Former Dynamo Kyiv coach Jozsef Szabo has spoken out about the appointment of his former teammate Oleksandr Shovkovskyi as head coach.
Jozsef Szabo- Jožef Jožefović, how would you assess the appointment of Shovkovskyi as Dynamo's head coach?
- Congratulations to Oleksandr Volodymyrovych. I wish him only success, so that he can bring the team to a good level. As a footballer, he was a good, smart and competent guy. Shovkovskyi has already worked as an assistant to coaches such as Shevchenko and Lucescu, so he has gained a little experience.
- There was a lot of talk that another coach, possibly from abroad, would take over Dynamo in the winter.
- Shovkovskyi won all the matches, so the Dynamo management decided to keep him. This is the best option. Who can you find now? Croatian and Serbian coaches are much worse than Shovkovskyi. I don't know what kind of legionnaires have the "blat" to take our teams for two or three months and then leave. They take incomprehensible lalatovichi who simply destroy teams and leave nothing behind. Club managers need to think a little bit!
- Won't Dynamo lose a couple more years in its development, given that Shovkovskyi has little experience?
- Yes, he has little experience, but he is gaining it. A few months ago, I said that it was too early for him to be a head coach because he had little experience, but since then he has grown.
- Can you already see Shovkovskyi's Dynamo in the game or is it still Lucescu's Dynamo?
- This is definitely not Lucescu's Dynamo. Recently, the Romanian has given up on the team, especially after his surgery, Dynamo had no discipline under him, they played as best they could.
Now you can already see Shovkovskyi's hand in the team. There is a good game discipline, fewer mistakes, pressure when the ball is lost, however, not all the guys have learnt it. As for the game, I can't say it was perfect. It's hard to say anything about the game against Obolon because the opponent played in the minority.
- Can a goalkeeper become a good head coach at all?
- They say no, but I think everything will be fine in Shovkovskyi's case. We'll see in the spring, when Dynamo plays Shakhtar, Dnipro-1 and Kryvbas.
- What places do you think Dynamo will fight for this season?
- Dynamo shares the first place with Shakhtar in terms of points lost, but we still need to gain these points. Let's see. I think Shovkovskyi can lead Dynamo to the championship. Also, a lot will depend on the refereeing, which I don't really like in our league. There are a lot of mistakes! Compared to the Premier League, it's heaven and earth.
- Let's get back to the topic of Shovkovskyi. Do you think Dynamo needs to strengthen in the winter or can they compete for the championship with these players?
- "Dynamo definitely needs to buy at least one clever centre-back who has speed, tackling and insurance skills. We also need a good striker. There are no such players in Ukraine, so we will have to invite legionnaires, although it will be difficult to do so, because we are at war, and not everyone will want to go to Ukraine. Vanat and Supryaga are mediocre players. Supryaga is 23 years old and has never played.
- From the height of your vast experience, what advice would you give Shovkovskyi?
- Keep working and keep discipline, both at home and on the pitch. Shovkovskyi should take an example from Maksymov and Mykhailenko, they are all my players. They were high-class players, disciplined, and they transferred all this to coaching. Look at how Dnipro-1 flourished after Maksymov's arrival. Pikhalenok used to stop after losing the ball, but now he runs back.
I want Mikhailenko to be invited to a decent team. He led Dnipro-1 from the second league to the UPL. I still don't understand why he was fired, just like Maksymov from Vorskla. You can't insult our guys like that!
Andrii Piskun
