Summing up the results of the first part of the 2023/24 Ukrainian league season, renowned Ukrainian coach Oleksandr Babych commented on the unsuccessful performances of Dynamo Kyiv (9 wins, 1 draw, 4 defeats) and Shakhtar Donetsk (9 wins, 4 draws, 2 defeats).
"The difficult start to the season by Dynamo and Shakhtar was a negative surprise in the current Ukrainian league. In fact, all our teams that played in European competitions were unpleasantly surprised at the start. As for Dynamo and Shakhtar, I'll say figuratively: they initially acted in the style of Robin Hood - they took from the strong and gave to the weak...
Of course, both experts and fans expected better results from Shakhtar and Dynamo, but the level of the Ukrainian championship has now levelled out - due to the active intervention of strong mid-table teams, teams that have already managed to rise slightly above the average level. It has become clear to everyone that it is possible to take points away from these Dynamo and Shakhtar.
The life of our other representatives in the European competitions - Zorya and Vorskla, and Dnipro-1 - was complicated by logistics and understaffing. I'm sure that before the start of this season, Luhansk and Poltava set themselves the task of being third or fourth in the UPL, but it didn't happen as expected...", FootBoom quotes Babych as saying.