During the winter training camp, Dynamo had a problem with their right-back. Oleksandr Tymchyk did not work in the general group. He has some problems with his shoulder.
In addition to Oleksandr Karavayev, the team's head coach Oleksandr Shovkovskyi initially tried central defender Maksym Dyachuk in this position. It was difficult for him because of his own texture. He could defend, but in terms of creativity, it was very difficult.
When you have problems in the squad, the first thing the coach looks at is the youth team. Oleksii Husiev plays this position in the U-19. He has been playing for two seasons. During this time, he has become one of the leaders of Ihor Kostiuk's team. He has speed, knows how to join the attack, and works well with the ball. At the same time, he is physically developed. He is good in power play and set pieces (at the level of the Ukrainian youth national team, he scored quite a few goals for his position).
Shovkovskyi gave a chance to many young players, but Husiev Jr. was able to seize his opportunities. In the second part of the training camp, when the team was gaining game shape, Oleksiy did not miss a single match.
It's time for Gusev Jr. to play at the adult level. He has no physical problems. He will be 19 years old in March. The main problem is a lack of experience. All this will come with playing time.
Will the coaching staff trust Oleksii with a starting place? I'm not sure. I think the choice will be in favour of the more experienced Oleksandr Karavayev. But I am sure that Gusev will make his official debut for the Dynamo first team in the spring. He deserves it.
I don't see any problems for the youth team if Husiev becomes a full-fledged first-team player. Actually, the U-19 exists to educate footballers. They have done their job. In addition, the club has a talented right-back born in 2007, Oleksiy Rybak. He worked with Dynamo's youth team in Turkey. He has very good speed. He stood out at the U-17 level.
"Dynamo has not yet bought a new centre-back. An 18-year-old player from the youth team, Taras Mikhavko, got his chance. He had a very good first part of the season in the youth team after joining from FC Lviv. There were some problems, but he was able to stay in Kyiv. Taras actively played in the second part of the first team training camp, when we were playing the squad for the spring stage.
I think that in the second part of the season, Dynamo will not have the main pair of central defenders. Oleksandr Syrota, Maksym Dyachuk, Denys Popov and Taras Mykhavko will get their playing time. Mikhavko's main advantage is his ball handling and left-footedness. If Syrota has any problems, the FC Lviv player will have his chances in the first team. I'm also waiting for Taras to make his debut for the first team, as well as Husiev.
If Mykhavko gets a foothold in the first team, then Ihor Kostiuk will need to trust the central defenders born in 2006 - Vladyslav Zakharchenko and Maksym Korobov - more. There are Demian Tretiak (who joined from Dinamo Zagreb in the summer of 2023) and Daniel Dykhtyar, who were born in 2007.
Many people criticise the Dynamo youth team and Ihor Kostiuk. Some people don't like the style, others find some other shortcomings in the way they work or something else. But two players for the first team during the winter training camp is a great result of the work of Ihor Volodymyrovych and his staff.
Serhii Tyshchenko
