The former coach of Kyiv Dynamo, Oleksandr Khatskevych, shared his impressions of yesterday’s match of his former team against Hungarian Ferencváros (0:4) in the 4th round of the main stage of the Europa League.
— Oleksandr Mykolaiovych, before the match in Hamburg, most experts and analysts thought that Dynamo would finally gain their first points in the Europa League and defeat Ferencváros. And here it is not just a defeat, but a rout. Is the result due to the game or poorly executed by the Kyiv team?
— The impressions from the game are mixed. I also had hopes that Dynamo would gain points against Ferencváros, achieve victory, but, in my opinion, the game was broken by Dubinchak’s quick red card.
However, even after Vladyslav received the red card, Dynamo quickly managed to restructure in the first half, skillfully used the free space, and had several lethal moments when, in a minute, first Vladyslav Kabaiev, and then Vladyslav Vanat hit the framework of Ferencváros’ goal.
Also, Zhora Bushchan played very confidently. And this instilled optimism that they would hold on after the break, would not lose, but...
— Four conceded is too much. Where did these goals come from?
— This is the main question. Yes, Dynamo has a big, the biggest problem — the central zone in defense. But it is not worth laying all the blame on the defenders.
Let’s break down the first goal. Dynamo was punished for Kabaiev’s clumsy play, who made a bad pass back to Shaparenko. The second: a struggle, a ricochet, it went in. And all of this within two minutes. Meanwhile, the team is also playing in the minority. This is such a strong psychological blow that the team could not withstand and collapsed.
— Wait, but in the case of the second goal, the ball bounced off Mykhavko like off a wall. In the case of the third, Taras even decided not to jump at all and not to fight for the high ball. How is that?
— Let the coaching staff of Dynamo analyze Mykhavko’s mistakes. From my side, it would not be entirely fair. Yes, almost all goals were scored from the central zone, but it is not only Taras’s problem. It is a problem of the whole team’s defense game.
— Against Ferencváros, Dynamo showed the worst game of the season?
— I will repeat, the quick red card of Dubinchak decided everything. So to say that this is the worst match, I definitely would not say, but by result, undoubtedly, yes. Catastrophic, in my opinion, was only the second half.
There should be no questions about the dedication of the Dynamo players. And perhaps, the eagerness for the result played a cruel joke on the boys. In the same episode with Dubinchak’s red card, he should have played cooler. The ball had practically gone out of play, and he went to dig it out. Dedication is good, but it is much more important to have common sense and a cool head.
— Who could you name as the best player of Dynamo?
— When the team loses so badly, with such a score, it’s hard to single someone out. Bushchan played well, especially in the first half, but he still conceded four times.
— To speak soberly, can we say that Dynamo can already forget about the Europa League playoffs?
— We have already reached the equator, played four matches, and at the same time Dynamo has zero points and minus ten goals, occupying the last position in the Europa League standings. To make it to the playoffs, at least hope for it, they need to score a maximum — 12 points in the remaining matches.
Is this realistic? I don’t think so. This year, Dynamo has a tough away game in Spain against Real Sociedad… You know, even if the white and blues get six or seven points, which looks more realistic than twelve, but due to the goal difference (and it is critical for Dynamo today, minus ten) the Kyiv team is unlikely to be able to overtake anyone. Today, all teams in the qualifying spots have one or two goals in minus, not ten.
Considering the results, and most importantly — the game of Dynamo that the team shows in the Europa League, the chances of Kyiv for European spring look minimal.
— You know well what it’s like to be the head coach of Dynamo and what criticism can be directed at you when the team does not produce the desired result. I am sure that now Shovkovskyi will start to receive a fair amount of hate. Everyone knows the level of this team and what it cannot do, jump higher than its head, smash Roma, Lazio, or even Ferencváros in the Europa League. I mean, is it worth throwing mud at SaSho, has he deserved it?
— There will be criticism, of course. And in some respects, it is justified. Right now, Shovkovskyi will hear much less praise than words of criticism. But both the coach and the boys need to accept this and to grow and progress further.
In the last matches, we see that the coaching staff is in search of the optimal lineup, making rotations, trying to give the leaders a break sometimes, as it was with Roma (0:1). They change the scheme for the game, but the result is absent. I am talking about the Europa League. Considering that the chances for the playoffs for Dynamo are illusory, Shovkovskyi can already experiment, try something new for the future.
— What should fans hope for?
— It sometimes happens that when there is not too much responsibility for the result, the result starts to show up. The team can loosen up and start scoring and winning.
Victor Glukhentiy