Former Dynamo defender Volodymyr Horyliy shared his thoughts on the Kyiv team’s performance in the Europa League playoff match against Israeli Maccabi Tel Aviv, which ended in yet another defeat for the Kyiv team, 1:3.
Volodymyr Horyliy— The self-degradation of Dynamo continues. No conclusions were drawn after the confrontation with Paphos?
— If we recall the performance in the previous stage of the Europa League, plus these matches, a catastrophic situation emerges. The team is in complete degradation. What can be said if by the 21st minute the score could have been 3:0 in favor of Maccabi. And the Kyiv goal in the second half looks like a mere coincidence. The players’ eyes show emptiness, and the most frightening thing is indifference. It feels like they’re being forced onto the field, and they’re just going through the motions. And there can be no excuses: we’re not playing at home, it’s hard and takes a long time to travel, we get very tired… It’s tough! Then carefully pack up your gear and do something else. Our soldiers in the trenches have it much harder. Sabо is right: “Where do they find such footballers?”. It’s only a pity for Yarmolenko, who has to bear this shame on his shoulders at 35 years old towards the end of his career. And what’s striking is that the team is physically “dead” and the patient is already in intensive care (laughs).
— How can one describe the thoughtless act of Vivcharenko, who jumped straight-legged into an opponent without any gaming necessity, bringing down such an unfortunate team? Does part of the blame for the defeat lie on his conscience, or not?
— This needs to be asked to the head coach regarding playing discipline. By the way, this isn’t the first such case. In the last draw of the Europa League, Dynamo played against Ferencváros, and with a score of 0:0 in the first half, Dubinchak was sent off in a similar manner for jumping into the opponent’s legs. After the red card, the Kyiv team fell apart, losing 0:4. History repeats itself.
— We have to discuss the “backyard” of Dynamo’s defense with all the specialists. The pair of Popov and Mykhavko constantly arrange “open house” days. In this game, we saw another combination: Bilovar and Mykhavko. But there’s no change from rearranging places. The defense remains just as leaky. And, unfortunately, there’s the impression that people are playing football because of connections. Don’t you think so?
— It seems that not only one figure is playing because of connections, but the whole team (laughs). Popov comes out and starts playing in tandem with Bilovar. And what? Nothing! They missed the third goal together, the opponent sliced through them with a pass behind their backs, Perets burst out through their zone and calmly scored. Any run behind them poses a constant danger. But the problem with Dynamo lies not just in defense; the problem is in all lines and links. Where is the “expensive” Shaparenko, who is completely invisible on the field? With such a game, he’s not worth a penny. Where is the “best” striker Vanat, who can’t beat a defender one-on-one? In terms of ball possession, we have the best goalkeeper Neshcheret, who has the most touches. Because all the play goes backward through the goalkeeper, the players don’t know what to do with the ball, so they go back and back.
— The state of Dynamo’s game is sad…
— Only the letter remains of Dynamo. It’s time to rename the club to something else so that these… do not disgrace such a “Dynamo.” It seems that the players don’t even perceive criticism directed at them anymore; they have adapted to it. There’s no desire to fight for the emblem of once-glorious and star-studded Dynamo. And that is very sad.
Sergiy Shebek
