Volodymyr Tsytykin, a graduate of the football school of Dynamo Kyiv, shared his thoughts on the situation with the goalkeepers of the Ukrainian national team ahead of the Euro 2024 play-off qualifying match against Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Vladimir Tsitkin- At first glance, Rebrov seems to have called up the best goalkeepers for the moment, what do you think?
- This is absolutely the best option, and I fully agree with Rebrov's choice. Trubin, Lunin, Bushchan and Riznyk are now in the spotlight and all play in the first team of their clubs.
- In the last matches of the national team, Rebrov used Trubin as the main goalkeeper, but now Lunin has won the competition from Kepa for a place in the Real Madrid goal. Who will be Ukraine's goalkeeper in the match against Bosnia?
- I think Lunin looks more confident now. He plays for Real Madrid in a strong league and Champions League. Trubin, on the contrary, has looked a little uncertain lately. Bushchan and Riznyk? Our league has only recently resumed and Lunin and Trubin have had more practice. I believe that Lunin is the best option for the national team today.
- Trubin conceded ten goals in the last four matches for Benfica. What happened to Anatolii?
- I watched all the games and I can say that Benfica has a systemic problem in defence. Except for a few goals conceded, it is difficult to make any complaints about Trubin. One goalkeeper cannot defend for everyone.
- Well, won't a large number of conceded goals affect Trubin psychologically?
- One of the strongest qualities of Trubin and Lunin is their psychological stability. It is clear that it is unpleasant for any goalkeeper to concede a lot of goals, but I think it will not affect Trubin psychologically. He has already reached a level where he understands that psychological relaxation will not lead to anything good. Another point is that a goalkeeper who concedes less feels more confident in goal.
- All of our goalkeepers are main players in clubs, but only one will be in the national team. Will this affect the atmosphere?
- I think it won't. But if a goalkeeper gives up psychologically after being put on the bench, there is a saying: "Competition makes the strong stronger and breaks the weak". I am sure that Lunin, Trubin, Bushchan and Riznyk will not break down and will not take offence. You can't have four goalkeepers in the goal, the decision will be made by the head coach and it will be optimal for the team.
- Lunin is being praised a lot in Spain now .
- I don't read what the press and fans write, I pay attention only to the words of experts. Remember how much everyone admired Shovkovskyi after Dynamo won six matches in a row, but as soon as the team accidentally stumbled against Veres, there was criticism that he was doing something wrong.
- Give your subjective assessment of Lunin.
- Lunin has gained confidence, but he still needs to work on his shortcomings. I would like to note that in recent games he has been trying to play on the outs and he is doing well, and this indicator gives the goalkeeper confidence.
Lunin has also become better at managing Real Madrid's defence. And his strong qualities, reaction and footwork, have not disappeared. He has been very positively affected by the fact that he plays consistently in the Real Madrid base.
- Courtois has already started training with the general group. What awaits Lunin after the Belgian's return?
- If Lunin plays as steadily as before, he will be able to compete with Courtois. It is not known how the Belgian will recover from a serious injury. Real Madrid now has no room for manoeuvre on all fronts. Ancelotti will think ten times whether to change Lunin in the middle of the season. The coach will not have the opportunity to simply let Thibaut play so that he can get fit, because it is a risk, because the team performs consistently under Lunin. God forbid, Real Madrid fails with Courtois, then all the blame will fall on the coach. A goalkeeper is not a field player who can be replaced in the second half.
- Does Lunin need to stay at Real Madrid if Courtois regains his former form?
- Lunin is already a fairly experienced and mature footballer and should make his own decisions. The goalkeeper needs to play and therefore he should consider his future through the prism of game practice. In his current state, Lunin can compete with Courtois.
I have no doubt that the Belgian will recover physically, but after such an injury it is very difficult for a goalkeeper to get into the game rhythm. If I were Lunin, I would stay at Real Madrid and try to compete with Courtois. I think Lunin is confident in himself.
- Courtois is called the best goalkeeper in the world. Do you agree with this statement?
- He is a top-class goalkeeper, but I don't think he is the best in the world. Courtois also has shortcomings, his main problem is goalkeeping technique, namely receiving the ball, catching, and defending. Lunin is a little better in this component, although he also has some problems with receiving the ball.
Most likely, this is due to modern balls, which are made in such a way that they often change their flight path. Nowadays, many goals are scored after an unsuccessful bounce and rebound.
- Who do you think is the best goalkeeper in the world?
- It's hard to say. Those goalkeepers who impressed me six months ago have given up today. These are Onana at MU and Oblak at Atletico Madrid. But this is due to the poor defensive performance of their teams. I believe that Oblak is a more versatile goalkeeper: he plays well on the outs, receives the ball, and feels confident in the game with his feet.
- Which of the Ukrainian goalkeepers do you see on the way to the national team?
- I like Fesyun from Kolos, he's a pretty versatile goalkeeper. So does Neshcheret, but he needs to play. If he starts consistently in the Dynamo team, he will be no worse than Bushchan. I can also mention Isenko from Vorskla.
Andrii Piskun
