Former Ukraine national team defender Volodymyr Mikitin shared his impressions of the match of the 1st round of the Champions League main stage between Italian Bologna and Shakhtar Donetsk (0:0).
Vladimir Mikitin- In whose favor was this draw?
- Definitely, Shakhtar's. The home side, as they say, played for 1-2 goals, while the Pitmen, apart from a game episode at the start of the match, which led to an 11-metre penalty, did not create any more threats at Bologna's goal.
- How can this be explained?
- Apparently, the lost duel of Sudakov on penalty negatively affected the actions of the guests, while the hosts have psychologically strengthened. When the Citizens increased their intensity, it became clear that they had a tangible advantage in one-on-one battles and began to dictate the terms. And this was despite the fact that the visitors possessed the ball more often. The Citizens were simply better at tackling, which allowed them to find themselves in favorable positions to strike. In this component they clearly prevailed.
- Did the Pitmen's poor back-up have an impact?
- The visitors really lacked compactness in their own half of the pitch. Often, each midfielder pulled the blanket to his side. I expected more from Sudakov, who should have been more active, both when setting up offensive operations and in the transition phase, in the support zone. But Georgiy did not cope with the role of a leader.
- Do you also think that if not for Dmytro Riznyk's reliable performance, Shakhtar would have gone home with empty luggage?
- This is too categorical, soccer is a team game, after all. But there is no doubt that Dmytro was the best among the Pitmen.
- Will the Pitmen be able to work on their mistakes, because in the second round of the Champions League they have an even more serious opponent - Atalanta?
- This team perfectly presses, which Shakhtar do not like. Atalanta is also strong in team play, fighting qualities, they have a very authoritative manager. It will be difficult for the Pitmen, on the other hand, at this stage there are no passable opponents. And in order to give Atalanta a fight, the Ukrainian team will need, first of all, to significantly increase their speed.
Andriy Pisarenko
