Column by Serhiy Tyshchenko. A new centre of the field at Dynamo

In the last season before the war, Dynamo could have really claimed victory in the UEFA Youth League. In a very strong group, the Kyiv team won four times, drew once and suffered one defeat. Among the rivals were Bayern Munich (beaten twice), Barcelona and Benfica. In the 1/16 finals, they defeated Deportivo at the Riazor on the strength of their will. There were no more chances in the last 16 against Sporting because the war broke out. No preparation, no game tone, no emotions.

One of the main virtues of that team was the midfield. A pair of central midfielders, Volodymyr Brazhko and Oleksandr Yatsyk, never lost the middle of the pitch in a single match. Both are somewhat similar in their style of play, capable of doing a huge amount of work and putting pressure on the opposition. These are modern box-to-box midfielders who can play from one penalty area to another.

Brazhko is currently playing his first full season for Dynamo's first team. He still lacks stability, but it will come with time. In the spring or next season, he should reach a new higher level.

Yatsyk is already starting to play consistently for Zorya. Some of his games are improving as he gains experience in adult football. In the last match against Chornomorets, Oleksandr was one of the most dangerous players for the visitors. He lacked a little bit of experience to score his chances. He is not much older. All this will come with experience. Next summer, he has every chance of returning as a player of a completely different level.

It is very possible that the pair of midfielders Yatsyk - Brazhko will be the main ones in Dynamo's first team next season. The future prospects of Mykola Shaparenko are unclear at the moment. Volodymyr Shepelev is not making any progress. I don't think it's worth talking about any prospects for Oleksandr Andrievsky at the age of 29. I don't believe that Dynamo can achieve anything with these players. Especially in Europe.

Shaparenko and Sydorchuk complemented each other very well. Mykola is good with the ball, and Serhiy is capable of doing a lot of running work. I don't know if it is possible to combine Brazhko with Shaparenko? Each of them claims to be a leader in the middle of the field. If the game will be built through Mykola, it will be so that Volodymyr does not get overshadowed. It is important that Brazhko does not avoid or fear responsibility. If Shaparenko gets fit, his transfer next summer will not be unexpected.

Sydorchuk's departure from the team was very important. It was not about Sergiy's playing qualities or shortcomings. The position of a leader, a captain, was vacant. Young players need to take responsibility. If they don't do this, then further progress, if possible, is unlikely to be great. That's why I didn't really like the fact that the captain's armband was given to Vitaliy Buyalsky. He is already the leader of the team, the leader of the team along with Andriy Yarmolenko and Heorhiy Bushchan. The presence or absence of the armband would not have changed anything. The armband for Denys Popov and Volodymyr Brazhko could have added motivation, responsibility and concentration, which helped a lot in terms of stability.

Serhiy Tyshchenko