Famous coach and now expert Oleg Fedorchuk shared his expectations for the second part of the current season of the Ukrainian Championship.
Oleg Fedorchuk
— I think there are three options for determining the champion. If Dynamo starts the segment without losses, and the main contender — Shakhtar — loses points in matches against Oleksandriya and Kryvbas, then we can already congratulate Kyiv on the title. If Dynamo and Shakhtar win all their matches in turn, due to the handicap after the autumn part of the season, Alexander Shovkovskyi’s team will retain the top position in the standings. Finally, Dynamo have several vulnerable positions, and if they can't avoid injuries to their leaders, then radical changes are possible. By the way, Oleksandriya may "shoot" here, as they have retained all their leading players and have been qualitatively strengthened.
— Did participants surprise in any way during the winter break in the UPL championship?
— Except for Dynamo, who were once again passive in the transfer market, and Inhulets, who were not prepared for new challenges on grass fields. Others made efforts to strengthen their squads, but their opportunities to invite newcomers from leading football countries were limited.
— What is this related to?
— For various reasons, Ukrainian clubs have already ceased to be a kind of springboard for legionnaires to get into top championships. All due to their constant failures in European cups. And the level of the UPL has long ceased to be decisive for foreign scouts in inviting even well-known players. On the other hand, this increases the chances for players with Ukrainian passports to prove themselves.
— The fact that Ukrainian clubs are not impressive right now is confirmed by their performances in friendlies during preparations for the spring part of the championship.
— I wouldn't make such categorical conclusions. And not only because opponents from the same Balkan countries are progressing and have the opportunity to invite qualified legionnaires. In my time, the results of friendlies were of great importance; wins even had solid bonuses. Now, the playing method is in the foreground, the main thing is how well you prepare for official matches. After all, when you play for a half, it's hard to achieve the desired outcome under such circumstances.
— Interestingly, among domestic clubs, the players of Rukh performed the best, despite taking significant personnel losses in January.
— This is exactly the case when the remaining players, along with ambitious newcomers, wanted to jump above their heads to impress the coaching staff, and this worked to their advantage. Let's see how long such zeal lasts for the Lviv team in the championship.
— The recent news about the merger of the Lviv teams Karpaty and Rukh, with the cessation of Vitalii Ponomariov's team in the UPL at the end of the season, was long at the center of discussions among experts and fans, but then it turned out that the merger would not happen.
— I don’t know who initiated bringing the topic of merging both Lviv clubs to the public’s attention. It would have been simpler to announce a cooperation agreement with player exchanges. In this story, the head of the “green-white” Vladyslav Lupashko found himself in an unenviable position, as he was imposed players who do not fit the style of the current Karpaty.
— Lastly, who do you think will leave the elite division?
— I only see one loser – Inhulets, who may repeat the fate of Minai, which is now fighting for survival in the First League. A very sharp struggle among the outsiders is also expected.
But the main thing is that in this difficult time for Ukraine, amid Russian aggression, we are even talking about football.
Andriy Pisarenko
