Famous Ukrainian coach Myron Markevych expressed his opinion on the Roma forward Artem Dovbik, as well as the chances of the Ukrainian national team in the qualification for the 2026 World Cup.
— Myron Bohdanovych, Artem Dovbik played his first match for the main team of Dnipro under your guidance. What impressed you about this forward?
— Artem has excellent physical attributes for a forward. He has a good left-footed shot. But the most important thing is that this player had fire in his eyes, he wanted to play so badly. Artem came to Dnipro as a young man, but after a while, I took him to the training camp with the first team because the forward was improving.
— If it weren’t for the well-known situation with Dnipro, could Dovbik’s career have turned out differently?
— It’s quite possible. And not only for him. At that time, Dmitry Mykhailenko had a good team in the reserves. Besides Dovbik, we invited about six guys to work with the first team. We could sell star players and invite the reserves to the first team; they wouldn’t let us down as they were ready for the Premier League.
— Did his stint in Denmark (“Midtjylland”, “Sønderjysk”) help Dovbik strengthen?
— Without a doubt. I don’t know all the details, but the same Midtjylland is not the last team in Denmark. There was a lot to learn there. After returning to Ukraine, Artem felt much more confident on the field, and later he became the leader of Dnipro-1.
— Having gained recognition, in the summer of 2023, Dovbik transferred to Girona, eventually becoming the top scorer of La Liga. Was it a mistake for him to leave the team and to leave Spain at all?
— I said back then that he should have stayed. Especially since “Atletico” (Madrid) was interested in him. Why it happened, you need to ask Artem himself and his agents.
— Did the forward manage to reveal all his potential at Roma?
— Definitely not.
— Why?
— Because the championships are different, the team is different, perhaps the requirements are different. There are many similar examples where a player shines, but upon moving to another team, things don’t go as successfully.
— Overall, knowing Dovbik’s abilities, which championship would be most suitable for him?
— In my opinion, the Spanish one.
— What are your assumptions regarding the future of this player?
— It’s hard to say. It all depends on the player and Roma’s coach Gian Piero Gasperini. If he is satisfied with coming on as a substitute, then he definitely needs to leave. Dovbik needs to play because he is in his prime, and he also has a certain reputation in Europe as a forward. He has a goal-scoring instinct, which is rare in football today. I can definitely say that being a backup is not what Dovbik needs.
— The Italian press claims that the role of the main forward of Roma will be given to Evan Ferguson. Does this put moral pressure on the Ukrainian?
— Of course, this situation does not add optimism. But again, Dovbik was the top scorer in the Spanish championship. He has a standard to meet, so waiting for his chance isn’t advisable. He needs to look for a situation where Artem will be a regular starter.
— Finally, I cannot help but ask you about the Ukrainian national team, which will start its qualifying tournament for the 2026 World Cup on September 5. How difficult will it be for the team, considering the lack of playing practice for our legionnaires and the not-so-successful performances of domestic giants in European competitions?
— We hope that this will not become an obstacle for the national team’s performance. Although, of course, currently only Ilya Zabarnyi and Yegor Yarmolyuk are not deprived of playing practice. Sergey Rebrov has a headache, but we want to believe that the players will show character and at least win one of the two games to bring some joy to their compatriots during such a difficult time for the country.
We need to throw all negativity out of our heads and fight for a place in the World Cup. I don’t see any particular problems in finishing at least second in our qualifying group.
Sergiy Dem’yanchuk