Former Ukrainian national team midfielder Oleg Shelayev urges not to draw global conclusions, believes in victory over Armenia, although he was disappointed by what he saw in Scotland.
Oleg Shelaev- It happens that you may not be satisfied with the result, but the game leaves a good impression. And yesterday we witnessed a bad game, and got an unflattering result.
— Our team crumbled after the 70th minute. Up to this point, has the overall design of the game been satisfactory?
- Anything happens in football. Perhaps we had chances, and we could draw this game. But in such a game it was very hard to hope even for 0:0. Yes, Trubin could have made several saves, several times the skill of the Scots would not have allowed them to score, and we would have endured. However, the very quality of the game did not give hope for a draw - it was a matter of time.
— What struck me the most was the gigantic amount of defect in the actions of our players. What do you associate this with?
- There were a lot of them in the second half. When you are under pressure, as your opponent did yesterday, you must come out of defense. You try to get out through the pass, you can’t keep the ball, you start making mistakes.
— More recently, in June, we played successfully against Scotland. Why such a contrast?
“Yesterday the Scots were completely different. Unfortunately, we have changed too. Yet time has passed. New players appeared, circumstances changed. Everything is logical.
— Was the absence of Zinchenko, Mykolenko, Zabarny and Bushchan yesterday the key?
— Not the main one, but it significantly affected the quality of the game. We were unable to fully replace them.
— line of defense — our weakest link?
- If we take into account the goals conceded, definitely yes. But the whole team must defend. Something else caught my eye - the defenders lacked aggression and intransigence in the ball tackling component. In martial arts, I did not notice anger - in some places we were very easily pushed through.
— Footballers of the national team in interviews often focus on the importance of matches, on a special mood due to the war. It seemed that yesterday in their actions for the first time there was no passion and desire, and they went out on the field relaxed.
— I won't call it relaxation. Perhaps fatigue has accumulated and psychological pressure has taken its toll. Of course, it is a sin for football players to complain, given the conditions in which they are abroad. And it all overlaps... The opinions of all Ukrainians and football players, in particular, with our Armed Forces of Ukraine.
— Yesterday all the players failed, or will you still find a positive rating for someone?
- Everyone played badly - that's a fact. We especially expected a lot from the leaders, but we did not see their level. If you try to find at least some positive, then I will mention Artem Dovbik. He was not extremely active, but at least he did the best he could. Yarmolenko? Work with the ball, individual level - everything is with him. But physical readiness does not seem to be the same. From Mudrik, we expected tricks, from Malinovsky, cool shots and reasonable passes. It didn't happen yesterday.
— Anatoly Trubin goes to the location of the "youth team". Will there be any problems with the goalkeeper position in the next games?
— We have Andrey Lunin. When, if not now? He is a quality goalkeeper.
— Alexander Petrakov took the blame at the press conference. agree that the coach — the main culprit in the failure at Hampden Park?
- No wonder they say that the players win, and the coach loses. I think if a mentor takes the blame, it always deserves respect.
— Has the current coaching staff exhausted itself in the national team?
- No, we draw conclusions based on, perhaps, the worst game under Petrakov. I am not a supporter of such radical conclusions.
— When in your memory did the national team play so badly?
- I'm afraid to make a mistake, but it was still at Euro 2016 under Fomenko. When we lost to the Poles in the last round.
— Next Tuesday we will be hosting Scots in Poland. Should we wait for another game?
— I don't think that the pattern of the game will be radically different. In my opinion, we will not see a sharp change. Unfortunately.
— Already on Saturday, Ukraine has a tough fight in Yerevan. Are you not afraid of playing with Armenia?
— No, yesterday's defeat will give an impulse to anger. And understanding that you need to win in Armenia. In this case, the match against Scotland next week will be decisive. I believe that we will defeat Armenia, even though it will be difficult. However, we have chances to get the first place in the group. The recipe is simple - you need to win the next two rounds.
Lubomyr Kuzmyak
