Famous Ukrainian coach Ihor Yavorsky assessed the chances of the Ukrainian national team in the Euro 2024 qualifying match against Italy.
- A miracle did not happen. The North Macedonians resisted as best they could, but the hosts' level of preparation was higher, which affected the final result.
- Now, in order to qualify for Euro 2024, the Italians will be happy with a draw on Monday. In your opinion, will Luciano Spalletti's men play as the second team in Leverkusen?
- This Italian national team does not play defensively. By the way, I like the style of play of the current Azzurri more than when Roberto Mancini was at the helm. I agree that such football is somewhat straightforward, but it is more aggressive, focused on finding shortcuts to the goal, than when the Italians used to focus on controlling the ball. Secondly, the Italians have increased the speed of their passes, with more second-tempo attacks. It seems that Italy plays itself and allows the opponent to do so.
- The Italians approached the decisive matches with North Macedonia and Ukraine with considerable personnel losses. Could this have a negative impact on their performance in Leverkusen?
- It is unlikely. Italy has a long bench, and Spalletti has plenty to choose from. The youngsters he has given a chance to prove themselves are living up to expectations.
- What vulnerabilities have you noticed in the Italian formation?
- The North Macedonians did not often threaten the hosts' possession, but it was striking that they had slow defenders who did not always make the right decisions. Just think of the episode when the Balkans scored their first goal, when the home team's stopper simply lost the away team's player in the goalmouth. Ukraine has enough speedy footballers, such as Mykhailo Mudryk, and we need to make the Italians make mistakes.
- On 20 November, our guys only need a victory. Will they play with an open mind?
- I don't think so, in my opinion, there will be a cautious game on both sides. Still, you have to be careful with the Italians, they are very mobile in the final stages of attacks. That's why a lot will depend on how Ukraine's midfielders play in the qualifiers, whether the defence will be reliable. If everything goes well near our possession, I am convinced that this will allow us to attack more boldly. And the nominal hosts will definitely have a chance to hit the target. In particular, I think that the Italians expended more energy yesterday than the Ukrainians in their sparring with Lechia, so why not take advantage of this? But most importantly, we must reject the idea that we will still have a chance to make it to Euro 2024 through the butt matches. We need to tune in only to get a direct pass.