Famous Ukrainian coach Oleh Fedorchuk summarized the football story of Yevhen Konoplyanka, who announced the end of his professional career the day before.
Oleg Fedorchuk"Konoplyanka could have achieved more if he had Zinchenko's character"
- Oleg Viktorovich, when did you first see Konoplyanka?
- In the youth team of Dnipro. We talked to the team's general manager Stetsenko at the time, who said that this was their hope. This player stood out from the rest at an early age.
Yevhen's star began to rise when the tactical schemes had just introduced a specific role for a fast inverted winger - that is, a right-handed player who operates on the left flank. This was beneficial, creating inconvenience for the defenders. And we had a star performer in this role.
- At that time, Dnipro could not yet dream of the Europa League final, but on the contrary, was eliminated by all kinds of "bellinzons". Is it a plus or a minus for Konoplyanka that he stayed at this club and did not quickly get promoted, like Kucher from Metalist to Shakhtar, Stepanenko or Sydorchuk from Metalurh Zaporizhzhia, and the same Maksymov from Dnipro to Dynamo?
- Konoplyanka was helped by the fact that although Dnipro was an ambitious club, without any structure and due to his individual qualities, Zhenya could make a difference in individual matches. "Dnipro in the late 2000s was somewhat reminiscent of Borussia Dortmund, when there were a lot of young people there. It was an advantage for a talented young Ukrainian to start there, rather than in Shakhtar's or Dynamo's double.
- Nevertheless, in terms of sports motivation, did Konoplyanka lack in comparison to those who were always under pressure of the highest tasks?
- Yes, the fact that everything was easy for Zhenya could have played a cruel joke. He didn't have any competition that could harden his character. He enjoyed being the best at Dnipro and did not progress as much as those who competed with the Brazilians at Shakhtar.
Konoplyanka is a very vivid example of an individually strong player who did not fully realize his potential and made incomprehensible transitions in his career. He will be remembered as very talented, but not fully developed.
- To what extent did Kanapé's presence on the field really play a decisive role?
- In Ukraine and in Soviet times, there were plenty of young talents who then got lost somewhere. We have not yet moved away from the Soviet inferiority complex. People calm down when big money starts to appear. Compare how the money factor is treated in the West.
Modric, who went through the war in Croatia, could have played in the Middle East a long time ago, but his professionalism allows him to keep the bar high to stay at Real Madrid. If Konoplyanka had Zinchenko's character, he could have achieved a lot, having the right attributes in terms of speed, technique, and flexibility. It's all from nature. Konoplyanka has very little of what he acquired. Yarmolenko is less talented, but more efficient. Therefore, Andriy is a mentally different player.
- Talented, he did not progress. So what is Zhenia's weakness?
- If we evaluate Konoplyanka from the point of view of sports mentality, his psychology, which is the basis for an athlete, lagged behind the rest of his virtues. I once studied American sports in depth and it was a revelation to me that psychology comes first, and then everything else. Aggressiveness and attitude should come first.
When I became a coach, I realized that the ability to deal with challenges and difficulties prevails over talent and aptitude. If Konoplyanka had found himself in a more competitive environment, it would have helped him not to make mistakes in his career.
"The end of Konoplyanka's career was full of trash and self-depreciation"
- Could Kono have broken down after the foiled transfer to Liverpool?
- I don't think it was a good idea to go to England at the time. At that time, few English clubs played light football. For players like Konoplyanka, you need a coach who would adjust the player to his ambitions. Zheka didn't look like an athlete, he was brutal, charged. When you're not playing well, humor won't help. Konoplyanka is an iconic figure for our football, but he could have achieved much more if he had developed his strong-willed qualities.
- And what could have gone wrong when he played in Europe?
- There are psychological tests for self-esteem. An athlete needs to do it once in a lifetime. The best score is 0.5-0.6. I have come across players with a one - this is a lot. It seems to me that high self-esteem could have prompted Zhenya to make the wrong decisions, as was the case with his departure from Sevilla.
It was a big mistake to leave after Spain for Schalke. If Konoplyanka had been in the current German championship, it would have been much easier for him to prove himself.
- What can you say about the move to Shakhtar, which few people understood?
- I didn't understand Shakhtar myself at the time. We can discuss this topic a lot, but we have to take into account what Konoplyanka's motivation was.
- What can I say about the tours to Poland and Romania...
- Well, this is complete trash. Devaluing yourself. It's better not to play anymore. It's disrespectful, it's just a job.
- After his playing career, Konoplyanka chose to become an agent. Will something good come of it?
- For any business, you need to have a certain talent. An agent must combine a psychologist and a manager to whom the player will entrust his career. I don't see this talent in either Konoplyanka or Zozulya. Perhaps they are like a showcase around which a team of professionals will be assembled.
- Why do you think so? Give me an example of a great agent's work.
- The coolest indicator of an agent's work is to find a player at an early age and bring him to the top level. I remember Lesha Lyundovsky telling me about Dovbyk when he was 15. He said: I found a guy who runs 30 meters in 3.7. He invested a lot in him and this is his success.
There was a great example of cooperation with Lundovskyi when I coached Mykolaiv. He asked me to take Serhii Zahynailov to the team. The guy was flying into the abyss, I suffered with him for two months, but then he got better and made a good career, as for himself. He even played in the European Cups!
With agents in football, it's like this: when a player is doing well, you baptize children with him, earn money, and hang out. And you try to help when things are not so smooth.
I still remember the story when Rakytskyi signed his first professional contract. After a conversation with Akhmetov, Yaroslav told his agent that he didn't need him anymore(Smiles).
Oleksandr Karpenko.
