Famous coach and football expert Oleh Fedorchuk not only shared his general impressions of the Ukraine vs Poland match (1-3), but also analyzed the performance of each Ukrainian player for theSbirnawebsite, giving his assessment of each player's actions.
- Oleg Viktorovich, it was an interesting match, but unsuccessful for us. How do you perceive it?
- It seemed to me that it was an experiment that raised more questions than answers. As a coach, I understand what connections the coaching staff wanted to see. In 9 days, we have our first match at the Euros and the coaching staff is already programming the game connections that should work in the second round match against Slovakia. Many believe that it is with the Slovaks that we will fight for second place.
Yesterday, Sudakov, Sydorchuk and the entire defense line were very unsuccessful. However, this is, to some extent, natural. Those defenders who started against Poland are unlikely to play from the first minutes at the Euros. In Poland, the Ukrainian national team tried out substitutes in defense, and this unit has never looked like this before and is unlikely to repeat in this form anytime soon.
- Why were the Poles so easy to get to shots in the first half of the game?
- The interaction between the central zone and the defense group did not work. It seems to me that when we had the ball and there was no pressure on us, everything was fine. As soon as there was a little pressure, there was fuss and panic on our part.
The most important factor here is that we have not played with this lineup before. Anyone who has played football knows that when defenders do not understand each other, it is very difficult to play without mistakes.
SUBSTITUTIONS.
- Mr. Oleg, how do you assess the performance of each individual Ukrainian football player? Let's start with the goalkeeper.
- If there had been no mistake in the case of the second missed goal, we could say that Bushchan played very well. But he made a mistake and also showed uncertainty in his footwork. Score: 6.
- Right-back Oleksandr Tymchyk was under serious pressure, and it was from his flank that Zielinski scored a rather unfortunate ball to Bushchan.
- Tymchyk really wanted to impress the coach, gave a lot of work, but made many mistakes. Especially in defense. Grade: 5.
- A pair of central defenders?
- Taloverov is a talented player, but he is very emotional. Because of this, he did not always make the right decision. The coaching staff expected him to shoot overhead balls, but he did not always succeed. We rate him a little higher than Tymchyk - 5.5. He played uncertainly.
The same goes for Bondar. I have always noted Valerii's technicality and ability to participate in attacks. In this aspect, he played a very modest match, and it was impressive. Score: 5.5.
- What can we say about Vitaliy Mykolenko? He played only a half against Poland, as he returned from an injury sustained in the English Championship.
- Yes, he missed some time and is now just getting into the game. There was no usual activity from him. As for me, Vitaliy's performance today was disappointing.
- We go to the midfield and start with the captain.
- Yarmolenko was very active. But he has been playing for a long time and is an iconic figure in European football, so the opponents have already studied him well. His left foot was covered, and he doesn't feel confident enough to make accurate passes with his right foot. He tried, but it's not enough. Score: 5.5.
- Ruslan Malinowski. This time he is the author of an assist.
- He was very active in the center of the field, trying to create chances. If we compare him with the others, he tried to be more active, to be sharper. And he succeeded. The goal pass to Dovbyk was really skillful: an experienced player with a good vision of the field can make a cross like that. Score: 6.5.
- Sudakov played this time right under the striker. Did it work?
- It worked as predicted. Heorhiy had a fairly long, two-week break after the injury. In this regard, there was no confidence in his actions. He was nervous. Score: 6, because he played quite aggressively. I hope he will gain the necessary conditions.
- What about Serhiy Sydorchuk?
- For me, his appearance in the national team is not entirely clear. He was not noticeable. The Poles, especially Lewandowski, felt very comfortable with the ball. Counteracting this is the function of the center half. Score: 4.5
- Zubkov played on the left, unlike his usual right wing at Shakhtar.
- He is a skilled footballer, but for some reason in this game he was psychologically unbalanced. That's why the fact that he lost his position when Romanchuk scored and made mistakes in several other episodes looks unusual to me. Score: 6.
- That is, the commentators of the match correctly assessed the moment with the third goal during the corner kick and it was Romanchuk who was supposed to take care of it?
- Yes. There are two types of defense - zone and personal. At a high level, they play on a mixed principle. But if the player was in your zone from the very beginning, then you have to play to the end. Oleksandr chose the wrong position in relation to Romanchuk. This is a tactical mistake, which is a schoolboy mistake for such an experienced player.
- Dovbyk .
- The best player of the match. It was difficult for him, because Tsygankov was not on the field (from the starting minutes - author 's note), but he did his job. He will probably be the main player at the Euros. He is in good condition.
- Which of the reserve players can we evaluate?
- I'll leave most of them without an assessment, because despite the opportunities that opened up after Dovbyk's goal, we failed to turn the tide of the game - and substitutions are made for this very purpose.
I would like to mention a few players. Tsygankov's actions caught my eye. He is a player of a higher class than many - and with Poland, I got the impression that Viktor is in good condition. Rating: 6.5.
But Zinchenko's appearance did not bring anything to the game. I understand that the coach's plan was to take control of the ball, but it turned out that we played on opposite courses and could have conceded two more goals. The biggest problems were in Zinchenko's area. But everyone knows his flaws. Oleksandr is good at constructing attacks, but worse at defense. In addition, his form does not seem to me to be sufficient to be in the main team. Rating: 5.5.
- Can the coaching staff change anything before the start of the Euro?
- Nothing drastic in 10 days. But the coaches are now testing the players for their emotional and physiological state. If Rebrov's team now sees that someone is not ready, then it is unlikely that this performer will get fit for the first game (against Romania on June 17 - ed.) .
Now the coaches have to test as many players as possible, because in the games against Romania and Slovakia the staff should already have 18-17 players to rely on. Control matches should give the coaches the necessary information. There is a very difficult work going on now.
Oleksandr Shcherbatykh