Oleg Dulub: "Romania has deprived Ukraine of both thought and space"

The head coach of Cherkasy LNZ Oleh Dulub analyzed yesterday's match of the 1st round of the group stage of Euro-2024 Romania - Ukraine (3:0).

- I never thought it would end up like this. Once the game started, it was clear that it would come down to the first mistake. Whoever makes a mistake, it will be harder for them to eventually bring the score to a positive result.

I wouldn't say that Ukraine sailed after the first missed goal, because everything was completely under control. The only thing that didn't work was the development of fast attacks, even with fast wingers like Tsygankov and Mudryk who need space. And I think it's the work of the Romanian coaching staff to use this compact, low block, which is very difficult to break.

- The Ukrainian national team kept 70-75% of the ball throughout the match. Why didn't it result in goals?

- After 2014, the Barcelona era, the so-called "tiki-taka", came to an end. At the same time, the emphasis was on ball control, then it turned into sterile ball control, that is, controlling the ball in your own half of the field. And current trends show that controlling the ball by itself does nothing but allow the opposing team to rest and recharge.

Here is the second goal. When attacking, it is very important to maintain the so-called balance of players' positioning to disrupt the opposing team's counterattack. And it was probably one of the few martial arts that Stepanenko lost. And then there is no insurance in the support area and a shot from outside the penalty area. And this is the most indicative moment of teamwork against sterility, control of the ball.

"I wouldn't pin the first goal on Lunin at all, that's why"

- Did Lunin make a mistake in the episode with the first goal? This first missed goal reminded me of the game in the qualifiers, I think, against England. Then Sudakov also made a bad pass, slipped, and scored a goal. It was something similar here.

Firstly, Sudakov should not have been in that area at the moment of the first goal, it was not his area of responsibility to start the attack. Matvienko Kolya was supposed to play forward when he received the ball, but it rolled back, and then he should have just intercepted it along the sideline. After the interception, there was another intermediate pass in the support area, meaning that the supporters did not have time to return to their position.

That's why I wouldn't attribute the first goal to Lunin at all. There is a complex of mistakes here.

In the second missed goal, when he shot from a distance, Andriy could have helped out. There were also two standards when the ball hit the crossbar from a corner. Today was a rather unfortunate game on the outs. But in general, after three missed goals, it is not even informative to evaluate the goalkeeper's performance.

Ilya Zabarnyi. He played below his level. I don't know what it was about. Perhaps the opponent was forcing him, perhaps excitement, because he is a young guy. We will write it off as excitement.

If we take the left flank on the defense line, I would not only speak for Zinchenko. I should also mention Sudakov and Mudryk. Because one defender in the 4-1-4-1 formation used by the Romanian national team is not able to withstand a couple. Mudryk did not improve all the time during the game in defense. And these moments came from the left flank of the Ukrainian national team, where there were martial arts, two-on-one situations.

Speaking about the beginning of attacks, what Zinchenko can do with the entry into the support zone, Sasha, as a leader, did not stand out. It turned out that Stepanenko and Shaparenko had to advance. That is, there was no engine. Therefore, Zinchenko was forced to play in the wide area. A wide point on the same line as the center means that one player can immediately intercept these passes. And here, I think, Zinchenko did not have the best match.

"The combination of Shaparenko and Stepanenko is quite good. Sudakov is a different player after substitutions"

- In general, the pairing of Shaparenko and Stepanenko is quite good. They complemented each other: Stepanenko is a defensive player, while Mykola accelerates attacks. We should pay tribute to Taras and his ability to win duels. In the first half, many of the opponents' attacks ended in martial arts, in which Taras won.

Mykola is more of an offensive player who is involved in the development of the team's attacks. Probably in the second half, his condition deteriorated a bit and he started losing in martial arts when he tried to help Konoplya. But here it is worth speaking for the work of all six: defenders and supporters.

Sudakov was based on the setup in which he plays for Shakhtar - a move to the flank, mostly to the left, when he takes a wide spot. In the situation with Zinchenko, Sudakov and Mudryk were on the same line. It is generally very difficult to develop an attack in this way.

