Vyacheslav Zakhovailo, a well-known manager and expert, assessed Dynamo Kyiv's winter training camp for 1927.kiev.ua.
- The results will show whether the training camp was successful. From my point of view, the team is ready. The team will win 70% of the league matches, but it is not good enough for the European Cups. There are a lot of problems. It turns out that Buyalsky is the most creative player in the team, but he is not a Champions League level player. Of course, Vitaliy is a good footballer, but he, like the rest of the team, is at the level of the Europa League and the Conference League.
- What are Kyiv's chances of winning the championship ?
- I have no doubt that Dynamo will be in the top three. It's hard to talk about the championship, looking from today. "Dnipro doesn't have any stars, and Shakhtar is also weakened. It's hard to say that this particular Dynamo team will fight for the championship. I'll be glad if I'm wrong.
- To what extent was the team at Valmiera close to the one at Ingulets?
- I think that 90% of the squad will play against Ingulets. I think Lonwijk will play in the centre. Mircea Lucescu will rely on proven players and add young ones. Probably, Voloshyn will play on the right - it seems that he is preferred. There is competition for this position.
- How do you see Kyiv's squad for the start of spring ?
- We have problems with the wingers - they are not up to the level of European competitions. Lucescu believes that he has enough players in the central triangle. In my opinion, this is not enough to claim anything. If the players do not play in European competitions, preferably in the Champions League, the price of our players will go down. We are weakening before our eyes. Perhaps something will change after the war, but now we need to talk about it directly.
As for young players, there is a group of talented players. We'll see if they can make something of themselves.
Neshcheret is a pretty good goalkeeper. After the successful match against Barcelona, there was a real demand for him, but Dynamo could not sell him at that time. Morgun is also a talented guy. Bushchan is on his way out. He will be in demand in Europe. Dynamo can sell Heorhiy.
We simply do not have a defensive centre. The players who play there do something, they try, but being a good guy is not a profession. Look at how they let their counterparts in in the match against Valmiera. In our time, I was born in 1969, in Kyiv's Hydropark, you could find a million such defenders on Saturdays and Sundays. We had a field where the complex now stands, called Marakana. So, the Marakana team of that time would have left no chance for Dynamo. Not even to touch the ball. I'm talking quite seriously. Legionnaires from Kyiv will not let you lie.
Lucescu tried different pairs in defence, but they all failed. They don't have all the necessary qualities of modern central defenders: someone lacks height, someone doesn't read the game, someone doesn't have the first pass. There is no solidity in their play. Popov claims to be a leader, but he lacks stability.
There is a choice for the centre-backs. Karavaev can cover the required position: both on the wing and in defence. You can play with our wing-backs. The only requirement of modern football is that players must be well over 1.80 cm. Imagine Lukaku in the penalty area - who will fight him? There are four players like Lukaku in each team. Therefore, there are complaints about Dynamo's selection work.
The central triangle. God grant Sidorchuk health to play for a few more years. There is Lonwijk, who has a good school. Buyalsky, today, is like Pele at Dynamo. In terms of skill level, because he can come up with something, create and score, but what to do when his game doesn't go well? The wingers are raw. Both on the right and on the left.
Vanat has very good qualities, but he fits the style of another team. There should be a completely different service for him. I see that Supryaga has lost weight. He has everything for a striker. I don't know what is needed to make him play. Vladyslav has frequent problems with psychology. I have been observing for a long time that the season is coming to an end for him.
- When will we be able to assess the effectiveness of the team's preparation ?
- For two months, the players have been running around, in addition to sparring, they had physical activity. Now they need a break to rest. I think that the team will have to "run" in the second round. They will be easy. After a few rounds, we can more specifically assess the team's readiness.
Mykola Tymoshchuk