Mykola Nesenyuk: "The draw with Shakhtar answered two questions at once"

Well-known journalist Mykola Nesenyuk commented on the central match of the 22nd round of the Ukrainian championship, in which Dynamo Kyiv and Shakhtar Donetsk met last Saturday (1:1).

"The draw with Shakhtar answered two questions at once. The first is that Dynamo's chances of winning first place in the championship have finally become theoretical, and in reality, these chances are gone. The second is that it is quite possible that the "historic" achievement of coach Blokhin, who for the first time in the history of independent Ukraine's football led Dynamo to fourth place in the championship in 2014, could be repeated.

At the end of the championship, Oleh Blokhin was replaced by Serhiy Rebrov, who returned the team to first place in Ukraine the following year. Now Mircea Lucescu has been replaced by Oleksandr Shovkovskyi.

Will he be able to repeat the success of his former teammate? At first glance, Coach Shovkovsky does not look as convincing as Coach Rebrov, who has been turned into an icon for some unknown reason, forgetting that Rebrov of 2014 was virtually a nobody, with no experience of leading any team. Then he made a name for himself, which has been feeding him with fabulous money in the Middle East for years. So why shouldn't Shovkovsky repeat this path?

It's hardly worth delving into analyzing the potential level of the new Dynamo manager at this point. We have a fifty-fifty chance that he will succeed in reviving the team - either he will or he won't. I think Oleksandr himself is well aware of this.

His advantage today is his undoubted authority in our football, which has not yet been tarnished by anything. Shovkovsky has been and remains a fan favorite and a role model for young players. If he is supported by his former teammates who played with him (and why not?), it will make it possible to revive the psychology of winners at Dynamo, which has recently begun to be noticeably lost. Everything else is a matter of technique. After all, no one doubts the potential of the team's players, which, in my opinion, should be enough to lead the Ukrainian championship. As for the European Cups, it is too early to talk about it - at least this summer, the Champions League is not a threat to Dynamo.

So, we wish Oleksandr Shovkovskyi to repeat his achievements as a player as a coach of Dynamo. And it will be seen..." Neseniuk wrote on his Facebook page.