Oleksandr Kucher: "Yarmolenko made mistakes, but it was out of a great desire"

Former Metalist and Dnipro-1 coach Oleksandr Kucher shared his thoughts on the performance of Andriy Yarmolenko and Mykola Shaparenko in the Dynamo vs Salzburg match in the Champions League playoffs.

Oleksandr Kucher

- Dynamo lost the first match against Salzburg, but still looked good. What can you say about the Kyiv team's performance?

- The game was very interesting, I think the fans and TV viewers liked it. Both teams played very intensely, at a good speed. Everyone could see at first that both Dynamo and Salzburg wanted to score, but the Austrians were more fortunate, which made it easier for them to play. It was clear that Dynamo's opponents were playing calmly, looking for their chances, catching Kyiv on the counterattack. This goal helped them a lot. If Dynamo had scored first, the game would have been completely different. Then Kyiv realized that they had an away game and wanted to reduce the deficit. There were moments to do so, but unfortunately, we were unlucky to score somewhere. In the return leg, it will be difficult to get back from 0-2, but it is possible.

- What did Dynamo lack to score first?

- We lacked a great desire and composure in those moments that we had. You could see that the guys were excited and wanted to win. Therefore, the prerequisites and moments were there, we could have scored a goal.

- In the episode with the first goal, Dynamo's defense failed and we had to pullthe ballout of the net. Who do you think is to blame for the conceded goal?

- You can't blame one person, because there was mistake after mistake. Popov stretched too far, Mikhavko came out, we had to close the zone, not let him pass, and drive the opponent. Let him go for the win, stretch, pass to the flank. We had to do everything to close the area where the Salzburg player passed the ball, where his partner broke in. He, Mikhavko, had a straight-legged position, and if he had closed the area, the pass would not have gone there. It was difficult for Dubinchak to catch up with Nene, he was in a losing position. "Salzburg is a fast team, they have young and fast guys, and they took advantage of it.

- Oleksandr Shovkovskyi emphasized that he was not satisfied with the referee's actions in this match. What do you think of the refereeing? Do you think the Salzburg defender should have received a second yellow for blocking Kabaev?

- There was a blocking, 100%, there was a foul on Yarmolenko when he was hit in the knee. The referee made decisions that played into Salzburg's hands, not in our favor. The foul on Kabayev was a yellow card, there was a blocking and he should have given a dangerous free kick to Yarmolenko near the Austrian goal. There were some unclear decisions, a referee of this caliber should see such moments.

- Was the penalty that Karavaev took clean?

- I think so. He was the first to put his foot in, of course, Oleksandr probably didn't see the opponent well. But he put his foot in, hit the back of the leg, it was most likely an 11-meter penalty. The Salzburg player played more cunningly in this episode.

- Yarmolenko had several chances to score for Salzburg, but the ball did not want to go in. Was Andriy's entry into the starting lineup a coaching mistake?

- I would say no. Andriy is a very experienced player, he knows a lot of things and has played a lot of places. I think that he, on the contrary, helped the team, worked hard in defense. Of course, he made some mistakes, but it was out of a great desire. He also wanted to win. Again, he is very experienced, he knows what the Champions League is, Andriy played there and wants to go there again. So it's only out of a great desire.

- Wouldn't it have been better if Yarmolenko had come on for the last half hour and added freshness to the attack?

- This is the first match of the Champions League playoffs, Andriy is the leader and captain of the team. He played for many years at Dynamo, left, then returned to his home club. We know that he should be on the football field because he can lead the team forward and help somewhere. Many Kyiv players have not played at this level, for example, Bragaru. If you start him, it will not be clear how he will enter the game. And changing a player in the first minutes, if something doesn't work out, is not very good.

- Could Yarmolenko still reach the level of the Champions League?

- By the way, it is interesting to see how the new format of the Champions League will work. I think Andriy is conscientious about his work, he is a professional. I believe that he can still play in the Champions League. We see that he scores, he helps the team, and this is the most important thing. It's good that the team has a microclimate, they are doing well. I don't see any problems in this, because he will help in the locker room, he can also help on the football field with his leadership skills, his experience.

- Do you see Yarmolenko in the starting lineup for the return leg against Salzburg?

- This is a question for Oleksandr Shovkovskyi. I don't know what condition the guys are in. Later they will rest, sort everything out, and everything will be seen. Those who are in the best condition will play the game.

- In the match against Salzburg, Dynamo's players lost their nerve somewhere. Shaparenko got into a few fights with the Austrian players, Dubinchak kicked the ballat a lying opponent. Do you have anything to say about the behavior of the Kyiv team?

- It was already clear that the players were nervous. Popov knocked the ball out at the end when Bushchan was supposed to take it. Everyone was very emotional. The Kyiv team probably realized that they were stronger than the opponent, that they deserved more, but the score was not fair. And they were nervous, it was obvious. Yes, of course, we have to cope with this, be patient, work and correct this situation in favor of Dynamo Kyiv.

- Did Shaparenko deserve to be sent off? Because he almost got into a fight with an opponent during the break, and during the match he openly pushed Salzburg players.

- This all comes from the fact that something is not working out on the field. They may have played him tighter, didn't let him roam free. He did not succeed in many things, he had the desire, but it did not work out. A lot of attention was focused on him because the Austrians knew that he was the leader of the team. They looked at him closely, played with him more closely, so he failed somewhere. He started to get nervous, Mykola is still a young player, but this is not good. It's not good for you, because you don't think about football anymore, you start to push and shove, and it doesn't play into the team's hands.

- Didn't the fact that the players had no sporting anger, but rather anger at the opponent, play a cruel joke on Dynamo?

- It's very bad, it's Oleksandr Shovkovskyi's business. I think he saw it too. He has to talk to them, tell them that this is not right. They throw their energy away not on the game, but on anger, on pushing. Kicking the ball, quarreling with someone, proving something to someone, what is it? You need to go out on the field and then look at the scoreboard after the game, and that's where you need to show that you are angry.

- What work should Shovkovskyi do on his mistakes after this match?

- I think that Shovkovskyi will analyze tactical mistakes in particular. A lot depends on them, somewhere we played incorrectly, we rebuilt incorrectly. Such mistakes are very painful when you concede goals because of them. Therefore, we need to analyze tactical adjustments in defense to avoid such mistakes. It is unpleasant to concede because of this.

Andrii Pavlenko