Former Ukraine striker Ivan Getsko has revealed what he thinks about the prospects of the Ukrainian national team under its current head coach, Serhiy Rebrov.
"I think it is premature to draw any conclusions now. Rebrov has just come to the team. He has not done or changed anything yet. So far the national team is going on the old baggage that was before him. The fact that there are new people in the coaching staff, in principle, everyone was waiting for it. His coaching staff is, let's say, not of the highest class. I would not say that Rebrov and his team made some serious contribution.
My impression of the national team games is twofold. On the one hand, we scored maximum points against Northern Macedonia and Malta - well done, everything is great. But these two victories were given to the team very hard. A serious test in September with England and Italy brought only one point.
We have good players in the national team. The task is to unite them, to make them realise that they can play no worse than the English and Italians. That they are in no way inferior to them. Many of them play in good European clubs - this is important.
Of course, we would like them to get a chance to qualify for the European Championship 2024. We understand what kind of competitors we have. But even if we do not get to the final tournament in Germany, nobody will blame Rebrov for this. It is clear that he needs time. But if he performs a miracle, then he is honoured and praised. So this is the coach we needed.
In terms of potential we have one of the best national teams in the history of Ukraine. There are 5-6 players, the backbone of our youth team, on the way to the national team. They are in good shape, have constant game practice in their clubs. In the future, these are the leaders of the national team," FanDay quotes Getsko as saying.