Former Dynamo Kyiv and Ukraine head coach Jozsef Szabo has spoken about the prospects of Dnipro-1 coach Yuriy Maksymov after his unexpected statement. The 55-year-old said that he would resign if his team failed to beat Kryvbas in today's match of the 27th round of the Ukrainian championship.
Jozsef Szabo- What is your prediction for the Dnipro-1 vs Kryvbas match?
- It will be difficult for Dnipro-1. Maksymov has a lot of injured players, no one to play. Plus, all the legionnaires have left the team. But, given that this is a derby, I'll bet on a 1-1 draw. Maybe Maksymov will even have to play as a second choice on the counter-attack, although this is not his usual style of football. So far, Yura has a weaker team than Kryvbas.
- Maksymov said he would resign if Dnipro-1 did not win against Kryvbas.
- It was a stupid statement on his part. I made such mistakes myself, but only after the game, not before the match. His words will put pressure on the psychology of the players. They will give up: "So what difference does it make to us if we finish fourth or sixth?", and that's it.
- Do you think Maksymov will really resign if Dnipro-1 fails to beat Kryvbas?
- Since he said that, of course he will. He won't build anything with this team, and he's unlikely to get new players in the summer, given Dnipro-1's financial problems. Although today it is difficult to find reinforcements. Everyone has left, no one is here!
- Where will Dnipro-1 and Kryvbas finish in the league?
- "Kryvbas will definitely be third. "Dnipro-1 won't catch up, nine points difference is a lot. Moreover, Maksymov does not have a squad that can come out and win four games in a row. But I think Dnipro-1 will retain fourth place. "Polissia fell apart as a team after Kalitvintsev left. Only Rukh can join the fight, they have a nice team.
- Who do you think is stronger as a coach: Vernydub or Maksymov?
- Both are good. Vernydub loves discipline and wherever he is, he will build a team. Maksymov was a good footballer and became a good coach. I still don't understand why he was fired from Vorskla, because he did a great job there. There must have been some kind of conflict.
- Maksymov is a very emotional coach, and his fights with Rybka and Aliyev are just one example. Did you have any conflicts with him at Dynamo?
- Yura is very emotional, that's true, but I had no conflicts or problems with him because we were mostly winning. Maksymov has such a character, he wants to win all the time.
- If Maksymov leaves Dnipro-1, what is the next club he can lead in Ukraine?
- I don't know yet. Our coaches come for three or four months. It's not a business. I wouldn't leave like that. If I come, I need to talk to the management, strengthen the team, and outline plans for the future. But now there is no one to strengthen the clubs. In Ukraine, the same players are playing all the time, just changing teams. This is not normal.
Andrii Piskun
