Former goalkeeper of Kyiv’s Dynamo, now coach Vladimir Tsytkin, spoke about what he thinks of his former team’s defeat against Israeli Maccabi from Tel Aviv (1:3) in the first match of the Europa League playoff qualifying round.
Vladimir Tsytkin“After Dynamo’s defeat in the first match of the Europa League qualifying against Maccabi — 1:3, everyone is criticizing the Kyiv team. I won’t do that because you have to be inside the team to have complete information on why Alexander Shovkovsky’s players are regressing with each game.
They say hope dies last, so the motivation for the Dynamo players in the return match against Maccabi should be appropriate. A lot will depend on whether the Kyivans open the scoring in Lublin early on. This would help immediately restore the intrigue. Otherwise, with each attack, the chances will decrease.
What is needed for a quick goal? Press aggressively from the first minutes and not just simulate pressure like in the first match, be aggressive in tackles. Secondly, the Dynamo players should do everything much faster. It must be noted that while there were many questions about the organization of the defense game before, now even the attackers have sharply slowed down. Although it is their effectiveness that can radically change the situation in Lublin in this tie.
Of course, Maccabi is the favorite — a two-goal advantage is a serious handicap, especially since the Israelis will also try to surprise with home setups, and they know how to counterattack well,” said Tsytkin.
