Renowned coach Serhiy Kovalets shared his thoughts on «Dynamo’s» performance this season.
Serhiy Kovalets— After the 12th round of the Premier League, «Dynamo» is already seven points behind its main competitor in the race for the gold medals, «Shakhtar». How do you evaluate the further indirect rivalry for Oleksandr Shovkovskyi’s team?
— That’s a good question. If you look at «Dynamo’s» recent results, the quality of its play leaves something to be desired. Five draws and two consecutive losses in the championship clearly indicate this. The instability of results does not offer a bright outlook or hope for the future. I once mentioned that last season «Dynamo» was gaining experience in European competitions, and we all understood that, given the conditions of the war, when home matches are held abroad, certain difficulties arise. These are primarily associated with constant relocations, changes of locations, squad rotations, etc.
So, it seemed that experience should have benefited the capital’s team. Especially since the squad hasn’t changed much. The only serious loss was Vanat, who now plays in the strong Spanish championship and plays a leading role in his club, «Girona».
In fact, «Dynamo» bought three foreigners this fall — Blenutse, Sholu Ogundanu, and Tiare. They were all supposed to strengthen the game, but we see that the result in the championship isn’t what the fans or the rest of the players and coaches would like to see.
— Why is this happening?
— In my opinion, even though there is a great desire, the reason lies in psychology. It’s a very important component — both in football and in sports in general. The results of several matches, especially ties, are concerning. In four of them, leading by score, Dynamo conceded goals at the end of the games. This is a matter of psychology. We understand that you can be well-prepared physically, tactically, but psychologically... We see that the players made such mistakes that led to the loss of important points. If it hadn’t been for five draws, «Dynamo» would have been eight to ten points ahead of «Shakhtar.» But what can be said: the result is what it is. The advantage is now on «Shakhtar’s» side.
— Do you think it’s worth cheering for the victory over the Bosnian «Zrinski» 6:0, which is probably not the litmus test indicating Dynamo’s true capabilities?
— One hundred percent. I agree with this. We’ve talked about the fact that if you lose the battle, you lose the match. This is especially evident on the European stage. Yes, our players have skill, experience, and technical skills, but the most important thing is that «Dynamo» loses duels. They concede too many goals from «set pieces» and the holding zone when passes are made, and the players don’t cover. It seems that Oleksandr Shovkovskyi rotates the squad before matches, but I still feel that Dynamo players are afraid to play. Afraid to engage in duels, afraid to press.
In the same game against «Zrinski», right at the beginning, the Bosnians had a few chances that could have set a completely different game scenario. But when the Dynamo players caught their stride, the game came to them. And why not play like that from the start? However, I’ll repeat: last season’s experience should have been beneficial. But... I don’t want to say this is the ceiling of Dynamo players' abilities. Especially since there are many young players among them. I want them to grow and progress as quickly as possible.
Meanwhile, the results in the Conference League are discouraging: two losses — to «Crystal Palace» and «Samsunspor,» and a victory over «Zrinski.» Now all future results depend on our game.
— How do you evaluate the year you spent as the head coach of Khmelnytsky’s «Podillya»?
— Positively. I was invited to the Khmelnytsky club by Mayor Oleksandr Symchyshyn. «Podillya» was at the bottom, and he asked me to help the team stay in the first league. Together with the coaching team, which included Oleksandr Volovyk, Oleksandr Mandziuk, Mykola Medin, Oleksandr Zhdanov, and Oleksandr Dziubchyk, we took on the task and achieved the goal in the playoff matches.
We had to play a strong opponent — «Kolos-2» (Kovalivka). It’s a good-level team. We won both matches, affirming our status and proving that the Khmelnytsky team should play in the first league. This was the most crucial thing for me and my assistants. During my tenure, there were many interesting matches. In some, we were lucky, in others we didn’t work to the end, and some had referee mistakes. But regardless, a good team was formed in «Podillya».
— Why couldn’t you gradually move to at least a mid-level position?
— You see, for a young team to establish itself, time is needed. If you talk about the current championship, it consisted of some specific moments. One of them is related to the departure of 12 (!) players from the team after the 2024/25 season for various reasons. And there’s an explanation for this. In particular, I’d like to note that Khmelnytsky is in first place among other regional centers in Ukraine in providing support to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. So, it’s natural for players to move to other teams where conditions are better. And this is a usual process in football.
Oleksandr Symchyshyn says that when the war ends, the situation in FC «Podillya» will change. The club will have better financial opportunities, which are essential for tournament achievements. As for the working conditions, they are decent at «Podillya»: there are facilities for training, places to play.
Clearly, the Premier League is still in the future. When we met with the leadership, we talked about having many young local guys, some of whom play in the starting line-up — in particular, Savchuk, Lys, Serafimov. There’s a lyceum in Khmelnytsky, and if things develop correctly, in two to three years, there will be five or six Khmelnytsky players in «Podillya’s» starting line-up. Everything is in place for the team to develop.
But once again: as long as the war continues, all financial flows go to assist our army. Summarizing my time in Khmelnytsky, I want to thank the mayor, the fans, the club management, the coaching staff, and the players for a year that was quite interesting.
Andriy Pysarenko
