Former Ukraine striker Ivan Getsko shared his impressions of Artem Dovbik's game at Girona.
Ivan Getsko
- Frankly speaking, earlier I somewhat underestimated Artem Dovbik. Yes, it was felt that he had great potential, but I had the impression that he was not interested in the UPL, the level of which he had outgrown. Apparently, Artem, as they say, over sat in Dnipro-1, but we must admit that his move to Girona was a bull's-eye.
- What do you mean?
- Dovbik got into skilful coaching hands. Girona coach Michel is one of those who experiment, and was not afraid to entrust a place in the starting line-up to a little-known in Spain striker. And the Ukrainian thanked by scoring goals. Artem was also lucky that his compatriot Viktor Tsygankov, who was one of the leaders of the team, was already playing for Girona, so there was someone to lend a shoulder if necessary.
- In what components did Dovbik added?
- Artem was on the radar in the UPL, but he could score much more, given the mediocre level of the domestic championship. It is important that in "Girona" partners quickly believed in Artem's capabilities, of course, and he encouraged them with his performance. There appeared confidence, looseness, it was felt that Dovbik plays in his own pleasure, which was in favour of Girona. Artem became more versatile, now he can effectively attack from deep in the field and play along with his teammates on the penalty area line. But the main thing, however, is his focus on goal-scoring.
- Who does he remind you of in terms of his style of play?
- Erling Holand from Manchester City, who also very quickly broke into the scorer's cohort. The Ukrainian has the same desire to act at high speeds, to play ahead of the opponents' goal. But this is my point of view.
- And in what components should Dovbik still improve?
- If we take into account Artem's anthropometry, he should play better on the first floor. Secondly, to choose his position more cleverly, to be more cunning, but it all comes with experience. I admit that I'm very interested in how Dovbik's future career will develop in Spain. His performance has a great impact on improving the image of Ukrainian football. As for me, after Andriy Shevchenko we haven't had such a formidable striker for a long time. We can only hope that Artem's goals will help him to be on the radar not only in Girona, but also in the national team of Ukraine, which will face the knockout matches for getting to the final part of the European Championship.
- Then lastly: how long will Dovbik stay at Girona?
- It is difficult to give a precise answer. On the one hand, Artem has found his team, it is his goals that help the Citizens to really claim a place in the European Cup. On the other hand, I am convinced that Girona also know how to count money and if Dovbik gets a tempting offer from a wealthier club, I think that the Citizens will immediately take the opportunity to earn good money.
