Well-known journalist Serhiy Tyshchenko talks about the "struggle for survival" in the current Ukrainian championship.
Photo: upl.ua"I think that the issue of two teams that will be relegated directly has already been resolved - Lviv and Metalist.
Lviv has no system. They will do something without understanding how and why. Dulub, who scored 4 points in 3 matches at the start of the season, was fired. The new coach, Bezsmertnyi, has no points so far. A club without a philosophy, money, or attention is of little use or interest to anyone. Everything is going to close the shop.
The situation with Metalist is a little different - they have know-how. They have survived this season only thanks to their cooperation with Dnipro-1. I understand that the Dnipro team pays for accommodation, living conditions in Uzhhorod (where they are based), and matches. "Metalist pays the players' salaries. We are already 4 months in arrears. In the winter, we lost everyone who had at least some level of income. The club will try to survive the difficult times in the first league, where the costs are lower, and will rely on its 2006 birth year. And after the war, it will be seen.
There are three contenders for the transition matches - Rukh, Minaj and Veres. The club from Rivne has a very weak squad. The only talent is Virt. They have not yet played Dynamo, Shakhtar or Zorya. There are only two relatively simple matches left - Metalist-1925 and Ingulets. I don't believe in this team. It is unlikely that they will score more than 4-5 points before the end of the championship.
"Minaj could have had more points, but the ball is a bit of a malfunction in defence. "They frankly let Oleksandriya and Ingulets go. They have their own personnel problems. They have a chance to avoid clashes.
The situation with Rukh is not easy. The team went for a rebuild in the middle of the season. Many young coaches without experience in the UPL. There are problems in psychology. We really miss the injured Sapuga in the middle of the field. The young people forced the preparation for the end of February - beginning of March, when the UEFA Youth League was taking place. We need a victory that will give us strength. Ponomarev's team has a favourable calendar. The most difficult are the trips to Odesa and Kryvyi Rih. In each remaining match, you can score points.
I don't believe in Veres. A lot will depend on the head-to-head match between Minaj and Rukh on 24 May. For sure, in Uzhhorod, the fate of who will get into the knockout stages and who will stay for the next season will be decided," Serhiy wrote on Facebook.
