Famous Ukrainian coach Oleh Fedorchuk shared his thoughts on the debut goal of former Dynamo defender Ilya Zabarnyi in the English Championship.
- Ilya Zabarny is a regular in Bournemouth's first team, and yesterday he scored his first English goal in a frantic match against Luton. What does his stability mean?
- It means that the club that signed the player did not make a mistake and that both the management and the coaching staff are satisfied with him. The amount spent on Zabarnyi's signature was almost a record, but everyone is happy. If we compare it with other transfers, such as Mudryk, the club did not make a mistake in this regard.
- In the summer, Zabarnyi could be invited by top clubs after a year and a half in the UPL?
- I do not rule out this option, because its prospects are obvious. And the most important thing is that it is very rare for players of his age to make their debut in another country and play consistently. He is psychologically stable, which is very important.
- Dynamo are persistently looking for a "new Zabarnyi" and have not found one in Syrota, Dyachuk, Popov, Bilovar or Mikhavko. What makes Ilya so special?
- I wouldn't say that they are looking for a Zabarnyi, figuratively speaking. It's just that Ilya has shown that you can find the right and high-quality player within the club if you look carefully. And we see that not only Dynamo, but also Shakhtar are looking within the club. It was a necessary measure, but it worked. Zabarnyi didn't play much youth football and from the U-19s he immediately joined Dynamo's first team. This shows that this is possible and can happen again. That's why we are searching so hard within the club.
- Why was it that Zabarnyi, of all the promising Dynamo and national team defenders, was able to play in the world's top league so easily?
- Psychological stability plays a major role. You can be a good footballer, but your excitement is excessive, and you may simply not show your best qualities. You can have little experience and skill level, but be mentally strong.
At school and university, there are students who know everything but forget it at the exam. And Zabarnyi is the kind of person who won't forget during the exam. In games, he shows better results than expected.
These are his natural qualities. When we talk about talent, it means not only technical, functional and physical qualities, but also psychological ones. Peculiarities of the psyche are talent.
I saw Shevchenko make his debut and he had something similar. He did not stand out in youth football. Yes, he was good, but not the brightest, the fourth or fifth best player of his age at Dynamo. But thanks to his psychological characteristics, the fact that he was not at all nervous, he made a good debut and went on to make a good career. Zabarnyi has someone to look up to.
- Does Zabarnyi have the prospect of reaching the top teams or is it better to be the "first boy in the village", as they say, and continue to play for Bournemouth or teams of his level?
- Anything can happen in a career. There have been different cases, but Ilya is limited by his technical qualities. Still, he's not that good in the play-offs for top clubs. For the giants, it's not enough to just take and play well with your head, you also need to create. And this is not Zabarnyi's best quality, as he is more of a destroyer. If Ilya reaches the level of a club that will play in European competitions, from sixth place in the Ukrainian Premier League and above, it will be an achievement.
Although we know perfectly well that there are different options, such as the coach's preference for a certain style, for example. Maybe someone will need a defender who is a top destroyer rather than a creator. It depends on individual cases. What Zabarnyi is showing now is a level slightly higher than Bournemouth. He could play in teams ranked 10-12 in the English Championship. And this is a fairly high level by European standards.
- What did Zabarnyi's matches against top rivals in the Premier League show?
- He did not cope with all of them and did not always get into the game, so to speak. But here you need to understand that the club is constantly under pressure, fighting to stay in the Premier League, and the level of the team's players is not that high. Previously, three or four players played defence, but now there are five or six. The responsibility does not lie with one player in defence.
I cannot say that Zabarnyi impressed in the game against Holland or other bright players, but he did not fail either. Yes, there were mistakes, but they were not systemic. As long as he's at a good level, he can get a solid four on a five-point system.
- What else does Ilya need to improve, and what is he already good at?
- He looks good physically. He is difficult to beat up top, he is good in martial arts, disciplined, attentive. But he doesn't see much of the ball and doesn't take part in the team's constructive actions. The time will come when he will have to improve this. Football does not stand still, and now the ability to start an attack matters. Therefore, he needs to add to the sharpness of his passes and expand his range of creation.
Yevhen Chepur