Former Dynamo and Ukraine head coach Jozsef Szabo analyzed the tournament chances of the Ukrainian championship participants ahead of the start of the first full round in 2023.
Jozef Szabo- You have recently named Dnipro-1 and Shakhtar as championship contenders. I would be interested to hear you explain what can prevent the sports clubs from losing their leadership?
- "Dnipro-1 has a good team, and when the leaders fall, they can't play well. "Shakhtar plays on two fronts.
- Can Dynamo drop below the Champions League zone for the first time since Blokhin?
- Dynamo will be third or fourth. The thing is that when there is such a war, not everyone wants to go to Kyiv. There are no players who can replace Tsygankov or Zabarnyi.
- "Is Shakhtar really as easy to compensate for Mudryk as one might have hoped after the matches against Rennes and Minaj?
- Mudryk was a leading player at Shakhtar. The team played for him. To be honest, I didn't see much technique in him, but he has speed. In open space, Mudryk has no equal, and at Chelsea we see that he is not played. I don't know why.
- Which UPL player has been the biggest discovery?
- Pikhalonok, Dovbyk, Hutsulyak. These are normal players. If Pikhalenok shines at the UPL level, the national team has completely different requirements and level of opponents.
- Who will fly out?
- I told Sharan not to go to Minaj. There are no players who match the level of the UPL. Today, not only they, but others are in a similar situation. I watched Oleksandriya play Metalist 1925 - once upon a time, the allied teams of class B played like that.
- Which team should we pay attention to in the spring?
- Rukh has an experienced coach and youngsters. They shouldn't be at the bottom.
- Who will be the disappointment of the season?
- I did not expect such a result from Vorskla. Under Maksymov, the team was high, and Skrypnyk came there... He's a good coach, but there are no players of the level he can deliver his football to.
- Who will be the best scorer?
- Dovbyk, if there are no injuries. It's hard for Dnipro-1 without him. There is no Dovbyk - and there is no team.
- Which team should we pay attention to in the spring?
- Shakhtar are on a roll right now. They have gained form, so it will be difficult for their opponents in the league. "The Pitmen scored four goals against Minaj, but they could have scored more.
- Will the purchase of Lviv help them stay in the UPL, given the difficult situation?
- They buy players to buy players. I don't think they will help keep the team in the UPL.
- Wait a minute. This is not a well-thought-out selection work, but hysteria?
- Absolutely!
- Whose coaching impresses you the most?
- I like Jovicevic. There are no others who stand out.
Oleksandr Karpenko
