Former defender of Kyiv “Dynamo” and the Ukraine national team Taras Mikhalyk shared his thoughts on the current fight in the Ukrainian championship.
— Let’s talk a bit about professional football. There are a lot of young talents in the first team of “Rukh”. Who do you like in terms of play?
— I like not the personalities in “Rukh”, but the fact that the team has players who are their own trainees showing attractive football.
— And who do you like among UPL teams right now?
— I’ll be honest: I hardly watch the Ukrainian championship. There is simply not enough time. I watched the “Dynamo” — “Shakhtar” match with guys at the front in Donetsk region on the phone via Starlink. Previously, I knew that football was shown on some channel. And now sometimes I want to watch something, but I can’t find the broadcast. I remember I wanted to watch the “Veres” match, where my godfather Oleg Gerasimyuk works. I searched for it somewhere on YouTube, but couldn’t find it, gave up, and turned it off (laughs).
— Right now, “Dynamo” (35 points) and “Oleksandriya” (32 points with one match in hand) are leading in the UPL.
— No, I am not following closely enough to not know the tournament situation (laughs). I just don’t watch full matches, but I try not to miss highlights.
— What do you think about your native “Dynamo”? Will they become champions this season, considering the six-point gap from “Shakhtar”?
— There are still many rounds ahead, so it’s early to make predictions. The championship is quite interesting. Oleksandriya is currently showing decent football. At first, Ruslan Rotan was struggling, he faced a lot of criticism, but now his team plays interesting football.
— You played with Shovkovsky in the same team. Did you expect that he would become the head coach of Kyiv, given that goalkeepers rarely lead teams and achieve success with them?
— Yes, goalkeepers rarely become head coaches, but Sanya Shovkovsky is an extraordinary personality. He always loved to read, listened to music, and was a very knowledgeable person. He developed a desire to become a head coach, and God willing, everything will go well for him.
— “Dynamo” is giving a lot of chances to Taras Mikhavko, but he has scored three own goals in recent matches. What can you say about your namesake, who plays in your position?
— I saw Mikhavko live at the match “Dynamo” vs “Veres”. I really liked this guy. In the future, he can grow into a second Zabarnyi. Right now, Taras has started to make some mistakes, scoring in his own net, but he is still a young player and has room to grow. I appreciate that Mikhavko plays with his head; he is a thinking footballer. He doesn’t clear the ball aimlessly but tries to deliver accurate passes. If Mikhavko works at 200%, he has every chance to pair with Zabarnyi in the Ukraine national team.
— What can you say about the performance of the Ukraine national team in the Nations League?
— Let’s say this — the performance was unstable. But our team faced a lot of criticism, so I don’t want to pile on them anymore. On the contrary — I want to support them so that the guys get out of this situation. Yes, not everything goes well for us, but we have a good national team, and I believe that things will improve with time.
— Who do you like among our national team players? Whose play do you enjoy?
— The first one is Zabarnyi, followed by everyone else. Illya is currently playing the most consistently. He is a real leader of the national team’s defense. Is he ready to move to a top club? Judging by his current performances, he is definitely ready.
Also, I like Dovbyk, although he’s had some difficulties in recent matches for the national team. Perhaps the transition from “Girona” to “Roma” or injuries affected him. There can be many factors.
I also like our midfield — Sudakov-Shaparenko-Bragko. Kalyuzhnyi has shown himself well, although many said he couldn’t handle it. But the guy came out with burning eyes, and he cleared up and gathered everything he could.
— What can you say about Mudryk?
— At times, Mudryk plays very well, while at other times he disappears. He lacks stability. If he played regularly at club level, it would be easier for him in the national team. But whatever happens, Mudryk is a talented player who can decide the fate of a match on his own.
— A few words about the veterans. Stepanenko and Yarmolenko didn't play in the last matches for the national team. Do you think they are still capable of helping Rebrov's team?
— I haven’t written them off yet. Maybe they can’t play all matches from start to finish, but these guys can still be useful to the Ukraine national team. Many experts say they shouldn’t be called up, but from whom should the youth take an example and gain experience? It’s important for the locker room to have people like Yarmolenko and Stepanenko.
— Your expectations for the match against Belgium in the Nations League?
— If I had been asked before the draw who I wouldn’t want as an opponent for the Ukraine national team, I would have said Belgium. But it turned out the way it did. Our national team can deliver good matches against any team, but it can also fail, as was the case with Romania. Let’s hope that everything will go well with the Belgians and that we will win. It’s always more interesting to watch matches against top opponents.
Andriy Piskun