Former Ukrainian national team player Taras Kabanov told Komanda1 what helped Shakhtar become champions ahead of schedule and focused on the clubs that will find it difficult to avoid the transition matches with the leaders of the first division...
Taras Kabanov- The Miners proved in convincing style that they are the strongest in Ukrainian football. Why didn't Dnipro-1 and Zorya manage to beat Shakhtar in their head-to-head matches? In my opinion, the Donetsk team had a lot of international experience, which is only worth the battles in the Champions League with Spanish side Real Madrid! Secondly, the Shakhtar team had eminent veterans - Stepanenko and Rakytskyi - who spurred on their younger teammates at key moments. Also, in my opinion, Donetsk benefited from the information that appeared in the press in mid-May about possible changes on the coaching staff. I do not exclude that this was done on purpose, but the news only united the players in their desire to defend their manager, Igor Jovicevic.
- Still, how can we explain the recent poor performance of Shakhtar's main pursuer Dnipro-1, which allowed Zorya to close the gap with Oleksandr Kucher's side?
- It is precisely the lack of experience, which often helps in the set-up and when it is imperative to jump over your head. In addition, in the matches against Shakhtar and Vorskla, the opponents managed to neutralise Dnipro's striker Artem Dovbyk. However, I think that Dnipro-1 will retain its second position and prove that it was no accident that it was at the top of the standings last autumn.
- What do you think of Vorskla's finishing spurt, which helped them regain intrigue in the fight for a ticket to the Conference League?
- Viktor Skrypnyk's men are on a roll now and I think they will be able to win the final match against an unmotivated Shakhtar. Whereas Oleksandriya will have to win in Lviv against Rukh, who will try to avoid the transitional matches for the right to stay in the elite. I give Poltava's chances of finishing fifth higher.
- The defeats of Veres and Metalist 1925 have greatly intensified the struggle at the bottom of the standings...
- Frankly speaking, after the autumn part of the season, perhaps no one could have thought that Rivne and Slobozhans would be threatened with relegation. But facts are stubborn things, and it is Veres, Metalist 1925, Ingulets and Rukh who are in the worst position today. I assume that the losers of the championship, or rather, the teams that will get to the transition matches, will be determined by additional indicators. It's just a shame that we haven't seen such a fierce rivalry for the gold medals...
Vasyl Mikhailov
