Last week summed up the efforts of Ukrainian clubs in the qualifying stages of European competitions, and the results were very disappointing. The media analysed the reasons for the failures of Dynamo, Dnipro-1 and Zorya, going far beyond the purely football context.
Photo - fcdynamo.comEuropean Cups: minus three, hopes for two
Among the three Ukrainian clubs that played in Europe last week, Dynamo Kyiv was definitely the strongest opponent. Beşiktaş has incomparably greater resources now, and the Turkish club's strong strengthening of the squad before this season only emphasised this factor.
Despite a good performance, as many media outlets noted after the first match, Kyiv still lost 2-3 at home, so they probably faced the most difficult task of all - taking revenge on a foreign field, competing not only with a much better-equipped opponent but also with incredible pressure from the stands.
In the end, Dynamo lost to Beşiktaş for the second time, 0-1, and the European Cup season ended very early for the Kyiv team. For the first time since the 2005/06 season, the capital's club failed to make it to the group stage of any European competition.
"We had different tactics for the two halves. In the first half we played one way, in the second - another. "Beşiktaş opened the scoring, and after that their experienced players kept the result. After conceding a goal, our players, pupils of the Dynamo Academy, had to give their all for the result, but again made mistakes in defence.
"Beşiktaş has spent a lot of money, they have experienced players, and in this respect it is very difficult for us to compete with them. But I'm proud of my players, even with such a strong opponent, they played with dignity and represented their country on the international stage," summed up Dynamo's performance head coach Mircea Lucescu(Fcdynamo.com, 31.08.23).
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian media, although noting that Kyiv could have played better in Istanbul, admit that the result generally corresponds to the objective situation.
"Is Dynamo stronger than Besiktas now? No, of course not. The Istanbul club can afford transfers of the level of Dele Alli and Oxlade-Chamberlain, while the Kyiv club can only afford to bring back Andriy Yarmolenko."Speaking very locally, very, very specifically, Dynamo are now objectively weaker than Besiktas," writes columnist Valeriy Vasylenko(Sport.ua, 01.09.23).
Needless to say, the loss of only one player, albeit such an important one as Andriy Yarmolenko, is, according to many experts, critical for the current Dynamo team.
"We missed Yarmolenko, who could add solidity to the attack. We must recognise the harsh reality that Dynamo's equipment is significantly inferior to that of Besiktas. And now, unfortunately, this is already the norm," says the famous coach Oleksandr Babych(Footboom1.com, 01.09.23).
Traditionally, as after any such failure, some voices have been raised about the need for changes on the coaching bench of the Kyiv club, but other experts who are not inclined to find a simple solution to all problems note that hasty decisions can, on the contrary, further harm the club in solving the main task for the season.
"I think that Kyiv can only rehabilitate themselves in front of their fans for their failure in the European competitions if they become champions. Before every season, a team like Dynamo has one goal - the championship. So, of course, this season, the Kyiv team should be fighting for gold. Especially since the players are great, but there are still problems with stability," said former Ukrainian national team player and coach Yuriy Virt(Dynamo.kiev.ua, 02.09.23).
"Of course, all the negativity will fall on Lucescu's head, but what did the resignation of the coaches give Zorya and Dnipro-1? " Babych asks rhetorically(Footboom1.com, 01.09.23).
Moreover, Mircea Lucescu, with his dedication to work and even real sacrifice, given his age and health problems, leaves no doubt that he is still maximally motivated.
"Mircea has always perceived the difficulties he encounters as an additional challenge that should not lead him astray and make him give up. Of course, a much more beautiful story of the end of his career for Lucescu would be if he left after the end of the 2020/21 season, having triumphantly returned the championship to Dynamo and won the national cup with the white and blues, but
He continued to work and far from giving up now, resigning. For Lucescu, this would be a sign of weakness. And this is something that both fans and some experts should understand, who demand and urge the Romanian to take a step that the coach himself considers frankly unacceptable and illogical," journalist Oleksiy Slyvchenko is convinced(Sport.ua, 01.09.23).
Returning to the aforementioned examples of Dnipro-1 and Zorya, it is true that even emergency changes in the coaching ranks did not save other Ukrainian European Cup representatives from failures in their qualifying matches.
