Honored coach of Ukraine Myron Markevych evaluated the performance of Ukrainian teams in European cups, commented on transfer events during the winter offseason, and shared his expectations for the second part of the season in Ukrainian football.
Myron Markevych. Photo — fckarpaty.org.ua— I fully share the point of view of those football fans who consider the performance of domestic giants — Shakhtar and Dynamo on the international stage — unsuccessful. The most disappointing thing is that with their "help" Ukraine is losing positions in the rankings.
— What did our giants lack the most on the international stage?
— I can’t say that there were any glaring miscalculations during the preparation period. Apparently, this is the level of even our best teams, which simply lost to their competitors not only in terms of speed of movement on the football field but also in decision-making.
Secondly, it seemed that Shakhtar's and Dynamo's players, especially the young ones, lacked the strength to fight on several “fronts” at once. Of course, to be fair, it should be said that unlike their opponents, our clubs had to constantly play away due to Russian aggression, which negatively impacted the training process. However, these losses could have been minimized, and official matches could have been held not in Germany, but in neighboring Poland. For me, in particular, it is unclear why the Dynamo players decided to play so far away — in Hamburg with empty stands, spending huge amounts of money on stadium rental. However, this is already a question not for the coaching staff, but for the management of Kyiv.
— After being eliminated from the Champions League, Shakhtar started to actively sell its leading players. Does it no longer believe it can catch up with Dynamo in the UPL?
— I wouldn’t be so categorical. Of course, there is a financial component; the club needs to earn money to stay afloat. Secondly, it is possible that Shakhtar has already found replacements for the players they sold, although it should be taken into account that the new legionnaires coming to Ukraine will need time to adapt. And with this, there are certainly problems, especially since we are talking about young footballers. Well, it is not excluded that Shakhtar is already mentally preparing for the next season.
— Dynamo, except for goalkeeper Bushchan, has retained all its leaders.
— The departure of Bushchan can be understood because the goalkeeper position in Dynamo is not critical. Given Georgiy's age, this was hardly his last chance to earn well. However, the losses of Popov, Brazhko, Shaparenko, Bulytskyi, and Vanat would have catastrophic consequences for the Kyiv team. There is no equal substitution for these players.
— Will Shakhtar be able to bring intrigue back into the fight for the UPL "gold"?
— Attempts will be made, but the Kyivans will hold out. Moreover, the main competitor — Shakhtar in its transfer policy has forgotten about the necessity of strengthening the center of defense and the defensive midfield. There is a lack of tall players, and therefore it is not surprising that after set pieces near the “miners’” goal, there are often “fires.” Nevertheless, I believe that Shakhtar will finish second, and Alexandria will be third.
— How would you comment on Shakhtar’s failure to compete for promising defender Ilya Krupskiy from Vorskla?
— I am not aware of all the details of this transfer, but it is good that another financially strong club has appeared in our football — Metalist 1925. Perhaps it is the Sлобожанцы who will initiate the return of our footballers playing for well-known European clubs back to their homeland.
— This year, another Kharkiv club — Metalist — has come into focus after successfully selling its homegrown player — Gennadiy Sіnchuk to Montreal from MLS.
— It is important here that Sіnchuk found himself at the right time and in the right place — as part of the junior national team of Ukraine at the continental championship, where he caught the eye of foreign scouts. The almost 5 million euros received from the sale of Sіnchuk will be useful for Metalist, one of whose leaders — Yevhen Krasnykov, has made every effort to ensure that both the club academy and the main team operate normally during these difficult years.
By the way, when I led Karpaty, Krasnykov came to Lviv several times and held negotiations with the club management of the "green and whites" about the transfer of Sіnchuk and another 7 players from Metalist. In the end, something didn’t work out, but these Kharkiv guys are very promising, and I find it strange that Sіnchuk is outside the focus of domestic giants. Over time, Gennadiy will undoubtedly announce himself loudly in one of the European top leagues and in the national team of Ukraine.
— The Nations League matches with the Belgians are approaching. Who do you think can replace Mykhailo Mudryk?
— First and foremost, we should wait a little longer to find out how the doping story involving the Chelsea midfielder ends. If the second test is negative, Mykhailo will have enough time to regain his sporting form. Otherwise, we will have to rely on Tsyhankov, Kabayev, or Nazarenko.
Andriy Pisarenko
