The past week gave Ukrainian football fans opposite emotions. If the youth national team coped with its task, then the main team did not achieve the goal...
The national team of Ukraine ended the year with a performance in the League of Nations 2022/23. Unfortunately, the end of the tournament journey was marked by disappointment for the team and its fans.
"Blue and Yellow" found themselves in the second strongest division due to non-football circumstances. Their defeat was due to the decision of the notorious "cantons", and not directly on the field. So the boys were full of motivation to prove their strength in the competitive process, devoting performances in group B1 exclusively to the fight for the right to again participate in matches against the strongest rivals.
And no matter what was said about the semi-friendly status of these competitions, probably none of the Ukrainian players and coaches wanted to miss the opportunity to regularly meet with the European football elite.
Moreover, the victory over Scotland in the last round gave certain dividends in the future. Namely, the second basket during the draw for the 2024 European Championship, which will be held in Germany.
But Oleksandr Petrakov's wards could not break through the Celtic wall. Although they had the territorial and game advantage, they were unable to score.
"The game was until the goal was scored. However, the goal never came, although Mudryk, Yarmolenko, Dovbyk, Stepanenko could score. Blue and yellow played well, with desire, but they constantly lacked something in key moments - either freshness, or composure, or luck. At the same time, in the second half, the Scots began to openly fight back. In the end, the islanders achieved what they wanted - after a confident home victory over the Ukrainians, won a week earlier (3:0), they drew away. Now it is they who are promoted in the class", - states Ihor Petrenko from Depo.ua (28.09.22).
In general, the mass media note that if you proceed purely from the mood of the Ukrainian national team, the motivation of the players and the game as such, then there is really nothing to criticize it for. In the physical aspect, the "blue-yellow" at least did not give in to the opponent, which is characterized by power and tenacious football.
"After the match, Oleksandr Petrakov noted that he has no complaints against his football players. In my opinion, this is not another excuse or a gentlemanly desire to take the blame for the failure on himself. In the "home" game against the Scottish national team, in contrast to the away game, there is really nothing to reproach the players of the Ukrainian national team. Especially if we talk about the settings for the game, about motivation. The fact that they came out with a great desire to fight, to scratch the balls, without sparing either themselves or even more so the opponent, was visible to the naked eye", in particular, Valery Vasylenko shares his impressions on Sport.ua (28.09.22).
Even Scottish journalists admit that Ukraine played better in this match and should have won.
"Focusing on defence, Scotland could have conceded 3-4 goals. It was a tense match, everything could not have ended as Clarke and his team would have liked, but... This evening, success was on the side of the Scots. The Ukrainians did not realize their chances and remained in second place. And this means that all the bonuses from the first place went to Scotland. This is a big day for the country", "exhales" the publication The Scottish Sun, whose quote in a traditional review of the press of the rival country is cited by Anton Prokopov on Footboom.com (28.09.22).
Similar opinions are expressed by the majority of domestic experts. They note that none of those who played in Krakow can be denied a wish. Sometimes even excessive. Yes, according to the ex-forward of the "blue and yellow" Oleksiy Belyk, our team was not lucky, and the quality of football, despite the unsatisfactory results, was not bad:
"I will express my opinion: in general, we are disappointed with the result of our national team, but not with the game. During the whole match, the desire of our guys to achieve the most important victory was visible. Judging by the statistical data, shots on the opponent's goal, the Ukrainian national team deserved more. You need to realize your chances. There cannot be many of them. Ukrainian football players should have scored more than one goal in Krakow, but there were zeros on the scoreboard. Our guys played this match well, but the failure was in Glasgow, and only in the second half". (Sportarena.com, 28.09.22).
"It is very difficult to evaluate the performance of the Ukrainian national team in this cycle of the League of Nations, because we are not playing at home, the matches take place under intense pressure. And for that, we should thank the guys who go out and fight, tell the whole world that football is alive in us. Yes, the perturbations with the composition make themselves felt, but globally, if all our leaders are in order, then we have a fairly capable team. Well, of course, let's hope that everything will get better for us as soon as possible, and we will be able to play much stronger and more relaxed, because we will have the support of the stands", - adds the well-known football expert Yevhen Levchenko. (Footboom.com, 28.09.22).
Indeed, the Ukrainian national team worked through probably the most difficult year in its football life. What other country played and won at the highest level when their capital was stormed?
"This year, the "blue and yellow" also made history, although, of course, they had much easier conditions than our guys from the ZSU. We've beaten Scotland, Ireland and Armenia twice and that's hardly a bad result. Yes, we did not qualify for the 2022 World Cup, we did not return to the elite division of the Nations League, but the national team still caused more positives than negatives. Therefore, we would like further progress, and not another restructuring", - believes the editor-in-chief Sportanalytic.com (28.09.22) Ihor Zvyk.
Of course, the circumstances that accompanied the performances of Petrakov's team in recent months were exceptional. Therefore, apparently, the press does not make a special tragedy out of the failures, because this is not the main thing for Ukrainians right now.
