This coming Sunday, November 20, the World Championship starts in Qatar. Meanwhile, the championship of Ukraine does not stop - the teams of the UPL are completing the autumn part of the tournament. Share expectations from the 2022 World Cup and impressions from the Ukrainian championship Footboom asked the legendary Dynamo player, ex-player of the Ukrainian national team, as well as a participant in the World and European Championships Oleg Kuznetsov.
Oleg Kuznetsov (photo: A. Mayorov)— This World Championship is truly experimental. The national teams will spend only a week before the start of the World Cup. It will be interesting to look at it - to evaluate what will come of it. Before the last world championships, which were held in the summer, the teams first rested for 7-10 days, and only then prepared for the tournament. For now, everything for the World Cup participants will be from scratch, and it will obviously be hard for them.
In addition, climatic conditions can significantly affect the course of events. Despite the fact that the end of autumn is in the yard and the beginning of winter is ahead, hot weather will prevail in Qatar. During the day it will be difficult to play.
— However, for all teams, perhaps, the timing of this World Cup is beneficial in terms of playing tone. — in fact, all teams must be in good physical shape.
- Yes, in almost all European championships, the clubs played 14-16 rounds, plus European cups. I think the leading players are still in optimal shape, they should not be tired. It seems to me that many footballers from different national teams did not deliberately speed up their training in order to gradually gain their condition just before November, before the start of the 2022 World Cup. For those who are not involved in the world championship, such dates for the tournament are not excluded, they only add complexity.
— Who do you think is the favorite for the 2022 World Cup?
- I would bet on Argentina and Brazil. Of the European teams, I expect something significant only from Belgium. The Belgian national team is quite powerful in attack. I wanted this golden generation of the Belgian team to finally win the trophy. I heard that Germany and Spain are called among the favorites, but generational change continues in these teams, so they will not be able to intervene in the fight for gold.
— Which teams will be able to create a sensation at the 2022 World Cup?
- I can single out Japan, as well as Cameroon. Of course, these teams will not become world champions, but they are quite capable of creating problems for the favorites. I think that Japan and Cameroon can reach the 1/4 finals.
— Which of the players is able to shine brightly at the tournament in Qatar?
- For Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Karim Benzema, this World Cup will probably be the last in their careers. Therefore, I think they not only can, but also really want to achieve the maximum at the 2022 World Cup. Motivation is a powerful force. We'll see. The same Ronaldo is now not very satisfied with his club career and he can only correct the situation in his favor by a successful performance at the World Cup.
I expect a great game from Kane who can lead the England team, from Di Maria who, in tandem with Messi, can lead Argentina to the top of the world, and from Neymar, who simply has to show a mature game and a mature behavior that will increase Brazil's chances for trophy to the highest.
— Simultaneously with the mundial, the Ukrainian championship will also be held, the autumn part of which is approaching the finish line. What are your impressions of UPL?
— I am disappointed with the performance of Dynamo Kyiv. This has not happened in the history of my native club for a long time. For me, this is generally the biggest sensation of the current season, because both the coach and the squad remained unchanged, and the results of the White-Blues are very upsetting.
As for the leadership of Dnipro-1 and Shakhtar, I expected this. The Pitmen successfully rejuvenated the team. Oleksandriya also pleasantly surprises, which includes a lot of talented youth plus experienced football players.
Disappointed "Kryvbas" and "Chernomorets". These teams have a good composition and experienced coaches, but their results are generally unsatisfactory. In general, it is very good that we manage to hold the championship of Ukraine in the conditions of war. We must at all costs preserve our football - this is the main thing!
Oleg Semenchenko
