The previous place of work of the new head coach of Shakhtar was the Dutch Feyenoord, where he was the assistant of the team’s head coach Arne Slot.
On Tuesday, October 24, Shakhtar football club management introduced the team’s new head coach, Bosnian Marino Pusic, who will replace the Dutchman Patrick van Leeuwen, who was fired on October 16. According to the official website of the Donetsk club, the contract with the new coach has been signed until the end of the 2025/26 football season.
The management decided to change the head coach midway through the football season due to the Pitmen’s uncertain start in the UPL. An unsuccessful first leg in the Champions League, in which Porto beat Shakhtar without serious effort, further weakened van Leeuwen’s position in the team.
Although the team’s results began to improve over time, it is clear that the club management was not at all satisfied with the players’ performance. This was even hinted at by the team’s sporting director, Darijo Srna, who temporarily took charge of the Pitmen following van Leeuwen’s dismissal.
“In order to be honest and fair in front of our fans, the day has come when we have to say honestly and openly that unfortunately we did not succeed. We failed to play the football that the fans, the president of the club wanted, the football that the club and all of us needed,” he said.
Marino Pusic: What is known about Shakhtar’s new coach
The 52-year-old specialist failed to build an outstanding football career. Although he was trained in the Bosnian “Velezh” and Belgrade “Red Star” academy, he performed at the professional level, mostly only at the amateur level. In the mid-90s, he started his coaching career by switching completely from football to futsal.
His first experience in big football was as a coach at Netherlands Vitesse (U-19) from 2010 to 2013. He later worked as an assistant at Breda, Inter Baku and Twente. And he became Twente’s full-fledged head coach ahead of the 2018/19 season. However, after one season, he joined Arne Slot’s coaching staff at AZ and then moved with him to Feyenoord.
Interestingly, the resignation of Pitmen’s previous coach Igor Jovicevich is linked to Feyenoord. Thus, in the 2022/23 season Europa League play-offs, the Netherlands defeated the Ukrainian team with a score of 7-1.
By the way, the new head coach of Shakhtar managed to visit Ukraine even before the start of a full-scale war – when Arne Slota after AZ played in the Champions League qualifiers with Dynamo Kiev.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the match consisted of a single match won by the Kiev team led by Mircea Lucescu. After his visit to the capital, Marino posted photos on Instagram from his walk near the Golden Gate before the match against Dynamo.
It should also be noted that Shakhtar Donetsk will face Spanish Barcelona on October 25 in the 3rd round of the Champions League. Pitmen’s future rival is leading the group with six points, where the Ukrainian team plays. Shakhtar have just three points so far in their match against Belgian Antwerp.
Source: Focus
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