Oleg Kuznetsov: "What does Ceballos have to do with it, and what can we expect from a 19-year-old Mikhail?"

Former Dynamo Kyiv defender Oleh Kuznetsov shared his impressions of his former team's 0-3 loss to Lazio Rome in the 1st round of the Europa League main stage, which took place yesterday in Hamburg.

- " Unfortunately, Dynamo's central defenders made a lot of mistakes, our supporters, especially Brazhko, made mistakes, and in general, everything was decided by individual mistakes...

- Lazio somehow scored all three goals very easily, or does it just seem so?

- Yes, when the opponent makes a mistake, it seems that everything is simple and easy... It's a shame that Dynamo did not solve the issue of acquiring a good central defender in the offseason. There were three center backs in the lineup for the match with Lazio, plus Popov and Dyachuk on the bench, but this does not allow us to hope for a result, does not add reliability in the central area.

Remember how Kyiv conceded goals, in the first case Brazhko did not get there, in the second goal it was definitely Mykhavko's fault... You see, players have been playing these positions for years, and then they hope for quality. And what can we expect from 19-year-old Mykhavko, for example? How many games has he played?

- Did Seballos' injury really have such a negative impact on Dynamo's game?

- I don't think so. This is only his third match for the White and Blues. The way Seballos showed himself in the Ukrainian championship does not say anything, because it is difficult, given the level of the UPL, to quickly assess players. If Seballos played 90 minutes against Lazio, then we could make a judgment. I think that Shovkovskyi had other options for this position, such as Bilovar, who came on as a substitute.

- What is your impression of the football played by Shaparenko, who, in my opinion, made a lot of mistakes?

- He was over-hyped, they say, the best player in the Ukrainian championship, one of the best in the national team... This is coming out of the blue because Shaparenko is being sold. I think that all this noise has a very negative impact on Mykola's game, on his psychology. But in fact, as for Shaparenko, there are almost no invitations - except for one from Turkey...

In general, we need to pay attention to how all our national teams are performing now. The fatigue after Euro 2024, when the guys had almost no vacation, is now very much in evidence. Therefore, on the one hand, it is difficult to blame them for anything. Look at how Shakhtar are playing, especially their leader Sudakov. In the match against Rukh, it was already very noticeable that Dynamo was functionally stuck, in a hole... Of course, since the middle of summer, Kyiv has played more than a dozen difficult matches. Hence the actions in the center of the field, for example, where Brazhko, Shaparenko and Pikhalenko can hardly be expected to show any creativity, only fragments...

- Can we expect more from Vanat at the forefront of the attack?

- In the match against Lazio, he clung to the ball, was active. I think that Vanat did not fail the game. In any case, the Roman defense felt this pressure. As for Guerrero, he will be involved in the game gradually. There is a busy schedule ahead, and Guerrero will still have game practice and the opportunity to prove himself.

- What can you say about the game of Lazio, who, as was especially emphasized, came out against Dynamo with a semi-reserve team?

- They changed eight players compared to the last match of the Italian championship. I would like to note that their starting lineup started the match with Dynamo in the most composed manner. Of course, Lazio was lucky to score such a quick goal, after which it became easier for them. However, the lack of chemistry of this team was also noticeable. I didn't notice any team play from the Romans. All Lazio players wanted to show their best, tried their best, but the fate of the match was determined not by them, but by Dynamo's mistakes.

- How will this initial defeat of Dynamo, and even with such a score, affect the standings in the current Europa League?

- This is only the first match of many, so nothing terrible happened. As it turned out, the opponent was strong, and before that we thought that Lazio could play on equal terms... Now we need to clearly realize that it will be very difficult for us in the matches with Hoffenheim, Roma, and Real Sociedad. If I'm not mistaken, there were preliminary calculations according to which we need to score 8-9 points in the new format of the tournament. I think Dynamo is capable of getting the desired result. We believe in our team - figuratively speaking, it's not over yet.

Oleg Semenchenko