The Kyiv "Dynamo" footballers lost to the Czech "Victoria" 1:2 in the next round of the Europa League and occupy the 36th place after five matches played. Former player of the national team of Ukraine and "Dynamo" Vitaliy Kosovsky spoke about what the team lacks to compete with opponents in the second-ranking continental tournament:
Vitaliy Kosovsky— After the early victories of the Kyiv team in the Champions League against the Serbian "Partizan" and the Scottish "Glasgow Rangers", not only I hoped that Dynamo would assert themselves in the less prestigious Europa League. But it did not turn out as expected.
— Then let’s focus on the last match against "Victoria", which previously did not demonstrate anything extraordinary on the international stage.
— "Victoria" is a tough opponent, experienced in European cup battles, tough, organized, each player knows his role clearly. It is very difficult to play a team game against such an opponent; dividends can only come from home tactical preparations or an advantage in one-on-one duels. In my opinion, the Kyiv team did not surprise the Plzeň team at all, there was an exchange of blows in which "Victoria" was more accurate. It’s a pity, but the Kyiv team did not demonstrate the ability not only to outplay the opponent one-on-one but also to win the ball back. Remember how the guests scored for the first time when several Kyiv players were in the role of passive observers.
— For five consecutive matches in the Europa League, Dynamo has conceded first, and they are not finding arguments to equalize the score. Why is this happening?
— I have found an explanation for this. "Dynamo" currently has a vacant leader role, especially after injuries started to plague veteran Andriy Yarmolenko. Nevertheless, I will not specify who is to blame for this situation, but without a leader who would guide in tough moments, it’s very difficult.
— The Dynamo players have stronger opponents ahead than "Victoria" — the Spanish "Real Sociedad", the Turkish "Galatasaray". Will it be again without points?
— Now, perhaps, no one envies the leader of the Dynamo team, Oleksandr Shovkovskyi. He is making efforts with his assistants to stop this decline, experimenting with the lineup, using various tactical schemes, however, the level of preparation of his players seems to be enough only for successful performance in the UPL.
In my opinion, it is important now to make the right conclusions from each defeat and although they say it’s better to learn from others’ mistakes, one should promptly correct their own. Moreover, there are many young players in the "Dynamo" team who have the opportunity to gain valuable experience. This will contribute to normalizing the microclimate within the team and allow progress.
I really hope that the next season will be decisive for the Kyiv team. First of all, it is about winning the UPL championship title, and in the summer we will be expecting the Dynamo players to soar on the international stage.
Andriy Pisarenko
