Former defender and former coach of Dynamo Kyiv, Anatoliy Demyanenko, commented on the crushing victory of the 'white-blues' in the third round match of the main stage of the Conference League against Bosnian 'Zrinjski' (6:0).
— Anatoliy Vasilyevich, yesterday we saw the beating of 'boys' from 'Zrinjski' by 'men' from Dynamo. Did you expect this?
— Even before the match, I predicted that Dynamo would win, but, of course, I didn’t expect the score to be 6:0 in favor of Kyiv. Did anyone? Finally, Shovkovsky’s team had to win. And they succeeded. At times the Dynamo players made mistakes, it should be admitted, but there are no flawless teams, and overall they showed a good game.
— Should we account for the opponent’s strength?
— It’s not easy to answer that question… I’ve heard there were issues with Zrinjski’s lineup, that the coach fielded several non-main players. However, those are their problems and we shouldn’t downplay Dynamo’s achievement, which delighted everyone with a brilliant victory.
— Can you single out anyone from Dynamo’s lineup who stood out as the best player of the match?
— I don’t like singling anyone out. I won’t praise anyone. It’s unnecessary. The whole team played well. And now this level needs to be maintained moving forward. The most important matches are yet to come this year and in the upcoming season.
— Yesterday, we saw another experiment from Shovkovsky. This time, the Dynamo coach decided to try Mykhailko on the left flank. You know the specifics of both these positions well; how did Taras handle the responsibility?
— Mykhailko played very well. There are no complaints against him. He can easily play on the left. It’s great to have versatile players who can cover multiple positions if needed. In my time, I also played not only in defense. Nowadays, football is such that a defender, being in the attacking zone, has to play as well as a forward.
Mykhailko is a young guy, he’s full of energy, so he can work hard on the flank.
— Many experts criticize Dynamo’s game in defense, particularly targeting Brazhko, but Volodya is slowly falling out of the starting lineup, while Mykhailenko is beginning to secure a spot. Does Mykola have the potential to become the new Sydorchuk and indeed oust Brazhko from the main lineup?
— Mykhailenko has potential, but will he be able to realize it? That’s the question. How many young and promising players has Dynamo had?
— Very many.
— Exactly. And where are they now? One or two managed to make it into adult football and play, the rest disappeared… It all depends on Mykhailenko, it’s all in his hands, feet, and head. If he works on himself, everything will be fine for him.
— Both of Dynamo’s forwards scored yesterday. This rarely happens. Who impressed you more: Guerrero, who started in the main lineup, or Blenyutse, who appeared at the end and managed to finally score against the opponents, not his own goal?
— More should be demanded from Guerrero. His goal against Zrinjski was almost entirely the merit of Pikhaliyonok, who set it up for him at virtually an open goal. He had no right to miss there.
It’s hard to say anything about Blenyutse… He capitalized on his moment, but his potential is still unclear.
Currently, at Dynamo, Yarmolenko could play better than any nominal central striker. So, who Shovkovsky decides to stake on as the main striker will be revealed with time.
— You mentioned at the beginning that the toughest matches for Dynamo are yet to come. And so they are. Do you have faith that the Kyiv team will manage to break through to the spring matches? Three matches remain: with tricky Omonia, a currently troubled Fiorentina, and the little-known Armenian Noa.
— The victory over Zrinjski should give the Dynamo players confidence in their own strength, inspire them. There is a chance to reach the playoffs. Concerning the opponents, it’s clear that playing against Fiorentina will be very challenging, no matter the condition of that team. Currently, they are in the last place in their league table, but how will things be in a couple of weeks?
If they fail to distance themselves from the bottom in Serie A, then most likely, winning in the Conference League will not be their priority, and the focus will be on avoiding relegation to Serie B, I think.
If Dynamo manages to earn at least a point in Florence, the chances of advancing to the 1/8 or 1/16 finals of the Conference League will be good, as both the Cypriots and Noa are quite beatable.
Viktor Glukhenky