Former Dynamo forward Oleg Salenko commented on the confident victory of the 'White-Blues' over 'Kryvbas' in the 10th round match of the Ukrainian championship.
Oleg Salenko. Photo: V. Rasner— Oleg, in the central match of the round, Dynamo thrashed the league leader 'Kryvbas'. Did you like the Kyiv team?
— The result, of course, surprised me a bit. Dynamo won over their opponent in every aspect. However, I did not expect such a weak performance from 'Kryvbas'. It’s hard to say why Kryvyi Rih was like that. Perhaps the status of the league leader or the authority of the Dynamo players weighed on them. But the team was not like itself, and their defensive play was open to any criticism. How can you be in the first place with such a level of football?
— What would you note in the 'White-Blues' game?
— That they played attacking football for 90 minutes. Finally, Dynamo was able to take a step forward. I’m not saying that everything is fixed and it will continue like this. Just in this match, the team performed well. And look who scored and provided assists (smiles), the old guard (Karavaev, Buyalskyi, Yarmolenko), those from whom you expect these actions the most. I’m happy for Andriy Yarmolenko, who played as if he is experiencing a second youth.
— Could the pride of the players have played a role in this match, considering that recently Dynamo has been criticized for their play and results unless by the lazy?
— I do not rule out that there was a serious debriefing within the team. Surely the players talked to each other. However, as you see, Yarmolenko returned, whom we still want to see, and everything fell into place. This is now necessary for the team’s psychology. And I was pleased with the level of football demonstrated by the Kyiv team.
— At the same time, Shakhtar won effortlessly against 'Kudrivka' and climbed to the first place.
— I didn’t see much resistance from 'Kudrivka'. Shakhtar and Dynamo are the leaders, and the rest are in the background. You see, if both the Miners and Dynamo can play at a level close to their maximum, their opponents have no chance for a favorable result. We should have a look at 'Polissya'. But for now, I will say this: Shakhtar and Dynamo will contest for first place, and the Zhytomyr team could be third?
— What about the disruptive force of LNZ?
— I respect this club and team, but I do not believe they will be able to compete in the future. They don’t have enough players capable of performing well over an extended period. I would give them fourth or fifth place.
— And can 'Kryvbas', 'Metalist 1925′, and 'Kolos' break into the leader’s fight?
— If their decent matches are interspersed with ones like they had in the last round, then, of course, we won’t see these teams at the top. And it seems like that’s where it’s heading.
Serhiy Demianchuk
