Sport Arena names the symbolic team of the next UPL round of the 2023/24 season, as well as the best in individual nominations, which are determined by our website for each round
On the website SportArena.com – teams of all rounds of the Ukrainian Premier League 2023/24. Who made it into the top 11 this time and won in individual categories?
Goalkeeper – Alexander Bandura (FC Minaj)
A cool tour for goalkeepers: for example, Dynamo player Georgy Bushchan, Denis Boyko from Polesie and Veresovets Bogdan Kogut also played at a good level, and the winner of the nomination “best young player of the tour” – Alexandrian Georgy Ermakov. But our laureate withstood a real artillery barrage: Bandura parried at least seven shots, won several one-on-one situations, and turned the ball into the woodwork. Under these circumstances, keeping a clean sheet against an extremely motivated Veres is a significant achievement.
Right back – Valery Luchkevich (Kolos)
In a difficult confrontation with Dubinchak and Voloshin, Luchkevich showed good defensive performance – about ten interceptions and tackles with a lower percentage of defects and losses than in previous rounds. But this is not the only thing that expresses the significance of Valery’s game for Kolos. He covered a lot of distance on his flank, interacted well with the wingers and the attack, and also scored a great goal in the second round with a powerful shot. This strong-willed draw in the majority is another achievement of Kolos under the new tactical scheme.
Central defender – Nikita Burda (Kolos)
A match against your recent teammates is an exciting event, especially when it is your own club, with which you have won trophies and played in European cups. Burda, against the backdrop of Dynamo’s defensive line, looked like you could ask Kolos back right now. Firstly, he played great in defense, and secondly, he connected to set pieces twice and shot at Dynamo’s goal. This draw is Kolos’s reward for his diligent and careful work with personnel. This patience and diligence could be learned from other clubs that scattered their players into three squads and now don’t know how to correct the horror in defense.
Central defender – Maxim Kovalev (LNZ Cherkasy)
The most experienced defender of the Cherkassy club played at the top level against Obolon. It was Kovalev, who connected on a free kick from Boyko, after Khoblenko’s discount, he opened the scoring. Later, playing in the deformed and flexible defensive line of LNZ, he held a great line with Muravsky, acted harmoniously with his flanker Norenkov and won many goals in the grassroots and top-down battles. Despite his age, Maxim is one of the most successful acquisitions of the debutant UPL club.
Left back – Viktor Kornienko (Vorskla)
The loan from Shakhtar is quite bright in Kornienko’s hometown. For example, in the match against Metalist 1925, he turned out to be one of the brightest performers of Skripnik’s team. Firstly, he played more convincingly against his counterparts (the early replacement of Remenyuk speaks for itself, and the goals came from other areas). Secondly, Victor constantly joined in the attacks, scored with persistence on the second attempt, and could have scored an even more beautiful ball with a long-range shot. With an optimal composition, with all high-quality partners, Kornienko would be as effective as possible.
Central midfielder – Mark Sapuga (Rukh)
Sapuga played at a high level against the Alexandrians, being one of the most productive players of the Lviv club. Mark led the game for his team, gave a number of penetrating passes, with one of which, for example, Klimchuk was obliged to open the scoring. Sapuga himself hit the goal of FC Alexandria three times, twice the visiting goalkeeper Ermakov seriously entered the game and helped out his team. In fact, it was a serious test, and, playing against such good opponents as Mikhailenko, Sigeev and Shostak, Mark looked quite at the level.
Right midfielder – Denis Kuzyk (Krivbass)
Kuzyk is well known as a flank all-rounder – in previous teams he played in defense, on the left in midfield, and against Dnepr-1 he gave a benefit in the place of the right inverted winger. From the first minutes Denis was the center of attention. It was he who started on Ilic’s subtle pass, getting rid of his opponents and setting up an assist for Kozhuska. Kuzyk could have scored from a fairly distant free kick (the visitors were rescued by goalkeeper Kinareikin), and 10 minutes later, after a long pass from Stetskova, he scored a beautiful ball into the top corner (see the “goal of the round” nomination). Immediately after the break, during a rapid attack, Denis scored another assist, again giving a good cross to Kozhushko.
Attacking midfielder – Artem Kozak (Polesie)
In the match against Zorya, Kozak himself shot twice at the goal of the Luhansk club, but worked much more in the game. Makuana could open the scoring with his pass, and later brought Arielson into the operational space. The only thing Artem can be blamed for is an optional yellow card and a slightly higher percentage of faulty handling of the ball in the opposing half of the field. Yet his contribution to this important away win is very important.
