Former midfielder of Odessa’s Chernomorets, Alexander Nikiforov, shared his thoughts on the setbacks of Kyiv’s Dynamo and Donetsk’s Shakhtar in the 5th round of the Ukrainian championship. Recall, the “white-blues” drew with Obolon (2:2) in the capital derby, while the “miners” failed to win against Kharkiv’s Metalist 1925 (1:1).
Photo — fcdynamo.com— Fans usually focus their attention on matches involving traditional contenders for the championship title — Dynamo and Shakhtar. Last Saturday, Alexander Shovkovsky’s team lost points for the first time this season, drawing in the Kyiv derby with Obolon. Was this result unexpected for you?
— To a certain extent — yes. After all, Dynamo is the flagship of our football, its leader. Obolon has been fighting for survival in the Premier League in recent years. But, apparently, in this match, Dynamo served as a good irritant for the “brewers,” and they played to the maximum of their capabilities, achieving an honorable draw.
After such games, players usually experience a psychological surge, so it’s quite possible that Obolon might produce a few more good matches through inertia. As for Dynamo, they will have to rehabilitate themselves in front of their fans in the upcoming game.
— The main competitor of the Dynamos for the highest awards, Shakhtar, also faced difficulties in the reporting round. What do you think is the reason for the points loss of the miners in the draw against Metalist 1925?
— The Kharkiv team is no gift for any opponent. Metalist 1925 is staffed with good players, many of whom have experience in the Premier League. The Kharkiv side has long made no secret of its ambitious plans to fight for top spots. That’s why after a year’s absence, Metalist 1925 returned to the elite.
I would also like to note that at the helm of the Kharkiv team is a young but also ambitious coach, Mladen Bartulovic, who knows our football well after many years in it. His team managed to give Shakhtar a tough time, taking away two points from the miners.
Why did the Donetsk team lose? Perhaps, its players did not approach this match very responsibly. Or they simply underestimated the opponent. But I am convinced that Shakhtar is a team capable of easily making up for lost time.
Vyacheslav Kulchytsky
