In the current realities of Ukrainian football, a coach should proceed from the available squad, not his own desires. He should make the best use of the available players and their potential, rather than trying to fulfil his tactical desires.
Alexander ShovkovskyMircea Lucescu wanted the young players to keep the standard of the team's requirements as it was before the war. The overall class of the team had seriously dropped. It was necessary to simplify the construction of the game. Because individual mistakes led to the loss of points and defeats.
I believe that after the outbreak of war, Dynamo had every chance of switching to a three-centre defence. Given the large selection of central defenders and their unreliability, on the one hand, and the problems with wingers, on the other. Everyone understands that Volodymyr Shepelev is not a winger. He does not have the speed to play successfully in this position.
It's clear that Mircea Lucescu is a conservative man because of his age, he will not accept anything new a priori and could not go beyond his own framework. Now Dynamo is led by a younger coach. He is just getting started on the coaching bench.
Today, Dynamo's situation is such that the team has four strikers at once. We are talking here exclusively about quantity, not quality. I'm talking about Vladyslav Vanat, Vladyslav Supryaha, Benito and Matvey Ponomarenko.
Vanat is number one in this hierarchy. Supryaha has finally recovered from his injury and is now at a crucial point in his career. Benito can play on the wing or as a forward. After Andriy Yarmolenko recovers, it will be difficult for the Nigerian to hope for significant playing time at the right winger position. Ponomarenko is the best player in the U-19 Championship and the tournament's top scorer. For Matviy's further development, it is necessary to involve him step by step in adult football. It turns out that Shovkovskyi actually has four strikers. If you have such an opportunity, you need to use it.
It's unlikely that we should expect any serious personnel reinforcements this winter. We need to look for internal reserves. Not only in terms of player progress, but also tactical innovations.
I don't like the schedule at all, that there is a main Vanat who will need to rotate. Supryaga and Benito will replace or substitute Vanat, and let Ponomarenko help win the U-19 title.
You can look at this whole situation much deeper.
It is unlikely that anyone will switch to a two-forward formation on a regular basis. But it is possible and worthwhile to use this scheme in certain matches or certain periods. In the last game against Obolon, Dynamo had full game and territorial advantage on the pitch. "Obolon shut down after the sending-off. It was necessary to open up the quantitative defence. I got the impression that it was easier for Dynamo to play with equal numbers. Benito's appearance on the pitch was decisive. The Nigerian came on the right flank of the midfield and decided the fate of the match as a forward. In the opponent's penalty area, he successfully played with his body and left goalkeeper Artem Kichak no chance.
In the spring, Dynamo will have more than one match where the opponent will close down or set up a bus. It is not easy to break down a numerical defence. You need numbers in the opponent's penalty area. Dynamo should have a home-made two-forward formation at least in the last 20 minutes, when it is needed. Benito and Ponomarenko play well with their bodies and feel good in the power struggle. They are a great complement to the lighter Vanat and Supryaga. All this can be a very good weapon and bring championships back to Kyiv in the spring.
Sergey Tishchenko
