One of Dynamo Kyiv's main problems is defence. In all the matches of the new season, Kyiv conceded goals. In addition, there were a lot of mistakes in defence. Dynamo's defenders cannot boast of reliability.
In early September, the Ukrainian national team will play matches against England and Italy in the Euro qualifiers. They will give us an answer whether we will fight for a trip to the final part of the tournament. The national team is approaching the match against the group favourites with problems in defence.
Oleksandr Tymchyk has never been a reliable defender. There are problems when pressing. In the last match against Besiktas, he was beaten up pretty badly. Yukhym Konoplya has lost his place in Shakhtar's first team. In recent matches, Oleksandr Karavayev has been playing more in midfield. Rebrov did not call him up in June at all.
The situation on the opposite flank is even worse. Vitaliy Mykolenko did not train for the season with Everton due to injury. At the start of the season, he lost his place in the line-up to the aged Ashley Young. He was injured in the cup game. Eduard Sobol does not play for Strasbourg for the same reason. Bogdan Mykhailichenko is only a rotation player at Dinamo Zagreb. After the coaching change, it is not known what his fate will be. There is a good chance that Vlad Dubinchak will be called up.
The situation in the centre of defence is far from ideal. In fact, there is no alternative to the Zabarnyi-Matvienko pairing. Mykola played very unconfidently for the national team in June. Ilya is playing steadily in the Premier League for Bournemouth, but there are enough mistakes. In the last games against Liverpool and Tottenham, they were effective. There really is no alternative, no competition. If Zabarnyi or Matvienko are unable to play, or if the latter is put on the left wing, it is very difficult to understand who can be put in the centre of defence. Serhii Kryvtsov has been in MLS for six months. He has a lot of experience, but his age and a difficult flight are a big disadvantage. Kryvtsov has long since passed his peak and will play out his career. I don't want to say anything about Denis Popov's game at all. It is very difficult to find any words. Everyone can see everything.
The problems of the Ukrainian national team in defence are no less than those of Dynamo. This was confirmed by the national team's matches in June. When they conceded 5 goals in 3 games. Even modest Malta had its opportunities at our goal. It is very interesting how Rebrov will solve this issue against the world's leading national teams of England and Italy.
Serhii Tyshchenko