Former Ukraine striker Ivan Getsko shared his impressions of the Ukrainian national team's 3-1 win over France in the 1/4 finals of Euro 2023 (U-21) and told what he expects from the Spain-Ukraine semi-final match to be played today in Bucharest.
Ivan Getsko- I'm not going to lie, before the game I didn't even dream that our guys would be so confident in dealing with the French.
France now has a very cool young generation, even a star one. I can safely say that. One of the best youth teams on the continent, for sure. But things happen in football, for example, when the favourites, and that's what Sylvain Ripoll's team was considered to be, lose. Did Ukraine win fairly? Absolutely.
- Was the game made by the duo of Mikhail Mudryk and Georgy Sudakov?
- If you say so, I can agree. But I wouldn't say that the victory is solely due to Mikhail and Georgy. Absolutely all the players of our national team played well, and there is no point in singling anyone out. Everyone played perfectly.
- After the game, Mudryk jokingly said that by giving such magnificent passes to Sudakov, after which it is a sin not to score, he is selling him. All joking aside, the price tag for the player has definitely gone up by a couple of million while Shakhtar have been at it.
- What a couple of million. After Euro 2023, Sudakov's cost will double or even triple. I will say more, the cost of each player from Ruslan Rotan's team will increase significantly. But neither you nor I should think about it now, and especially not the players.
Now the Ukrainians are showing a very high class game. I'm just happy to see them play like this.
- Personally, I also frankly enjoy the game of the youth, but I am confused by the fact that they are not yet fully formed personalities. With all due respect, they are still not 25 years old, they can inadvertently catch a star and burn out from temporary, local success, which is certainly reaching the Euro 1/2 finals and winning a ticket to the 2024 Olympics.
- I don't think so. Almost all of the players in this youth team have been playing for their clubs for many years, alongside their grown-up uncles. In this national team, every player knows their worth and the price of success, that is, they clearly understand what prospects are opening up for them, given the level of play they are showing.
I'm sure that many scouts from European clubs are now watching the Ukrainian national team. This is also a motivation. To prove themselves, to move to a strong European club.
Today, our youth team is one of the best in Europe.
- Do you still have strength left for Spain?
- A full two days of preparation is enough to recover. In addition, Rotan has the opportunity to vary the line-up.
And now the team is in a great psychological state. This should also be taken into account. Can we overcome Spain after the annoying draw in the group stage? Yes, we can. I believe we can. I hope so.
Of course, the Spaniards are the favourites, but the French were also favourites, so I wouldn't be surprised if it is Ukraine that will be in the European Championship final.
- Can you single out anyone in the Spanish team, their main star? In France, for example, who was not lazy enough to praise Pierre Kaloula, Maxence Cahere, Arnaud Calimuendo.
- I wouldn't single out anyone in Spain, just like I don't single out anyone in Ukraine. This team is strong primarily because of its team play, just like Ukraine, again.
The game in the 1/2 finals will be completely different from the one in the group stage. Back then, by and large, the result was not the first priority for either Spain or us. In fact, both teams played with second-teamers.
- Vladyslav Vanat served a suspension. Should Rotan count on him in a crucial game against Spain? This is about the fact that the Dynamo player got soaked in the game against Romania. No one can guarantee that the demons won't confuse him again, as they say.
- Only Rotan will decide who to put on the field, and it is incorrect to give him advice. He knows all the players well, he has been working with many of them for years.
I really believe in Ruslan Rotan's coaching genius. He has to prove his high professional level to some sceptics once again. Although, the results speak for themselves.
As for Vanat, I hope he has learned from his behaviour.
- To this day, the best achievement of the Ukrainian youth team is the silver medal in 2006. Back then, in Portugal, Oleksiy Mykhailychenko's team with Artem Milevsky and Oleksandr Aliyev unfortunately lost 0-3 to the Netherlands in the final. Can the new stars of Ukraine, Mikhail Mudryk, Georgy Sudakov, Vladislav Vanat, Anatoly Trubin and company surpass the achievements of the generation that many still consider to be the golden generation?
- Yes. I repeat, now our national team, the youth national team of Ukraine, is one of the best on the continent. And these players you have listed, I am sure, will not repeat the fate of Milevsky and Aliyev, but will surpass their achievements.
- When I think of the young Artem Milevsky, I always see that photo of him with Cristiano Ronaldo, which is circulating on the Internet. Years have passed, and Artem is now... advertising shops selling alcohol, some bookmakers on Instagram, regularly posting photos from restaurants, and Ronaldo is playing! He still plays, albeit in Asia.
- You shouldn't compare the current generation with the generations of Milevsky and Aliyev. They are completely different. They are radically different. I am sure that Rotan and his assistants on the coaching staff motivate each player as much as possible, explaining the value of victories at the Euros.
If you are implying that someone in this team may violate the regime, then no. No one has ever been known to be so "famous". And it shouldn't be.
We have two games left to win. This is a huge chance. I believe that all the players in the current youth team are professionals, despite their young age. The bar has already been raised very high. It needs to be kept up, and therefore we need to keep winning.
Viktor Ukhov
