Famous coach, now expert Oleg Fedorchuk shared his impressions of the start of the second part of the Ukrainian championship of the current season.
Oleg Fedorchuk
— After the first matches involving the leaders, I started to lean towards the idea that the finish will involve a tough battle for the gold medals. In my opinion, the Dynamo players will gradually squander the significant points advantage they had over their pursuers last autumn. Although, despite the unexpected draw in Kyiv with "Vorskla," Alexander Shovkovsky's team remains the main contender for the championship title.
— Why did the Dynamo players look so unconvincing in the match against the Poltava team?
— In my opinion, the Kyivans overestimated their strength after a rather easy victory over "Karpaty" (2:0) in the 18th round. Against the Poltava team, Dynamo started to create problems for themselves, not having maximally tuned in, and their level of preparation is low even by UPL standards. They have not strengthened the center of defense.
It is also concerning that there are few middle-aged players among the Dynamo players who would take the initiative when the veterans are not at their best. The young Kyivans clearly lack stability. We will see how motivated Dynamo will be in the next calendar match — against LNZ.
— And who would you highlight among the participants after the resumption of the championship?
— So far, "Veres" is shining — it is a coaching team that carefully follows the instructions of its mentor Oleg Shandruka. The team plays in their characteristic style, where the emphasis is on speed.
I would also highlight "Karpaty." After the failure against "Dynamo," the Lviv team managed to gather and defeat LNZ, although for a long time they played with a numerical disadvantage. It is pleasing that Vladislav Lupashko's team is trying to demonstrate attacking football.
— Who did you expect more from?
— From the charges of perhaps the most successful domestic coaches — Yuri Vernydub and Roman Grigorchuk. Currently, their teams, respectively "Kryvbas" and LNZ, are not impressive, in particular, LNZ was clearly lucky in the 18th round against "Rukh."
— In your opinion, will there be a tighter battle for medals or among the outsiders?
— A difficult question. I feel that intrigue will keep everyone in suspense among the outsiders until the last matches. Of course, this will be a win for Ukrainian football fans.
Maxim Kovalenko
