The well-known journalist Artem Frankov shared his impressions of the match of the 9th round of the English Championship between Chelsea and Arsenal (2:2), in which one of the goals was scored by the Ukrainian midfielder Mykhailo Mudryk.
Artem Frankov- I expected more from Arsenal after their 1-0 win over Man City. "Chelsea frankly lost the game, which was caused by Sanchez's mediocre performance. When Chelsea were absolutely outplaying Arsenal and should have scored the third, the Spaniard presented a crazy gift and had to save Trossard's goal. I wouldn't be surprised if Arsenal got a third goal in added time.
I note the clear progress of Chelsea under Pochettino, despite the full infirmary. On the one hand, the team is extremely well-stocked. Chukwuemeka, Chalobah, Jace, Chilwell, Broya, Lavilla, Jackson and Nkunku were unable to play. The team has progressed a lot and not only shows class with more modest teams. We could have beaten Liverpool and Arsenal, but we were lucky.
As for our players, Mudryk won a head-to-head duel with Zinchenko.
- Mudryk played one of his best matches in 10 months at Chelsea. Do you agree?
- All this backstory that accompanied Misha's transfer is slowly subsiding. If you are already on the Internet, be prepared to hear not only good things about yourself. You should also be prepared to receive fair reproaches, praise and hate. This is the essence of the modern virtual world. For me, the symbol of Mudryk's relationship with the Chelsea fans was his celebration when he rushed to the stands. I really like such moments, they are incredibly lively.
- Was Mikhail's goal an accident?
- I have an interesting story about this. When Andriy Shevchenko was playing his first season at Milan, and in the Champions League match against Hertha (1-1), he assisted Birkhoff. I wrote at the time: "Did Shevchenko give a purposeful pass or did he fail to hit the ball?" Then we met in Yerevan at the national team match and I received a message from Andriy Mykolayovych, who was very jealous and convinced me that he had passed to Birkhoff. He said: "People read you, and then your relatives ask strange questions."
Coming back to the present, I am inclined to believe that Mudryk raised his head and threw the ball behind Raya's collar. Now Pochettino trusts him completely, and he is trying to repay the coach who believed in him.
- Did Zinchenko fail in the match against Chelsea?
- On the one hand, if it was for tactical reasons, that's one thing. Another thing is to avoid any injury before the Champions League. We must not forget that Zinchenko has completely different functions in the club and the national team. While Mudryk benefited from his trip to the Ukrainian national team, here we see the opposite.
- After this match, can we say that Mudryk was right to choose Chelsea over Arsenal?
- The story of his transfer is slowly fading away. For me, it was more telling how Misha celebrated his goal with the fans. Such moments are very special.
- Should we expect Mudryk to finally break through?
- The main thing is that he does not lose the form he is gaining.
- How many goals will Mudryk score in a season and what will Chelsea achieve on all fronts?
- Chelsea have a very difficult schedule ahead of them. For this team, if not a place in the Champions League, then a return to the European competitions will be a perfectly acceptable result. If we talk about Mudryk's performance, he will be able to score his 10+5. He will become a double figure for Chelsea.
- After the Chelsea game, will Zinchenko keep his word to Mudryk?
- Considering how much time Mudryk spends in the gym, Zinchenko has very little chance (Smiles ). This shows the cool atmosphere that Rebrov managed to create in the Ukrainian national team.
- Who would you give the 2023 Ballon d'Or to?
- Messi hasn't shown anything special since the World Cup. Argentina's success at the World Cup should be seen as a team success. I would give the Ballon d'Or to Holland, but most likely they will give the award to Messi.
Oleksandr Karpenko
