Former defender of Kyiv's Dynamo Oleg Kuznetsov shared his impressions of yesterday's match of his former team against Donetsk's "Shakhtar" (2:2) in the 26th round of the Ukrainian championship.
Oleg Kuznetsov— We saw two different halves. "Shakhtar" played very well in the first half, but then the Dynamo players switched on completely. Therefore, the result is quite logical.
— It's hard to understand what Dynamo's plan was at the start of the match…
— I don't know… But I can state one thing — this has happened before, and more than once, especially in the fall. I mean that the "white-blues" take a long time to wake up and spend the first 15-20 minutes rather unremarkably. In the first half, "Shakhtar" won almost all second balls, moved better, pressed well. However, after the break, the miners decided to play conservatively, from defense. I don't know if "Shakhtar" accounted for that or not, but "Dynamo" delivered maximum output in the second half, and even more. Shovkovskiy’s team could have scored 2-3 goals in a short period.
— Did "Shakhtar" consciously drop their pace or was it forced?
— It was forced. After the break, it became evident that the "miners" had played 120 minutes in the semi-final of the Ukrainian Cup against "Polissia." The match against the Zhytomyr team was very difficult for "Shakhtar," and it showed. Additionally, I believe that the four simultaneous substitutions made by Pushych in the 62nd minute were extremely unsuccessful — they not only did not strengthen the game but even weakened "Shakhtar."
— The match started with two mistakes from Mykhavko, leading to a penalty against Dynamo. And this has happened before…
— He punished himself. First, he made a mistake with a pass before the penalty area, and then he ran in to take the ball away in the penalty zone. However, defenders should not act like that — you cannot rush into the opponent and touch him. Usually, in such situations, you need to slide on the ground, considering that nothing serious was anticipated, as there were several Dynamo defenders behind.
This is an individual mistake. Mykhavko is still a very young player and makes many mistakes. And he had many ball losses in the fall… But the coaches trust Mykhavko; he is currently the main left-back. What's next? He will still make mistakes... Dynamo has a professional specialist in working with defenders — Serhiy Fedorov, who will advise Taras on where he is making mistakes.
— The veterans of Dynamo — Yarmolenko and Buyalsky — started the match. Did they perform at the level in the classic derby?
— Yes, they held up well. Especially considering that Yarmolenko played the entire match, while Buyalsky was on the field for 85 minutes. However, it should be noted that Dynamo eased the task for their leaders in the second half because the game was practically taking place on "Shakhtar’s" half of the field… Thus, both Yarmolenko and Buyalsky had to make maximum crosses — about 40-50 meters, no more. I also want to emphasize that Buyalsky is only 32 years old, he is in the prime of his strength, and he is still capable of much, just like in a clásico, for example.
— What problems that "Shakhtar" has faced throughout the season surfaced in this match against Dynamo?
— The Brazilians, especially those playing in defense, are not of the level required for serious tests. These Brazilians are not up to standard… Previously, "Shakhtar" had more talented legionnaires. It is possible that some are still adapting, and there is a certain lack of coordination. "Shakhtar" has numerous mistakes in defense. In the current season, the miners have rarely completed matches calmly, more often on the edge.
— How can the situation in the upper part of the UPL standings be assessed now?
— As for the championship — everything is decided! I think that "Oleksandriya" definitely won’t be able to fight for first place, but it will not give up second position to "Shakhtar." This will be finally determined after the match of the Oleksandriya team against "Polissia" in the 27th round. If Rotan’s team wins in Zhytomyr — that’s it, the fate of the silver medal will also be decided! From now on in the UPL, we will only observe the fight for fifth place.
Oleh Semenchenko
