Former Dynamo and Ukrainian national team coach Jozsef Szabo, who once worked and played for Zorya, shared his thoughts on the problems of the Luhansk team.
Jozsef Szabo"I watched it to 0-2 and switched off the TV not to worry, because Zorya simply have no game"
- Jožef Jožefović, what is happening with Zorya? They are in the penultimate place in the UPL, lost two matches to Maccabi in the Conference League, almost losing their chances of the play-offs.
- There is no coach there who will seriously work with the team. People just come to get paid and let things happen. Zorya has good players, but the team has fallen apart. I don't understand why they even entered the European competitions. To be so disgraced? Shame on you! I watched the 0-2 scoreline and turned off the TV to avoid worrying, because Zorya simply have no game.
- Why did Zorya make a charade with the coaches: the incomprehensible appointment of Lalatovic, the dismissal of Kryventsov?
- It was a circus! Many teams are managed not by specialists but by people close to the club owner. I think Zorya is no exception in this regard. If Zorya wants to get out of the crisis, the team needs to be taken very seriously.
Firstly, they need to appoint a coach with good experience. It seems that Zorya just put players in positions and that's it. But they need to be taught, work on their mistakes, show them everything on a mock-up! Apparently, no one at Zorya is doing that now. The team is just falling apart.
- Last season, Guerrero shone, at Chornomorets - Alefirenko, but today at Zorya they are just a pale shadow of themselves. Why?
- Probably, they don't have a normal training process, they just play in a square. This is not good! Only amateurs can do that, but not a Premier League team. Footballers need to be trained very seriously.
- After yesterday's defeat of Zorya by Maccabi, Ukraine was overtaken by Israel in the coefficient table.
- The thing is that with this amateurish approach of some clubs, we are falling lower and lower.
- So there is only one way out for Zorya - to find a good coach?
- This is the only way out! But nothing is done immediately. First, you need to find a coach, bribe the players in the winter and look forward to the new season.
- Under Vernydub, Zorya had a nickname "the men".
- Under Van Leeuwen, Zorya also looked decent. But with today's game, this nickname can be taken away. Everything was ruined! I understand that we are going through a difficult time, a war, but when a person is appointed, he or she must be responsible, not just work for a salary.
"If Zorya doesn't appoint a proper coach, they could be relegated from the UPL"
- Yuriy Koval is acting head coach of Zorya. What do you think of him?
- Is he a coach? I never humiliate coaches, but Koval hasn't worked for 100 years. Besides, we all remember what kind of coach he was. It's a shame that a team with a history like Zorya has been ruined.
- If the coach is not replaced, is there a chance that Zorya will be relegated from the UPL?
- There is also Minaj with its own problems. I told Sharan at the beginning: "Where are you going? There are no players there". Lyubenovych will not save Minaj, they will definitely be relegated.
As for Zorya, there is still time. But if they don't appoint a proper coach, they may also be relegated. What is happening at Zorya is not serious.
- Who do you see as Zorya's new head coach?
- I used to advise everyone on Maksymov. Yura played for me at Dynamo, he has character, he understands football and is disciplined. At Dnipro-1, Maksymov shows a good level and result.
I think Zorya should pay attention to Dima Mykhailenko. I also know him very well and I can say that he understands and feels the game. Mikhailenko worked well at Dnipro-1 and knows our championship.
Previously, Dnipro-1 midfielders used to stop after losing the ball, but under Maksym they run back, play in tackles and rebounds. It's a completely different team! My eyes are happy. That's what a coach means! Mykhailenko is just like Maksymov, he's a smart footballer.
Andrii Piskun
