Former head coach of Kyiv Dynamo and the Ukraine national team Yozhef Sabo analyzed yesterday's return match of the 1/16 finals of the Conference League between Dnipro 1 and Cyprus AEK (0:0). Recall that as a result of two meetings (0:1, 0:0) Dnipro dropped out of the tournament.
Jozsef Szabo- I still do not understand why I wanted to win "Dnipro 1", - noted Szabo. - To be honest, even before the return match with AEK, I said that I do not believe in Dnipro's ability to win in this game. We did not see at least one 90-percent chance at the guests' goal. After losing on the road with a score of 0-1 at home we needed to score!
And what have we seen? Dnipro-1" didn`t have any speed, everything was done late, Dnipro players were playing with the ball for too long and they didn`t see any partners... When I was a coach, I asked one of my players: why didn`t you give the ball where it was due, didn`t you see your partner? And he told me: if I had seen him, I would have played for Real. Since then, I did not communicate with this player anymore.
- Dovbik`s absence significantly reduced the potential of Dnipro 1?
- Absolutely. The team without him was like without hands. Dovbik not only scores, but also creates, which is very important. Gutsulyak was formally assigned to that position, but he is a midfielder, so he intuitively went back, and there was no one in front of Dnipro.
- It was expected that the role of the leader in this case will take Pikhalyonok...
- He was looking for chances to hit the opponents' goal from afar, but nothing worked for him this evening. Unlucky match for Pikhalenko.
- "Dnipro-1" could not get rid of the February syndrome, which often prevents the Ukrainian clubs in European competitions?
- With the physics, of course, there are problems. But in the team's arsenal there should be tactical options to fight. The disadvantage of this Dnipro 1 squad is the lack of class. That's why there was so much fight instead of soccer. Dnipro elementary failed to keep up with the rivals. At the start of the spring part of the UPL they will be fine with this level of play, but in Europe this does not work.
- What can you say about the foreign players with whom Dnipro-1 strengthened its squad this winter?
- Who are they and where did they come from, to solve such problems? I think that in the summer Dnipro-1, if the team qualifies for the Champions League, will have to work seriously on strengthening, and not the fact that the current Legionnaires will stay in the team.
- Did you like Cyprus AEK?
- Despite the fact that many Spaniards play for AEK, the style of this team is more wrestling than soccer. The visitors fought and battled for most of the match, and they created half chances only at the beginning of the game. You can`t like that!
Oleg SEMENCHENKO
