As the start of the 2023/24 season approaches, Ukrainian clubs are entering a crucial phase of preparation, and the domestic media are already beginning to speculate about what to expect from them in the new competitive year.
Photo - fcdynamo.comUsually, the new season opens with the traditional Super Bowl, but, like last year, there will be no Super Bowl this summer for obvious reasons. And this is another bitter reminder of the difficult and sad reality our country continues to live in.
"As you know, the Super Cup is played between the winner of the Ukrainian championship and the winner of the Ukrainian Cup. Since we did not have the Ukrainian Cup this season, which has ended, there is no point in holding a Super Cup match. Because between whom and whom should it take place?" explains UPL President Yevhen Dykyi(Sportarena.com, 14.07.23).
"Yes, we plan to hold a Super Cup match at the end of the upcoming season. We are currently considering several options for holding exhibition matches. If we manage to do it, it will be great," he adds(Sportarena.com, 14.07.23).
It should be noted that neither the UAF, nor the UPL and PFL have announced any official information about the format and dates of the 2023/24 Ukrainian Cup, but the starting date of the new Ukrainian Premier League draw is 29 July.
Thus, the leading Ukrainian clubs are entering a crucial phase of the off-season training cycle. First of all, those who will soon also start participating in the qualifiers for European Cup tournaments.
Dynamo's preparations: Yarmolenko is in the spotlight
Traditionally, the greatest attention of the football community is focused on the most popular and titled club in Ukraine - Dynamo Kyiv, which has already managed to play five control matches since the start of the first training camp on 4 July.
The first three sparring matches for the Kyiv team were spectacular - 4-1 against Dinamo Bucharest, 8-0 against Wolfsberg's second team and 9-0 against Triglav. However, the White and Blues coaching staff and experts and fans received much more information for analysis from the 3-3 draw with the Champions League participant and current Swiss championship winner Young Boys.
As the scoreline suggests, Dynamo's attacking group received many compliments for this match, but the media noted too many individual mistakes in the defence.
"In the first half, the right flank was active, from which both goals came. First, Dubinchak closed Tymchyk's shot, which was launched to the flank by Yarmolenko, and later Benito closed Yarmolenko's heel pass from the same position. We also conceded twice - first, the central defenders failed, and then Tymchyk "brought" a penalty for hitting the ball in the hand.
The game in the first half looked quite coherent, unlike the second. There were a lot of new players on the pitch, and they spent time getting used to each other. As a result, they conceded a long-range goal, the game was heading towards defeat, but literally in the last minute Diallo took over the game and his activity was converted into a cut ball into his own net from Lustenberger just before the final whistle," journalist Serhiy Rypiuk said(Sport.ua, 12.07.23).
Many people particularly praised the performance and role of Andriy Yarmolenko, who recently returned to his home club.
"Andrii is incredibly classy compared to his teammates. He sets the pace with quick decisions, delivers tricky passes, and constantly sharpens up. Almost every Dynamo attack went through Yarmolenko. Before the first goal, Andriy threw Tymchyk into a breakthrough - the defender shot into the penalty area, Kabaev missed the ball, and Dubinchak made a great save at the far post.
Yarmolenko came up with the second goal almost single-handedly: he passed the ball from his own half, played with Buyalsky, found Tymchyk and responded to a pass in the penalty area, and then fired a shot along the goal with his heel. Benito, with the help of Shaparenko, drove the ball into the net. There was also a cool pass in the centre. There was also a heel dodge with Tymchyk's connection and Benito's close-range shot.
Yarmola does not need perfect physical conditions to be the best at Dynamo. He has enough football intelligence and technique. Watching him play is a pleasure. It's beautiful and effective. A separate plus is that Tymchyk feels Andriy well, gives him an option with his openings and does not duplicate him. Next season, Dynamo will always have a guaranteed way to get the ball into the penalty area," writes the Football 24 website(Football24.ua, 13.07.23).
On Sunday, Kyiv finished the week with a bang, defeating the Cypriot champion Aris. Despite the absence of a number of important players, including Yarmolenko, Dynamo had a big advantage and showed good chances, with goals from Serhiy Sydorchuk, Benito and twice from Nazar Voloshyn.
Meanwhile, taking into account the first impressions from the friendly matches and Dynamo's transfer campaign (in particular, the signing of Yarmolenko, the return of the talented Volodymyr Brazhko from loan and the extension of Oleksandr Karavayev's contract), some media outlets are already starting to predict the performance of the Kyiv team next season.
