Former Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Oleksandr Khatskevych has revealed what he expects from his former team's match against Shakhtar Donetsk in the 13th round of the Ukrainian league to be held tomorrow in the capital.
Alexander Hatskevich- Expectations are always deceptive - you expect one kind of football, but you get another. In a classic game, emotions always run high, and players play with their hearts rather than their heads. Lately, everything has been less exciting because there are no fans. When I was working at Dynamo, our matches with Shakhtar were not without sending offs, but today the degree of tension has dropped a little.
At the moment, it is difficult for Dynamo to impose the game on the first leg. The Kyiv club has lost its style, especially its aggression and quick transitions from defence to attack. "Shakhtar are used to combining, and so they are more likely to play as number one.
Is it a Lucescu-Pusic confrontation? It's the players, not the coaches, who play on the pitch. Today, this question is not relevant at all, because Lucescu is not doing well at Dynamo, and Pušić still needs to show what he is.
- Will the absence of Yarmolenko due to injury and Vanat due to suspension affect Dynamo's game?
- Today Vanat is a pale shadow of Vlad, who was last season. Perhaps the guy flew very high because of the call-up to the national team, but it's time to come down to earth. Did I praise him too much? You can praise, but you don't need to give out big advances. How many such players have already been at Dynamo and Shakhtar, who were praised and then disappeared. Therefore, the loss of Vanat is not too significant for Dynamo today.
As for Yarmolenko, it is indeed a loss. He has played many matches for Dynamo against Shakhtar in his career and is an experienced player. Kyiv still cannot find a replacement for him. Without Andriy, Dynamo lost a lot in terms of creativity.
- Who can be the hero of the match?
- The same Vitalii Buyalskyi with his experience. Maybe Brazhko will close his eyes and score a goal from 30 metres. Anything can happen, but the most important thing is that Dynamo now needs to be a team on the pitch, not play for themselves. Unfortunately, lately we haven't seen any teamwork at all, Dynamo are playing very doomed.
To improve the teamwork, the team has a coach who has to bring these players to another level. Let's ask him, not just the players.
- Do you think Surkis will fire Lucescu after the match against Shakhtar?
- Ask Tsyganik this question, he knows more than me and others.
- Why didn't Dynamo add any new players in the summer transfer window, not taking into account free agents and the return of loan players? Why did Surkis spend several times less than Akhmetov did at Shakhtar, even though strengthening after last season's disastrous performance was a given?
- The coach should also demand transfers from the president. As a manager, he assembles a team to suit his vision of football. When Lucescu came to Dynamo, the team was assembled, he didn't bring a single player. The teacher came when the class was ready.
Lucescu complains that 11 players left, but you are an experienced coach, you see what positions need to be strengthened, so insist on it! In my time, 11 players also left, and if you compare the names, it's heaven and earth. I'll just name the world vice-champion Vida, Portugal's Antunes, Yarmolenko, Mbokani, Gonzalez. But we have reassembled the team and made it competitive in the Europa League.
If Surkis did not buy players for Lucescu, it means that the coach was not so persistent. Probably, Lucescu saw the prospects in these players. So the question here is not only to Surkis, but also to Lucescu. He has to be a full-fledged manager.
- Why do players who shone in other teams, such as Kabaev, regress and stop developing at Dynamo?
- There is no degradation at Dynamo, you have to be able to play at the Kyiv club. Every game is like under a microscope, a draw is like a defeat. At Zorya, Kabayev heard the fans shouting "men", and he immediately felt euphoric, like everything was fine. Dynamo can have three games a week, and you need to win each one. The requirements are completely different, so it's not that simple.
I also have a question for Lucescu: why don't the players at Dynamo show the level they showed in other teams?
- Shakhtar have signed three Brazilians (Eginaldo, Neverton, Pedrino), but none of them are first-teamers. Can we forget about them as reinforcements?
- "Shakhtar buys Brazilians who are 18-19 years old. They just need time, and they will be given it. Shakhtar know how to work with young legionnaires. They are already starting to slowly get them into the first team.
- There are two high-profile matches in this round: "Dynamo vs Shakhtar and Polissia vs Kryvbas. Which game do you consider to be the central one and why?
- Kryvbas and Polissia are at the top of the standings after 12 rounds, so they deserve it with their performance and results. If we look at the table, the central game will be Polissia vs Kryvbas. This is a match for first place.
If Shakhtar win, Dynamo will have an obscene gap in points. Everyone solves their own problems. For me, Dynamo vs Shakhtar will always be match No. 1.
- What is your prediction for the Dynamo vs Shakhtar match?
- It's hard to say. I really want Dynamo to break their winless streak, but it will be quite difficult to do so. Today, goals are not easy for Kyiv and derbies are rarely productive, so I am betting on a 1-1 draw.
Andriy Piskun
