Former Shakhtar Donetsk footballer Oleksandr Sopko said what he thinks about the situation Dynamo Kyiv are in now. We shall remind you that in the last three matches the Bilo-Syni managed to take only one point, and before that they failed to make it to the 1/4 finals of the Ukrainian Cup, losing to Obolon.
Alexander Sopko. Photo - V.PeregnyakLegendary mirror
- Kyiv Dynamo is a legendary club with a status, so the coach in this team is not just a position, it is something more, - said Sopko. - After such coaches as Maslov and Lobanovskiy, the work of any Dynamo coach is viewed from a special angle. All the failures of the team are always attributed solely to the coach, the choice of which has been difficult for Kyivians lately. The club's management spent money, but did not get titles, except, of course, for the period of Rebrov's work.
The appointment of Mircea Lucescu as Dynamo's head coach was a tough and risky one, but the club owner went for it in the hope that the Romanian mentor would do well. Lucescu is a well-known coach in Europe, he brought the UEFA Cup to Ukraine, made Shakhtar a title-winning team, from which the Ukrainian national team got a lot of quality performers, and a lot of big transfers for the club took place. "Shakhtar earned good money and brought to Ukrainian football a game that pleased both the fans and the management.
Mircea Lucescu enjoyed an unlimited credit of trust - both in personnel matters and in the working process. In such conditions, it was easier for him to work than his colleagues in other UPL clubs. Lucescu has gained undeniable authority and, given his dedication to football, I think we should continue to respect this specialist and not smear him with criticism.
Lucescu's manager
- At Dynamo, Mircea Lucescu was expected to turn the tide. The demands at the Kyiv club were much higher than at Shakhtar. In the Donetsk team Lucescu started with a clean sheet, and any mistake did not become a tragedy. At Dynamo Kyiv, Lucescu is compared to other legendary coaches of the capital club. In addition, given that he came from the rival camp, the pressure on him was even greater. The Romanian specialist understood it, but the beginning of his work at Dynamo was so successful that it surprised everyone and disguised the problems accumulated over the years. It should be taken into account that Lucescu did a lot for the club - after his arrival the base was renovated, the fields, training arena and fitness hall were reconstructed, a new bus was bought for the team. Mircea Lucescu forced the Dinamo management to switch to modern working processes and made not only the functionaries, but also the players respect themselves.
Lucescu put the team in order. He had no favourites, the training process changed. The Romanian coach encouraged the Dinamo management to pay bonuses to the players after victories, which had not been practised in the capital club recently. And the players were ready to fight for Lucescu. It is partly there now. I know that Mircea Lucescu became a soul for the workers of the Dynamo base - he made gifts to people and paid extra even on his salary. In the first year at the head of Lucescu Dynamo really leapt forward in its development. It had not happened since 15 years... Kyiv Dynamo earned a lot of money in the Champions League, sold Mikolenko and Zabarny. Therefore, Igor Surkis has a warm attitude and trust towards Mircea Lucescu.
Age barrier
- However, behind this manager's work Lucescu's coaching work was put on the back burner. Dynamo had a lot of quality young players, and the club's management decided: why to spend and who to buy, because you can do with the existing forces. And Mircea Lucescu made the first mistake in such a situation - he agreed to such a policy, that it was necessary to save money, to sell young talents profitably and to live at the expense of it.
"Dynamo" overestimated its successes during this period, not taking into account that other clubs were in crisis, thanks to which, to a certain extent, the Bilo-Syni won trophies. But when the rivals in the UPL came to life, the capital club had a clear problem with Lucescu - he was outdated as a coach. All his previous achievements were based on the game of strong individuals, on the fact that quality players just need to be well organised and there will be a result. However, Dynamo required more novelty, risk, responsibility. It was necessary to remove some of the players from the team earlier, to take them out of the squad, that is, to carry out serious work.
Mircea Lucescu either did not want to do it or got tired. People at his age become absolutely sure of their rightness. His age has affected his work. And this is what we heard in Lucescu's statements. His practice now is not to identify problems, not to stress the management, but to justify failures. As we know, Mircea Lucescu is a supermaster in this case, he is able to find 10 reasons for failure. These are flights, travelling, referees, lack of time for recovery. There are always many reasons for failure, but he does not say, for example, that he did not guess with the tactics, that the opponent was just better. Age is already taking its toll...
Legionnaires are not coming?
- Kyiv Dynamo is a young team and makes mistakes. However, there are many players of the national and youth national teams in the Bilo-Syni squad, as well as experienced players. Therefore, it is wrong to complain that Dynamo is staffed worse than other UPL clubs. And it is not true to say that foreigners do not go to Ukraine. Let's remember only the example of Kryvbas, which now has a lot of foreigners, and there is such a quality performer as Dibango, and a vivid example of Polesya - with Makuana. Someone brought them to Ukraine. I think that these players would decorate Dynamo's squad. And why does Kalitvintsev with Polesie and even Obolon win against the Bilo-Syni, while Dynamo loses to them?
With equal opportunities in everything else there is a question to the coach. And I have one answer: age. Mircea Lucescu wants to win the current Ukrainian championship and leave as a winner. This will be his satisfaction - for the criticism, for the reproaches of the fans. He thinks: I will win gold and it will outweigh everything.
What should Surkis do?
- Igor Surkis' position is also clear. For what Lucescu has already done for the capital club, the Dynamo president respects him and he cannot be the first to ask the question about his resignation yet. If Mircea Lucescu himself came to Surkis and said that he was leaving, the Dynamo owner would probably agree with him. Besides, Igor Surkis also takes into account the opinion of the players who support Lucescu. Therefore, the Dynamo president will not raise this issue for the time being. If the Romanian specialist wins this Ukrainian championship - he will be a hero, if not - Igor Surkis will be a decent manager in Mircea Lucescu's eyes.
This is a stalemate situation for Dynamo. The coach does not want to leave, and the club president cannot sack him. And in this case it is not about the pay-offs. What can happen next? Lucescu, I repeat, wants to remain in the history of Dynamo as a legendary coach, but I am afraid that even if he wins gold, he will not become a new Maslov or Lobanovskiy for the fans.... For the club's "ultras" Mircea Lucescu has always been a stranger, and for others - still, almost not his own.
Lucescu's risks
- There are a lot of risks for Lucescu - to leave now, when there is so much criticism - is not the best option. But, I believe, another option is to leave beautifully and honestly. To say: dear fans, I did what I could, I tried, I came to training and matches on crutches, but unfortunately not everything worked out. Therefore, I will not steal time and chance from other coaches, I will not let the club down, and I am leaving.
It is a shame that Dynamo Kyiv is not developing, which is noticeable, first of all, by the performances on the international arena, and that such a coach as Mircea Lucescu found himself in such a situation, in such an environment. I think Lucescu did not deserve to end his coaching career like this.
Oleg Semenchenko