"Last season, Dynamo had serious personnel problems in each line: Bushchan and Shaparenko were injured, Zabarnyi and Tsygankov were sold in the winter, which made life in the second part of the championship much more difficult for the white and blues. Losing so many core players at the same time is a lot for a better team with more depth. By the start of the next season, these problems are gradually being resolved: Shaparenko and Bushchan recovered, and the experienced Yarmolenko took Tsygankov's place as leader.
In addition, Vanat has learnt to cover the forward's problematic position with quality, and wing-backs Tymchyk and Vivcharenko have significantly improved. Dynamo is going to have a good squad, which can be set maximum tasks. To be more precise, for the most part, it was already assembled, they just needed to get used to each other and gain experience. It took the last season, but in the future, no excuses will be accepted from Dynamo. My prediction for the capital's club is top two with a possible fight for the title," says columnist Mykhailo Tsiruk(Khsport.ua, 13.07.23).
"Dnipro-1 without a misfire
No less actively preparing for the season - and its debut start in the Champions League qualifiers - is Dnipro-1, also attracting special attention from the Ukrainian media.
For Dnipro-1, the new campaign will begin on 25 July with a Champions League qualifier against Panathinaikos, so they have to get into the best possible shape before the rest of the UPL. The preparations began a long time ago - on 19 June. The team held two training camps in Uzhhorod, which were separated by one day off on 3 July. As part of this long work, the Dnipro team planned six sparring matches, 5 of which have already taken place.
In friendly matches, the Dnipro team also demonstrate excellent results - five wins out of five, with four of them being landslide victories. However, not all of the opponents of Oleksandr Kucher's team could be classified as high class.
At the same time, the Ukrainian media noted a striking change in the club's transfer vector compared to last season.
"Back then, Yevhen Krasnikov recruited as many free or cheap legionnaires as he could possibly get. Valef, Heiner, Matarrita, Gomez, Peglow, Balouli, Amash, Blanco and others literally filled the Dnipro club's squad... Now, Dnipro-1 hastened to say goodbye to almost all the legionnaires it had and set about strengthening the squad with Ukrainian players and those legionnaires who already have experience in the UPL.
In particular, Misak, Kravets, Miroshnychenko, Gorin and Tretyakov have already joined the team. According to rumours, Dnipro are currently negotiating the transfer of Vorskla's attacking midfielder Taulant Seferi for €1 million. That is, Dnipro rely on reliability, inviting well-known Ukrainian players who will definitely not fall below a certain level," writes journalist Igor Tsvyk(Sportanalytic.com, 11.07.23).
The Ukrainian media reminds us that immediately after the end of last season, rumours were rife that the Dnipro-1 management was planning to cut funding for the team, and that it would no longer be able to compete for the top places.
"I don't know how true this is, but so far I don't see any reason for a huge drop. This time, Dnipro-1 relied on Ukrainian players when recruiting the team, but still retained a very good squad, which still includes even the team's main star and last season's top scorer, Artem Dovbyk. The selection of players from Dnipro should allow them to easily get into European competitions, but whether they will be able to reach the top 2 again is a question.
Even at the end of the last championship, there was a certain degradation in the team's performance. It was clear that in the first half of the season they had squeezed everything they could out of themselves, but in the second half, the solidity, impudence, self-confidence and strength that allowed them to climb so high were no longer there. I am inclined to believe that such a high place of Dnipro-1 in the standings was still a one-off event, and next season Kucher's men will be third or fourth," believes Mykhailo Tsiruk(Khsport.ua, 14.07.23).
New discussions around UPL-TV
Last week, the topic of TV broadcasts of UPL matches in the 2023/24 season became more active again. The news that Setanta had finally withdrawn from negotiations with the UPL set off a new round of public debate.
According to one version, Setanta was interested in broadcasting only if it had centralised rights to the matches of all 16 clubs, but this scenario is impossible, as Dynamo, Dnipro-1 and Zorya have existing agreements with the 1+1 media group. This was also confirmed by LNZ and Veres."(KDK, 12.07.23)
According to another, Setanta agreed to 12 clubs (minus Kolos, which will produce content on its own), but three unnamed clubs opposed this truncated pool. Apparently, these are the same clubs - Veres, Polissia and Kryvbas - that later did not support the concept of a "truncated" UPL-TV ("TaToTake", 14.07.23).
"They do not see any financial benefit in this and believe that they will earn more by broadcasting their own matches on their own," TaToTake journalists write.
"We actually had two options today, because Setanta refused to join the TV pool, which does not include all 16 clubs: either the offer of UPL TV or the club will broadcast it itself. But for us, UPL TV remains unknown. We cannot understand this format, and we are offered to invest in a project that has no management, no budget, no payback.
