Yuriy SHELEPNYTSKY: “In Larnaca you have to play like after the break in Kosice”

Former captain of the Ukrainian national team Yuri Shelepnitsky He talked about what prevented the Dniprians from achieving a positive outcome yesterday and evaluated the chances of Oleksandr Kucher’s wards in the return clash, which will take place on August 25.

– Gone are the days when Cypriot football teams whipped men, as they say, in the international arena. Thanks to the fruitful work with the exchange, the invitation of qualified legionnaires – coaches and players, the clubs of this country gradually forced themselves to account. Thus, Dnipro’s counterpart, AEK, battled Denmark’s more elite “Mitjylland” in the Champions League qualifiers and forced Serbian “Partizan”, who was also considered the favorite in the previous round of the Europa League, to surrender.

– Therefore, there can be no question of some kind of understatement on the part of the Dnieper?

– Of course. And the disastrous first half can be explained by the appearance in the Dnipro-1 starting roster of several legionnaires who have joined the team quite recently, and so clearly there was not enough teamwork, especially with a crossover safety net. Because of this, the nominal hosts on the flanks had vulnerabilities in their defense and the only two goals conceded were well managed.

– However, it was also unpleasantly surprising that the Dnieper was toothless in the attack …

– The guests managed to finally neutralize Artem Dovbik, who was at the forefront of the attack, with his incomprehensible passivity, without causing any inconvenience to them. I think Dovbik should have been more active in the search for the ball, especially try to move from the depths of the field. Also, long-range shots from Dnipro have become easy prey for the AEC goalkeeper.

– The new leader Alexander Kucher, what did you need to pay attention to your wards during the break to achieve a turning point?

– First of all, it was necessary to increase the aggression, to put the high pressure into service, to be more stubborn in the election. Secondly, it was necessary to strengthen the line of attack. And I must say that after the break we saw a completely different Dnepr-1. It turns out that Dovbik can hold onto the ball and not only threaten the ownership of the guests, but deftly help the partners. He managed to replace experienced Artem Gromov, which the Cypriots were not always ready to enter the penalty area, the hosts had problems even after vertical passes. Goal chances began to appear at the gates of AEK, and if they are lucky in execution, Dnipro can save the seemingly hopelessly lost match …

– So, do not you think that, despite the defeat in Kosice, the Dnieper-1 is doomed?

– No, the second half gave hope that all is not lost. We need to seriously work on the mistakes and try to play in Larnaca like after the break in Košice. AEK did not give the impression of an impenetrable team. The only thing that worries me is the fact that there is a lack of experience in official battles due to the short rank of Dnipros and the aggression of Russia…