Left midfielder – Beni Makuana (Polesie)
Congolese Makuana played at the top level against an opponent from whom we can draw conclusions – Zari. Already at the beginning of the meeting, Beni tested goalkeeper Turbaevsky with a shot after Kozak’s pass, then combined coolly and, taking advantage of Kushnirenko’s cutting pass, scored the goal that decided the fate of this match. After the break, Makuana also found himself in the spotlight several times – either trying to score from Tankovsky’s pass, or throwing a promising pass to Kozak.
Forward – Oleg Kozhushko (Krivbass)
Against his former teammates from Dnepr-1, Kozhushko played one of the most striking matches of the season. It was he who opened the scoring in the 11th minute, and then brought the score to a devastating one shortly after the break. Using two cool passes from Kuzyk, Oleg did not drop out of the game, interacted well with his teammates and, in general, brought problems to the guests that their defense may not have yet experienced under the leadership of ex-mentor Krivbass Maksimov.
Forward – Alexey Khoblenko (LNZ Cherkassy)
We present to you the unluckiest player of the tour. Khoblenko himself did not use several top chances at once, but how great he played in the play-by-play! It was Alexey who successfully adjusted the serve from a set piece from Boyko, acting as an assistant for Kovalev’s goal. At the moment with Shestakov’s goal, Khoblenko did not perform any effective actions, but forced a fight on the Kiev resident Pryymak, from whom the ball bounced under Sergei’s goal. Finally, at the end of the match, Alexey passed the pre-goal pass to Oleynik, with whose pass Naumets put an end to the match with Obolon.
Kozhushko from Krivbass celebrates his victory in the regional derby over his former teammates.
Like last season, Krivbass won the regional derby. Moreover, he won peremptorily, inflicting a crushing defeat on Dnepr-1, despite the fact that the opponent had a seven-match unbeaten streak, he took a penalty and had completely different hopes for this close trip to visit the former club of his new head coach, Maksimov. The third victory in a row allows Vernidub’s team to maintain their sensational lead, which now, after so many trials, no longer seems so sensational.
- Analysis from the All-Ukrainian Association of Football Coaches – Here.
There were some striking substitutions in this round – look at Oleynik and Naumets in LNZ (Cherkassy), who scored the third goal against Obolon. However, we value jokers not for the mathematical sum of goals and assists, but for the change they bring to the game. In this regard, there was no more important solution than Nesterenko instead of Yakub. Ivan, having received a pass from Pavlyuk, caught the Kharkiv goalkeeper Mozil by surprise from an acute angle and saved the Poltava team from a second consecutive home defeat. So far this goal has been recorded by Nesterenko, although, in our opinion, it was the goalkeeper’s own goal. However, regardless of the authorship, Ivan had a very important effective effect and stole the victory from Metalist 1925.
- Sport Arena statistics: 12 league matches, 2 goals.
The 21-year-old goalkeeper at the Lviv Arena did a very important and responsible job. Rukh, who has selected a number of players with a well-placed shot, repeatedly tested Ermakov, but Georgiy reacted to nine shots on target, including quite dangerous attempts from Runich, Teslyuk, Sapuga, Klimchuk, and played confidently on exits and when serving with standards. Of the four matches in the current championship, Ermakov played half without conceding goals, even if he is not playing without mistakes, unsuccessfully or hastily hit goals. An away draw with Rukh is a good gift on the eve of Ruslan Rotan’s birthday.
- Sport Arena statistics: 4 matches in the championship, 5 goals conceded.
The Nigerian goalkeeper Aniagboso and the Gambian defender Jarju are still waiting for their debut in the Zhytomyr club, but the Congolese winger Makuana has set such a high bar of expectations that expectations are at the maximum level for both of them participating in the Youth World Cup. Benny scored four goals in the championship, showing flexibility, technique, and speed. An important fact: all four of Macuan’s goals came in victorious matches.
- Sport Arena statistics: 12 league matches, 4 goals.
We had enough beautiful goals: just look at how Farina from Kharkov and Shestakov from Cherkasy scored, and the goals of Kovalnev Luchkevich can already be taken into a separate genre. But the hero of the tour also scored the best goal of the tour! Starting diagonally from defender Stetskov, Kuzyk moved from the right flank and launched into the far corner with his left foot. Yarmolenko would say: “This is my bro!”
The best player of this round was the footballer who scored himself and took part in two more scoring combinations in the victorious derby with Dnepr-1.
- Sport Arena statistics: 7 league matches, 1 goal, 2 assists.
Source: Sportarena
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