Accordingly, it will be difficult to invest in such a project. Therefore, we simply do not see the point in it. The only option left for us is to broadcast on Veres TV. We are ready to go further if there is management, a concept, and a budget. But nowhere in the world is there a format like UPL TV. As a rule, they sell the rights to professional broadcasters, professional companies that do this.
We don't want to go to a collective farm, but we are offered to go to a collective farm, to a condominium, where there are a lot of participants without normal leadership, without a concept, without a model, without a budget - excuse me. We are not ready to go into this story," explains Ivan Nadein, president of Veres (Ua.tribuna.com, 14.07.23).
Instead, Shakhtar's Director of Strategic Development and Communications Yuriy Svyrydov emphasises: "Our position is unchanged: we are in favour of a single pool and will continue to work on this in various formats. I believe that the clubs should be together in order to produce a quality TV product and earn money. Separate production and distribution is a road to nowhere"(Ua.tribuna.com, 14.07.23).
Finally, Polissya, which had been hesitating to broadcast its home matches in the UPL on the club channel, as it did in the First League, or look for ways to unite with other members of the top division, has also decided on its position.
"We had a long conversation with the club's president Gennadiy Butkevych, where I essentially explained both options to him, what the pros and cons were. Gennadiy Vladyslavovych, with his usual sense of irony, but in a very concise and informative manner, spoke about the decision that Polissya was making. The decision was made in such a way that it is better to eat cake together than shit alone.
Therefore, in this case, I would like to say that Polissya can confirm with this news that it is transferring its TV UPL rights to implement the UPL TV project. My television experience should help, so I am ready to advise and assist in the development of the project, both media and YouTube and, in fact, commercial," says Oleksandr Denysov, Polissya's director of marketing, media and sponsorship(Ua.tribuna.com, 15.07.23).
However, the transfer of Polissia's rights to the UPL for the implementation of the UPL-TV project, as Denysov put it, still seems premature, because this project itself does not yet exist. And its prospects are still very vague - about 10 days before the start of the new UPL draw.
"Other clubs see that UPL-TV is flying by, so they are less and less willing to pull this heavy cart with someone else. The onlyadvantage for ordinary fans is that if everyone broadcasts their home games on their own, it will be almost guaranteed to be free," says columnist Igor Tsvyk(Sportanalytic.com, 12.07.23).
By and large, all these hesitations and misunderstandings between the parties involved in the UPL-TV negotiations arise only because the clubs are choosing between two options that do not promise them any financial benefit. And the root cause of this was unambiguously and frankly formulated by Andriy Poltavets, President of the LNZ.
"None of the other broadcasters have made any offers to organise broadcasts, let alone pay money to the clubs and the UPL," states the head of the newcomer to the UPL(Ua.tribuna.com, 14.07.23).
Although this is hardly ever articulated publicly, the clubs that generate active viewer interest among a wide range of Ukrainian fans (i.e. not supporters of one particular club) are actually already gathered on the channels of the 1+1 group.
Thanks to free broadcasts on public channels with national coverage, which only increases the number of their viewers, for example, Dynamo, Zorya and Dnipro-1 have traditionally and fundamentally defended the interests of their audience by providing them with free access to watch football. During the period of martial law, they consider this position to be a real manifestation of patriotism.
Other aspects of football life in Ukraine
Dynamo's information drive. Promoting football through high-quality information and entertainment content is a real challenge even in these turbulent times, when Ukrainians are naturally focused on the heroic struggle of our defence forces against Russian invaders.
Last week, the national media, among other things, drew attention to the real drive that has emerged in the work of Dynamo Kyiv with its fans.
"The club's press office, and in particular the SMM department, has made a lot of progress over the past year."Dynamo is gradually improving its brand, and this summer was the peak in this regard," writes blogger Semen Novikov, citing a number of recent examples of the capital's truly creative work(Ua.tribuna.com, 12.07.23).
One of the most striking cases is the media coverage of Andriy Yarmolenko's return to Dynamo.
"Dynamo did a great job of getting the audience excited about Yarmolenko's return, which was Polishynel's secret from start to finish. It all started with an ordinary picture that went viral, then a mysterious video where it seemed like something was being hidden from us. This was followed by another video and hints in the style of Andriy Yermak. They didn't forget to get a lot of likes either. The last post before the announcement: "When this post gets 10,000 likes..."
The final point is Andriy's original presentation with a video where Ihor Surkis asks "Well, son, is it time to go home?". Some might say that it's a prank, but almost 30 thousand likes and memes for years to come speak for themselves. And can any club in the UPL top 5 repeat something like that with its president? It is unlikely, " the author notes(Ua.tribuna.com, 12.07.23).
Dynamo's harsh appeal to Fenerbahçe, which was already discussed in one of our previous analytical reviews, has gained no less resonance. The Turks travelled to the aggressor country of St Petersburg for the tournament, for which they received a harsh reaction from the Ukrainian club.
