Former Ukraine midfielder Oleh Shelayev shared his impressions of the first match of the 2nd qualifying round of the Champions League between Dnipro-1 and Greek Panathinaikos (1:3), and also assessed the chances of Dnipro to reach the next round of the tournament.
Oleg Shelaev- In my opinion, we saw that Panathinaikos players do not have a big advantage in class, if we compare them with Dnipro-1 players. It is quite possible to play with this team. Perhaps, for today, Panathinaikos is a more balanced team.
I noticed two problems with Dnipro-1. The first one is that new recruits need to get used to the old-timers, and it takes time. Secondly, the friendlies that Dnipro-1 had in the summer off-season, they were not mostly of the required quality. We need stronger sparring partners.
- In the starting lineup of Dnipro-1 debuted 4 players at once: Kinareikin, Miroshnichenko, Kravets and Tretiakov. Isn`t it too much, as for the first match?
- Let me put it this way: only Kinareikin is a debutant, he played his first official match in adult football. All the other players have been playing in the UPL for many years, they have played a lot of international matches. But they need time to play with their partners in Dnipro-1.
- Did the conceded goal in the opening game affect the confidence of Dnipro-1 players?
- Of course. Such a goal at the very beginning of the match, and even with an unfamiliar team, hits the psychology of the guys. It took Dnipro players 20-25 minutes to come to their senses. And then we won`t say that Panathinaikos players dominated on the pitch.
- Do you think that the absence of Oleksandr Pikhalenok due to injury had a strong impact on the attacking game of Dnipro-1?
- Many specialists knew that Sasha missed a lot in preparation for the season. It was clear that Oleksandr Kucher would not be able to count on him in the starting lineup. Pikhalenok knows how to get out from under pressure, he has good co-operation with Dovbik. If Pikhalenok was healthy, he would add power to the team.
-How doyou like Dovbik in this match?
- Everyone knows that Artem has class. Today he is the best striker in Ukrainian football. In general, he assisted his partners well in this meeting. He threatened Panathinaikos goal a couple of times. Of course, we all expect more from Artem. After all, when the team is not playing well, he should take the initiative and decide the outcome of the game with his individual actions. We need to demand more from Dovbik. Could he have played better on Tuesday? He could.
- Why did Dnipro coach bet on young Kinayreikin, and not on the experienced Volynets, who was bought from "Kolos"?
- This decision of Oleksandr Kucher is based on the way the training camp was held. Volynets came to the team recently. As for Kinareikin, three missed goals will not break him. I am convinced of that. He is not to blame for the conceded goals. Yakov is psychologically stable, I know him. He will gain the necessary experience.
- Panathinaikos left-back Juankar made the whole game for his team. He had two great passes on the flank and two goal assists, as well as a penalty. Why did they fail to contain him?
- A lot depends on his opponent. On the flank he was opposed by Miroshnichenko and Gutsulyak. Miroshnichenko could not cope with him. Seeing this, Gutsulyak had to pay more attention to the defence. Our guys could not cope with Juancar. The coaching staff of Dnipro-1 has a week to solve this problem.
- It is clear that Panathinaikos are favourites to face Dnipro-1. But do we have any hope for the match in Athens?
- Strangely enough, we have chances. Now away goals do not count. We can win 2-0 and take the game into overtime. The Ukrainian team needs a quick goal. Not even so, it is important to go into the break winning at least one goal. With a draw, after the first half, our guys will rush, hustle and so on. In the second half of the match in Slovakia, our players acted more confidently, started to create chances at the opponent's goal.
-Doyou think Oleksandr Kucher got a lot of information about his team after the game in the Champions League?
- Absolutely. It is clear that everyone wants to play in the Champions League group. But after passing Panathinaikos, Dnipro-1 falls to the powerful Marseille. And this is only the third round of qualification. And there is also the play-off round of the Champions League.
A more realistic task is to get into the group stage of the Europa League or the Conference League. After the match in Athens, Dnipro will have a tough schedule - two matches a week, and so on until the end of the summer. In the Ukrainian championship we also need to gain points. I think that Oleksandr Kucher knew everything about the condition of his guys. But it all proved to be true in practice. Ahead of Dnipro-1 have a lot of tough matches.
- What is the main problem for Dnipro-1 at this time?
- Tactically and physically, I think, the players are ready well. The team's defenders did not play very well. The central defenders could have acted higher, starting the attack. Especially in the absence of Pihalenka. And the edge defenders, especially Kravets, should learn to play like Juankar. We need to act at speed, to be more assertive.
- In a week's time, Panathinaikos and Dnipro-1 will play a return match in Athens. Is there a chance for the Ukrainian team to qualify for the third round?
- The game is not closed yet. The window of opportunity for Dnipro-1 is still open.
