Former Polissya coach Volodymyr Maziar shared withUFhis impressions of the match against Olimpiya (0:2) in the second round of the Conference League qualifiers.
Volodymyr Maziar- Volodymyr Ivanovych, did you expect such a game and result from Polissia?
- Polissia had a new head coach, there were good transfers, so I expected more daring football from our side. But we must take into account that the team has not yet started the championship and has only played friendly matches. Against Olimpiya, Polissya lacked aggression in attack and the team speed was not high enough.
When we conceded goals, it was clear that the players had already started to get a little tired. At the moment of the first goal, Ashur did not have time to make a substitution and we conceded just after the mistake of the fullback (Maysuradze - author), who was then sent off. Well, the second goal... We can say that we did not wait.
- How would you assess the actions of Polissya's newcomers in this match?
- I think Volynets, Sarapiy, Hutsulyak are good acquisitions. I am sure that in the future Polissia will fight for the top 3 of the UPL.
Now, as for the match. The opponents took away Hutsulyak's space, and it's hard to play without space. He had no moments on the flank to stay one-on-one. This means that Olimpiya analyzed Polissia well and blocked the strengths of our team.
Sarapiy and Volynets played at their level. Maysuradze had a bad match, did not enter the game.
- Despite the score, who would you call the best player of the match for Polissia?
- I liked Nazarenko the most in terms of dedication. He tried to play at his best. In the first half, Nazarenko was not afraid to make a dribble, even though he knew that he had already been injured at that moment. This deserves respect.
- Which player do you think Polissia was missing, maybe Beskorovainyi, who was injured?
- The two central defenders of Polissia played well. I can't say that Beskorovainyi is stronger or weaker than Sarapiy and Chobotenko. Perhaps Kushnirenko and Babenko were missing(they missed the game due to a lot of cards - ed.). I saw that this particular link-up was practiced at the training camp at Polissia. Babenko can make the first pass and good passes between the lines.
- What about the strikers? Budkivsky and the newcomer Bristrich, who replaced him?
- Strikers are evaluated according to the following criteria: goal, assist or penalty. None of this happened.
- What didn't you like about Polissia's performance?
- Polissia's attack was on a weak level. We didn't see the aggression that Dynamo showed in the match against Partizan after conceding a goal. I also didn't like the speed at which Polissia attacked and how they got behind the ball. For some reason, our selection fell on defenders, not on supporters.
It was clear that Polissia had problems in the support area. Krushynskyi plays more defensively and there was no player who would accelerate the attacks - Talles simply could not cope with it. There were also problems with the wing backs.
- Didn' t Butkevych make a mistake by appointing Ashur, who had only worked with youth teams before Polissia, as head coach?
- He needs to be given time. After each defeat, people start talking about the coach, but the analysis of his work should be done at least six months later. Now we need to support Ashur and wish him to make the right analysis of the first match. Nothing is lost yet. In the return leg, Polissia can get past Olimpiya.
- In the past, Ukrainian clubs used to get past Slovenian clubs very easily. Now we have serious problems with this. Has the level of Ukrainian football dropped so much or is Olimpija not such a passable option? Another interesting fact is that Polissia's roster on Transfermarkt is almost twice as expensive as Olimpiya's - 22.45 million versus 11.63 million.
- Today, football has generally leveled off. What can I say if clubs from the Faroe Islands are in the Conference League group! Besides, money doesn't play in football, only players and their discipline, dedication and concentration do. In this regard, Olimpiya outplayed Polissia.
- What is your prediction for the return leg?
- There is nothing incredible in football. I am sure that the coaching staff will make an in-depth analysis of the first game and we will see a completely different, motivated Polissia. The guys have already felt what European competitions are like and in the return leg they will not play defensively, but will show the kind of football that fans like - aggression and fight on every part of the field. I believe that Polissia will get past Olimpia.
Andrii Piskun
