Piotr Kushlyk: "Those who are in favor of Petrakov's departure from the national team do not know the full depth of football"

Well-known Ukrainian specialist Petro Kushlyk summed up the performance of the Ukrainian national team in the 2022/23 Nations League and assessed the work of the head coach of the Ukrainian national team Oleksandr Petrakov.

- In general, for the game with Scotland, our team deserves a solid "four". The guys tried, tried to succeed, but they lacked luck. The desire to score a ball, as well as the desire to achieve victory at all costs, pressed on them with a heavy psychological burden. It was this that made us rush in this or that game situation at the opponent's goal.

The Scots, unlike us, had the goal not to miss, and in the end they coped with this task. The Ukrainian national team was clearly unlucky on Tuesday in Krakow, so I would not condemn the guys. It is clear that the loss of points in Krakow was an annoyance for all of us.

But you should understand that there are different things in sports - both victories and defeats, and such disadvantageous draws. Therefore, I believe that experts and journalists who have not played football at a professional level should not be captured by emotions. Being under their influence, it is not necessary to look for the cause of failure in the coach, the preparation process, the state of this or that player, or something else.

It should be remembered that there are many different factors and you need to highlight only the really real one. We should not forget the conditions our football has been in for the last seven months. As for the opponent of our team, he came to Krakow with a kind of draw handicap that suited him. In addition, the players of the Scottish national team play in the leading national championships, where they got in great shape. Therefore, it is not worth sprinkling ashes on your head - you need to turn the page and move on.

- What options did the Ukrainian national team have and was the optimal choice of tactics for the game?

- I think that Petrakov thought everything through well and from a practical point of view, he did everything right. But the game was not enough to use the speed qualities of Mudrik, as it happened before in some matches. This guy can not only run away and score the ball, but also skillfully shoot from the flank into the penalty area. In the duel with the Scots, one accurate pass was missing. As for the squad itself, taking into account the absence of Bushchan, Zinchenko, Shaparenko, Sobol and Sidorchuk entered the field with what was available. The main thing is that the guys knew what was required of them and fought!

- Why do you think our team failed to use several real chances to score in the match against Scotland?

- There are two reasons. I repeat: the first is not fart, and the second is psychology. It's hard to play when the result is pressing on you. Another thing is when you play more calmly, more liberated - then the implementation does not take long. And so, in the desire to score, I had to rush, hence the failures in the final stage. Unfortunately, time has shown that for some players in the game, not everything goes the way we all would like. This applies to Yaremchuk, who, after changing the club, has not yet found his usual condition.

It seems that anxiety due to psychological pressure prevented Dovbik from playing more productively in this match. In general, there are many talented guys in our football, and each of them should remember that the career of a football player is short - therefore, you need to take your professional duties with all seriousness and responsibility.

Let me give Messi as an example. The Argentine does not look at money, because he has long been "packed" with everything he needs. He does not count anything - he just plays football with pleasure, because he loves this game. Although at the age of 35 I could already say goodbye to everyone, hang my boots on a nail and live for my own pleasure. However, Messi continues to go to training every day, travel around the world to matches with PSG and the Argentina national team - and is going to play until 40! And with us, the player will get a couple of extra kopecks - and off we go: phones, cars, heifers, helicopters. You look in six months or a year - and the guy has already disappeared from the horizon. Then you look for information about him - where and for which league he plays, maybe he even finished with football.

- A year has passed since the debut of Oleksandr Petrakov as the head coach of the Ukrainian national team. How do you evaluate his work during this period, when the matches of the 2022 World Cup qualifying round, the playoffs and the League of Nations were played under his leadership?

- Despite my attitude towards the head of the UAF Andrey Pavelko, I can say that the decision to appoint Petrakov as the helmsman of the national team was the right one. If we talk about his work, then, given the current situation in the country, I assess it quite positively - namely, "four plus". On a five-point scale, of course.

Therefore, I think that the head of our team coped with his duties. I fully support him, he is great. Unlike his predecessor, Petrakov's salary is three times less - and this specialist does not grumble, but works with all sincerity and love for his craft. Believe me, put any of our coaches in the place of Alexander Vasilyevich and he would not have done anything better. Nothing! And I mean not only working conditions during the war, but also other factors - in particular, problems with the composition, as it was, say, before the last game with Scotland.

- After our team failed to win a ticket to Division A, football Ukraine was divided into two fronts. Some believe that the contract with Petrakov should not be extended, while others are inclined to believe that this specialist should be left in his current position. What is your position?

- Those who say that Alexander Petrakov should be left as the head coach of the national team are sober-minded and literate people in the understanding of football. They not only take into account the many nuances that take place in our football, but also know the specifics of coaching, which can be compared with an electric chair.

Those who have the opposite opinion, unfortunately, do not know the full depth of football. There are many surprises and surprises in the game of millions, including those with a minus sign. But this does not mean that with an overall positive indicator of the performance of the team, the coach should be immediately fired with one or another loss of points. Who would have thought that Germany would give way to Hungary at home, and Portugal would lose to Spain at home? Calm people play big football and there are no hesitation from side to side. On the contrary, in a difficult hour, you need to support a person, and not find fault.

Vyacheslav Kulchitsky