The former defender of Kyiv “Dynamo” Oleg Kuznetsov shared his impressions of his club’s game against “Ferencváros” in the Europa League.
Oleg Kuznetsov— Again a sending-off in the Europa League match, and it all collapsed. In the first half, even with ten men, we played quite well, managed to hold on until the break, but then, apparently due to fatigue, we fell apart… More demonstrative football from “Dynamo” was seen until the 17th minute, when everything was going well and it was noticeable how “Ferencváros” was afraid of the Kyivans.
—However, football— is not ice hockey. Why did “Dynamo” sit so deep in defense and just keep clearing the ball?
— I would not agree that we only cleared the ball and nothing more… In the first half, the Kyiv team tried not to show that they were playing with fewer players, they tried to conduct counterattacks, and remember, they made several good attacks. There was even a moment when Dynamo hit the crossbar twice.
Of course, from the coaching staff's side, they could have reacted differently to the loss of Dubinchak due to the red card. One option could have been to switch to a scheme with three center-backs or five defenders, and at the same time not to sit so close to their own goal. But there is also a certain hopelessness in such options, because you make one fatal mistake, and everything collapses.
—Did Dubinchak’s foul really warrant a red card?
— Definitely. And VAR clearly showed that. Even if such a foul occurs outside the field, the referee must respond accordingly. Dubinchak could not keep up with his opponent and hit him in the achilles. Everything is obvious. No one argued with the referee's verdict, including Dubinchak himself.
—It is clear that in such cases, an attacking player is sacrificed to compensate for the loss in defense. But why was specifically Buyalsky replaced?..
— Vanat—the only forward, could not be touched. Therefore, Dynamo did everything according to the classic scheme, removing from the field the so-called number 10, i.e., Buyalsky. He was already redundant in the new scheme. “Dynamo” restructured to play with two defensive midfielders—Shaparenko moved alongside Brazhko, who has skills in this.
—Did “Ferencváros” surprise you in any way?
— This team has quite a few good footballers. In the summer, they conducted a quality personnel campaign, purchasing many new players, especially legionnaires. I really liked the play of the Brazilian Kady Borges and the Israeli Abu Fani, who work wonderfully with the ball. “Ferencváros” is a solid, quality European mid-table team.
—The first goal “Dynamo” conceded was after an unclear back pass from Kabayev. And there were quite a few such passes… Maybe it would have been less risky to play forward?
— This is a team tactic. Everyone knows how and where to pass the ball, how to keep it better. However, at such a level, the slightest mistake is very costly. Of course, when a team is already running forward, and someone suddenly passes back, cutting off almost all his players from the ball and effectively exposing the midfield, it does not end well…
—Maybe Alexander Shovkovsky should have made substitutions earlier?
— After the first half, I, and I think not only me, hoped that the team would calmly keep the score at 0:0, so there was no need to change anything. But after two consecutive conceded goals, Shovkovsky understood that it was impossible to save this match. Therefore, when three substitutions occurred at the same time in “Dynamo,” it became clear that this was already preparation for the UPL match against “Polissya.”
—“Dynamo” cannot earn points, but will we at least see one goal scored in this Europa League? Perhaps it would make sense to play with two forwards—Vanat and Guerrero in the “starting lineup”?
— In the Ukrainian championship “Dynamo” operates with one striker and scores three to five goals. It is necessary for moments to be created in European cups, then we will see scored goals. In the match with “Ferencváros,” the Kyivans were geared to take points. And then there was this red card… In any upcoming match, even three goals are possible for “Dynamo.”
—After four consecutive losses for “Dynamo”— what’s next in terms of tournament strategy?
— There are two opponents left with whom we can fight and take points. However, if the Kyivans play against “Victoria” in November, then they will have to play against the Latvian FSHM only at the end of January next year, in the last—8th round. Theoretically, it is possible to try to take six points, three of which can be taken in the match against “Victoria.” But against “Real Sociedad” it will be very difficult. And these six points will not be enough for us…
Then—final matches in January. Here it is generally unclear how “Dynamo” will prepare and play. The national team players did not rest in the summer and will not be able to rest in the winter. Let’s see how the “white-blues” perform in the Europa League until the New Year. It is not excluded that all chances will be lost, and in January a U-19 team can be sent to the Euro arena…
Oleg Leonchuk
