The former coach of Kyiv’s «Dynamo» Oleksandr Khatskevych summarized November in Ukrainian football.
Oleksandr Khatskevych— The best UPL team of November?
— I will highlight «Kryvbas». The Kryvyi Rih team is currently on the rise, they have found their game and started to perform consistently.
— The most disappointing UPL team of November?
— Today it’s «Polissia», which cannot find its game. The points tally of the Zhytomyr team is quite weak, considering the selection of players and the tasks they have. What is the problem with «Polissia»? There are probably a number of reasons.
First of all — it’s the large number of injuries. Plus, Hutsuliak cannot carry the team on his own. The forwards of Polissia practically do not score, and now Nazarenko has also stopped scoring. The team cannot depend on one or two players; there must be integrity in the game.
— The best UPL coach of November?
— I will choose Rotan. This year «Oleksandriia» has moved away from the build-up football that Ruslan Petrovich wanted to see last year, they started playing vertically, and the results have come. Some players have revealed well, like Filipov. The whole team looks cohesive and, most importantly, the players understand how to play the football that the coach requires.
Can «Oleksandriia» compete with «Dynamo» and «Shakhtar» for the title over the long term? Today «Oleksandriia» is already a more experienced team than last year, but in order to compete with «Dynamo» and «Shakhtar», there needs to be depth in the squad and a bit of luck. As of today, «Oleksandriia» feels confident both in terms of their play and their results, but we will see how it goes over the distance. No one expected that after 15 rounds the team would share first place with «Dynamo». This is a pleasant surprise.
— The best UPL player of November?
— I would prefer the goalkeeper of Oleksandriia, Yermakov, who has conceded only one goal in four matches. Thanks to his confident play, «Oleksandriia» is currently among the leaders.
— The best Ukrainian legionnaire of November?
— Mudryk scores only in the Conference League, where he is worth more than all the teams in the tournament combined. Therefore, the legionnaire of the month is definitely Zabarnyi. He plays consistently, confidently, and you can see progress and potential in him.
Has Ilya outgrown the level of «Bournemouth»? Who says that, experts? Zabarnyi is the kind of player who will not pay attention to the opinions of experts, unlike most players. He has his own path and his own head on his shoulders. That’s why at such a young age he looks so stable compared to those who read about themselves the thoughts of experts but do not listen to the opinions of coaches.
— The last block of questions is predictions for the upcoming matches of our teams in European cups. Let’s start with «Shakhtar» — «Bavaria» in the Champions League.
— It’s already a bit scary to predict anything. (Laughs). First and foremost, I want to see an interesting game and, of course, a positive result. «Bavaria» is the leader of the Bundesliga and looks very strong. It will be very difficult to grab points. Although in the game against PSV, «Shakhtar» looked better than in previous matches.
— Moving on. Europa League. «Real Sociedad» — «Dynamo».
— «Dynamo» will find it difficult because matches with the Spaniards are always tough. Furthermore, «Real Sociedad» has started to pick up points and is finding their game. It will be hard to grab points, but the boys should fight for their name and understand which club they represent.
Why is it so difficult for «Dynamo» in the Europa League, where the team has not yet scored points? Let’s remember 2019, when the team did not advance from the group with «Malmo», «Copenhagen», and «Lugano». Then there was the Champions League, where «Dynamo» scored four points, and then one, and did not advance from the group either. «Dynamo’s problems started not yesterday, but after 2019. The decline in European competitions in terms of points collected is very sharp.
Who do I like among the current players of «Dynamo»? Today, it’s hard to single anyone out. At the beginning of the season, Kabayev and Shaparenko looked very good, and now there is no stability from any player. Hence such results.
Do I see a leader in «Dynamo», like Yarmolenko was? Previously, there were «Dynamo hearts», and now everyone is searching for a leader. There are more than 20 players in the team, yet they have not been able to find a leader. It turns out that there is none.
— The last question. Summarize the performance of the Ukrainian national team in the Nations League and share expectations for the upcoming matches against Belgium in the playoffs.
— I will answer you with the words of Serhii Stanislavovych Rebrov. He said that all the tasks set for the team in the Nations League were accomplished. I have nothing more to add.
As for Belgium, they are also unstable right now; they are undergoing a team restructuring. It’s still unclear whether Tedesco will remain at the helm after such results. The Belgians two years ago and today are two different teams, not in favor of the current one. Courtois and De Bruyne have no desire to play for the national team. What this is connected with, no one knows. But if we take the overall class, the level of the Belgians is slightly higher than that of the Ukrainian national team, but there is no significant advantage.
Andrii Piskun