And, unlike in the case of Dynamo, it cannot be said that Dnipro-1 was inferior in terms of player selection to its rival, the modest Spartak Trnava. Even after the loss of Artem Dovbyk, whose replacement the Dnipro team has not yet been able to find.
"Dnipro-1 had a real chance of advancing, especially as a 1-1 draw away from home looked like a good result and an opportunity for Dnipro to get into the group stage. After conceding a quick ball early in the game, Dnipro managed to level the game, but then began to create chances and eventually equalised (with some help from the opposition). It seemed that the Slovakian goal had given the players a boost, and they rushed forward, putting pressure on the opponent's goal. However, the score was 1-1 in normal time, and the game went into overtime.
There, too, it seemed that the Dnipro team would be able to put pressure on the White Angels, but the first penalty put Dnipro-1 in an awkward position, and the missed goal and, just two minutes later, the second penalty finally removed the question of Dnipro-1's participation in European competitions. The team took part in three tournaments in a month, but unfortunately dropped out of all three," writes columnist Dmytro Telitsyn(Ua.tribuna.com, 02.09.23).
Indeed, the performance of the Dnipro club in Europe this year was such that it could hardly have been worse. Firstly, Dnipro-1 became the first club in history to start with the Champions League qualifiers, but did not even reach the Conference League, losing all three duels. Secondly, Dnipro-1 did not win any of its six matches and received a total of five red cards.
Using Dnipro-1 as an example, we can state the illogic of the European Cup qualification system, as it turned out that the club that finished second in the last Ukrainian championship was left without a European autumn, while the club that finished third in the UPL (we are talking about Zorya) had a guaranteed place in the group (in this case, the Conference League).
It is this conflict that partially removes Zorya from the wave of criticism from the Ukrainian media, although in fact the Luhansk team's performance was also unsuccessful. The only pleasant moment was the victory in the return leg of the Europa League play-offs against Slavia, which, however, only sweetened the bitter pill of the inability of at least one Ukrainian club to overcome the qualification process.
"The Black and Whites were a pleasant surprise and managed to put up a good fight in a nominally home match. It seems that Slavia Prague itself was overconfident in its final victory, and went out on the field expecting an easy ride. However, two goals from Alefirenko and Antyukh towards the end of the first half woke up the relaxed visitors and quickly made it clear that the job was far from done.
After the break, the shocked Czech club was more composed, played more actively and regained the initiative, and the course of the game was somewhat reminiscent of the first match... The visitors did find their goal, which decided the fate of the match. Masopust made a pass to Yurashek, and the latter headed the ball under the crossbar. As a result, Zorya dropped out of the Europa League and went down to the Conference League group, but did so with their heads held high," said journalist Mykhailo Tsiruk(Khsport.ua, 01.09.23).
So, to summarise, the worst possible scenario for Ukrainian clubs unfolded in the qualifiers of the current European competitions - there could not have been a lower result.
Literally all the Ukrainian clubs that could have been eliminated at this stage were, and they lost six of their seven two-match duels: only Dynamo managed to make it past one round, defeating Greek side Aris in a penalty shootout.
In addition to the aforementioned failures of Dynamo and Dnipro, Vorskla failed in the Conference League qualifiers, crashing out of European competitions at the qualifying stage for the fifth time in a row - before that, there were Slovaks, Croats, Finns, Swedes, and now Georgian Dila.
As a result, only two teams - Shakhtar and Zorya - will play in the group stage of European competitions for the first time in 14 years, and as of now, Ukraine has dropped out of the top 15 of the UEFA coefficient table, potentially losing its 5th European place.
Not a fat chance to live?
When analysing the causes of this European Cup crisis, Ukrainian media agree that the root causes lie not in certain playing or personnel problems of individual clubs, but in more global aspects.
"The new defeats of Dynamo and other Ukrainian clubs in European competitions are not a failure, but an objective reality. I will say, perhaps, a terrible truth - these results simply show the level of football at which the UPL is now. We are not in the top 10 leagues in terms of real strength, where we were brought by pre-war (and yes, I mean 2014) football, inflated by the oligarchs. And we are not in the top 15, where we have been holding on until recently.
