Over the past day, there has been a lot of talk in Ukrainian football circles about the defeat of Dynamo Kyiv in the opening match of the Europa League group stage by Italian side Lazio Rome. At their home arena in Hamburg, Germany, Oleksandr Shovkovskyi's team lost to the opponent from the Apennines with a score of 0:3. Former Dynamo Kyiv striker Viktor Khlus shared his impressions of the game.
- "What can I say... In football, everything is decided by class," he said. "We saw that Lazio has very good and powerful strikers. They cut through our guys like a knife through butter at speed. Dynamo's attitude was excellent, but they lacked class. Yes, we know how to hold the ball well, but in modern football, this is not the main thing. The quick goal, as well as two effective shots towards the end of the first half, indicate that Lazio have very strong and fast attacking players.
- We heard a lot of complaints about Dynamo's defense. What do you think is wrong with this link in the first place?
- It seems to me that our defenders lack skill. The players themselves say that the UPL is the level at which they think they play perfectly. But as the matches against Salzburg and Lazio showed, they have not yet reached another level. It's not surprising: it's unacceptable to play like that against the kind of strikers the Roman club had. Our defenders not only lack speed, they lack game thinking!
- Speaking of defenders, it would be interesting to know your opinion about Dynamo's newcomer, Colombian Brian Ceballos?
- Unfortunately, he got injured in the 15th minute and now he is waiting for treatment and recovery. While his level in the Ukrainian league does not cause any complaints, in the Europa League things look different. You need to be ready for such serious competitions.
- How do you assess the performance of the team's old-timers, Andriy Yarmolenko and Mykola Shaparenko, in the match against Lazio?
- As for Yarmolenko, he does what he has the strength to do. But in modern football, this is not enough. And I haven't seen Shaparenko on the field at all. What is the class of a midfielder? A player of this role should play equally well in defense and offense. If Shaparenko does something else in the forward game, then there is simply no one behind him.
- Are there any players in Dynamo's current squad who are equally productive in both defense and attack?
- Yes, Dynamo Kyiv has been strengthened by Pikhalenko. But personally, I would like him not only to play effectively forward, but also to be able to act effectively behind the ball, snatching it from the opponent and launching an attack. But if we talk about this game, then there is no one to note in it.
Andriy Pysarenko