Famous Ukrainian coach Yuriy Virt told us what he thinks of Mircea Lucescu's work as head coach of Dynamo Kyiv.
- Why did Dynamo appoint Romanian Lucescu as head coach, knowing that his speciality is working with expensive talent? Dynamo play mostly Ukrainians.
- There were a lot of promising youngsters at Dynamo, and Lucescu knows how to teach young players to progress. Perhaps he hoped that there would be some reinforcement from Brazil. It's hard for me to say what happened at Dynamo.
When he first came to Dynamo, he won the league, the Cup and the Super Cup in his first season. Then came the coronavirus epidemic, the war... And it became difficult for Lucescu, he was constantly travelling. It was affecting him. I talked to Mister, and he told me: "Yura, it's very hard. We are always on the bus". That's why there was no result that the fans expected from him.
He trusted the youngsters at Dynamo, but they needed time. Many people criticised Lucescu for his team selection, but he continued to trust Popov, Dyachuk, Syrota and Bilovar. He wanted them to progress and grow, but there was no result.
I agree with you, Shakhtar bought crazy Brazilians for 15-20 million, but Dynamo definitely didn't have that. Kyiv needed to do a better job of selection.
- How would you assess Lucescu's period at Dynamo, what grade would you give him on a ten-point scale?
- I think Lucescu deserves 7 points. In the first year, everything was fine, he won everything, but then Dynamo's performance declined. At first, the Kyiv team had top players: Mykolenko, Zabarnyi, Tsygankov, Verbych, Kendzora. Now, Kyiv has no such players, and it's mostly youngsters playing.
I think that Lucescu has done a great job at Dynamo - he has brought up young people. And if they continue to progress, then in a year or two they will be a good, fighting team that will win the Ukrainian championship.
- Do you think Lucescu has already finished his coaching career or will he continue to work? After all, despite the initial interpretation of his final press conference, there are already rumours about Besiktas and Dinamo Bucharest...
- I'm definitely not done. A Sunday or two will pass, Lucescu will sit at home, and he will start to break down, this man cannot do without football. I think he will lead a Romanian or Turkish club, where he is very loved and respected.
Lucescu has a good relationship with the presidents of Dinamo Bucharest and Rapid, and these clubs will be happy to invite him. I am sure he will return to the coaching bench. Staying at home with grandchildren and great-grandchildren is not his thing.
Andrii Piskun