This is our new reality - and we just have to accept it. It has been necessary for a long time - just to be clear, without Wikipedia, do you remember the last time a Ukrainian club that was not Dynamo or Shakhtar qualified for the group stage of European competitions? It was Metalist. In 2014.
So you just need to exhale, accept, calm down - and just wait, and maybe someone will shoot. Like Zorya in the first half of the return leg against Slavia or Dynamo in the first leg against Besiktas," says columnist Kostyantyn Varvarik(Ua.tribuna.com, 01.09.23).
"Yes, it's strange to talk about disappointment with football when we have been at war for 1.5 years. When every day Ukrainian families bury their husbands, fathers, brothers, children and grandchildren. It is strange to talk about the importance of football against the backdrop of rocket attacks and constant deaths. It just makes it no less painful to watch our football sink to the bottom. After Dynamo and Shakhtar in the CL play-offs, after Dnipro's Europa League final, after Metalist's extravaganza in the Europa League, it's hard to watch the tantalising tantalising of Trnava or Gori.
But the truth is that it will only get worse. "This season, Shakhtar is the last representative of Ukraine in the Champions League group stage for many years to come. It won't happen again, we'll have to make our way through qualification, and our team is not very good at it. Now we are somewhere on the level of Georgia and Slovakia in terms of football, but the fall continues," lamented journalist Ihor Tsvyk(Sportanalytic.com, 01.09.23).
The main reason is on the surface. Since the beginning of Russian aggression against Ukraine in 2014, the capabilities of our clubs have been constantly shrinking, and after the start of a full-scale war, the question is more about the survival of professional football in the country than about development or returning to previous positions.
"Now we are facing a terrible and disadvantaged 2023. And we again have only two teams in European competitions. And if 14 years ago we had every right to angrily ask why so few of our clubs participate in the group stages, now, unfortunately, we cannot afford to raise a similar question. Because since the racist invasion, our football has not only lost in silver, weight and colours, but has become so dismantled and unattractive that throwing stones in its garden is already a mauvais," Valeriy Vasylenko emphasises(Sport.ua, 01.09.23).
It is understandable that those fans and professionals who may still be living in the memories of the UPL's peak - with rich clubs, whose number is only growing, with great legionnaires and the best Ukrainians who are not looking for a better life abroad - find it difficult to come to terms with the cruel reality.
However, it is necessary to finally understand that ensuring that clubs train and compete in the face of war, rocket attacks, destroyed cities and stadiums, and the destruction of major businesses, infrastructure and the economy as a whole is to some extent a sporting feat. And such realities cannot but affect our clubs, whose European rivals are now always in a better position.
Almost every day there are news stories that highlight the extraordinary challenges our clubs have to face. For example, the recent information about the preliminary agreement and then refusal of Spanish coach Gonzalo Garcia to take over at Dnipro-1 after another Russian missile attack on the city.
Or the regular reports that legionnaires invited by our clubs refuse to come to Ukraine because of the war. Last week, for example, it was reported that Dynamo's options with centre-backs Kreshimir Krizmanic and Sami Mmaye were thwarted for this reason.
By and large, Ukrainian clubs now manage to either invite legionnaires of dubious quality or attract high-quality foreign players with non-market salaries that few UPL representatives can afford.
And what about players or coaches - last week, Ukrainian football could have lost an entire elite division club. On Wednesday, the official website of Metalist 1925 posted an appeal from the club's supervisory board chairman and AES Group owner Konstantin Valeulin, in which he said that the company would no longer support the Kharkiv team financially.
Valeulin explained that the reason for this decision was the destruction of the company's assets due to Russian missile attacks:
"During the year and a half of the war, the company has suffered four missile attacks on its assets. But it was not just the assets that suffered - the military attacks claimed the lives of our employees and associates. The third missile attack at the end of July 2023 on the port infrastructure of Odesa region was a knockout blow for AES Group. We lost almost all our assets in Ukraine. Theair attack that took place on the night of 10 August was the last crushing blow"(Metalist1925.com, 30.08.23).
