The former coach of Kyiv’s Dynamo, Oleksandr Hatskevych, summed up March in the Ukrainian championship.
— The best team of February-March?
— I would award the prize to «Oleksandriya», which passed the spring segment most consistently. «Dynamo» and Shakhtar lost more points.
— The disappointing team of February-March?
— I will name «Chornomorets». The Odesa team changed coaches, and so far there is no understanding of how the team plans to earn points. Can Kuchер save «Chornomorets»? Look, Kolos also changed coaches, and the first game under Kostiushyn's management had an unsuccessful result (loss to LNZ, 0:2, — ed. note). However, the international break worked in the team's favor, and in the match against «Zorya», Kolos dominated.
Therefore, Kuchер also needs time to understand how to utilize the available players. He switched the tactical scheme, playing with three central defenders, but so far the result has been negative. Time is needed. There will be a tense struggle for survival and relegation matches at the bottom of the standings.
— How do you assess Yarmolenko's return to big football? He has already debuted for «Chornomorets», but it's unlikely that this match can be counted in his favor.
— Probably, «Chornomorets» has some goals related to Yarmolenko's return. Relying solely on experience is one thing, while another is what condition Rakitskyi is in and how much time he will need to regain his former form.
«Chornomorets» is a team that spends most of the match without the ball and defending, so defenders must be in good shape — running and fighting. Yaroslav has strong qualities, but the question is how much time he will need to reach a high level and help the team.
— The best coach of February-March?
— If I named «Oleksandriya» as the best team, then I would give the first place to Rotan. His team has stable results. Perhaps in the spring part of the championship, there are no bright games, but the most important thing is that «Oleksandriya» is earning points.
It is evident that the club has changed its strategy. Initially, Rotan relied more on youth, but later he realized that while the prospective players are healthy, the results come from experienced footballers. The arrival of Shabanov, Kravchenko, Kovalytsia, quality legionnaires — Bezzeira, Kampush — is bearing fruit. The coaching staff is finding a balance between experience and youth.
— Is Rotan ready for a new challenge, for example, to move up to Shakhtar? Previously, Srna said that among Ukrainian specialists, he particularly liked Ruslan Petrovich.
— Here, stability is important. Last year, things didn’t work out for Ruslan, but this year they are going well. It is clear that when you come to clubs like Shakhtar and Dynamo, it won’t be easy. You need to achieve results and win the championship, the Cup, and get into the Champions League. Is Rotan ready for such a challenge? Why not. You have to try. The progress of «Oleksandriya» under his management is definitely there.
— The best player of February-March?
— Bruninho scored three goals, but against whom? «Chornomorets» — the team that is at the bottom. One might highlight Filippov, but I will name Buyalskyi because he maintains balance — scoring and assisting.
Do I consider Buyalskyi an underrated player for Dynamo? This is something that is being said from every corner today. I have known Vitalik since he was 16. He is a very good footballer and a good person. It’s unnecessary to say he is underrated, the main thing is that Vitalik is needed in «Dynamo». Today, it is impossible to imagine the attack of the Kyivans without Buyalskyi. He still has ambition, and there’s a fire in his eyes. In every game, he proves that he is an irreplaceable player for «Dynamo».
— The best Ukrainian legionnaire of February-March?
— Zabarniy cannot be credited with this month. Talovyerov’s goal against Man City? There are such games when you shine during set pieces. My choice is Yaremchuk. Roman scores in European competitions, against «Panathinaikos» with a brace brought victory and he looks pretty good in the national team.
— Give a prediction for the final top-3 of UPL?
— First place — «Dynamo». Second — «Oleksandriya». Third — «Shakhtar». In the spring part, Shakhtar does not yet look convincing. Perhaps it will warm up soon, the fields will become better, and the Brazilians will start to play brighter. But this year, the Donetsk team is unstable in terms of play, and there is not a large reserve of strength.
The statement from Pushych that «Shakhtar» is no longer fighting for the championship? Perhaps he did not mean to say it that way, but an imperfect knowledge of English and the quality of translation played a role. I don’t believe a coach could say such a thing when there are many matches left until the end of the championship and the points difference is not that significant. After all, «Dynamo» also lost points, but «Shakhtar» did not know how to take advantage of this. Perhaps Pushych made such a statement for the press, but I am confident that «Shakhtar» will fight until the end.
— The last question concerns the national team. After 3:1 in the first match, Ukraine hopelessly lost to Belgium (0:3) in the second match, playing from the first minutes to hold the score. After this game, a wave of criticism fell on Rebrov, and fans are calling for him to resign; he even closed comments on Instagram. Your opinion — should Rebrov leave the position of head coach of the national team, or should he finish the qualifying cycle for the 2026 World Cup?
— Serhiy Stanislavovych said that the tasks set for the team in the Nations League have been fulfilled. Let’s remember that the team was on the verge of elimination from group B, everything was decided only in the last round, and there was even a chance to break into the elite division. Of course, the second match against Belgium will definitely not help the team and Rebrov. But you need to draw the right conclusions from each game and move forward.
Perhaps Serhiy Stanislavovych's statement that he considers the Nations League a friendly tournament added negativity. The main task of the Ukrainian national team today is to qualify for the World Cup. This has been declared not only by Rebrov but also by Shevchenko.
I am also one of those who is dissatisfied with the game of the national team, and the result is generally dreadful. But Rebrov should finish the qualifying cycle to the end since his task is to qualify for the World Cup, not the Nations League.
— In the qualification for the 2026 World Cup, we were also unlucky. Our opponent could have been Croatia, but instead, we got France, which made a comeback against the «checkered».
— When I worked in the national team, we played against the French, who were the European champions at that time. We drew 0:0 at home, so there is nothing terrible in them. Croatia is also a good team, even if not as prestigious as France. The Ukrainian national team has time to prepare for the autumn and analyze the opponents. We have only one national team, and we will worry, cheer, and believe in it.
Andriy Piskun