Renowned Ukrainian coach Serhiy Kovalets spoke about the performances of Ukrainian clubs in the 2023/24 European Cup season.
Sergey Kovalets- Serhii Ivanovych, we lost three clubs at once at the qualifying stage of the European Cups - Vorskla, Dnipro-1 and Dynamo.
- It's important to draw the right conclusions, not to sprinkle ashes on your head. Clubs, managers, coaches, the league and the football association have received a lot of information for analysis and reflection. Yes, you can blame everything on the war - and it does have a big impact. This includes exhausting travel, reduced funding, and gaps in infrastructure. But you must admit that all this did not happen overnight, but accumulated gradually, so we had time to prepare and set the right accents.
In the comments on your website, we often talk about the importance of developing children's and youth football, decent salaries for CYSS coaches, infrastructure development, and the provision of high-quality football fields, including indoor ones, where you can train all year round. There are many areas where we need to work systematically, but we won't get results overnight. We need a state approach to sport.
- Before the match with Besiktas, you predicted Dynamo's victory. What didn't work out for Lucescu's men?
- Of course, I understood that the Turkish team would be the favourite. A difficult opponent, and then there is also the decline in the level of football in Ukraine, the burden of war, difficult travel... But I believed in my home team, and the first match gave me good emotions and reasons to think that we could beat the Turkish team. It was a good game, but the third goal conceded in the end (with the score 2:2) says a lot about the teamwork in defence.
- Only the lazy have not been criticising the White and Blues' defence lately. Do you agree with this?
- I can't agree when people say that Dynamo have bad defenders, that they are the problem. Everyone, starting with the striker, should take part in defensive actions, in the selection of the ball. The defence will not work if the middle of the field does not fulfil its function. Shaparenko, Buyalsky, Sydorchuk - how many tackles did they have?
Therefore, I would first of all pay attention to the team actions of the defence. If you recall Lobanovskyi's team, Shevchenko was the first player to enter the selection, directing the opponent's attack in the predictable direction expected by his partners. This approach gave results, Dynamo performed well in defence even in confrontations with top teams.
- Dynamo's defensive line has changed a lot recently. Could this also be a problem?
- The changes were not only in defence. Zabarnyi, Mykolenko, Tsygankov - three leading players left, and, of course, finding a quick replacement for such masters is problematic not only for Dynamo but for any club.
New team actions in defence have not been developed, it takes time and fruitful work in training.
- Was Dnipro-1 disappointing?
- I think Dnipro had a good chance of getting into the group stage of the Conference League. "Spartak Trnava is far from a top team, which was confirmed by the return leg. I liked the match, there were emotions, there was a desire to achieve a result. If not for the penalties, in my opinion, Dnipro-1 could have pressed the Slovaks in the extra time. But the suspensions gave the opposition a trump card, which they used.
- How would you comment on the next red cards for Dnipro in European competitions?
- It's hard to find excuses when such mistakes happen at the most crucial moment of the confrontation. Selection is the most difficult element in football that needs to be trained from childhood. Such violations most often occur when fatigue sets in. You need to take these things into account and be more careful. It is also important to hold seminars with referees to get to know new recommendations, changes in the rules, and so on from the source. It is important to constantly improve the level of knowledge of football rules.
-Was Zorya close to a sensation?
- Yes, I liked Luhansk the best in the return leg. Although after Slavia dealt with Dnipro-1, many said that Zorya had no chance at all. But they were close to revenge, won the game and added points to the overall standings. Well done to them. I believe that in the group stage of the Conference League, Zorya will take into account their mistakes and will be able to give the Ukrainian fans positive emotions.
- What do you think of the Champions League group Shakhtar have been placed in?
- "Barcelona, Porto and Antwerp are an interesting group. I have read the reaction of the Shakhtar players and coaches, who assure me that the team is ready to reach the play-offs. Looking at the opponents, I think it is realistic.
- But the Orange and Blacks are having a tough start to the season, they are conceding a lot. In your opinion, will Patrick van Leeuwen and company have time to stabilise the game before the start of the most competitive club tournament?
- A new coach means new requirements in training and even in communication. It will take time, although the players are almost the same as last season.
- So it's quite possible to repeat last year's result, to get out of the group?
- When Igor Jovicevic took over Shakhtar, the Ukrainian team was somewhat underestimated. There was the shock of the war, the head coach left, the legionnaires ran away, the youngsters remained, and the recruitment took place in the midst of the championship. Remember the opening match against Leipzig - 4-1 in Germany! But now, in my opinion, there will definitely be no underestimation. "Shakhtar are once again in the news, with Mudryk's €100 million transfer to Chelsea alone.
It's important that Shakhtar themselves are psychologically and physically ready for the matches. After all, when we start talking about well-known problems: the war, difficult journeys, we put ourselves in a position where it will be difficult for us, where we need a special attitude, a head start. I think it should be the other way round - a double motivation, a desire to prove to ourselves that there are no hopeless situations.
Sergiy Sytnyk
