Former striker of the Ukrainian national team Oleksandr Palyanitsa commented on the disastrous performance of Dnipro-1 in the playoff round of the Europa League qualification, in which the team of Oleksandr Kucher lost to Cypriot AEK (1:2, 0:3) on aggregate.
AEK - Dnipro-1 - 3:0. Photo - scdnipro1.com.ua“The game performed by Dnipro-1 in the second half of the first match with AEK left hope that not everything is lost and there are chances to tip the scales in your favor. However, in Larnaca, the Dnipro people were frankly disappointed.
First of all, it seemed that there was no clear game plan, so it was not surprising that everyone was trying to pull the blanket over themselves. It was this discord that had its effect. In addition, in the final stage of the attacks, luck was clearly on the side of AEK. However, as they say, luck is stronger. AEK deserved to advance to the next round of the prestigious tournament.
I am aware that due to the Russian invasion, the Dnipro team did not have proper match practice, they approached the European Cup battles with a short lava of substitutes. Moreover, some positions, especially in defense, remain vulnerable. In particular, the newcomer from Brazil, the goalkeeper Max Valef, is disappointing, and when there is no reliability in the rear, it is very nervous.
On the other hand, where is the desire to play through I can’t, to fight for every ball? Agree, at this level, one effort is clearly not enough. I am convinced that the defeat in both matches from the modest AEK with a total score of 1:5 is a serious blow to the image of the ambitious club from Dnipro.
Resignation of Dnepr-1 head coach Oleksandr Kucher? I don't think that the leadership of Dnipro will make such a drastic decision. However, it should be taken into account that Kucher recently took over the leadership of the team. In addition, carrying out repair work on the go is a thankless task. Moreover, in the current situation, the young mentor has rather limited opportunities. Nevertheless, the Dnipros should focus on strengthening the ranks, otherwise they will not avoid unpleasant surprises, both in the Conference League and in the UPL, ”Palyanitsa quotes "TEAM1".
