Oleksandr Sopko, a former player of these teams, shared his thoughts on the finalists of the current season of the Ukrainian Cup - Kyiv’s "Dynamo" and Donetsk’s "Shakhtar".
— Are you following your former teams, "Shakhtar" and "Dynamo"?
— Of course. It would probably be wrong to disregard both right now. Dynamo’s failure on the European stage is an unprecedented case in the club’s history. At the same time, in the national championship, the team demonstrates confident play and leads with a comfortable margin.
In some segments of the Champions League matches, Shakhtar showed quite decent play and managed to gain points. However, in the Ukrainian championship, the team looks extremely unconvincing: the level of play has noticeably dropped, the former strength and class have vanished somewhere. This is no longer the "Shakhtar" it was a few years ago.
— But we expect better, don’t we? When will our giants play at their former level?
— It is clear that under current conditions, in which our football exists, one should not expect more. Probably, we need to be patient and wait for better times — when there will be stable funding, proper preparation conditions, improved logistics, and footballers will stop spending a significant part of their time on travel. Only then can we hold them fully accountable.
— Promising Ukrainian footballers who currently play for us often become subjects of discussion. There has been a lot of criticism on social media directed at Sudakov and Brazhko. What is your attitude towards this?
— As soon as a footballer plays a few standout matches, the cries begin: "Here’s a star! He costs so much!", confusing wishes with reality. We ourselves create inflated expectations about a player. But if he fails to perform in a few matches, the same people who yesterday built his image as a star are already screaming that he is overrated and can’t play.
People begin to pour out all the negativity that has accumulated due to the conditions the footballer currently lives in. They become intolerant, forgetting about basic respect for the player and his profession.
If we had a different level of championship, a different level of teams, then perhaps both would have to struggle for a place in the starting lineup of "Shakhtar" and "Dynamo". And it’s not a fact that they would become leaders. It would be good for them to make it to the main squad.
In a sense, they — Sudakov and Brazhko — are in sheltered conditions.
From a young age, they became stars, standing out among their peers and automatically got into big football. There, they also immediately gained star status. Agents constantly revolve around them, slightly confusing them. I wouldn’t say they are not professionals. I know both of them well. They are very good, decent guys who aspire to play at a high level in big football, but perhaps they somewhat overestimate their capabilities. That’s why they are very impatient and want to leave for abroad as soon as possible.
— Do you think Brazhko and Sudakov should still play in Ukraine?
— No. They are fully ready to play there — in foreign championships. The only question is which club. If it’s a top club, maybe they are not ready yet. You can start at any foreign club. The main thing is to get to your coach, to a team that suits your playing style. Be mentally prepared. Have openness, sociability, a sense of humor, and work hard in training. Listen to the coach and follow his instructions. Do not close yourself off, do not succumb to suffering, and especially do not show dissatisfaction.
— You became a legionnaire, albeit at a later age. What’s the difference between playing here and there?
— There they won’t "coddle" you as they do here. There, each subsequent game must be played better than the previous one, because for your place there are other contenders from Africa or Latin America waiting for their chance. For them, there’s no such thing as extra money, because at home they have about 20 brothers and sisters to feed. And they won’t miss their chance.
But you need to go abroad, because a football life is short, sometimes it ends very quickly due to injuries. Therefore, you need to set such a challenge for yourself — to understand what you are capable of and to earn completely different money.
Oleksandr Petrov