The authoritative coach Oleg Fedorchuk assessed the chances of Ukrainian clubs in the last matches of this year’s European cups.
Oleg Fedorchuk— Oleg Viktorovych, Shakhtar has only one match left this year against Bayern and then against Brest and Borussia Dortmund in January 2025. They need to win, but how to do it, considering Shakhtar’s unstable play?
— Given the tournament situation for all teams, the chances for continuing the fight in the playoffs are present for most of them. Even for those who don’t deserve those chances. To hope for a positive result in the game with Bayern, a few coincidences must happen. Firstly, the opponent might underestimate Shakhtar. Secondly, we need to play our best game. Thirdly, we need to be as psychologically prepared as possible. And the level must be maintained throughout the match, not just at the end like in the last match against PSV. If these factors align, then we can expect success.
— So on Tuesday, we expect a parade of planets.
— It has to be. Shakhtar looks unconvincing this season. The search for the game that Pushich wants to see continues. The team is unstable, unpredictable, especially in defense. These factors indicate that a victory, if it comes, will be considered a miracle.
— Ukrainian teams perform very poorly against German teams. They often receive a complete bag of goals. How do they strongly dominate us?
— The Germans do not allow themselves to play at half strength. They simply do not know how to treat football that way. And their discipline is of the highest level. The legionnaires who come to the Bundesliga adopt these traits. By the way, once, back in the Soviet Union, Ukrainian teams were distinguished by this, as well as the Lithuanian Zalgiris. This is our, Ukrainian trait. Now we are losing it. That’s why it’s hard to play against German and Italian clubs.
— Bayern confidently leads in the Bundesliga, but looks not so convincing in the Champions League. What is the reason for this?
— There is no margin of safety. Staff turnover affects confidence in one’s abilities. (In the match against Shakhtar, Neuer, Kane, Coman, Davies, Gnabry, Baumann, Müller, Palinha, Ito, Stanišić, Tel won't play due to injuries—editor). Shakhtar and Dynamo have similar problems. The squad is very small. The Donetsk side has 12-13 players, while the Kyiv side probably has even fewer. Bayern failed last season, they are reconfiguring and are currently not ready to operate on two fronts.
— Another trump card in favor of Shakhtar.
— Add to this that for Bayern, the priority is the German championship. Moreover, they understand that they can only theoretically win the Champions League.
— Real, PSG, Juventus, Manchester City are also struggling… Can’t adapt to the new format?
— There are shortcomings in the format. It is not very clear. In the group stage, there was a chance to focus on the opponents, study their play, compare, and prepare purposefully. But now, each time a new opponent appears, and they need to be studied from scratch. It’s very hard. I think this format was created by someone who has not previously encountered sports. Kind of like in politics now. People come in who are completely outside this sphere of activity.
— Shakhtar at least has theoretical chances to fight for the playoffs. Dynamo, it seems, will just play out the stage in the Europa League.
— Yes, Kyiv has practically no chances. I think the club understands this. But there are two factors that can influence the players. The first is the prestige of the club, the second is gaining experience that will come in handy in the next European campaign. Dynamo has many young players. Just as fruit ripens, so do players. However, this ripening can be accelerated if there is an opportunity to perform at a level like the Europa League, where necessary experience is gained for future victories.
— It’s hard not to agree, but still victory is desired now.
— It is possible to attract foreign players. And if there is no money for them, internal reserves must be sought. To develop your own school and we see that something is already working out a bit.
— In the matches against Ferencvaros and Victoria, in my opinion, points should have been taken. We can definitely give Real Sociedad a fight.
— We need to urgently resolve defensive issues. Even in the last league game, when we defeated Oleksandriya, the opponents had three dangerous moments near Dynamo's goal. Mikhaylenko and Popov acted unreliably, making elementary mistakes. Meanwhile, the midfield and attack looked more or less coordinated.
— If only it were that way in the Europa League.
— The game with Oleksandriya showed that when playing as the second number and using speedy Vanat and Voloshin, chances will be there even in Spain. In positional attacks, Dynamo does not look very confident, but they break out well in counterattacks. Plus, Pikhalyonok and Shaparenko were already on the bench—these are players focused on attack. When they are absent on the field, there is a lack of creativity. However, Mikhaylenko came on. I liked him. He played confidently.
— If you look closely, you can also find players in our country.
— In football, there are special features: if there is a lack of a skilled player for any position, sooner or later, they will be found. Once, in Dynamo, Blokhin was replaced by Protasov, then Yuran, Alenikov, Rebrov, Shevchenko appeared. We have enough talented boys.
— Certain positions in the Kyiv team are currently weak. Can this lineup allow Dynamo to maintain leadership in the Ukrainian championship, or will Shakhtar, which has a somewhat more balanced squad, catch up?
— There is still almost a whole second round ahead. At the moment I see a four-point advantage. This is quite a lot. There is also the effect of gaining mastery. By 25 years, a player, even if he does not work too hard, will grow in football terms. Take the same Kaluzhnyi. He was in Dynamo’s system for five years, but only flourished now. So, we need to be patient. In a year, these players will add 10-15 percent to their level.
Two years ago, I was asked about Chelsea when they were wobbling in the middle of the Premier League table. I replied that they would be fighting for the championship in a few seasons. Or take Oleksandriya. Last season, it was no good. Journalists were already firing the coach. But there was patience, and the team under Rotan is now leading the championship. The situation in Rukh is similar. A unique, interesting team is showing intensive modern football. A find for our championship. Dynamo will also improve in their game in the spring.
— So, the four-point advantage will more likely be preserved by Kyiv than lost?
— I admire the relationships within the Dynamo team. The players are united, they have friendly relations. Shovkovskiy and Gusev saw how they grew up. This matters when a team moves towards a goal as one whole. In Shakhtar, I don’t see that. Brazilians are on their own, our players are separate. Maybe I'm wrong, but it’s evident that the contact between players is not very tight. The mentality is different—for Ukrainians, the coach, and foreigners. It is not easy to find a common denominator for them.
Psychologically, Dynamo feels better at the moment. The Ukrainian championship is their priority. Today, if I were to bet on the champion in a totalizator, I would choose the option 60 to 40 in favor of Dynamo.
Gennady Chekhovsky
