Yevhen Konoplyanka is a disappointment for Cracow. So believe the Polish media, analyzing his performance in the Polish championship over the past year.
Yevhen Konoplyanka transferred to Krakovia in February 2022 as a star of European soccer, but in one year in the team was absolutely unable to show his class. The publication Weszlo published a big article on Konoplyanka, in which he took apart the Ukrainian player's game.
The authors of the article recall how on numerous occasions Konoplyanka was turned off in matches of the Polish championship, leading to problems for Krakowia.
"47th minute of the match against Piast. Konoplyanka lost the fight after a throw-in and lost the ball. He began furiously waving his hands, demanding to whistle a foul. The referee does not pay attention to his demands and does not stop the game. In this attack Krakovia conceded and in the end lost the game.
Something similar happened in the match against Corona. Then Konoplyanka's passivity also led to the team's defeat.
"Konoplyanka on the edge of the penalty area ridiculously knocks down the opponent. Again waving his arms, again claiming to the whole world, again conceded a goal, again defeat Krakowia. After this action Jacek Zielinski removed him from the field, reported his injury and did not take to the match against Legia in Warsaw..
Journalists say that the Ukrainian brought some minimal benefit to the team (28 games, three goals, two assists), but it's not worth the status of one of the highest paid players in the team.
"The problem is that Konoplanka sometimes gives, sometimes takes away. He's like a box of Forrest Gump chocolates -- you never know what you're going to get when you put him on the field. Pretty expensive box of chocolates. Konoplyanka on the field gives and takes away.".
Continuing the parsing of Konoplyanka's game, experts note that he has made only two sprints of over 30 kilometers per hour in a season. In one of the games against Piast, he did not manage to make a single sprint in 51 minutes at all. And he is in last place on the team in terms of sprints.
The authors emphasize that Konoplyanka has weak defensive statistics..:
"Konoplyanka and purposefulness do not go hand in hand. As for running, the Ukrainian is a typical slacker. When he gets the ball, he sharpened the game, but can you afford to keep someone on the field who is active only in attack? He contributes little to the game, and his chances are less than expected".
The authors summarize that Krakovia may feel cheated. Before extending Konoplyanka's contract on improved terms, the club's management wondered if he was motivated enough to continue playing soccer at a high level?
As a result, the club got a player who does not give his best on the field. Although the authors point out that Konoplyanka went for a salary reduction in order to continue playing.
"And if he doesn't care about the money, kudos to him. The problem is that, looking at his attitude, we can't tell if he cares about anything.".
It should be noted that Konoplyanka was called up by Ruslan Rotan to the Ukrainian national team for the first time since March 2021 for the match against England in the qualification for Euro 2024, which will be held on March 26.
Dmytro VENKOV