The former defender of Kyiv’s Dynamo and the national team of Ukraine, Taras Mykhailik, commented extensively on the crushing defeat of his former club against Ferencváros (0:4) in the Europa League.
— How do you assess Dynamo’s performance in the four matches of the main round of the Europa League?
— It’s unsuccessful. There’s really not much to say here. No one expected this at all. But that’s football, anything can happen.
— What do you say about the unfortunate match with Ferencváros?
— It’s quite tough with all this… And with that red card (Dubinchak — editor.)… And in general, this Europa League has been difficult for Dynamo.
— In the four matches played in this Euro tournament, Dynamo has had— three red cards…
— I would say: this Europa League just doesn’t work for them at all. Everything seems to be “on the wrong side”.
— Things are different for Dynamo on the domestic front, where they are waiting for a match with ambitious Zhytomyr’s Polissya today.
— In the championship, things seem to be going quite well. Dynamo is conducting it without losses and is among the leaders. Even more frustrating is the fact that in the Europa League everything is the opposite. It feels like these are two different poles — the championship and the eurocup tournament. It’s clear that in the second one, the teams are more interesting, but still… Nothing works for Dynamo there.
— Is the lack of experience among young players or the absence of team play reflected here?
— I don’t even know. As Shovkovsky said, no one will wait long for young players like Mykhavko and Bilovar to gain experience. This is the Europa League, and here you need to demonstrate your best qualities. After all, the teams in this tournament are more cheerful than in the domestic arena. In the eurocups, everything is completely different. Everyone was expecting that after three defeats at the start of the Europa League, everything would finally change for the better in the match against Ferencváros, but then came the red card — and again the game changed.
— Perhaps to some extent, Dynamo lacked cohesion in play due to the absence of the creative Oleksandr Pikhalyonok?
— I don’t think one player can change everything. But just like Pikhalyonok, Yarmolenko isn’t playing either — both are coming back after injuries. These are the guys who can add something on the field. But if we are talking specifically about the match with Ferencváros, I am convinced: the game would have been completely different if it weren’t for Dubinchak’s early red card. Shovkovsky probably had his plans and strategy for the game, but in such cases, everything breaks in the game structure.
— In your opinion, does Vladyslav Dubinchak’s action warrant sanctions against him?
— I don’t know. The club knows better. Although I don’t see any particular guilt in his actions. It’s not like he swatted someone away, deliberately hit someone, or jumped on someone’s legs from behind and got a red card for it. In the match in Hamburg, there was a struggle, Dubinchak was going in for a tackle. Yes, of course, he should have played against the opponent more carefully. But Dubinchak is a player who is always focused on the fight, and in the game with Ferencváros, he was too charged for it. So this red card can be called simply a misfortune. Personally, I like a player who is focused on the fight and doesn’t pull his legs back in tackles.
— Do you think that losing to the Hungarians will not lead the team into a psychological hole?
— It shouldn’t. After all, there are experienced guys in the team. In this situation, I would only like to express words of support to Dynamo players so that they quickly overcome their difficulties. I understand that when the players of Dynamo find themselves in such a situation, one really doesn’t want them to fall into a hole and “crumble” in the championship. So I definitely will not “finish them off”. I’ll repeat: I just want to support the guys and that in the next Europa League match against Viktoria (Plzeň) they take points.
— What would you wish to Oleksandr Shovkovsky, with whom you spent many seasons as partners in the Dynamo team?
— In such a situation, of course, you wouldn’t envy him. So I wish Shovkovsky patience, as well as success in building his game. Right now, there are many young guys in the team, among whom are Dynamo’s pupils. In the Ukrainian championship, they manage to do something at times, so now they just need to give their all in the eurocup tournament and gain the necessary experience. Oleksandr Shovkovsky as a player is experienced, but as a coach, he is still young. The main thing is that he has a decent team and assistants. I think it just needs a little time. It’s clear that coaches are not always given that. However, we hope that Shovkovsky will build a good team out of his youth.
Vyacheslav Kulchytsky
