Renowned expert and coach Oleh Fedorchuk shared his expectations for the Conference League match between Omonia and Dynamo.
Oleh Fedorchuk— Oleh Viktorovych, is there a chance that we will witness a decent game and result from Dynamo, instead of another disgrace on the European stage?
— I would start by saying that, in my opinion, Dynamo is currently caught in a sort of perfect storm, and in this situation, everything shouldn’t be blamed solely on the coach and the players.
— Then on whom? Is Ihor Surkis the one playing on the field or coaching?
— The problem with Dynamo is complex, and it began ten years ago. This ailment didn’t show its face for a long time, although there were symptoms, they were ignored, and now it has fully manifested.
Let’s recall the crisis that was present before Lucescu’s arrival at Dynamo. They temporarily resolved it by inviting a very experienced coach. Lucescu gave immediate results, winning everything possible on the domestic front, but then there was a downturn again. Lucescu prevented Dynamo from collapsing, but he couldn’t open up a second wind, he didn’t cure the ailment; he just localized it.
— So what is the main problem with Dynamo?
— It’s in the selection of performers. There is no system for selection and recruitment of players at the Kyiv club. There isn’t a full influx of homegrown talents.
Regarding the actual game against Omonia, I primarily want to see that Shovkovskyi has started to somehow treat his team’s ailment, rather than just applying a temporary fix.
Sovkovskyi should stabilize the lineup, determine a tactic, stop experimenting, and there should be a clear play style.
— Today, Shovkovskyi definitely cannot count on Yarmolenko, Shaparenko, and Brazhko. Given the massive injury wave, achieving an acceptable result — is a very difficult task. How to replace them all simultaneously?
— Both Yarmolenko, Shaparenko, and Brazhko, remember the last five matches, almost never started together. Volodymyr even lost his place in the starting lineup. These losses are not significant; they won’t affect the quality of the game. There are replacements for Yarmolenko, Shaparenko, and Brazhko, they are not key players, unfortunately. And overall, Dynamo has 35−40 contracted players. Let them play. They must meet Dynamo’s level, not just earn salaries.
Shovkovskyi should involve youth from the U-19 team in the main squad. There’s a promising forward Zadorozhniy, a decent midfielder Redushko, and forward Ponomarenko knocking on the door of the main team.
— If they lose in Nicosia, could Shovkovskyi be fired? Or does SaSha have a carte blanche from Surkis and can continue failing? In the UPL they’re seventh, and seemingly everything is fine...
— In my opinion, there is no point in simply firing Shovkovskyi and placing an interim in his position. This won’t solve the issue. If you’re going to change the head coach, you need a reputable candidate as a replacement, and I don’t see one at the moment.
A balanced decision is needed. In my opinion, Surkis is currently exploring options but continues to trust Shovkovskyi simultaneously.
— Okay, you say — continue working. But what should the coach, players, and the entire Dynamo team change?
— In my opinion, Shovkovskyi needs to be bolder, considering that he still has the president’s trust. Why hide from journalists after a game? Come out and say even unpleasant things, but don’t remain silent. A head coach shouldn’t behave like that. Imagine a surgeon stopping in the middle of an operation, what would happen? Shovkovskyi’s silence — such a position...
— Let’s predict Dynamo’s lineup, starting from the variant seen by Flashscore experts. Neshcheret will play in goal, analysts believe.
— That’s the only position without an alternative. Of course, Neshcheret will play.
— Defense, looking from left to right: Dubinchak, Mykhaylenko, Popov, Tymchik.
— It’s a workable scheme, but there are problems on the flanks — they’re not reliable. Mykhaylenko can play on the left; he looked good on the wing in the match against France for the national team, for example, even though he didn’t play as a left-back. Even for Dynamo, Taras has played in this position. The only problem with Mykhaylenko is that he makes too many mistakes... Overall, I don’t understand why Shovkovskyi doesn’t play three central defenders like the leading teams do now?
— The anchor will be Mykhaylenko, our colleagues predict.
— I agree with that because he is the one who can pull chestnuts out of the fire. He is a reliable anchor, he just needs a bit more creativity, but he does a very substantial amount of work.
— Let’s talk about the midfielders: Pihalenok on the right, Butyalonskyi on the left.
— Probably, it will be like that, as there’s no real alternative. I’m just concerned about Pihalenok’s form, he’s very inconsistent. Oleksandr is a mature player and should play consistently.
— The attacking trio: Ogundana left winger, Kyabayev on the right, central forward Guerrero.
— Ogundana is somewhat overrated. In my opinion, Voloshin is better in this position, more aggressive and stronger than Shola. The Nigerian has a very low efficiency ratio. He is a flashy guy, but not very effective.
In attack, there’s no alternative to Guerrero either for now. And that’s despite him not being a pure forward in my opinion. At Zorya, Eduardo played more from deep and was effective. And at Dynamo, while Vanat was there, he also played in a supporting role.
Anyway, Blenutse... This Romanian hasn’t lived up to expectations. He couldn’t handle the pressure, took all the criticism and hate indifferently, and wasn’t willing to prove he’s truly a strong, excellent forward. He’s fizzled out. Dynamo needs to look for a real pure forward and start looking now.
— And finally, your prediction for the match Omonia — Dynamo.
— Despite everything said earlier and the current form of Dynamo, I remain optimistic. My prediction is a 2:0 victory for Kyivans. Why? Because Omonia is also in bad shape — three matches without a win, they’re not doing well either.
Viktor Glukhenskyi
