Column by Serhiy Tyshchenko. What is happening to Denis Popov?

In yesterday's Metalist vs Dynamo match, Kyiv centre-back Denys Popov made a gross mistake. The Dynamo centre-back lost the ball near his own goal, which resulted in a missed goal and a nervous ending for his team.

I understand that Denis came on the pitch at the very end of the game, and made his mistake six minutes after coming on. It is always not easy to come on as a substitute. Somewhere he has not yet got used to the field. But on the other hand, Popov is the most experienced defender among the current centre-backs. Today, he should already be, if not the leader of the team, then the chief of defence. He has been a full-fledged first-team player since 2019. But the prospects will not be matched by class and skill. With his talents, Denys could successfully play in the Premier League. But at the age of 24, he cannot assert himself even in his native Dynamo. That's probably why this season has been so disastrous, because the players who are supposed to be leaders are not living up to expectations. Popov is among them.

Everyone can make a mistake. This is not just about the mistake in Uzhhorod at the Avangard Stadium. Popov looks absolutely unconvincing this season. We can recall at least the matches against Rennes and Ingulets, and we can go on for a long time. In defence, the team played its best match in the second part of the season against Shakhtar when Denys was not on the pitch. Otherwise, there were a lot of mistakes, wrong choice of position, and everyone has long forgotten about the trademark goals from set pieces. What's going on with Denys?

Physical problems. Unfortunately, he had a lot of them. I am not sure if he has played a full season. I believe that the key injury occurred in the summer of 2017 in a youth team match against Shakhtar. Denys injured his cruciate ligament and effectively lost the season. Back then, he had a real chance, together with his defensive centre-back partner in the youth team, Vitalii Mykolenko, to knock on the door of the first team. If not immediately, then in the second part of the season. Domagoj Vida did not extend his contract, and Yevhen Khacheridi started having problems. In the winter, we signed Artem Shabanov. However, even before that, Denys was not always healthy. He missed the UEFA Youth League matches of the 2016/17 season.

Since the 2019/20 season, Transfermarkt has made 11 entries in Popov's profile in the injuries section. "Once upon a time, my good friend Vsevolod Kevlych, analysing Vladyslav Supryaha's problems, said that Vlad lost speed because he began to increase his muscle mass unnaturally. The body simply could not withstand this load. Not only did Supryaga lose his sharpness and speed, but he also became injured. Perhaps Popov has similar problems. Outwardly, he looks like an athlete. A huge muscle mass not only leads to a loss of sharpness, but also affects the body.

Mental problems. There is a feeling that Denis simply does not understand where he should move on. He won everything at the level of Ukraine. He played in the Champions League. He was in the national team's bid for the Euros. He became the world youth champion. Financially and personally, everything is fine. Where to move on, where to get motivation for progress? I need new challenges.

You can't stay at the same level all the time. Either you move forward or you lose your position. Talents are not enough by nature. You need to acquire new ones. Successful defensive play is not only about physical qualities, aggressiveness and strength, but also about the ability to make quick decisions and read the game. In these aspects, there is no great progress.

"Dynamo can provide certain opportunities, but it is very important to take the next step in time. Ilya Zabarnyi, for example, after two seasons in the first team, began to look not entirely convincing. It became clear that it would be very difficult for him to move forward in Kyiv. I would call it the Khacheridi syndrome. When you have reached a certain level, and then you need to change clubs for further development, so that you don't get caught up in regression and indifference.

Here, the train does not stand still. The academy is working. There are new players who can surpass Denys in the future and become successful transfers for the club. Maksym Dyachuk is taking his first steps at the first team level. He is still far from being stable and reliable, but in the match against Shakhtar he played very well against Lassina Traore. Some progress is obvious. He will gain a little experience and next season he will be able to reach a new level. He is a player of a very similar type to Popov.

Finally, Anton Bol should get his chance one day. He has been knocking on the door of the first team for a long time. Anton has not only natural physical qualities, but also ball handling and passing. Potentially, he is a player of Ilya Zabarnyi's calibre.

Nazar Balaba is playing his first season in the youth team. This guy has a huge potential. Vladyslav Zakharchenko is a year younger. This season, he is playing for Zorya's youth team on loan. In the short term, both of them have a chance to make the Dynamo first team.

Popov himself needs to make up his mind. His contract with Dynamo is valid until the summer of 2025. There is one full season left. He needs to clean up his act and become one of the team's leaders, or the club will rely on other players.

Serhii Tyshchenko