Fortunately for the Kharkiv club, they managed to quickly attract a new main investor in the project, who was Vladimir Nosov, the founder and CEO of the WhiteBIT crypto exchange.
"So, we continue to play, all our club teams continue to play, kids continue to train at our academy in Kharkiv, we even open new groups there! It isextremely important that we all continue to support our soldiers and we are immensely grateful to them for everything they do for us! " said Andriy Nedelin, the executive director of Metalist 1925, in joy(Champion.com.ua, 03.09.23).
We can only be happy for the Kharkiv fans and their club, but the truth is that this is an exception to the rule. Much more often nowadays we hear about professional clubs ceasing to play, because there are not many people willing to spend their money on a business that is obviously unprofitable (why the UPL will not be able to generate profits either now or in the near future is a topic for a separate discussion).
Until the dreams of self-sufficiency of Ukrainian professional football come true (which primarily depends on the purchasing power and scale of the fan base), it will depend, one way or another, on investors who are guided by passion and love for the game rather than economic calculation.
The national team is preparing for England and Italy
When assessing the situation in Ukrainian club football, we should not forget that the national and other national teams, whose players are trained by clubs, are directly dependent on it.
For example, Dynamo Kyiv delegated nine players to the national team training camp led by Serhiy Rebrov, which began on Sunday (three more than the next best team, Shakhtar Donetsk). The Kyiv team is also leading the way in terms of representation in Unai Melhosa's youth team with five players.
Thus, the talk that Dynamo will no longer need to spread its efforts and will be able to concentrate on two domestic tournaments is not entirely true: in fact, the entire core team of Kyiv will still have another competitive front - in the national teams.
It is noteworthy that last week another Ukrainian national team announced its application for the next international tournament - Yuriy Moroz's youth team - and there are also the most players from Dynamo (eight).
This is not to say that Dynamo carries all the national teams - there are enough representatives of Shakhtar, Dnipro-1, Zorya, and - when it comes to youth and junior teams - Rukh, whose academy has been producing excellent results in recent years, and other clubs.
It's just important that when criticising the recent European Cup results of Dynamo, Dnipro-1 and other Ukrainian representatives, we don't forget that these and other clubs, even in such difficult, unprecedented conditions, continue to fulfil the key mission for all national football - to educate players and provide a system of competition at all levels.
It is not without reason that the head coach of the national team of Ukraine, Serhii Rebrov, in a recent extensive interview with Roman Bebekh, stressed the crucial importance of clubs' work in training more quality players.
"Unfortunately, we don't have enough competition. We have enough qualified players, but I think we need more competition for every position. They will progress, not come to the national team because 'I know I'm going there'. Instead, theywill compete for a place in the national team at their club," he said ( Bombardier, 02.09.23).
Recently, leading Ukrainian footballers playing abroad have not always been happy with their success. For various reasons, Vitaliy Mykolenko, Roman Yaremchuk, Oleksandr Zinchenko, Artem Dovbyk, Andriy Lunin, Anatoliy Trubin, Mykhailo Mudryk, Rulan Malynovskyi (who did not even receive a call-up from Rebrov) did not have enough playing practice.
Therefore, the current form of the UPL representatives in the national team is even more important. Unfortunately, the most experienced of them, captain Andriy Yarmolenko, may miss the upcoming UEFA EURO 2024 qualifiers against England and Italy due to injury. However, he has arrived at the team's camp and will be training with everyone else.
The good news is the excellent form of Viktor Tsygankov and Ilya Zabarnyi, who have been playing all their clubs' matches (Girona and Bournemouth respectively) in the starting line-up this season, and the return to the Arsenal side of Zinchenko, who has fully recovered from injury and played 75 minutes in Sunday's match against Manchester United.
Other aspects of football life in Ukraine
The drawfor Shakhtar and Zorya. After the international break, not only will the UPL return to national team matches, but the long-awaited group stage of European competitions will also start. On Thursday, Shakhtar found out its Champions League group rivals, which will play Barcelona, Porto and the tournament's group stage debutant Antwerp.
Most experts, as well as representatives of the Donetsk club, were optimistic about the draw results.
