Football.ua continues to sum up the results of performances of clubs of the league of Ukraine in 2009. Now we will talk about Metallurg Donetsk.

5^th position: 27 points. Matches: +8=3-5, 25-17.
 
Guardsmen: Mario Sergio - 16 matches (1417 minutes), Vyacheslav Checher - 16 (1387 minutes), Henrik Mkhitaryan - 16 (1387 minutes), Sunny Ekeh Kingsley - 16 (1258 minutes),
 
Goal-scorers: Henrik Mkhitaryan - 7 goals, Ciprian Tanasa - 5.
 
Discipline: 19 yellow card, 2 red cards (the most disciplined team of Ukrainian league)
 
Rude fellows: Vladimir Dislenkovic - 1+1, Oleksandr Volovyk - 4.
 
Average attendance: 4 513 spectators.
 
Penalty kick (they): 1 (1 scored).
 
Penalty kick (to them): 4 (3).

Discoveries

We mark at once two players – Ukrainian and foreign.

Vasyl Pryyma came to the club in the beginning of the year and Nikolay Kostov at once trusted him a place in the first team. After the resignation of Makridis it is necessary to notice that Vasyl together with Dorde Lazic made a strong duet of central middlefielders. His main task is destruction. In consideration of the age, Vasyl is key "young Ukrainian talent" of Metallurg Donetsk.

As for Musawengosi Mguni, Zimbabwean at once felt at home in the team.  He became a pillar of the team who Metallurh needed before. Mguni at once started his work of forward – to kick goals! He played well together with one more new player - Henrik Mkhitaryan, and they formed a real explosive mixture which became one of main Metallurg’s trumps. But unexpected injyry of Mguni weakened the team. 

Disappointment

And here there are two applicants on one position! Oleksiy Godin and Vladimir Korytko.

26 year old foster of Metallurg Zaporizhia came to club of the same name from Donetsk in June of this year. He made his debut in the match against MTZ-RIPO and dotted i’s and crossed t's in the match. In his next match, where he played only one half, he scored one more goal to Karpaty. And in the match against Zakarpattya he kicked a goal to Igor Gamula and it was the end of his goal feats. Then he played several matches and suddenly disappeared from the field. Before the match against Austria his lymph nodes suddenly became inflamed and after it he did not take part in matches.

 
In consideration of all facts, Nikolay Kostov marks that the team counts on Godin as before. But to my mind Oleksiy in the near future may leave the club. Who is ready to open his door for him? It is possible, that it will be Metallurg Zaporizhia. And the situation with Vladimir Korytko is befogged, it is for certain known that there is no place for him in Metallurg Donetsk.

The best match

Metallurg D - Illichivets 4:1 (Lazic, 16, Shyshchenko, 45, Kingsley, 53, Tanasa, 74 - Kashevsky, 56)

Really, it was one of the best matches of Metallurg of the current championship. Kingsley performed a solo, Mkhitaryan accompanied actively. Pryyma and Lazic completely ruined a half-way line of the rival in the center of the field. They let through a goal when the score was 3:0 in their favour. By the way Shust returned a penalty kick! Pukanych could not get the better of Bogdan.

The worst match

Obolon – Metallurg D 2:1 (Kutsenko, 45+1, Voronkov, 69 - Mkhitaryan, 24)

" I congratulate the players of Obolon. They merited this victory, they struggled more, they were better than our team. Today we showed a weak team play. We made a lot of mistakes and our adversary used our mistakes".

It was Nikolay Kostov’s comment of defeat. Is it possible to add something? They started well, Mkhitaryan opened the score, but as a result Donchane let through two goals. Very important points were lost…

Coach

Undoubtedly, he is one of the best (maybe the best) head coaches of Metallurg for its all history. This April will be two years that Kostov came to Donetsk. For this time he was successful in creation of the first team proceeding from his view of the play.

Competent, tactful specialist;  one of the best in terms of after match comments. Kostov did not get accustomed to make something up or to add something to reality – he says what he thinks and describes a real picture. As for his coach qualification – the play and results of the team show everything.

Transfers

Last summer the club made a reinforcement  inviting important players.  So long as Ricardu Fernandesh and Konstantinos Makridis leaved the team, Metallurg bought Oleksiy Godin.  Certainly he was considered to be a new leader of the club, but…  We have written about it in the respective section.
In general, club did not suffer global  losses. We may notice the useful coming of Henrik Mkhitaryan to the club who showed at once his play as Mguni did it.
As for Igor Korotetskiy , last year he played 10 matches in Illichivets and 9 in Zorya. For this moment he played 9 matches in Metallurg. However his appearance on the field depends on Kostov’s opinion – is Korotetskiy stronger than Bilozor, Checher in pair with Volovyk? In any case the coach is sure that Igor makes progress and we can not disagree with him.
MVP

Henrik Mkhitaryan became the leader of the team at once after his coming to Donetsk. Armenian is of benefit to team practically in every match. Surely, we will talk about him in the future, and now – he took part in all 16 matches of the championship, scored 7 goals, was called the best player of Armenia. He is promising in his 20, is not he? Mkhitaryan makes progress from match to match – it will be more interesting to watch his play in the following part of the season.

Scandal

The bottle flew from VIP stands revolted residents of Kharkov and players of Metalist. No one will know to whom this bottle was thrown (and was there any "addressee"!), but it is known that emotions are not always positive. In any case, the event like this for the first time took place in Donetsk – undoubtedly it was annoying exception to the rule.

What next?

Metallurg shows nice football, gradually copes with problem of lack of result stability. To the finish of this part of the season The team took the 5^th position. Dnipro is in advance on 1 point and Tavriya, Karpaty and Obolon and other teams are behind Metallurg.

When everybody is healthy, the team has no problems. But it is obvious that Nikolay Kostov understand that injury of key player draws complications. So it is possible that in winter their will be reinforcement of the team. The team is staffed and it is necessary to increase one or two positions. And later Metallurg can struggle for place in European League which this year slipped off from the club in its last match. 

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