"Played football, didn't win football, so be it. Will try again. And more. Because it's just a game. And it is better for us to direct all our "mental powers" to support the country's main national team - the Defense Forces of Ukraine. Worrying about everyone every day. Those who pray pray for the Soldiers, sincerely rejoice in a childlike manner for every meter of Ukrainian land won back from the occupiers. But to believe. To believe in the Armed Forces", Pavel Bulak urges on the pages Footboom.com (28.09.22).
And those who are still indignant about the performances of the national team from a purely football point of view, oppose Sportarena.com (29.09.22). The site's correspondent Oleksandr Tsvyrk emphasizes that in the past year, the result shown in "blue-yellow" is higher than average!
"Only five times (out of 27) did our national team score more points in a calendar year. And twice as much. Ukraine won more victories only twice in a year. 2013 due to the effect of freshness from the arrival of Fomenko; only one defeat that year, but it was a fatal defeat at the Stade de France. In 2019, Shevchenko's team skated through the qualification for Euro-2020. These two years stand out in terms of the steepness of the percentage numbers", he compares.
"And now let's stop abstracting and plunge these numbers into the terrible conditions of wartime, the author suggests. — Matches were moved from spring to summer, others from summer to autumn. The team did not meet for a long time, and when it did, it traveled around the continent far from home and played with anyone. Before the World Cup playoffs, more than half of the players did not have six months of practice.
Under such a sauce, everything is seen, if not in a rainbow, then in a much more optimistic light. Yes, the qualification for the world was lost - but it happened regularly, with no less strong teams and different coaches, starting with Lobanovskyi himself. And, again, in peaceful and calm times, under more favorable conditions.
Stayed in League B? Well, we still have a place here, the opponents are good here too. The third basket in the Euro selection draw? Not critical, with the current tolerance.
And before demanding the immediate resignation of Petrakov, let's first ask the classic question: "What is a reasonable alternative to this?" Here and now?» Sportarena.com (29.09.22).
Indeed, for the head coach of the Ukrainian national team, the Nations League match with Scotland may be the last at the helm of the country's main team. The 65-year-old specialist's contract with the UAF expires this year. As the mentor himself noted before the game, in which the fate of the first place in the LN group was decided, none of the heads of the association held negotiations on extending the term of cooperation with him.
Moreover, when immediately after the final whistle, the captain of the Scots, Steve Clark, came to encourage his Ukrainian colleague, he only crossed his arms. The fans saw this gesture as the coach's understanding of his last match.
The topic of Petrakov's tenure as the coach of the "blue-yellows" was already quite controversial, and after the goalless draw in Krakow, it reached its peak. The media, it seems, have even begun to compete in a kind of "game", who will offer the most candidacies for a possible vacant position. Nevertheless, all the media, despite the results, pay tribute to Oleksandr Vasyliovych for his stability and behavior in difficult times for the country.
"What Petrakov cannot be blamed for is his public position during the war. The Russian Federation's lawsuit with UEFA regarding a potential fine for speaking out against an aggressor country is the best evidence that it was doing everything right. Interviews of the coach appeared in the Italian and British press, and the topic of events in Ukraine was constantly raised at conferences.", the correspondent reminds Ua.tribuna.com (28.09.22) Dmytro Vatras.
"At the beginning of his work, Petrakov gained sympathy. It is a great respect that he switched to the Ukrainian team even before the Great War and set an example for his football players.
... Petrakov does not leave anyone indifferent. Some criticize him mercilessly, others passionately defend him. He performed his work conscientiously in a very difficult time, as far as his qualifications allowed. The coach never wore masks and was always sincere", adds Roman Savrii on Football24.ua (28.09.22).
Perhaps today it is most valuable for goals and places in the table. As for the question of the future of the national team's helmsman, it is up to the national association to cut the Gordian knot. However, the press and experts in this context express their concerns in a friendly manner, because earlier in the House of Football, there were mainly conflict situations with the selection.
"The choice of the head coach is the prerogative of the UAF executive committee. But I think, first of all, it is important to conduct a comprehensive analysis, and this applies not only to failures. After the performances of the national team during the coaching staff of Andrii Shevchenko, when we got into the eight best teams of the continent, for some reason no conclusions were drawn: what was successful, what was not, where are the problems, where should we go... The heads of the association have time to make a balanced and reasoned decision. I would like to make the analysis and development strategy available to the fans as well", says the famous Ukrainian coach Serhiy Kovalets in an interview Footboom.com (29.09.22).
"In order to improve the results of the national team, it is necessary to improve the work of the UAF first of all, since the last normal appointment of the head coach of the blue-yellow team dates back to 2010, when Myron Markevich came. His departure was accompanied by a scandal, after which there were either loud resignations or random appointments, but there was no system. We need simple down-to-earth things, not constructions with sky-high desires", the commentator of Setanta Sport Ihor Boyko holds the same opinion. (Fanday.net, 28.09.22).