"I am very pleased! There is a team from Spain, Barcelona, and it's great. I guessed that Porto would be there. And Antwerp is a team you can play with and get results. Therefore, in principle, we can say that the lot is good, and it depends only on us how we perform. After all, I believe we have every chance to compete and get out of the group so that the Ukrainian team, Shakhtar, can have a European spring," said Shakhtar captain Taras Stepanenko(Football.ua, 01.09.23).
"I must admit that Shakhtar were lucky in some ways. Our team was in the third basket. Yes, the first basket could have been not Barcelona, but the conditional Feyenoord or Sevilla. But, at the same time, instead of Porto, the Pitmen could have got Real Madrid or Manchester United, and instead of Antwerp, Newcastle, Lens or Union Berlin," writes journalist Serhiy Lukyanenko(Xsport.ua, 31.08.23).
At the same time, the author believes that the Pitmen are likely to fight with Antwerp for a third-place ticket to the Europa League.
"Given the war and the current level of our league, it won't be easy. But, as always, I want to believe in the best, that Patrick van Leeuwen will really manage to bring the team to the Champions League and impose a fight there, at least for third place," he concludes(Xsport.ua, 31.08.23).
"The group is good in composition, interesting. "Barcelona, like Shakhtar, is in the process of formation. The old era is over, many newcomers have come in, so the game is not well-established. The Catalans have significant problems in defence, and the club, which is squeezed by financial constraints, cannot resolve this issue. Judging by Barcelona's performance at the start of the new La Liga season, it is quite possible to play successfully with this team.
As for Porto and Antwerp, they are certainly inferior to Barcelona in terms of names, and it seems that these teams are weaker. But such opponents are very dangerous. They will feel that this is their chance to get past Barcelona and Shakhtar, they will believe that the Miners will become suppliers of points," said well-known expert Oleksandr Sopko(Footboom1.com, 01.09.23).
At the same time, the former Shakhtar defender emphasises that the Pitmen need to improve their game if they want to make a serious bid to get out of the group, as Patrick van Leeuwen's side did not always look convincing at the start of the season.
"Shakhtar's performance is worrying at the moment. There are problems with 'physics', style... They have destroyed the old and haven't bought a new one yet. This state of affairs can cause internal disputes in the team, and it is very difficult for the guys who have not yet formed as 'core' players under the pressure of the fans. The sooner the team understands how to play in a new way, the sooner we will understand what to expect.
As for the chances, the first matches will show everything. So far, Shakhtar's theoretical chances of getting out of the group look good. I would like to note that in the Champions League, the Shakhtar have always changed for the better, adjusted and prepared in a special way. I hope that this will be the reserve, the incentive that will help Shakhtar to get the first points and make surprises," he adds(Footboom1.com, 01.09.23).
On Friday, Zorya received their group in the Conference League, with Gent, Maccabi Tel Aviv and Breidablok as their opponents. Judging by the names of the opponents, the Luhansk club is well placed to qualify for the group, but it is difficult to make any predictions when the team does not even have a head coach yet...
Clubs for the Armed Forces and children. Ukrainian clubs continue to work outside the sporting sphere, carrying out important humanitarian missions. For example, on Saturday, Veres from Rivne held a charity match with showbiz stars, actors, bloggers and footballers to raise funds to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, namely the 457th Separate Infantry Battalion, where residents of Rivne region serve.
And Dynamo Kyiv held a touching campaign in Romania in preparation for the return match against Besiktas.
"Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Romania has also become a refuge for many Ukrainians, including many children. In the first game between the White and Blues and Besiktas, many young fans gathered in the stands and actively supported Dynamo along with their parents.
On Monday, the club organised a meeting with the players for Ukrainian children living in Bucharest. It was held in the format of an autograph and photo session. Oleksandr Karavayev, Denys Popov, Oleksandr Andrievskyi, Nazar Voloshyn and Anton Tsarenko met with the young fans," the capital's club reported(Fcdynamo.com, 28.08.23).
It is worth noting that there were also young footballers among the children. In particular, representatives of the Viking children's school from the Kherson region, who were especially happy to meet their countryman, Oleksandr Karavayev. In total, about 300 fans came to meet the Dynamo players(Footboom1.com, 28.08.23).
Orest LELEKA
