This report is an example of our scouting in Eastern Europe. To introduce cost effective players with the qualities to play in bigger leagues is our aim. The report on this Belarusian player was written back in 2010. The player was available on free transfer and his wage demand was around 7000-8000 Euro per month. Considering the money he was a player that in my mind should be labeled as a bargain for the right club.

Having seen the player live I decided that this was a player that had the qualities of playing in Scandinavia. The report was handed out to the clubs in this region, but no one wanted to sign the player. The clubs perhaps didn’t know the marked or the level of football in the region.  This is something we intend to change.

The player signed for Russian side FC Ural in 2011, a side who got promoted to the Russian Premier League this year. Andrey Chukley has established himself as a regular as an offensive right back and has impressed during the start of the campaign. He is also a regular international, but do to injury he had to withdraw from the latest World Cup qualifier against France on the 10th of September 2013.

So even if any Scandinavian club signed the player the report is still an indication of the type of work we do. We help your club in the search on players in new exciting regions where there is a big marked to exploit.

Simply ask us for help and we will introduce quality players to your club. Give details about your team and your requirements through contact page and we will get back to you as soon as possible.
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Scouting report: Andrey Chukhley

Right-winger with lightning pace and splendid skill.

Andrey Chukhley is an offensive winger wearing the prestigious number 9 shirt for one of the best teams in Belarus. He`s gone through the grades at Dinamo Minsk and has been capped for the national team, under-19 and under-21, and also, been capped twice for the national team.

He caught my eye in 2009 when playing in an important qualification match, UEFA Europa Leauge, against Norwegian outfit Tromso IL. The first match was played in Minsk on 16.07.2009. The match started out in great pace with both sides playing some offensive football.

Andrey Chukhley played a big part in the home sides attacking display. With Dinamo Minsk playing in a familiar 4-4-2 he`s fully able to use his offensive skills as a right winger, but in my opinion this is a player who also easily could adapt into a 4-3-3 formation.

You could see early signs in the match that his teammates were always keen on passing him the ball. With the pace he possesses he is always likely to cause problems for defenders. His timing of the run and the cleverness in his play made the away defenders struggle. But in all fairness to the defenders, Chukhley is a player who`s not easy to read. At one point you could expect him to go past the defender on the outside, but then he quickly decides to go on the inside, making it hard for the defender to not give away free kicks in dangerous positions.

In some short periods of the match you could see Andrey Chukhley disappeared a bit. He could struggle along with his teammates, who at times were not capable of involving him the match. The manager made tactical changes by allowing Chukhley to switch to a left-wing position with positive effect. He got more involved and threatened the defense on several occasions.

As said, he has got the ability to go either way on the defender making it so difficult to read his next move. His willingness to have a shot at goal is an important factor of his game. His right foot stands out, but his left is also good. Often he can be an attack on his own, but what separates him from other offensive wingers is that he is good in his defensive work as well. He’s always back in defense to give support for his defenders. His pace and aggressive style to win back the ball proves to be a key factor in his game.

He has everything that you expect of a winger: quality crosses into the box, the ability to go past people and a talent for relieving pressure in tight situations by his willingness to receive the ball, even when marked.

Although Andrey Chukhley delivered a fine performance it wasn’t enough for Minsk to win the match. At the end of the match you could actually see him play as a striker in his team’s effort to try to get that important goal. He seemed comfortable playing up front, making the defense work hard in the middle. The match ended 0-0 which gave his team a decent result for the return leg a week later.

It was always going to be a different match back in Norway a week later. Dinamo Minsk was playing in a 4-5-1 system and with a more caution approach to the match. They looked comfortable in the beginning by creating a couple of good chances, but some poor finishing prevented them from taking the lead. Instead after 28 minutes, the home side took the lead after some poor goalkeeping. Andrey Chukhley was a constant threat; similar to the first match, but lack of support in attack often made him the only threat. Tromso IL scored again after 76 minutes after an own goal. By then the visitors had got their right-back sent off after a clumsy hand ball. It all seemed over, but Dinamo Minsk scored 2-1 with 8 minutes to go. Minsk threw everyone forward to get that crucial equalizer, only to be pegged back by 2 goals in the dying minutes which saw them loose 4-1 on aggregate.

It was obvious that the teammates were reliant on Chukhley. His ability to create something on his own was always likely to happen, but with lack of support upfront it was always going to be a difficult task. He was, especially in the beginning, the major threat on the right wing causing problems for the Norwegian defenders. Although the home side was clearly aware of his talent from the first leg they still had difficulties to handle him.

In this leg we saw more of Chukhley`s defensive ability since his team had a more defensive approach to the game. He helped his right back and was quick to storm in attack whenever he got the chance. His willingness and commitment were second to none and you could see home much this European match meant to him. He had to be sacrificed after 72 minutes after Minsk got a sending off, but after running the entire match you could blame the young player for being tired.

It was also impressing to witness his ability to take on
different positions and tactical adjustments given to him by his manager. At the end of the match he had proven to me that we were dealing with an offensive winger with qualities worthy a chance in a bigger league.

In the Belarusian Championship this year he`s got 5 goals and 2 assist. In the qualification for the UEFA Europe leauge he scored 4 goals.

