Former Dynamo and Ukraine forward Viktor Leonenko shared his thoughts on the Shakhtar vs Marseille match in the Europa League last 16.
Віктор Леоненко- Viktor Yevhenovych, how did you like the match?
- It was Shakhtar's day, the Donetsk team was lucky.
- Let's go through the goals scored and conceded.
- We have some unhealthy tendency that all defenders run to the goalkeeper during flank passes, leaving their wards behind. Just stand with your player and knock it out! The first goal was a gross mistake by Konoplya.
"Marseille also scored their first goal, and it felt like the Frenchman was kicking a tennis ball rather than a football when Matvienko scored.
In the second conceded goal, Zubkov, who was supposed to be insuring Gocholeishvili, did not do his job. I still don't understand how the ball flew into Riznyk's goal after 500 feet. Ndiaye hit it well. Shakhtar's flanks were failing because the wingers can't tackle.
All the goals were scored through mistakes, only Eginaldo's ball was good. They will already say that they did not buy it for nothing.
- Why did Shakhtar's defence fail so badly in this match?
- Not only Shakhtar's, but also Marseille's. Remember how the French defenders made a mistake in the first half when Zubkov was hit. I don't respect coaches who go from defence to attack through the pass at all.
- Why couldn't Shakhtar's defenders deal with Aubameyang?
- Because he is Aubameyang. They were prepared for him, but failed to cope. Shakhtar's players are not good at tackling, they are good at attacking.
- Why should Shakhtar buy attacking players like Kevin and Marlon when the defence is such a mess?
- Shakhtar's defence is always a mess, like all attacking teams. Barcelona had the same situation in their best years. And even my veteran team can beat today's Barcelona.
- Let's go through the personalities. Who is Shakhtar's weakest link today?
- Definitely Bondar. Shakhtar have a disease in this position. First, there was Kryvtsov, who was always hitting the outs in simple situations and scored from under him, now his place has been taken by Bondar, who is a little tougher.
Konoplya is also weak in defence, constantly running forward, forgetting to play defence. In this respect, he reminds me of Karavaev, who is also not a defender.
- Who would you call the best player of the match at Shakhtar?
- Zubkov played well in attack, but because of the mistake when he didn't have time to cover Gocholeishvili, I can't call him the best. Riznyk looked good. But I'll give the Man of the Match to Eginaldo and Matvienko.
- What do you think of Sudakov?
- Did you see him in this match? Personally, I didn't. And they want 150 million for him! Juventus and Napoli correctly assessed the situation and politely withdrew from the negotiations.
- Stepanenko got injured and was replaced by Nazarin. Is this a serious loss for Shakhtar?
- Of course it is. Taras is the captain, he plays at a high level, gnaws the balls, although he does not always keep up with the moments. "It's time for Shakhtar to replace Stepanenko and look for a younger player to fill his position. Nazarina is not a full-back, he is weak in this position. "Shakhtar are constantly buying attacking players, but they need to buy a full-back, and it's been a long time coming. But it's not my business anymore, I'm not going to do Pushic's job.
- What do you think of the arbitration?
- The referee made a weak decision. Firstly, he didn't count Shakhtar's clean sheet, whistling an early foul on Zubkov and not allowing the moment to be played out. And secondly, he could have given a penalty for Riznyk's foul, it seemed to me that he touched Marseille's leg with his hand.
- What is your prediction for the return leg?
- I think Shakhtar have more chances, but it will all depend on the number of defensive errors. Shakhtar had good, bold attacks, but they ended in nothing. Therefore, they need to improve their performance. "It will be easier for Shakhtar to play on the counter-attack, especially as Marseille's defence is failing.
In Ukraine, idiots like to say "spring football". Did anyone see Shakhtar playing spring football? They played normally, ran around, the technique was still there, but there were always mistakes. With such a game, Shakhtar will become the champions in the UPL. Although, if they get past Marseille, it will be more difficult in the league because of the game on two fronts.
Andriy Piskun
