– What would be noted first of all?
– Among the positive ones in 2024, I would include two events that will be remembered the most. The first is a performance in the League of Nations, where our national team got out of the group stage, and the second is Ukraine’s debut at the Olympic Games.
– Did the national team disappoint or please you more?
– You can say, 50 for 50. After all, there was no stability. But the main thing is the ending. And it was held at a good level and, thank God, Ukraine made it to the playoffs and next year will fight to get higher. As for disappointments, it is an unsuccessful performance at the European Championship in Germany. We all hoped for a worthy performance of our main team, but unfortunately, it did not work out. Everything was decided by the game with Romania. That is why there is disappointment.
– Of all the participants who started in the European cup tournaments this year, two – “Polyssia” and “Kryvbas” withdrew from the competition early, and one – “Dnipro-1” ceased to exist altogether. Two more – “Dynamo” and “Shakhtar” continue to play, but not as everyone would like.
– Yes, of course. The performance of our clubs in the European Cups is probably the biggest disappointment at the club level. This applies to all teams without exception. But there are objective reasons. It was difficult for our teams, because logistics became a problem during the war. And our championship is not going through the best times due to bad luck, which is why its level is stagnating. The teams were even and this could not but affect the European cup tournaments.
– If we take our internal competitions, what would be noted in the first place?
– Increased competition in the fight for medals. Everyone understood that against “Shakhtar” and “Dynamo” you can play calmly and achieve positive results, even victories. So it should be stated that, unfortunately, our championship has not improved in terms of its level compared to last year. On the contrary, it is not possible to identify a clear leader. “Dynamo” looked brighter in the autumn part of the current season, and played more consistently for the result. I also liked “Alexandria” in this competitive section. I watched almost all of its home matches at the Nika stadium, and I can say that I am impressed by the team’s performance. In the end, “Kryvbas” added a lot, which is also worth noting. After all, at the beginning of the championship, the results of the people of Kryvyi Rih were determined by their performances in the Europa League. But then the team added and scored the points it planned before the championship. So now “Kryvbas” is in the position it should be in at this stage.
– A year and a half ago, there were many skeptical expressions regarding the performance of “Alexandria” in the spring part of the 2022/23 season, when the team drew 11 times in 17 matches. What can the Alexandrians expect in the current championship and what would you say about Ruslan Rotan’s work?
– Regarding the result of the championship, it is difficult to say, because a lot will depend on the winter break: which of the football players “Alexandria” will take and who will sell. Therefore, of course, it is not easy to predict something. I can say that the president of the club was a correctly chosen politician. I mean that they took the right players. Although they are not young, they are experienced. In my opinion, this explains the positive result of “Alexandria”. And the people of Alexandria moved away from football, which was nicknamed “Rotan-style”. The team began to act more pragmatically, to play more forward. Yes, the defense was in order, and there were no such missed goals, which we saw in the last championship – especially at the end of the matches. The current game of “Alexandria” was interesting to watch.
– This is not one team. This list includes LNZ from Cherkasy, which changed its coach in the summer, but despite having stable financial conditions, did not achieve results. These are “Kolos” from Kovaliv and “Vorskla” from Poltava. These three clubs were all expected to show consistent performances and be higher in the standings than they have been today.
– Who would be included in the top three players of the UPL?
– Probably, first of all, I would single out Shakhtar player Georgy Sudakov. He spent the autumn period more consistently, even despite the fact that he played almost without substitutions. It should also be taken into account that the boy also played in the European Cup tournament and in matches for the national team. Although there was enough criticism of Sudakov. Nevertheless, he is a football player of a good level, and his efficiency is not bad. The second would be the Brazilian legionnaire of “Alexandria” Bezerra. He is a creative player who has good dribbling and is not afraid to play. He knows how to decide the course of the match, which he did in three or four rounds. For our championship, in my opinion, the Brazilian is a high-level player. As for the third place, I immediately have two contenders for it – two representatives of Zhytomyr “Polyssia” Oleksandr Nazarenko and Oleksiy Hutsuliak.
– What, in your opinion, could be the development of events in Mykhailo Mudryk’s doping case?
– Oh, it’s hard to say. If the relevant structures that will determine the results of the repeated doping test confirm the presence of a prohibited drug, it will be a shock for everyone. Both for “Chelsea” and for the national team of Ukraine. Because everyone was following Mudryk, rooting for him and expecting progress from him. So if the worst happens in this situation, it will be a tragedy. Four years of not playing is nothing at all! In such a period, anything can happen to his fate – both loss of qualification and vice versa. You can play even better, why there are enough examples. Suddenly, after four years, Mudryk will play in a way that no one would even expect – wiser, more balanced, more effective. However, I would not like it to come to the point of disqualification altogether. Or that the term was at least shorter. Be that as it may, and even assuming a four-year suspension, Mudryk is such a guy that he will not give up. At least as far as I know from the people who characterize it.
– What are your immediate personal plans?
– So that in a month I could walk without crutches (in the fall, Volodymyr Sharan underwent a complex operation on his leg – author’s note). This is my most important plan. And then, as they say in Odessa, “we’ll see.” Generally speaking, I would like to welcome the New Year, congratulate everyone on this holiday and wish for peace to come as soon as possible. And, of course, that everyone is healthy. And I really want to wait for the moment when there will be no spectator restrictions in the stands of our stadiums. So that people can calmly come to football, support their team and enjoy a good game and scored goals. We will believe that 2025 will be a happy year for Ukraine.
Source: sport.ua