The miners made the second high-profile transfer during the winter break
Yaroslav Rakitsky confessed his love to Shakhtar, and it seems that this is mutual. But what about those who got used to the place at the base during the absence of the legendary centre-back? We think they will be fine too.
January, what are you doing! But don’t stop. News after news, one louder than the other. Was Mudrik still sold, and even for an amount that could turn out to be 100 million? And in Chelsea?.. Is Tsygankov leaving? And not even quite a free agent? Come on!.. Rakitskiy returns to the UPL and gives comments in Ukrainian? What?!..
Everything has turned upside down, a solid massaraksh, and we can only react to the events taking place around us. Allright. Sport Arena understands how the return of Rakitskiy will affect Shakhtar’s defensive formations.
Thesis one – Shakhtar needs Rakitsky
Despite the Eurospring and real chances for the championship in Ukraine, Shakhtar is far from doing as well as it might seem. In the UPL, the Pitmen really conceded only 11 goals (second only to the leader Dnipro-1), but in European competition the true problems of Jovičević’s defense made themselves felt. In six matches of the Champions League – 10 goals conceded. Quite gross mistakes both in the one-on-one game and in the construction of the redoubt in statics and dynamics.
Do you want to argue? Consider two important facts. Shakhtar invariably conceded in every round of European competitions and allowed exorbitant numbers in matches against top-level rivals (Real Madrid struck 53 shots at Trubin’s goal in two matches – this is prohibitively high, as much as an outsider allows the tournament leader). By this, we prove that Shakhtar has problems that make us look for increased protection.
Now about Yaroslav himself. He left Zenit, posting a blue-and-yellow flag on Instagram with the caption “I am Ukrainian,” leaving no questions about his honesty and civic position. I was looking for a new team for a long time and was grossly mistaken – Adana Demirspor is the most unstable club, with a rather hysterical manner of personnel work and the inconsistency that distinguishes middle-class teams who want to jump above their heads.
Balotelli left Adana and in Switzerland, with his laziness, scored five goals in 9 matches for Sion. All this clearly speaks of the problems of the Turkish club itself.
Let’s look at the situation from Rakitsky’s point of view. He was idle for a long time, experienced a moral shock when thoughts are far from football. And most importantly – accustomed to a professional attitude to football, after the giants, he plunged into a team of more modest opportunities, but big ambitions. Apparently, the very process of working there differs from the high standard that Yaroslav is used to. Finally, this Demirspor played “second number”, relied on counterattacks and had little possession of the ball – all this made the defender out of shape even more vulnerable, and only a lack of understanding of football can we explain that the Turkish club signed an age player, did not bring him to the peak forms and expected that he would play on a clean copy as if he had been here for many years.
Let’s be frank. We will be able to evaluate an experienced defender only after serious multi-stage training camps and thorough physical training in a professional headquarters. Adana was deprived of this – Rakitsky was clearly out of shape, and the club could not bring him to a good level of readiness. It is clear that in this state, Yarik was not at his best (in 8 matches – four yellow and two red cards). But if Jovicevich can seriously work on Rakitskiy’s strength training, he will be useful at his level of understanding of football – and not only at the level of the Premier League.
The second thesis is that Shakhtar’s defense is almost the least experienced line in the team. She needs a leader
Krivtsov missed a lot due to injuries, there were rumors that they would not renew the contract with him, but what about the rest? Matvienko – 26 years old, Mikhailichenko – 25, Bondar, Konoplya and Kornienko – 23 each, Gocholeishvili – 21, Farina and Kozyk – 19 each. This is a very, very young defensive line. You rarely see this in a leading team in top-level football.
Rakitsky is very important in this regard. All these guys grew up on his game, for them Yaroslav is an indisputable authority. The tempo of Ukrainian football makes it easy to keep up with local speeds at the age of 33. And Rakitskiy’s football intellect has always been his forte.
In short, for Jovicevich, the arrival of this newcomer opens up several opportunities at once. Move Matvienko to the left if necessary, or even risk playing three center backs for individual opponents. Not to mention the advantages that Rakitskiy gives in promoting the ball.
The third thesis – the “playing” defender was vital to the style of Jovicevich
The strength of Rakitsky is a very high-quality pass work. Giving a pass to any direction and distance is never a problem for Yaroslav. And for Shakhtar with a bright, playful group of attacking midfielders, this is generally the most important option.
Jovićević teaches Shakhtar how to play very quickly in high ball control. This team is about lightning-fast transition from defense to attack, for which the long and medium pass is an important tool. We add to this the option of Rakitskiy in long-range shots – after all, Shakhtar Jovićević had several important balls at once from just 20-30 meters away.
Previously, Matvienko was the only left-handed center back. Now there are two of them. Which also strengthens the variability of the Donetsk team’s defense.
Fourth thesis – the return of Rakitskiy opens the way for Shakhtar to another big transfer
What did we hear around Nikolai Matvienko? The first is that its estimated value has almost tripled over the past two years. The second is that at least three clubs from foreign championships show interest in the seasoned defender.
What does the arrival of Rakitsky mean in this regard? The miner may risk selling another very status player. We heard about the interest of the Dutch Ajax and PSV Eindhoven, as well as the English Brighton. De Zerbi, by the way, never hid that he considered Matvienko a very strong defender, who has great potential – and yet unrealized potential.
Thesis five – Rakitsky outlines a very strong trend
There are about 400 of our legionnaires abroad. Among them are not only nameless draft evaders, but also real strong players. Many are aged or retired. If Yaroslav has already returned to the Premier League, many will also take a chance. We are waiting for a powerful trend – the return of Ukrainian players from foreign championships, replenishment in the UPL and even the lower leagues.
Probably, this will be a reaction to two processes – firstly, foreign programs of assistance to Ukrainian refugees are ending (many sent their families to such calculations and traveled with such an idea). Secondly, there is a gradual increase in salaries in Ukrainian football. The trend is set by the mighty First League clubs, which have tripled the supply in the market for average players. And even in the UPL, the lack of players makes it necessary to raise the stakes. So those who are tired of sitting on the bench somewhere in Hungary or even strong Western European championships will go.
Probably, already in the spring part of the season we will see many forgotten names.
Yaroslav Smelyansky
Source: Sportarena
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
