Former head coach of Dynamo Kyiv Oleksandr Hatskevych shared his impressions of the Euro 2024 qualifying match between North Macedonia and Ukraine (2:3).
Alexander Hatskevich"Against Northern Macedonia, the whole team played below its level"
- Oleksandr Mykolayovych, what was your impression of the game?
- Today, Ukraine is known all over the world for its character, not only on the football field but also on the battlefield against the aggressor. And this is worth a lot.
- But still. In the first half, the Ukrainian national team was unrecognisable: almost no shots on goal, 0 chances, even ball control was lost. What happened to our team? Was there an underestimation of the opponent or was the reason something else?
- I don't think anything changed much in the second half. Ukraine just scored three goals, and that's great. The result is top, and the head coach will talk about the game - what worked and what didn't. In the first half, Ukraine played quite cautiously, giving the initiative to the opponent.
- And yet, what was the difference compared to the friendly with Germany?
- Probably, we wanted to play like the German national team - with a quick transition from defence to attack. But if Germany played quite high, the Macedonians played in the middle block, and there was no space for Tymchyk and Mudryk to run.
In the first half of the match, the Ukrainian national team did not have control of the ball and did not know how to build their attack.
- After the first half, Rebrov replaced Tymchyk and Dovbyk. What can you say about their actions in the first half?
- After 0-2, changes were needed. Vanat coming on instead of Dovbyk means more aggression on the defenders to actively cover them in the other half of the field. And replacing Tymchyk with Konoplya worked 100%. Yukhym scored the second goal and instilled confidence in the team. We can say that both first substitutions worked.
- Who would you give the Lion of the Match award to the best player?
- This is a difficult question. But I would still give the award to Vita Tsygankov. His goal brought victory to the whole of Ukraine. Why does Rebrov use him not on the wing but under the striker? The head coach should use the strengths of all players for the benefit of the team.
- Who, in your opinion, played weaker than usual today?
- Let's be honest, today the whole team played below their level. This applies to both team play and individual performance.
"Mudryk needs to add to his play in the game and work on this component"
- Malinowski comes into the game from the bench under Rebrov, while Sudakov starts. What do you think of this rostering?
- Sudakov is more mobile and faster than Malinowski, and probably more in line with the principles of Rebrov's coaching staff. In the game against Germany, Sudakov looked confident, and there was no time to change anything. I think the mutual understanding that Sudakov and Stepanenko have at Shakhtar also played a role.
But Malinowski's appearance in the second half showed that Ruslan is an experienced footballer. He knows when to hold on to the ball and when to attack. We will respect the head coach's choice.
- In the match against Germany, Mudryk made terrible cuts, and against Northern Macedonia in the first half, Mikhail also couldn't find himself on the pitch - but he became the Lion of the Match for his two assists. What can you say about him?
- It's clear that playing in set-pieces and one-touching are not Mudryk's strengths, but he has other advantages. Ukraine's second goal was Mudryk's merit. He used his speed, individual actions and gave an assist. Mikhail took part in a turning point in the game.
I can say that Mudryk needs to add to the game in the set-piece and work on this component.
- Dovbyk and Vanat played a half each, but none of them scored. Which striker did you like more?
- Both of them didn't find chances today and didn't threaten the opposition's goal. Dovbyk and Vanat can't put this game on their record.
"The Ukrainian national team against Germany reminded me of Dynamo 97/98"
- What do you think of the national team's tactics under Rebrov, did he surprise you with anything?
- I really liked the game of the Ukrainian national team against Germany. The team reminded me of Dynamo 97/98: all players behind the ball line, quick transition from defence to attack, interchangeability, safety net.
There was no such thing against North Macedonia. But today, the most important thing for the national team was the result, and we managed to achieve it.
- You have already seen two games of the Ukrainian national team under Rebrov's leadership. How do you like the game compared to the teams of Petrakov and Rotan?
- I cannot say that something has changed dramatically in terms of quality. It will take some time for the players to understand the requirements of the new coaching staff. Let's be patient. It's worth waiting for the picture to be good and for the result to be achieved.
- What do you expect from the match against Malta?
- Malta should not be underestimated. This is not an easy team, but a very organised one (at one time, our team under Shevchenko's leadership lost to the islanders in a friendly match - ed.) In this game, the Ukrainian national team will have to conduct more positional attacks, it will be quite difficult to break down a saturated defence. However, Malta knows how to defend.
This will be Rebrov's third match in charge, and he will have to find the right combination of players on the pitch, based on how the game develops.
- Ukraine has played two matches in a row with the same line-up. Do you think there will be a rotation in the game against Malta? Who do you think Rebrov should replace?
- It's clear that there will be a rotation, but Rebrov will decide how big it will be. Everything will depend on quality, not quantity.
- What do you expect from our team in this qualifying cycle for Euro 2024? Will the Ukrainian national team manage to compete with Italy for second place?
- Don't forget that there is still England. North Macedonia also showed in the first half that they are a difficult team, and it will not be easy with Malta. In every game, the result should come first, and there is always a chance. Football is quite unpredictable nowadays.
I watched the game between Spain and Italy in the Nations League (Spain won 2-1 - ed.) and there is nothing complicated. It is clear that before the game, Italy and England will be considered favourites to play Ukraine, but it is just beginning. The Ukrainian national team needs to get the best out of every match and come out and play for the result from the first minute.
Andrii Piskun
