Karpaty head coach Myron Markevych assessed the state of affairs in the Ukrainian national team and shared his thoughts on the first Euro 2024 match against Romania.
Myron Markevych- Many experts call the current Ukrainian national team the strongest, given the large number of players playing in leading European clubs. I would like to know if you share this opinion?
- I do. Our national team has good prospects, because it has a lot of young people.
- What can you say about the readiness of the Ukrainian national team based on the three friendly matches played in June against Germany, Poland and Moldova?
- Against the Germans, our team used a different tactical scheme than usual, acting from the defense. As for the match with Poland, the second team played in it. I think that in the last of these games, with the Moldovan national team, the lineup that will play in Monday's match against Romania played. In the match in Chisinau, the Ukrainian team looked quite good, and most importantly, convincing. I understand that it will not be so easy in the match with the Romanians, but this is not surprising - the opponent is not weak. In my opinion, our national team will play the first two matches at the European Championships with the same lineup as against Moldova. But in the last game of the group tournament with Belgium, we can play the same way as with Germany. Personally, I am optimistic about the performance of the Ukrainian national team in the group.
- How effective, in your opinion, was the tactical scheme used in the aforementioned match with the Germans, where they were opposed by five players of the Ukrainian national team defense - three central and two on the edges?
- This is how teams play when they have to face strong opponents. You can't play much open football with the Germans, so our team's coaching staff had to take this into account. The Belgian national team is a team of about the same level, so in the friendly game with Germany, I think this scheme was modeled. But with the Romanians and Slovaks, of course, you need to play from a position of strength - to attack, to press. That's exactly right.
- Today, Serhii Rebrov's team is in full order with the selection of players for the number one position. What do you think will guide the coaching staff in choosing a goalkeeper for a particular match?
- I believe that you need to choose one person and put him on the field. The coaches of the national team of Ukraine see well every day during training who is in what form. Both Trubin and Lunin are really two good goalkeepers, and the third one, Bushchan, is also one. But I don't know who will be chosen in the end... The only thing is that three goals were scored against us through no fault of Bushchan's, so he probably won't be selected. I think the coaching staff will make a choice between Trubin and Lunin.
- Do you agree with the opinion that the most problematic link in the Ukrainian team is the defense?
- You can say that. There are some problems in defense, especially with the opponent's "standards". So we need to pay serious attention to this. However, I can't say that our team's defense is bad. But let's hope that we will play well in defense at Euro 2024. Unlike this unit, our midfield is good, and so is our attack. And the goalkeepers we mentioned above are also good.
- Who, in your opinion, could replace Vitaliy Mykolenko on the left flank of the defense if necessary?
- I think Zinchenko. The fact is that Oleksandr played in this position. I don't see anyone else in this position. However, this is a matter for the national team coaching staff. Each of its representatives knows well and sees the capabilities of a particular player, who has what kind of readiness, etc.
- Many people believe that Serhii Rebrov will not take any risks in official matches of this level and will entrust the starting spot in the midfield to Taras Stepanenko, who has vast experience in international matches.
- I think so too. Stepanenko should start. Experience is experience, there's no getting around it.
- Doesn't the Ukrainian national team have too few forwards to be limited to just two players in this role - Roman Yaremchuk and Artem Dovbyk?
- First of all, the question arises: where will you get them? Although the application for the tournament also includes Vanat, who is making progress.
- But today he does not have such experience as his two colleagues in the role...
- Yes, I agree. I think that Serhii Rebrov will choose one of the two - Dovbyk or Yaremchuk. The national team plays with one forward. So it's good that there are at least three available. And three good ones. I don't see anyone else who could be invited.
- What factors do you think should motivate the players of the Ukrainian national team to win the European Championship?
- I have already mentioned one of them - the need to play for our people and the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and it is the main one. There is no need to think about the rest, only about this. Judge for yourself: if up to ten thousand Ukrainians come to an open training session of our national team, then there is no need to talk about anything else.
- In the opening match of Euro 2024, our national team will face the Romanian national team. How problematic can this opponent be for the Ukrainian national team?
- To be honest, I haven't followed the Romanian national team closely, so I can't judge. In the qualifying round of the European Championship, the Romanians performed quite confidently, taking first place in the group and not suffering a single defeat. The first opponent of the Ukrainian national team has players who deserve attention. Many of them play in clubs in Italy, Spain, Turkey, and there is one from the English Championship, which says a lot. However, this should not interest us - we need to go out and play our football. I know one thing for sure: our team is stronger than the Romanians.
- In the Ukraine-Romania match, our team is considered the favorite. Won't this factor cool down the Ukrainian players?
- I don't think it will. In any case, it shouldn't. Our players are well aware that they need to go out on the field and work from start to finish. The status of a favorite should, on the contrary, give them confidence.
- Is the current national team of Ukraine able to please our fans as it already did once on the football fields of Germany - during the 2006 World Cup, as a result of which it became one of the eight strongest on the planet?
- I think so. We can do it. There is nothing extraordinary. Or maybe our team will perform even better than then.
- Would you dare to predict the result of our team's first game against Romania?
- Ukraine will win with a difference of one goal.
Vyacheslav KULCHYTSYI
