Former Ukrainian football player Evgeny Seleznev shared his impressions of the 6th round match of the main stage of the Champions League between Donetsk’s Shakhtar and Munich’s Bayern (1:5), which took place the day before yesterday in Gelsenkirchen.
— The score is, of course, unpleasant. Too big. You can lose 1:2, 2:3, well, let’s say 1:3. But 1:5… That’s too much. If we consider the game as a whole, then Bayern was a head stronger in this match; there can be no doubt about that!
Regarding the match result, it was clear, as our teams in European cups — both Shakhtar and Kyiv’s Dynamo — are currently finding it very difficult to compete against top-level European clubs. These are our realities — and you can’t avoid them. The war, the level of the championship, and the lack of legionnaires of the quality we had before — all of this takes its toll. Just four or five years ago, there were 8-9 strong teams in the Premier League of Ukraine, among which there were real ‘battles’; now for the same Shakhtar, throughout the championship, there have only been two such matches.
Everything depends on the level of the championship. And our championship is currently slow; it lacks speed and aggression. Let’s take someone from the leaders — say, Sudakov. Where was he the day before yesterday on the field in Gelsenkirchen? Where? Well, that’s the whole conversation. It’s this fact that reflects the level of the UPL.
— And nevertheless, did you notice anything positive about Shakhtar's performance in the match against Bayern?
— If we talk about the positives, then perhaps the youth, who have never played against such teams and now have the opportunity to gain experience. This concerns both the Brazilians and our young guys. In such games, they gain invaluable experience. And believe me, that's worth a lot.
— How do you assess the future prospects of Shakhtar?
— With each match in the Champions League, Donetsk's team becomes better. It is clear that it is very difficult for the miners to play under such conditions: the war and huge travels. Additionally, the level of our championship, as I mentioned, is not of the same quality as before, as the speeds are completely different from those in European cups. Donetsk players are not used to playing against teams that press them, which are fast and individually strong. Therefore, it’s certainly difficult.
But at the same time, matches against teams at the level of Bayern are quite useful. They allow for not only gaining experience but also analyzing one’s mistakes and eliminating them. So, the miners have plenty to work on.
You mentioned Georgiy Sudakov earlier. Just recently, his price was estimated by Shakhtar at 50-60 million euros. In your opinion, cannot the price of this player in the current market conditions be the same as before?
— In my view, our players cannot be worth that much — neither 100, nor 70, nor 60 million. You can look at other transfers that are taking place in Europe. Take, for example, the Turk Arda Güler from Real Madrid. He is not worth that kind of money (this player cost the Spanish giant 45 million euros — ed.). Meanwhile, this guy is a player for the Turkish national team.
I think Sudakov should go abroad and show himself there — and then he will be bought even for 100 or 200 million. A fresh example is Zabarnyi. He went to Bournemouth, he hasn’t even played there for two years, and already everyone is chasing after him! He confidently plays for the Ukrainian national team, has made progress, and reached a good level in a modest English club. That is an indicator.
Vyacheslav Kulchytsky