Former assistant head coach of Mynai Mykola Tsymbal commented on the defeat of Dynamo Kyiv by German side Hoffenheim (0:2) in the 2nd round of the Europa League main stage.
- The second defeat in the Europa League in a row - this time against Hoffenheim. What were your expectations before the match and in which components of the game did Dynamo lose to the German team?
- Like every Ukrainian fan, I was waiting for a victory that would add points to the UEFA coefficient table. I realized that Hoffenheim created a lot of chances, but also allowed too many near their goal. I expected the game to be intense. The outcome of the game depended on who would be able to realize their chances and play better in the final stages.
- Dynamo has had problems with realization, especially in recent European Cup matches.
- So I saw that Hoffenheim was slightly better than Dynamo in all components. They moved from defense to attack faster, reacted more quickly to losing the ball, pressing, first touch - in all respects, the Germans outperformed us by a little, but they were superior. We also lacked intensity. Perhaps this is where these moves from country to country come into play, and the players do not have enough time to recover.
"Hoffenheim looked fresher, although their last match against Werder (3:4) in the Bundesliga was difficult. It's not easy to recover from a defeat in a game in which you led 3-0. This speaks of professionalism. "Hoffenheim had not won five matches before that, and the head coach was already "hanging up", the press wrote that if his team did not defeat Dynamo, everything could end in resignation. And against this background, Hoffenheim came out and played dynamic, fast football.
- You mentioned that Dynamo were inferior to Hoffenheim in each of the components. Does the environment, namely the level of the championships in which the teams play, have an impact here?
- This is 100%. In the Europa League, everyone plays under pressure, and Hoffenheim has gotten used to this over the years of playing in the Bundesliga, which is not the case with Dynamo. In the Ukrainian league, Dynamo play three or four matches under pressure, with a decent level of resistance.
Now there are more matches in the European Cups, so Dynamo will be able to gain experience of playing under pressure. So I believe that they will add to this component. But faith is faith, and we need to score points.
- Moreover, the next match is in the Europa League against Roma. It will be even more difficult to score points there.
- It will be difficult. We have to go out and do the impossible. "Dynamo must play their best match of the season to take points away from Roma. We have to give a performance that is brighter even than the victories over Partizan (6-2, 3-0) and Rangers (1-1, 2-0) in the Champions League qualifiers.
I cannot say that Dynamo are not physically ready. It's a matter of the high rhythm of the game, which must be maintained for 90 minutes. When you play under such pressure all the time, it has a big impact on your game in the future. The details decide the fate of the matches.
Vladyslav Liutostanskyi