Former forward of Kyiv’s "Dynamo", and now a well-known expert Viktor Leonenko summed up 2024 for Ukrainian football.
Viktor Leonenko— Name the main football event of the year in Ukraine.
— Let it be Dovbyk winning the "Pichichi Trophy", as there is not much else to highlight. Although our "Pichichi" seems to have disappeared at "Roma". It’s a mystery to me why he is not ready, perhaps injuries have affected him. But if Dovbyk has caught the star, he can be written off. If you have reached the top, but there is no stability, they will put you in your place right away. You cannot relax in professional sports, unless you have won the championship, and where is "Roma" now? Dovbyk still has to work hard!
— The failure of the year in Ukrainian sports.
— Of course, this is the failures of our clubs in the European cups, although they were predictable. It feels like aliens are playing against "Shakhtar" and "Dynamo". Their opponents perform at a pace that is too fast! And it’s not just "Bayern" or "Arsenal", but, sadly, even "Ferencváros" and "Victoria". That’s why our clubs are always happy when the giants fall out. Then you can confidently say — we were unlucky with the draw, look how much these teams cost, and so on.
Why is "Dynamo" failing in the Europa League? The level of players is such with us. Our footballers have an inflated opinion of themselves as stars. Also, we have a very weak championship, which does not contribute to the development of players. Moreover, one can make allowances for logistics and long travels.
What would I advise Ihor Surkis? He will not be able to completely change the team, everyone has contracts. Unfortunately, that’s the level of our players. I don’t see anyone standing out, all our clubs have players who are the same. It’s clear that any coach and president want players to be bought, but in our realities, they are betting on academies because decent legionnaires don’t want to come to Ukraine.
— Team of the year in Ukraine.
— I will name "Oleksandriya". Last year they were a draw team, and this season they started winning. While "Shakhtar" was dropping points, "Oleksandriya" was accumulating them. For me, this is definitely the team of the discovery. I also like Veres, they are trying to do something. Polissya has beaten "Shakhtar" twice. European cups distract "Dynamo" and "Shakhtar", so "Oleksandriya", "Kryvbas", and "Polissya" need to take advantage of this.
— Disappointment team of the year in Ukraine?
— I won’t touch the national team. Our opponents were not the weakest. For some reason, you journalists concluded that we should beat everyone and almost win the Euro. Many had inflated expectations from the national team, but our team just performed at its level.
For me, the disappointment team is "Inhulets", which is at the bottom of the UPL. Earlier, it was a problematic team that could take points from "Dynamo", and now...
"Lviv" — a newcomer, I didn’t expect much from them. Although, it’s alarming that they haven’t scored in nine consecutive matches. I have a question: what were the footballers doing on the field? Obolon is no longer a newcomer, but also at the bottom, constantly complaining that the referees are killing them.
— Who would you give the "Ballon d'Or" to? Who is the best player of the year in Ukraine?
— Of course, Zabarnyi. In our case, the best players are either defenders or goalkeepers. There is no one else to choose from. Zabarnyi has good press in England and stability at "Bournemouth". I hope he gets picked up by a good club this winter.
"Real", "Tottenham"? Why not? He’s playing well and consistently. The main thing is that he transfers to a good club, and I don’t like to guess where. Everyone wants to go to "Real" and "Barcelona", but not everyone can break through there. Perhaps Zabarnyi will sit on the bench like Lunin, but I hope he goes to a club where he will play.
Comparing the value of Mudryk and Zabarnyi? Zabarnyi has not been overpriced like Mudryk, so it is easier for him. Everyone expected bright performances from Mykhailo right away, and that’s right, because they paid 70 million for him. As for Zabarnyi, the more they pay for him, the better. The main thing is that he matches the level.
— Who became the disappointment player of the year in Ukraine?
— Yaremchuk! He has long disappeared and does not even play at "Olympiacos". Why did he even go to Greece?! Dovbyk and Vanat should play in the national team, while Yaremchuk should not be called up at all because he is a substitute in the club. Vanat is the top scorer of the Ukrainian championship, yet he can’t make it into the national team. This is very strange.
— Let’s now create a symbolic year team for Ukraine.
— It will be difficult, but let's try. Here we go!
— Goalkeeper.
— This is the only position in the national team of Ukraine where we have never had problems. You can pick anyone and not go wrong. But I will still highlight Bushchan, who has repeatedly saved "Dynamo", especially since the Kyiv team is currently in first place in the championship. Lunin sometimes plays, sometimes does not. Trubin is decent, but I want to support a goalkeeper from UPL.
— Left-back.
— Without options — Mykolenko! Although... Whenever I look at him, he’s always sick. I noticed that our defenders get injured more often than attackers. Popov is constantly injured. I don’t understand what's wrong with him. He seems to be a healthy guy.
— Central defenders.
— Zabarnyi and Matviyenko. I have already mentioned Illia above. He is our most stable player in Europe.