Strengths:

  • Andrey Chukhley has excellent shooting technique with both his right and weaker left foot.
  • He is quick, has very good acceleration and dribbling skills, and has the confidence to try new 
tricks on defenders. His passing is neat and clever.
  • Chukhley is a right winger with a good cross with both feet. He tends to mix his style when attacking the defender making him difficult to read. When going on the inside he is always willing to fire an accurate shot at the goal. For Dinamo Minsk he takes some of the corners and free kicks from dangerous areas.
  • Chukhley Provides good defensive cover and is tactically reliable. He can play on both offensive wings and as a striker.
  • Has got important European matches under his belt along with international experience.

Weaknesses:

  • Chukhley needs to improve his tendency to be invisible for parts of the game. He has this year made improvements in this area of his game, mainly because of his ability to switch to other positions.
  • Andrey Chukhley is not a tall player, so his heading game is very limited.
  • His overall passing is great, but occasionally he misses simple passes. Even thought he is 
quick in defense to make up on his errors this is something he must improve.

DVD material (given to the clubs interested) of number 9, Andrey Chukley:

Match 1: Bate Borisov – Dinamo Minsk 22.09.2010 (90 minutes, match report)

The all-Belarusian derby between BATE and Dinamo Minsk is one of the biggest matches in the league. Players know how much a victory in these matches mean to their supporters so needless to say much was at stake. The first opening 20 minutes didn’t live up to its expectations with both sides struggling to get to any clear opportunities. Lively and willing Andrey Chukhley had two decent shots sent wide of the goal. After 38 minutes the home side took the lead through a penalty. Shortly before the break it was 1-1. Chukhley had an easy tap in from close range after he reacted quickest to a rebound from the goalkeeper.

Dinamo Minsk started out the second half in great pace. They scored with a great header after set pieces and shortly after BATE failed with their attempt to set the Minsk players in offside, making it easy for Sotero to score 1-3. It was an overall deserved victory for the away side and a much needed one in their bid to strengthen their league position.

Dinamo Minsk played in a 4-5-1 formation and came to BATE to get three points. In my opinion, the Brazilians for Minsk stood out alongside Andrey Chukhley as their top performers. Chukhley could easily have scored two more goals in the second half if only his teammates had passed the ball to him when he had an open goal. During the match you can see him switching positions several times. Mainly operating as a right winger he switches to the left side at times. After 70 minutes we see one of brilliant timed runs which eventually lead to a free kick in dangerous position. Even though he isn’t the biggest player on the pitch I was impressed with his tackling ability. At some occasions he battled down the defenders fairly. His aggressive style is something he has improved on this last year and it`s paying off. The defenders are aware of his never-give-up a ball mentality, making them often panicking and desperate in tight situations on the pitch.

 

Match 2: Dinamo Minsk – DNEPR 29.08.2010 (90 minutes, match report)

 

Three days after losing against Club Brugge in the qualification for the UEFA Europe Leauge, lost 5-3 on aggregate, they had another important match in their bid to climb up the table.

After 12 minutes Chukhley picks up the ball in midfield and passes the ball forward. He times his run cleverly and receives the ball back before he hammers the shot past the goalkeeper. The home side continues to press forward and again the defenders can’t keep up with the pace of Chukhley. On 18 minutes he gets a free kick in a dangerous position after being tackled hard when going forward. The

high pressure from both sides gives lots of room for both sides to take advantage of. Chukhley is active for Minsk – setting up players who fail to put them further ahead. It’s an open match and after 27 minutes the visitors should be level, but a fine save from the goalkeeper saves Minsk. Before the half time Andrey Chukhley is again causing trouble for DNEPR from his wing-position. Several crosses are delivered perfectly in, but his teammates aren’t able to score more goals in the first half.

Second half starts out with Andrey Chukhley playing in the same right-wing position. He`s always threatening the huge spaces he gets in attack, but also helps out his right-back whenever needed. In attack he quickly makes himself playable at all times. When receiving the ball, even in tight situations, he seems comfortable. He takes his time to make good decisions, but he can pass the ball on first touch as he does on numerous occasions with great ball control. When having helped his defense you see his eager and desire to receive the ball quickly from the goalkeeper. When receiving the ball there’s only one thing on his mind and that is to use his strengths to get forward. He`s the type of player that when spotting a small gap in the opposition defense he is more than willing to have a go and take advantage of that room. But I wouldn’t say he`s a selfish player regarding dribbling too much on his own. It would be fair to say that he uses the best solution available for him. Chances were few until Minsk was awarded a penalty after a hand ball in the area. It was some neat play that set up the goal. The goalkeeper couldn’t hold onto the shot from Chukhley and the following cross in the area led to penalty. The game seemed over at that point, but the visitors fought back again. Some unconvincing defending gave Tereshchenko a great opportunity and alone with the goalkeeper he made no mistake. In the end the home side looked very much in control. They had a great chance to make it 3-1 when Chukhley fed his teammate in the box, but his shot went narrowly wide. With both unable to produce any chances during the last 10 minutes it all seemed to be three deserved points for the home side. But it could have been all level in injury time when the visitors had a great chance to grab a point. The goalkeeper punched away the shot and that proved to be almost the last kick of the match. Again it was another solid display from 23 year old Chukhley. The dearth of good offensive-wing players taken into account, there is certainly an opportunity for him to get into the frame for his national team and maybe to a better club abroad – probably even quicker than Chukhley himself imagines.

 

Scouting report on Andrey Chukhley written on 15.11.2010.

Signed and approved by Chief scout Øyvind Christoffer Johansen
 at Scandinavian Scouting Agency

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