Famous coach Oleg Fedorchuk commented on the main events of the 24th round of the Ukrainian championship matches that took place last Wednesday and Thursday.
Oleg Fedorchuk"For some reason, Shakhtar did not order VAR for the match against Minaj
- Any accusation must have evidence, but there are only hints of something illegal... Why did the Ukrainian championship see more scandals in the spring?
- Now there are obvious things - the work of referees in the UPL is quite subjective. VAR is applied on the principle of "I order it if I want, I don't want it, I do without it," richer clubs have the opportunity to order it, poorer ones do not. "For some reason, Shakhtar did not order VAR for the match against Minaj. In addition, now in the UPL, whoever wants to play where they want to play, whoever wants to negotiate with whomever they want to negotiate with. And they play where it is profitable... And this is not even a question for the clubs, but for those who organize the competition. In the UPL, everyone should be in the same conditions: that is, VAR - at all matches without exception, a clear rule on postponements, transparency of budgets.
Speaking of budgets... "Minaj decided to pay the players a bonus for a lost match. How is that? We need clearly defined rules and control over their implementation, not fixation of the ugliness that has already happened and talk about how bad it is... I would note that this, figuratively speaking, black wave has risen in the last three or four rounds.
- "Shakhtar are trying to draw attention to what they consider to be a suspicious result of the Dnipro-1 vs Metalist match, and to the significant number of penalties in favor of the Dnipro side. Is it that Jovicevic's team, which has a certain gap in points with its main rival, is still not confident in its abilities?
- Yes, in recent matches Shakhtar have been sitting down. And those Shakhtar players who are coming on as substitutes are not ready. Zubkov and others... "Shakhtar are in a bad way now. Hence the uncertainty in the results. In addition, the Pitmen clearly know that there is still a face-to-face meeting with Dnipro-1, which is quite capable of getting ready for one decisive game. So it turns out that no one wants to delay the issue until the final rounds...
"Do you know who finances Metalist?"
- Why are there so many rumors about Metalist?
- And who finances it, do you know? So... Nobody knows. And here the question is not so much to the club, but to those who register it in the UPL, accept the application. And if two clubs have the same owner? And it's not just about Metalist...
- "Is Dnipro-1, which lost a little bit of game and, accordingly, points in early spring, now coming out of the doldrums?
- In the first part of the season, Dnipro-1 depended heavily on the Pikhalonok-Dovbyk combination. When Pikhalenok lost his form in the spring, the team's play became more lackluster. In addition, a championship contender should not have a goalkeeping problem. I don't know why and how they brought Max Valef to Dnipro-1. Max Walef, but it's very strange. He doesn't even look like a goalkeeper. I'm not saying what mistakes this Brazilian makes... Ukraine has always had a great goalkeeping school, and you can take advantage of it. Vladyslav Rybak, for example, could play.
- Are Dnipro-1's legionnaires gradually gaining momentum?
- Definitely. But they can also be in the shadows again. The war, I think, worries them a lot, and they cannot fully concentrate on football. Although, I must admit, Yevhen Krasnikov knows how to select personnel abroad. We'll see.
"In theory, Zorya can push the leaders, but..."
- Before the face-to-face meeting with "Shakhtar in the 29th round, can the Dnipro team match them in terms of points?
- The fact is that Shakhtar are not going to lose points... Theoretically, Oleksandriya can resist Jovicevic's team, but it's not a given that they will succeed. The main thing is not to have a situation like with "Minaj", when the team loses but receives a bonus...
- Isn't Zorya, which, by the way, will play Shakhtar in the 28th round, capable of not only tripping up the Pitmen but also pushing Dnipro-1 off the top?
- Yes, it can. But more - in theory. There is a very short distance to the finish line, and it will be very difficult to reduce this gap. However, I would like to emphasize the coaching work of Patrick van Leeuwen. It is the most effective in this season of the UPL, and van Leeuwen should be recognized as the best coach of the current Ukrainian championship. He was able to set up a game in an essentially new team and provide a good microclimate. His Zorya scores and produces results - everything is perfect.
"Shovkovskyi? Whoever is at the game is in charge"
- Oleksandr Shovkovskyi has managed Dynamo to two wins in two matches. But does he really make the decisions, or does Lucescu?
- The coach who is at the game is the one who makes the decisions and is responsible. Mircea Lucescu did not prepare Dynamo well for the season. What should he advise Shovkovsky now? Of course, any team plays well in the first three or four matches after the arrival of a new coach, but later on, this motivation often does not work anymore. It is important that Shovkovskyi has not only good football experience, but also energy. The emotions of the coach often decide a lot in the game - the players feel it.
- Which of the UPL outsiders is currently completely hopeless?
- It's Lviv. I should note that Bezsmertnyi, unfortunately, took on a very difficult job. Metalist has too many problems that are dragging them down... I think the safety limit is 30 points. Therefore, in addition to Lviv, there are seven other teams at risk. It is possible that the fight in the basement of the table will be even tougher than at the top.
Oleh Semenchenko
