The legendary coach of “Volyn,” Vitaliy Kvaratsyany shared his thoughts on the situation with the Ukrainian striker of “Bayer,” Artem Stepanov, who refused to go to the youth national team.
Vitaliy Kvaratsyany
— Vitaliy Volodymyrovych, what can you say about the situation with Artem Stepanov, who refused to go to the youth national team of Ukraine allegedly due to a conflict with head coach Dmytro Mykhailenko?
— I cannot say anything because I am not familiar with the situation. I know Artem’s father very well; he played for me at Volyn, but he now lives in Germany with his son. I saw Artem last year at Euro in Cyprus in games for the youth team of Ukraine under the guidance of Yuriy Moroz. Stepanov played well; there was visible good potential and qualities.
— How would you describe Stepanov?
— His anthropometry is excellent; he is tall and fast. At the same time, he has very good ball control and opens up well for his height. I can say that Artem will be more dynamic than his father. He is 193 cm tall, and his father is 190 cm, but Artem is faster. He is also not prone to injuries; he is not fragile but athletic, which is also very important.
A player like him should definitely not be let go. He has an interesting playing style, movements, focus on the goal, and ball work. If he improves his dribbling, he will be a machine. From what I have seen, Artem should become an outstanding football player and potentially be worth a lot of money.
— Can Artem become a star in world football?
— Absolutely.
— Stepanov is often compared to Haaland. Can he surpass the Norwegian in the future?
— It's hard to say, but with the right approach, it can happen. They are both finishers and similar in playing style, but there are differences. From what I have seen, Stepanov hardly does any tricks, but maybe the coaches have prohibited him from dribbling; I do not know that. I would allow him to beat everyone, even if he loses the ball, but that is necessary for confidence.
I saw Haaland at 17 years old at “Salzburg” and said that he would be a top football player. I can say the same about Stepanov.
— So, Ukraine needs to fight for him?
— My opinion is this. Stepanov should have been taken a long time ago with all the paperwork. To talk and agree that he is a player of the Ukrainian national team. So there would be no tricks on his part. All of this had to be done formally and forget about this history.
He needs to be developed in terms of gameplay, not advertising because, with us, football players are most often just promoted, and when it comes to the game, apart from walking, nothing is visible. He needs to be distanced from relatives so that he makes decisions on his own because, as far as I know, in Artem’s family, it is not him or his father who decide, but his mother.
— Do you remember Artem from the children’s school of “Volyn”?
— Of course, I remember. His father coached him. Then I left “Volyn,” there was some conflict with the management, and his father took him to “Shakhtar”. After that, it was “Bayer”.
— What should the coaching staff and UAF do in the situation with Stepanov?
— Let the national team coaching staff get on a plane and fly to Germany. Pride must be put aside. They should meet with Artem and his family and discuss everything.
With Artem, one needs to speak on equal terms, not in a superior manner. Football players like when they are communicated with as equals. And Stepanov, in turn, must take the conversation seriously and with respect for the coaching staff.
I will tell a story from my career. Once I wanted to sign Volodya Diky for "Volyn", may he rest in peace. He was brought to Lutsk. We sat and talked. Then he says, "Shall we smoke?". — "Well, let’s do it". We sat further, Volodya again: "I will have a beer, are you against?" — "Well, drink". I opened a bottle for myself too. We talked and he agreed to play for Volyn.
Once, during bad weather, snow and rain, I traveled across Ukraine to Melitopol for Khacherydi, when all the coaches were on vacation. I slept with bedbugs, but in the morning, I got what I wanted and took Khacherydi.
I also persuaded Sachko for a long time to move to “Volyn”. I sent people for him; he was brought to Lutsk. He immediately got defensive: "What have you brought me here from Donetsk? I do not want to go to “Volyn”. How do you know I will play here?!". I said: "As long as I am the head coach, you will play and score."
There have been many such cases. I was ready to go to the ends of the earth for a player who can make a difference. For every player, one needs to find a non-standard approach and be a subtle psychologist.
— Let’s imagine that in your Volyn, a young Stepanov and experienced Sachko are playing, who would be released to start?
— It is a difficult question, but I would definitely give Artem some time because he is the type of my almost ideal striker. There is still a lot of work to do with him. I also worked a lot with Sachko. I saw that Vasya was good at tricking, but he was afraid to do it. I told him: “Don’t be afraid of losing the ball; go ahead and dribble. You can do it.” Over time, he gained confidence.
— What advice would you give to Stepanov?
— Artem, first of all, needs to be devoted to his homeland and respect the country where he was born! It is necessary to defend the honor of Ukrainian football. I am proud that Artem is from Lutsk, just like his father, but he has not yet made his mark as a football player; a lot of work needs to be done for that. I wish him only the best and not to lose momentum. It will be interesting to see how his fate unfolds.
Andriy Piskun