By and large, the national association should have prepared backup options already after failure to qualify for the 2022 World Cup. On the other hand, there is no rush either - qualification for Euro 2024 starts in March next year. The Euro selection draw on October 9 in Frankfurt is approaching, but it also does not require instant decisions.
In the opinion of journalist Ihor Tsyganyk, the UAF still needs to conduct an analysis of the flights, since strategically the national team is not in a very favorable position. Ukraine is in the third seeding basket and can get two favorites in the fight for a ticket to Germany.
"We are very emotional about everything right now. You need to sit down and think. At the moment, I am still interested in who will agree [to lead the Ukrainian national team after Petrakov], because the selection will be very difficult. Now they will wait for the draw (October 9) to understand what our chances are, and only after that they will make a decision. Not every coach is ready to come to such a situation", sums up I. Tsyganyk. (Sport.ua, 28.09.22).
It is interesting that the head coach of the youth national team of Ukraine, Ruslan Rotany, is named as one of the candidates for the position of Petrakov media. The 40-year-old specialist and his boys became real triumphs last week.
While the fans were waiting for the match of the national team in the League of Nations, players under the age of 21 passed their extremely difficult exam to qualify for Euro 2023. And they managed it perfectly! After an away defeat to Slovakia (2:3) in the first match of the playoff selection, the "blue and yellow" took a convincing revenge in the Polish city of Bielsko-Biala. Having defeated the opponent with a score of 3:0, the Ukrainians made their way to the continental championship for the third time in history.
"Our team last played in 2011 in Denmark. This was the generation of Andrii Yarmolenko, Yevhen Konoplyanka, Taras Stepanenko, Roman Zozuli, Denys Garmash, Serhiy Kryvtsov, Denys Boyk, Yaroslav Rakytskyi. The team was the worst of the eight in the tournament, scoring just one goal in a 2-1 loss to the Czech Republic (by Maksym Bily), drawing 0-0 with England and being beaten 0-3 by Spain.
The debut attempt was the best so far - in 2006, Ukraine became the vice-champion of the Youth Euro in Portugal, losing in the final to the Netherlands. Before that, Ukraine won the group with the same Netherlands, Italy and Denmark, and in the semifinals on penalties, it passed Serbia and Montenegro. This was the generation of Andrii Pyatov, Artem Milevskyi, Oleksandr Aliyev, Dmytro Chygrynskyi, Taras Mykhalyk, Yevhen Cheberiachko, Oleksandr Rybka", the author reminds Ua.tribuna.com (27.09.22) Konstantin Varvarik.
Rotan's path to success was extremely thorny. Before that, qualifying for Euro 2021 was failed at the start, where his team lost almost half of the matches against opponents with less formidable names and more modest merit. The traditional tournament in memory of Valery Lobanovsky, where Ukraine failed in matches against Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan. Even then, the "young man" was waved at, and the media criticized the coaching abilities of the former star of "Dnipro" and "Dynamo".
However, the officials at the House of Football and the coach himself withstood the pressure, and the coaching staff's second chance resulted in an exit to the final part of the European Championship. The close matches with Slovakia became the quintessence of how the Rotan boys trampled this long way to the goal.
"Playoffs are not, in principle, the most favorite word for Ukrainian fans. When the dream is already within reach, in the end, something is bound to go wrong. But not this time. On the way to Euro 2023, the Rotany national team won the main battle - in itself. At a decisive moment, the youth national team brought out all the best on the surface and hid all the worst from its arsenal deeper. And in the summer of 2023, he will definitely join the top 15 teams of the Old World in Romania and Georgia", the blogger analyzes Sport.ua (28.09.22) Vadim Andreev.
The outlook, in fact, looks good. This national team can play at a high level, it has skillful football players, playfulness, experience in international tournaments. A big plus at the moment is also the fact that the main players have game practice in their clubs, and even play an important role there, which was not the case before.
"We have seen a team that will definitely not get lost in the final part of the tournament (it will be held in June next year in Romania and Georgia). Adding Mudryk, our newly emerged European star, to this squad gives us a very interesting squad, with a varied attacking group and excellent wings to support the attack. There is a reliable goalkeeper, a center of defense with footballers who have already been tested in the first team. This is a team that has seen a lot and knows how to create. This is a team with fire and character. It is led by a coach who has built everything brick by brick himself over the past year and a half. With this team, he will have something to say at the Euro!” — confident team of the site Terrikon.com (30.09.22).
It should be noted that, in addition to the U-21 European Champion trophy itself, the three best teams of the tournament will have the right to play at the 2024 Olympics in Paris. If the French team is among the medalists of Euro-2023, which is guaranteed to perform at the home games, then another Olympic license will be issued to the team that took fourth place at the European forum.
So, for Rotan and his team, not only is there a prospect of aiming for the prize-winning achievement of the youth continental forum, but also, for the first time in the history of independent Ukraine, to play football at the Olympics. Is the prospect of being promoted to the head coach of the first team still more important?
Orest LELEKA