy. It is what it is. We accepted it, the group much before I did. There’s not much you can do about it, just adapt and get to work. Under those circumstances you try to get as much as possible out of the team.”
2023-11-12 11:00:00
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