Paulo Fonseca: The Shakhtar Donetsk years

Roma coach Paulo Fonseca this week takes on his former club Shakhtar Donetsk, the Ukrainian outfit where he flourished for three seasons before joining the Giallorossi in the summer of 2019.

There was a sense of inevitability when Roma were drawn out of the hat alongside Shakhtar at the end of last month, continuing Fonseca’s trip down memory lane having dispatched fellow former employers Braga to reach the last-16 stage of the Europa League last time out in Europe.

He acknowledged this himself, saying: “It was destiny.”

Whatever way you look at it, it will be a sentimental moment for both Fonseca and Shakhtar, whose squad still has many of the same players that flourished so vividly under the Portuguese.

Even Fonseca’s replacement - and current incumbent in the Shakhtar dugout - Luis Castro, worked with the Giallorossi boss at Porto and the pair are friends.

Fonseca’s inside knowledge of the club should serve Roma well over the two legs, as Castro acknowledged himself following last month’s draw by saying; “Paulo knows the character of Shakhtar players.”

A look back at the 48-year-old tactician’s time in Ukraine’s industrial east reveals that a lot of that character was instilled in those players by Fonseca himself.

Fonseca arrived in Shakhtar from Braga in 2016, filling the enormous shoes left by legendary Romanian Mircea Lucescu - a man that delivered eight league titles, six Ukrainian cups and the UEFA Cup during a 12-year stay with the Miners.

But Fonseca was anything but daunted by his new role and President Rinat Akhmetov described him as “a young, ambitious and highly qualified specialist” when announcing the then 43-year-old’s arrival.

In turn, Fonseca promised to deliver “spectacular” football and he quickly made good on that promise.

By the end of the 2016-17 campaign, Fonseca had lifted the first of three domestic doubles that he and his side would go on to claim on the bounce.

Fonseca’s domestic impact was almost immediate and he also enjoyed success in Europe as Shakhtar advanced to the Europa League and Champions League knockout stages under his tutelage.

It was in the Champions League that he made the biggest splash in 2017-18, with Shakhtar’s run to the last-16 only brought to an end in an away goals victory for the Giallorossi.

Before that showdown with Roma, Fonseca had already gained the wider footballing world’s attention by beating much fancied Manchester City 2-1 in the final game of the group stage to book their spot in the knockouts.

If the superb result over Pep Guardiola’s side wasn’t enough, Fonseca marked the occasion by turning up to the press conference dressed as Zorro to fulfil a bet with one of the club’s directors.

Both Fonseca and Shakhtar were capturing the imagination, with Fonseca’s approach clearly rubbing off on his team.

“I like to joke with my players. I like to smile with them,” he said after his caped caper. “Life is too good to be so serious and sometimes we have to break walls with jokes.”

His side weren’t joking around when they met Roma, however; coming from behind to beat the Giallorossi 2-1 in Ukraine thanks to goals from Facundo Ferreyra and Fred.

Ultimately, Cengiz Under’s opener in that first game swayed the tie when Edin Dzeko hit the only goal of the game in the return leg, seeing Roma through on away goals after being pushed all the way by Fonseca’s charges - of whom, seven of the 13 that featured at the Stadio Olimpico are still at the club.

Those players will remember their success under Fonseca fondly, as will Akhmetov - who gave Fonseca his blessing to move to Rome in 2019 by declaring that his departing coach’s legacy at the club was assured.

“He left his mark in the history of the club, his name will remain in the hearts of fans,” said Akhmetov.

Castro is clearly also looking forward to seeing his mate, but knows there will be no friendly favours once the whistle blows on Thursday night.

“He’s a big coach with great knowledge and great quality of football,” Castro added.

“Both teams will have a clear desire to advance to the quarter-finals. It will be a really tight stage for both teams, with two very difficult meetings.”

That spell in Ukraine was the making of Fonseca as a coach, where he doubled down on his footballing philosophy that is centred on high pressing, rapid transitions and playing the game on the front foot.

He has since evolved further in the capital, adapting his approach by moving into the 3-4-2-1 that Roma operate in today and that brushed aside Braga in the last round.

The Giallorossi will be hoping history quickly repeats itself once more and that Fonseca comes back to bite the hand that once fed him against Shakhtar, starting with Thursday’s first leg at the Olimpico.