Leonid Buryak: "Why was North Macedonia able to stop Italy, but we can't?"

On October 9, the Ukrainian national team recognized the opponents in the qualifying group for the 2024 European Championship. Recall that the national teams of Italy, England, North Macedonia and Malta were included in Group C along with the Ukrainians. The ex-coach of the Ukrainian national team, the legendary Dynamo Kyiv player Leonid Buryak shared his impressions of the draw.

- All rivals in this group are serious, but the Ukrainian team is able to take its toll with every European national team, especially on its own field, - said Buryak. - I think we need to face the truth - it will be very difficult for us to qualify for Euro 2024, even from second place.

— That is, Italy and England will not give the first two places in the group to anyone?

- The tournament is long, so you need to develop and implement a plan for each individual game. A lot will depend on the little things. It is important where our team will train, how much time and effort will have to be spent on travel, and also, of course, what the situation will be in the country. Of course, it’s better to train at home and take your opponents to Ukrainian arenas. As for the matches with the giants, why was the same North Macedonia able to beat Italy and deprive them of a ticket to the 2022 World Cup, while we are not capable of this? But it makes no sense to talk about the chances yet, after the World Cup we will see what will happen and how.

— The draw determined two difficult groups in the Euro 2024 qualification — ours, and group B, which brought together the teams of the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Greece and Gibraltar.

- These are the so-called groups of death... It will not be easy for teams from group B to get a ticket to Euro 2024, but from such groups, motivated and very often qualitatively updated teams, hardened in a difficult struggle, go to the final stage of the tournament. The Ukrainian national team also needs to be updated, to involve more young people in the selection, especially players from the youth team.

— How radically does our national team need to upgrade before qualifying for Euro 2024?

— I don't think that we should refuse experienced football players who still find motivation to play at a high level. From people like Yarmolenko, for example. It is necessary to clearly define which of the players wants to continue playing for the national team. Yarmolenko, I think, has not yet said the last word in the national team and is able to help young players in many ways.

The level of UPL clubs that cannot beat teams from Liechtenstein and Cyprus is alarming. Of course, in war conditions it is difficult to demand high-quality football from our clubs. On the one hand, due to the fact that many legionnaires have left the UPL, there are many young men in the main squads, but they need time to progress, to be confident in each match, regardless of the opponent. In my time, such stars as Biba and Lobanovsky could not get into the national team due to competition, which emphasized the level of the championship.

— The question of who will lead the Ukrainian national team in the future is up in the air... Is it necessary to leave Oleksandr Petrakov, who did not lead the team to either the 2022 World Cup or the Division A of the League of Nations?

- Let UAF President Andriy Pavelko decide. They knew who was appointed. We knew that working with youth teams is different from working with experienced football players... But I want our leadership to finally reach the level where the work of a coach is appreciated, and when the coach says "thank you" for his work. There is no need to blame all the hardships, all the blame on Petrakov, because, I think, he tried at least.

— That is, it is desirable to resolve the issue with the national team coach as soon as possible, especially since the rivals of the “blue-yellows” in the group are already known?

- Exactly. It just seems that there is a lot of time that you can make it in time for spring. I think the UAF national team coach should be decided right now. Moreover, not everyone will agree to lead the Ukrainian national team in the conditions of war, and even before the selection in such a difficult group, where there are few chances of getting out. By the way, I don’t think that Sergei Rebrov will be released from the club and he will be able to lead the national team.

We need to clearly decide what is our priority - beautiful football or the result. The coach should start the work process right now and as soon as possible it is necessary to decide at least 70 percent on the coaching staff of the Blue-and-Yellows.

— Perhaps you should try the option of appointing a foreign specialist?

- Foreign coaches will come here - it's only a matter of the amount of the contract. Big money will be promised and someone will come. But now it will be difficult for any foreigner to deal with Ukrainian football. This takes time and a full understanding of the situation. I think there is no alternative to the Ukrainian coach. There is already a list of opponents in the qualification for Euro 2024, the championship of Ukraine is in full swing, which means that you need to have the head of the national team and a work plan for preparing for the new qualifying round.

Oleg SEMENCHENKO