Has Matviyenko not overstayed his welcome at "Shakhtar"? I recall the story with Konoplyanka, whom the whole world was buying, but in the end, he went to Sevilla for free. Why do you even think that Matviyenko wants to leave "Shakhtar"? Here he is playing in the Champions League, which many footballers dream of.
— Right-back.
— Let’s put Krupskyi from "Vorskla". I want to support youth. A talented guy! Is Krupskyi better than Tymchyk and Karavaev? Do not mention Karavaev, he is a substitute. I hope Krupskyi will be more interesting than Tymchyk if he transfers to "Dynamo".
— Defensive midfielder.
— Last year I named Brazhko, and he completely justified expectations, so I count him again in the team of the year. Yes, he is still raw, but already a key player for "Dynamo" and the national team. Although at "Dynamo" I don’t see any leaders at all. Buialskyi is still scoring, although it’s already time to make way for the young, but everyone keeps sitting, like Yarmolenko and Stepanenko.
Kalyuzhnyi? The guy still has everything ahead, he needs to show himself. Just because he was called up to the national team doesn’t mean he is better than everyone else. Rebrov is just reviewing players, trying to change something, otherwise the same ones are playing and there are no results.
— Central attacking midfielder.
— Bondarenko sometimes looks decent, but let’s put Tverdokhlib as a gamble. The guy scored seven goals in five consecutive matches and even got a hat-trick! I want to believe that this is not just a bright flash and that he will have stability. Sudakov can also be mentioned; lately, he has warmed up. Don’t mention Zinchenko. He only plays as a substitute for "Arsenal". Well, he scored in the last match for the national team, that’s it! I didn’t see stability from Pikhalyonok: either injuries or not making the squad.
— Right midfielder.
— Tsyhankov is more in recovery than playing, and if he does play, then not very noticeably. So I put Hutsuliak in this position. Has Hutsuliak matured to a stronger team? Well, "Polissya" can be considered such; they beat "Shakhtar" twice. With the capabilities of the Zhytomyr club, they should be right up there with "Dynamo" and "Oleksandriya", but there is still no stability.
— Left midfielder.
— I will place Nazarenko. The guy has matured to the national team, he constantly plays for "Polissya". So far, he looks decent, the main thing is not to stop developing.
So many hopes were placed on Mudryk, but he only plays in the Conference League and has played only three good matches for the national team, otherwise he usually drops out. I want Mishka to transfer to "Bavaria" under Kompany and revive his career. Especially since he knows English, he will talk to Kane. Mudryk has never blossomed at "Chelsea". And now there’s doping... They constantly say he needs time. What the hell do you mean time?! You cost 70 million!
— Strikers.
— It turns out that Vanat and Dovbyk. No one else. Yaremchuk does not play at "Olympiacos" at all. Krasnopir? Six goals — is that a striker?! Especially in our championship.
I don’t know what’s happening with Dovbyk in "Roma". We’ve made a star out of him, but there is no stability. He went to Serie A for big money, but they don’t make discounts there, and he must justify the invested funds. I’m afraid it might turn out that the best games of Dovbyk were at "Girona". "Roma" fans pay big money for tickets, so they won’t stand on ceremony.
As for Vanat, he is the top scorer in the UPL. Let him continue in this spirit, but I want to see him in the national team, while for some reason he is not needed there. It would be fair if Vanat were given a chance instead of Yaremchuk because Roman is sitting on the bench at the club. Any normal coach would not call up players to the national team who do not play in the club. And that is right.
— Coach of the year.
— I will name the person who is in first place in the UPL — Shovkovskyi. I probably won’t mention European cups — there is no best coach for us there.
What can I recall about playing together with Shovkovskyi at "Dynamo"? Goalkeepers are a separate caste. They trained separately with Mykhailov; they didn’t play with us in squares. Shovkovskyi was a calm and quiet guy; I can’t say anything bad about him.
Rotan? "Dynamo" beat "Oleksandriya" 3:0, but they could have scored even more. You can’t call a coach the best if his team concedes in our weak championship.
"Shakhtar" plays very inconsistently, and I can say that "the miners" got it wrong with the coach. I read an interview with Pushich, where he says that "Shakhtar" is having a fantastic season. What fantastic season?! What place are you in?! Does he think that beating "Young Boys" means he has succeeded?
People like Pushich I call "positivity". He convinces himself that everything is great. "Shakhtar" is doing everything to let "Dynamo" win the championship. Who would I recommend to Akhmetov as a replacement for Pushich? Rinat Leonidovych pays salaries to managers; let them advise. If I were tasked with finding a coach for "Shakhtar", I would. But I don’t want to do someone else’s job.
Fonseca was not a good coach either. A good coach is one whose players develop, and the Portuguese didn’t cultivate any; he only rode on Lucescu’s baggage.
Andriy Piskun
