Former defender of Kyiv’s «Dynamo» Vladyslav Vashchuk spoke about what he expects from his former team’s match against Italian «Roma» in the 3rd round of the group stage of the UEFA Europa League, which will take place today in Rome.
— «Dynamo» has a completely different picture in the championship and European cups. What is the reason?
— The level of competition in the UPL is not what it used to be. Today, talking about the development of football in Ukraine is unnecessary, considering our realities. Logistics, although not the main factor, is one of those that influences. It affects concentration; a high peak of injuries comes after long trips. Recovery on the go won't allow you to fully recover.
— An ordinary fan might say that during your time, the level of the championship was not competitive, but you went out and achieved miracles in Europe...
— You see, the times were different back then, the mentality, the circumstances. One cannot say that today’s generation is not putting in the effort, but it is not enough to overcome this barrier. We saw this season when «Dynamo» acted balanced in attack and defense. It should be like this in every game, not intermittently. Of course, a long bench can compensate, but the quality of those players you can deploy is important.
— Can «Dynamo» count on the first points in the match against «Roma»?
— It will be difficult with them. «Roma» played decently in the last match against «Inter». You will have to work hard in defense against them, especially when playing in your own penalty area.
— Do you agree that the defense of «Dynamo» is the weakest link in the team?
— No one can confidently name the main pair of center-backs right now because Dyachuk and Popov, who started the season, were unavailable for some time. Mikhavko, Bilovar, Sebalyos were not the first choice of the coaching staff.
— A good performance in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League in the summer might have overheated expectations that «Dynamo» can compete with more solid teams in the fall?
— It is now important to realize that when playing in European cups, you represent Ukraine, which is engulfed in war. Is it not for such matches that you tie yourself to football, work hard in training, grow, and gain experience? In such games, you have to show your best game, to make a name for yourself.
The results may not come right now, but you have to draw conclusions from every game, make efforts, and keep moving forward.
— Do you personally like the work of your close friends, Oleksandr Shovkovskyi and Serhiy Fedorov, at the helm of «Dynamo»?
— I see that the team runs like we used to play, risks somewhere. The team has started moving differently. They are lacking quality players who could quickly absorb information, like Oleksandr Volodymyrovych.
Not everyone can think like that, but the movement in the right direction is there. Serhiy Vladyslavovych has many years of experience working in the first team, understands the training process and everything else.
The team needs leaders to pull the team along. They need to show themselves in every game. If someone is not doing well, someone else needs to step up.
— Have you noticed weak spots in «Roma»?
— They had quite a decent match against «Inter». They made a single mistake that led to Martinez’s goal.
— Is it going to be difficult for «Dynamo» to stop Artem Dovbyk, who faces a different level of opposition in Italy compared to Ukraine or Spain?
— This is a double-edged sword. In the national team, they know each other well, and Artem will also need to act unconventionally to score.
— Your prediction for the match?
— I do not like to make predictions. I believe in our team.
Oleksandr Karpenko