Famous Ukrainian coach and expert Alexander Sevidov shared his impressions from the match of the 11th round of the Ukrainian championship between Kyiv "Dynamo" and Donetsk "Shakhtar" (1:1).
Alexander Sevidov— Before the match, you predicted a victory for "Dynamo." Why?
— In my opinion, "Dynamo" shows a more cohesive game, while "Shakhtar" has lost its thread, looking unconvincing both domestically and internationally. But this prediction was made before the game.
— And how did the game go?
— Certainly, for 60 minutes "Shakhtar" looked more preferable than "Dynamo," which came out with thoughts of not losing. Before Kryskiv's red card, there was a complete advantage for the "miners." They dominated the field, forcing "Dynamo" to defend, and they had no scoring opportunities. If we don't count the scored goal, there was one chance for Voloshin during the game — that's not enough. I did not expect such a passive game from "Dynamo." They showed nothing; their reliance on long passes and on the quick Kabaev and Vanat did not pay off. "Shakhtar" played tightly and organized in defense, so the Kyiv team got stuck in such strongholds.
— The red card for Kryskiv turned everything around. How can we explain his foolish act (there's no other way to put it), which forced the team to suffer for the last 30 minutes? Only "thanks" to Kryskiv, "Dynamo" managed to endure the draw.
— This can only be asked of Kryskiv, why he acted that way and let the team down. But it seemed to me that "Shakhtar" began to lose the initiative after scoring the goal. They retreated, started to play very deep towards their own goal, stopped pressing, trying to hold onto the winning score. And Kryskiv's jump into the opponent's legs in the center of the field simply crushed the team and dashed the hope for "Shakhtar's" victory.
— Did the draw strategically suit "Dynamo" more?
— There is a big difference — a gap of three points or six. But there was no attacking potential from "Dynamo." Yes, against lower-level teams, there is some, but with worthy opponents — there's a problem.
— After the game with "Roma," we wondered if Shovkovsky justified sacrificing the Europa League match for the meeting with "Shakhtar." Was it justified?
— In my opinion, it was not justified. Today "Dynamo" did not resemble itself. Even with "Roma," they tried to control the ball, but "Shakhtar" didn’t allow the opponent to do anything until Kryskiv's dismissal.
— Again in this game, the problem with the forward line was evident; Vanat was not visible.
— That's true. Guerrero, who came on as a substitute, even looked better than Vanat. He skillfully clings to the ball, he is craftier, and he does a lot of useful actions for the team.
— There's also a big problem for "Shakhtar" — substitute Traore. What we saw when he joined the team three years ago, and he was a prolific forward, and what we see now... He falls from his own excess weight. How to explain that?
— He probably cannot recover from a severe injury he suffered. Yes, he looks completely unconvincing. Plus, Sikan is inconsistent in his play, so goals are coming to "Shakhtar" with great difficulty.
Sergey Shebek
