Yuriy Bakalov: "I'm sure that the championship of Ukraine will start, but what will happen next is the question..."

Famous Ukrainian coach Yuriy Bakalov in an interview "TEAM1" told what he thinks about the prospects for holding championship of Ukraine season-2022/23.

- In your opinion, will it be possible to hold a full-fledged championship in Ukraine?

— There is a war going on in the country. I think that with 100% probability no one will tell you about this. I am sure that the season will start, but what will happen next is the question. In this situation, all hope is on our soldiers.

— Can the upcoming season become the most unpredictable since independence?

- So it will be. There is no point in going into details now, but unexpected and unpredictable results will suffice. As for the fight for the championship, this is a rhetorical question. In my opinion, the competition will definitely increase.

And I can definitely say that it will be much more difficult for our grandees than usual. Yes, today the number one favorite for me is Dynamo, since the coach and the squad have been working for more than a year. Now it is difficult to say what Shakhtar will be like, given that the miners have lost almost all of their main Brazilian players, who determined the face of the team, not to offend our guys. I mean the attacking line. The Donetsk team changed their coach. And how all this integration will take place compactly, probably, no one can say yet.

Rest? Dnipro-1 has many ambitions. For example, before the start of last season, after the change of coach, Oleksandriya was predicted to fail, but the team came up with a surprise. And next season, I'm sure there will be many more such surprises.

- How much will the UPL level fall due to the current situation in the country?

- You have to understand that even the last championship already seemed to be entering some phase of moving forward. Now many high-quality performers have left Ukraine, first of all, this concerns foreigners who determined the face of the teams. Young people need time to grow feathers.

Of course, the level will drop, but the most important thing is not to give up, because it would be even worse if the championship had not been held at all. Thus, we would have lost football for many years. I am sure that all our football players will play for those guys who are now fighting for our freedom in the trenches.

Sergey DEMYANCHUK