"After that, thousands of Turkish accounts with a clear pro-Russian stance flooded Kyiv's social media. Ukrainians got involved in the conflict and began to defend Dynamo's position. The tweet with the appeal received 9 million views, and the post on Instagram almost 20 thousand likes. "Dynamo received a portion of respect and popular love in return, although Turkish fans managed to take down their website and forced them to close the comments," Novikov writes(Ua.tribuna.com, 12.07.23).
According to the author, the development of the club's uniforms in collaboration with the leading esports company EA Sports has become one of the coolest marketing cases of the club. The purpose of this collaboration was to draw additional attention of the international community to the war in Ukraine.
"The uniforms are made in the colours of the Ukrainian flag and have elements of the symbolic flame that has engulfed our country since the beginning of the full-scale invasion. By designing this style of uniform, FC Dynamo Kyiv and EA Sports want to remind the world and the gaming community that the war in Ukraine is ongoing and that many of those affected by it need help," the club said in a statement(Fcdynamo.com, 16.06.23).
"Now the most popular football simulation game will have a uniform with a pro-Ukrainian message, which also looks very beautiful and futuristic. To understand the coolness of this event, 10 million users played FIFA 23 in the first week after the game's release," a Tribuna columnist emphasises(Ua.tribuna.com, 12.07.23).
Another striking example is the charity CS:GO showcase match against Monte, a Ukrainian esports team that has become a fan favourite and one of the main discoveries of the Paris Major (the most prestigious tournament in the discipline).
"Dynamo and Monte played a charity showcase match. The funds raised went to the reconstruction of the Mykhailo-Kotsiubynskyi Lyceum in Chernihiv region. Shaparenko, Dyachuk, Karavaev and Voloshin played for Kyiv. It turned out to be a great show. Thebroadcasts were open on YouTube - in total, about 50,000 viewers watched the match," Novikov adds(Ua.tribuna.com, 12.07.23).
He also notes that Dynamo's social media is filled with interesting interactions. The club tries to keep in touch with its fans, confirming its status as a truly national team. The Kyiv team has stepped up its outreach efforts and now constantly finds a reason to engage in a dialogue with its followers.
"It has become really interesting for fans to watch the club on their smartphones - there is more drive," the author concludes(Ua.tribuna.com, 12.07.23).
"Dynamo for the Armed Forces and IDP children, the warriors for Yarmolenko. The capital's club continues its humanitarian mission. On Friday, Dynamo sent another shipment to the frontline: about 40 tonnes of meals in convenient packages for field conditions.
"In total, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the Surkis Brothers Foundation and FC Dynamo have transferred several thousand tonnes of food, hundreds of tonnes of personal hygiene products, more than 10 cars for the needs of the military and a boat to eliminate the consequences of the terrorist attack on the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station," TSN reported(Tsn.ua, 13.07.23).
"We try to respond as quickly as possible to situations that occur in different parts of Ukraine. For example, when an enemy missile hit a hospital in Dnipro, our ambulance was one of the first to arrive at the scene, and the very next day after the Kakhovka hydroelectric power station tragedy, six trucks with drinking water were sent to the Kherson region.
In the future, FC Dynamo Kyiv and the Surkis Brothers Foundation will continue to respond to all requests and help everyone in need as much as possible. We collect requests from the heads of military administrations, units of the Armed Forces and other people who need help," says the club's vice president, Dmytro Brief(Podrobnosti.ua, 14.07.23).
Meanwhile, while Dynamo is doing everything possible to support the Armed Forces, the heroic soldiers are sending congratulations to Andriy Yarmolenko on his return to his home club straight from the frontline.
"Yarmolo, my brother, welcome home. Dynamo Kyiv fans have been waiting for you and are very happy to see you back. We are looking forward to gold medals in Kyiv and the Champions League," said the military fans in a touching video from the frontline(Football24.ua, 15.07.23).
Last week, an interesting event was also held at the Valery Lobanovsky Stadium for children from among the internally displaced persons. Boys and girls who were forced to leave their homes because of the war and need special social attention were invited to a tour of the Dynamo Stadium, where they could touch the history of the famous club at various locations and plunge into the atmosphere of club life.
"The children looked at the cups with sincere interest and enthusiasm, visited the stadium's conference room, visited the VIP boxes and the stadium bowl, where they could take beautiful photos, and received a lot of positive impressions and emotions. At the end of the event, the children received gifts from our club. FC Dynamo Kyiv continues its work and fully supports those who need it," the club said in a special statement(Fcdynamo.com, 13.07.23).
Orest LELEKA
