Former Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Valeriy Fedorchuk shared his thoughts on the September matches of the Ukrainian national team in the Euro 2024 qualifiers against England (1: 1) and Italy (1: 2) in an interview with the UPL TV telegram channel.
Valery Fedorchuk- Given that we still have a chance to get out of the group, they are good and everything depends on us, the September matches can be assessed positively. The result of the match with England is definitely an asset, because it is the leader of the group.
- But was there a defeat against Italy?
- The Italians should be commended for the quality of their performance against us. Even though our coaching staff refreshed the squad, the game still looked difficult. The Italians were fresher.
- What were the reasons for the defeat against Italy?
- Individual mistakes. Sudakov admitted his mistake - good for him. Perhaps, if not for this mistake, with all due respect to Italy, the score could have been different.
- Doesn't the high frequency and sharpness of our attacks leave a bad impression?
- We already have players who are ready to play at a high level against Italy and England. But as a team, we are not yet 100% ready for this. The process of team formation is ongoing. So, of course, we have to think more about defence and counterattacks. This affects the number and severity of attacks. There are many other factors - 2-on-3 games, recovery, the number of players for an equivalent rotation. Now let's evaluate the attacking factor based on the matches with Malta and North Macedonia. We have to play them as the first team. We want to get out of the group, so every game is a big risk.
- What is the most positive thing you can note?
- We have good players, we have experienced players, we have quality youth. There are good prerequisites for a quality game against strong opponents.
- Is it worth mentioning any of our players individually?
- First of all, I would mention Zabarnyi. He played at a consistently high level in both matches. It is important what tone our players will be in in the future. If everyone gets fit, the opponents will be afraid of us.
