The experienced coach is convinced that a quality forward should play facing the other goal and take the initiative.
Famous Ukrainian coach and functionary Vitaly Kvartsyany criticized the striker’s performance Ukrainian national team Artem Dovbik after his team’s drawn match away from home Georgia (1:1) in the fifth round Nations League 2024/25.
“No! Very disappointed with his performance. He was somehow so smug. That he’s on the national team, they write a lot about him. Apparently, he forgot that the main thing a striker should do, I once told him personally, is to be able to beat opponents. When he played for Girona, among his partners there were many individually strong players who gave him such passes that it was easy to score. I put my foot down, I put my head up.”
“Since I have known him, he has not changed – he has remained the same as he was. He just matured, gained experience, gained muscles. He thinks he’s a star, but in reality… At Roma they often change him at the end of the game, he didn’t play quality football.”
“The center forward must constantly tinker with the ball, make feints, beat opponents, and play with his body. His performance should be enjoyed, spectators should come to see him. And Dovbik is a classic ramming striker, who for some reason plays 70 percent of the playing time with his back to the other goal.”
“A great forward should be able to decide the fate of the match himself, and not just rely on crosses and crosses. Dovbik doesn’t want to play facing the opponents’ goal, because the most difficult thing in football is to beat.”
“If Dovbik continues to play like this, then in a season he will drop into the second team of Roma, in two years – into the third, and then he will kick the ball among amateurs.”
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Yesterday in Batumi, Ukraine took the lead at the beginning of the meeting, after Mikhail Mudryk’s cross, Solomon Kvirkvelia cut the ball into his own goal. The hosts bounced back in the second half – substitute Georges Mikautadze played the finishing touch after Anatoly Trubin made a save. At the end of the match, the blue-yellows had a chance to snatch victory, but Mamardashvili repelled the guests’ attacks twice in one attack.
See also: Georgia – Ukraine. Video review of the match for November 16
Dovbik spent 80 minutes on the field, was not particularly noticeable, and made a couple of shots. In the current Nations League, Artem played three matches (one goal), and in each he was replaced shortly before the end.
The Ukrainian national team, having scored 5 points, is still last in its quartet, having more than a real chance of relegation to Division C. The fate of Sergei Rebrov’s team will be decided in the final match with the Albanian national team, which will take place in Tirana on November 19.
To take second place, which gives the right to participate in the playoffs for promotion, the blue-yellows need to meet two conditions: their own victory over Albania and Georgia’s failure to win in Olomouc, Czech Republic.
Source: Sportarena
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