Why didn't Sudakov play well in the first half and picked up after his substitution? It's a paradox. When three new players came on, Heorhiy immediately became different. Sudakov started to make quality passes, Yarmolenko started to accelerate attacks, came in for shots, and so on. It's hard to say what explains this, but Sudakov before the substitutions and Sudakov after the 62nd minute substitutions are two different players.

"Tsygankov acted more diversely than Mudryk, Dovbyk played against a low line of defense"

- Once again, the analytical work of the Romanian national team was good. They deprived Ukraine of both thought and space - a low block, a closed middle. The moments were indicative.

For example, when playing against Mudryk, when he was always waiting for the ball in the wide area, the Romanians created a two-against-one situation with the help of the supporting midfielder. It's very difficult because one is guarding the flank, the other the middle.

If we compare Tsygankov and Mudryk, Viktor was more diverse. He went inside, freeing up the flank. Moreover, I would analyze again the triangle that worked in the first half - this is where Tsygankov, Shaparenko and Konoplya acted. It was the right flank that was more active because it had better chemistry.

As for Dovbyk, he had two half-chances that he could have realized in the first half. But you have to understand that he played against a low defense line... And Dovbyk works very well in space when there are passes behind him. Ukraine had one or two attempts during the entire match, but the Romanian central defenders coped. Again, we return to the high-quality analytical work of the Romanian national team.

"Yarmolenko and Yaremchuk added the necessary aggression when they came on the field. Brazhka should not be compared to Stepanenko"

Andrii Yarmolenko:

- Yarmolenko came on quite well, adding aggression and such a team drive. You need to understand that the score was already 0:3. But I always say that players like Andrii are still needed by any team, as they have a very positive impact on the locker room.

Roman Yaremchuk:

- Roman managed to score three goals in a fairly short period of time. Yaremchuk and Yarmolenko entered the game and added the necessary aggression.

Oleksandr Tymchyk:

- He acted in the same way as Konoplya did in the first half - he accelerated attacks, moved down the flank, tried to create aggression on the flank.

But you have to understand that Tymchyk has already played under Yarmolenko. And the energy that Andriy brought added drive and immediately the team opened up, after which there were moments, shots. This is all after the substitutions, but at that time the game was already over.

Volodymyr Brazhko:

- Brazhko is the future. He is a player who shows aggression, accelerates attacks, makes excellent tackles, and has a well-placed long-range shot. He and Stepanenko are completely different.

Why did Rebrov choose Taras in the starting lineup? If we take the average age of the Ukrainian national team, it seems to be 26 years old. In Romania - 28. That is, we are talking about two years of difference. And these two years are already an abyss, if we take the international level. So if we remove Stepanenko and put Brazko here, the average age will probably be about 25.

According to UEFA statistics, the average age of your team players, if you want to achieve something, is about 28 years old. So, I think Rebrov chose Stepanenko for reasons of adding stability to the team play, plus the large amount of defensive work that Taras can do.

"Against Slovakia, we need to play as if it were the last time, team spirit will come to the fore"

- Mudryk received the traditional award from the national team sponsors. In your opinion, was the Lion of the Match absent today?

- I think so. After such a result, it is difficult to single out anyone positively.

- What can we say about the next match against Slovakia in the context of the information we received from this unfortunate defeat?

- I think it will be a completely different story. Because the history of European and world championships shows that teams that start poorly... A good example is the Spanish national team when they became world champions in 2010 (the Spaniards lost to Switzerland 0:1 in the first match - ed.) They simply set up the players to play "from the knife". That is, a fundamental head-to-head match when there is nowhere to retreat. And here, of course, the team spirit will come to the fore. And the extent to which the players are ready to fight to the last in a particular game.

The next game with Slovakia can really be such a, you know, extreme point. Because an unsuccessful result, and then Belgium... And nothing may be decided in this match.

- What component should the players of the Ukrainian national team pay attention to after this failure?

- You know, in a high-level game, which the Ukrainian national team is currently playing, the psychology of the players comes to the fore. And here it will be very important that the players, regardless of who takes the field, fight like the last time. Tactics and fitness will take a backseat, if not the fifth, as there are three days to reload.

This game against Romania should be forgotten. Such matches sometimes happen in the life of any team. We need to put it behind us as soon as possible and prepare for the next game.

Viktor Slyusarenko