Last weekend saw the conclusion of the fifth round of the Ukrainian championship. There were more than enough events to pay attention to. The former Dynamo forward and now football expert Oleg Salenko shared his views on the most important of them.
Oleg Salenko— Oleg, first of all, I cannot help but ask you about Dynamo's and Shakhtar's loss of points?
— Right now, everyone is vigorously discussing the actions of the referees in matches involving Dynamo and the miners. Regarding the game in Zhytomyr, the VAR referees along with the chief referee decided to award that goal. It is difficult for me to say definitively whether Kaluzhny’s goal was correctly awarded.
As for the match between Obolon and Dynamo, in my opinion, the referee should have allowed the home player to finish the attack before deciding whether to punish or not punish the player in the white and blue jersey. This shows the level of the referee, as he was unable to respond correctly to a quite simple situation. Obolon potentially lost two points.
— There have been many occasions when Dynamo and Shakhtar do not win after national team matches. The situation remains unchanged.
— This is already a question for the coaches. Not all players go to the national teams. Therefore, it is necessary to field players who are present in the club. Right now, the Ukrainian championship is not strong enough for the giants to worry about results when they have one and a half to two equally strong lineups.
— The failures of Dynamo and Shakhtar were taken advantage of by Koloss, which rose to second place, trailing Dynamo only on additional indicators. Can we call Ruslan Kostyshyn's team the revelation of the season?
— So far, yes. But this is based on points earned; I wouldn’t make that claim based on their gameplay. The head coach of the Kovalivka team probably has his own theory that knows how to play for results. It will be interesting to see Koloss face off against Dynamo, Shakhtar, or Metalist 1925.
— Many are expecting a lot from Polissia. After the victory over Kryvbas, can we expect a breakthrough from the Zhytomyr team?
— I do not rule this out, especially since they will have opponents in the next three rounds who do not reach for the stars (“Kudrivka”, “Veres”, “Poltava”). To be more competitive, Ruslan Rotan needs to settle on a core lineup sooner. With their potential, Polissia can be in contention for the third place. Moreover, the team has strengthened by signing Heorhii Bushchan, so it is all in their hands. There will be another pause in October for the national teams, which is a good opportunity for Rotan to assess the players, and winter break is not far away. In the spring part of the season, we should see the real potential of this team, if of course, the coach manages to meet this challenge. And we might see Oleksandr Usyk get into shape (smiles).
— Are you expecting our champion to hit the field?
— I am confident this will happen. Let it be as part of some kind of show, but Usyk will play for Polissia, maybe in a match that has already been decided.
— Can the head coach of Alexandria, Kyrylo Nesterenco, take a breather after the victory over LNZ?
— Only a little. Next Wednesday, his team will play against Dynamo in the Ukrainian Cup, and then in the championship. Given that the Kyivans stumbled, they will be very motivated for the upcoming matches, so at least until the seventh round, Alexandria will have three points in their “points” column.
— At the beginning of the season, much more was expected from Karpaty, but in five matches, the Lviv team has yet to win, and it’s no wonder that there’s talk of changing the head coach. Are these concerns justified?
— I would agree. Financially, Karpaty is doing well now, they have decent players, but the results are lacking. Accordingly, all criticism will be directed towards the head coach. On the other hand, it makes no sense to change one problem for another. This issue needs to be approached with caution.
I’ve read somewhere that they supposedly want to replace Vladyslav Lupashko with Yurii Vernydub. Whether this is true or not, I cannot judge. But even assuming such a development, Vernydub is a coach who works for the future; he knows how to build teams for the long term, and results will not come immediately.
Sergiy Demyanchuk
