Player Focus: Konoplyanka Crucial as Ukraine Look to Finish the Job
A comprehensive 2-0 win over Slovenia on Saturday evening put Ukraine firmly in the driving seat to progress to Euro 2016. Goals from Andriy Yarmolenko and Evgen Seleznyov mean Mykhailo Fomenko’s side hold all the cards as Tuesday’s second leg meeting nears. However, a place at next summer’s European Championship is far from guaranteed.
As clichéd as it may sound, it is indeed only half time in the meeting between Ukraine and Slovenia and the latter will still feel capable of turning this tie around in Maribor. Slovenia bagged 11 goals in their five home games in qualifying, conceding just four in the process. It’s worth noting that three of those were to an England side that boasted a 100% record at this stage of the competition, the only team to do so.
Factor in that Ukraine failed to score in two of their five games away from home in qualifying and their chances of an easy evening in Slovenia become much slimmer. The visitors, of course, have the personnel to secure a positive result in Slovenia, of that there is no doubt. Yarmolenko is a player capable of turning the game in his side’s favour when the opportunity presents itself, and Fomenko has at his disposal a number of performers able to drag his team over the final hurdle, none more so than Yevhen Konoplyanka.
The wing wizard has finally established as a first team regular in Unai Emery’s Sevilla side after initially struggling to hold down a starting berth following his summer arrival from Dnipro. A WhoScored rating of 7.28 is the joint-best of all players for the Spanish side, level with the imperious Grzegorz Krychowiak. Two assists in the 3-2 win over Real Madrid prior to the international break saw him awarded the WhoScored man of the match accolade, with his creative expertise helping garner a rating of 9.36. Clearly, the 26-year-old is a man for the big occasion.
Given Los Rojiblancos’ indifferent start to the season, Konoplyanka’s emergence as a key member in Emery’s system has coincided with their upturn in form. Sevilla’s win ratio in La Liga is significantly higher when the Ukraine international starts (66.7%) compared to when he does not (25%), with the Spanish outfit averaging significantly more goals per game with him (3) than without (1). Of the 17 league goals Sevilla have scored this season, Konoplyanka has been directly involved in five (29.4%), a commendable return given his short time in Spain.
Of course, Emery has earned praise for easing him into competitive action in a new league and now the club are reaping the benefits. The hope now is that he recreates the same form with Ukraine when they face Slovenia. Konoplyanka was a constant attacking threat in the first leg 2-0 win on Saturday night, playing more key passes (3) than any other player in the encounter, contributing to a WhoScored rating of 7.07; while modest, it leaves room for improvement.
On another day, one of the chances he created would have been put away, but it’s crucial Konoplyanka does not let this deter him from laying on goalscoring opportunities for his Ukraine teammates, particularly when it’s feasible to suggest that should the visitors score they would put the tie to bed. Given Konoplyanka’s poor goalscoring return for the national team - the Sevilla winger has just three goals to his name in his last 20 appearances for the Yellow-Blue - it’s his creative qualities that could be crucial in Maribor.
The former Dnipro star is a player capable of punching a hole in any opposition defence when on top of his game. A successful dribble every 22.9 minutes is the fourth best in La Liga of players to register at least 400 minutes of league action this season. Factoring in just starts, only Lionel Messi (6.2) is averaging more dribbles per game than Konoplyanka (5.3).
The concern with some who are capable of beating an opponent is that they are found wanting when providing a final pass for their teammates - former Sevilla ace Jesus Navas is perhaps a prime example - but with Konoplyanka, this simply isn’t the case. A key pass every 38.1 minutes is the 14th best of players in La Liga to again register at least 400 minutes of league action this campaign. The Ukranian winger boasts statistically calculated WhoScored strengths of ‘dribbling’ and ‘key passes’, further accentuating just how potent a creative threat he can be when on song.
It’s vital, therefore, that he again churn out another quality showing on Tuesday night. A respectable outing in the first leg helped Ukraine to victory, but it’s reasonable to say there is more to come from Konoplyanka in this European Championship play-off. If he plays to his potential, then Ukraine stand a great chance of finishing the job in Maribor.
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