Former midfielder of the Ukrainian national team: "We will not see the starting lineup that was in the game against Poland again

On June 7, the national football team of Ukraine lost to the Poles in a friendly match - 1-3. Former Ukrainian national team player Yaroslav Khoma assessed the actions of Serhiy Rebrov's team in yesterday's match in Warsaw:

- The desire of the Ukrainian national team manager to watch as many performers as possible was understandable, and therefore, compared to the sparring with the Germans, the rotation in the squad was serious. Serhii Rebrov wanted to have comprehensive information about the capabilities of his wards. In my opinion, our team will not play in such a start, too many questions remained unanswered.

- Was the Ukrainian national team so disappointing in its performance?

- First of all, it seemed that the guests were not ready for the outbreak of activity of Kadra in the debut. Errors in defense and shot blocking led to two missed goals. And the worst part is that it was both individual and collective miscalculations.

- Before the match, many experts noted that in Warsaw, Serhii Rebrov's team would have to demonstrate their ability to act in a positional attack.

- It is possible that the goals conceded in the opener knocked the guests out of the rut and therefore did not give a holistic impression of their game. There were only fragments, as, in particular, in the episode when Artem Dovbyk scored a prestige goal, but this was clearly not enough to make life difficult for the Poles. The hosts confidently controlled the course of events on the field.

- It must be stated that the goal scored by Dovbyk, as they say, in the locker room, did not inspire the guests to act more dynamically, especially in the transitional phases.

- It's good that it didn't turn out to be a rout. The hosts were prepared for the visitors to try to score again after the break. That's why they pressed high and, thanks to skillful selection, pushed the game away from their goal. Only the connections of defender Oleksandr Tymchyk posed a threat, but in the final stage his passes lacked sharpness. It is also worrying that even when they found themselves in the operational space, the Ukrainians lacked an accurate last pass and therefore did not create any dangerous moments at the Kadra goal. And this is despite the fact that in the second half the hosts played more by the score, adopting a ragged pace. It is good that our goalkeeper helped out in several episodes.

- After the previous sparring match with the Germans, Serhii Rebrov's wards were criticized for their passivity in the opponent's half of the field, but it seems that no correct conclusions were drawn after this criticism.

- As for me, Serhii Rebrov no longer has time for experiments. In the last sparring match with the Moldovans on June 11 in Chisinau, we should already play the squad that will bear the burden of the fight for Euro 2024 on its shoulders. And with our neighbors, who are much lower in the table of ranks, we must not only win, but also demonstrate a spectacular game. Otherwise, it will be difficult to avoid a psychological "pit".

Andriy Pysarenko