Former Ukrainian national team player Volodymyr Mykytyn assessed the actions of Polissia players in yesterday's 0-2 loss to Slovenian side Olympia in the second round of the Conference League.
Vladimir Nikitin- Frankly speaking, I am disappointed with the actions of the Zhytomyr team. Recently, experts and journalists have been saying in their comments that Polissya is the third force in Ukrainian football, but it is still very far from that status.
- What did you dislike most about Polissia's game in Ljubljana?
- First of all, there was no clear plan for the game. I didn't notice how the guests could challenge the hosts, whose actions were balanced, it was clear that they were leaving the defense and moving to offensive operations. And it's good that Polischuk conceded only twice.
- Perhaps the excessive excitement showed, because it was Polissya's debut in European competitions?
- I don't think so, because the Polissia team had plenty of players with international experience, I mean Hutsulyak, Mykhailichenko, and Sarapiy. However, oddly enough, they did not stand out in any way, and moreover, it was because of their passivity that the Slovenes scored their goals.
- Another experienced Polissia player , Budkivsky, was not noticeable on the field either.
- Pylyp is dangerous at the opponent's goal, and yesterday he was on a starvation diet. The visitors had not only few shots on target, but also few flank passes.
- Worst of all, in stoppage time, the Polischuks missed Olympia's counterattack and conceded for the second time.
- This is exactly the case when large forces were thrown to the rescue, and everything ended in captivity. 0:2 is not a defeat, but it is very difficult to win back such a head start. And based on yesterday's match, it's hard to say what needs to happen for Polissia to take revenge with the right score in a week's time. Do you hope for the return of the disqualified Babenko and Kushnirenko? Good luck to them, but Olimpiya will also make sure to surprise the Polissya team with something.
Oleg Didukh
