Famous Ukrainian coach Yuriy Vernydub shared what he expects from the central match of the 11th round of the Ukrainian Championship, where Donetsk 'Shakhtar' will play against Kyiv 'Dynamo' tomorrow, and also evaluated the competition in the tournament.
Yuriy Vernydub. Photo — fckryvbas.com— What do you expect from the match between 'Dynamo' and 'Shakhtar' on Sunday in the Ukrainian Championship?
— It will also be a tough match. 'Shakhtar' will want to win back, especially since if they defeat 'Dynamo', they will immediately open up a 4-point lead. It’s already a gap.
And 'Dynamo' will do everything on Sunday to beat 'Shakhtar' to gain a 2-point advantage. That’s why I expect an interesting game. The main thing is for there to be minimal injuries to the guys, that’s the most important. And to show interesting football again.
But watching such games is always interesting and enjoyable. I like such competition, where you don’t know who will win and who will lose. Who would have thought when 'Shakhtar' scored that things would turn out this way... This is football; everything must be played out to the end.
For many years, they have been competing with each other, so it will be interesting.
— Under Patrick van Leeuwen, 'Shakhtar' had 7 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses. Arda Turan has 12 wins, 6 draws, and 4 losses in 22 matches. Van Leeuwen was fired immediately after 3 months. Do you think 'Shakhtar' is considering the possibility of dismissing the coach and are there grounds for it?
— It all depends on the management; it’s hard to say. Only they can tell you what will happen next. But looking at this result today — it’s not quite good. That’s why anything can happen. Especially since the championship is really interesting — there is 'Dynamo', 'Shakhtar', 'Kryvbas', LNZ, 'Polissya'. Very interesting. I think 'Karpaty' can still somehow get into this competition. The difference between them and 'Shakhtar' is 9 points, 20 rounds left — anything can happen.
— Do you think such density in the table indicates that 'Dynamo' and 'Shakhtar' have lowered their level or that others have risen?
— I think it shows that the championship has leveled out. Previously, there was not much interest — after 10 rounds, the gap between 'Shakhtar' and 'Dynamo' from others was much greater, and everyone understood that the gold and silver medals were already contested. Now it’s very interesting.
I am very interested — every round, someone goes to the first place, someone to the second, someone to the third, everything is constantly changing. I understand that our championship has indeed weakened, looking at the results in European competitions, the national team. It’s not the time that allows for this. That’s why I think many have left, especially young Ukrainians. It’s very difficult now — such a time, war. But I think we still need to root and do everything for the championship to take place because it’s interesting. Everything will be fine.
— Also, recently there have been many rumors about the possible dismissal of Oleksandr Shovkovskyi. Do you think that with the victory over 'Shakhtar' in the Ukrainian Cup he made critics change their opinion?
— I generally see it this way... 'Dynamo' couldn’t win, there were 6 draws, and he was fired after each round. Now Turan is having a bad streak. They will start writing about Turan now.
— They are already writing.
— I told you. The main thing is that there is something to write about. I think the management will figure it out, and if the coach feels strong trust from the management — it’s a big plus for both the management and the head coach, and for the club. And if not, it’s better to take that step earlier and fire. But I don’t think the club will benefit from this — be it 'Dynamo' or 'Shakhtar'.
