Former goalkeeper of several Ukrainian clubs Vadym Deonas told what he thinks about the match of the 1st round of the group stage of Euro-2024 Romania - Ukraine (3:0).
Vadim Deonas- I want to say this. In order for our national team to always play successfully in the final parts of the World and European Championships, it is necessary, firstly, to have at least one Odessian in the squad. At the 2006 World Cup in the national team there was a pupil of Odessa soccer Andrey Voronin, now there is Georgiy Buschan. Both one and the other were called "the soul of the national team". They punned, joked, used different tricks. That is, they created a positive atmosphere in the team.
Although at the right time they behaved in the game with all seriousness, as real professionals should.
Secondly, judging by the game with Romania, we need to move to option "B". This is a variant of 2006, when at the World Cup in the same Germany we lose the first match with a big score (Deonas draws a parallel between the loss 0:4 from Spain at the World Cup 2006 with the recent defeat 0:3 from Romania - ed. note), then with minor problems we get out of the group. The first game of the current European Championship qualification we win in a penalty shootout, and in the semifinals we lose to the future European champion. (Smiles).
- If your "option B" really comes true, it will be a real balm on the heart for the head coach of our national team Sergey Rebrov....
- If we talk about the coaching topic, I will express my opinion. I think that the most tangible step to change the game of the Ukrainian national team was made under Andriy Shevchenko. I will be honest: when it came to the appointment of Serhiy Rebrov as the head coach of the national team, I was waiting for him with high hopes. He was very successful as a club coach: he won the championship in Ukraine with Dynamo, in Hungary with Ferencvaros, in the UAE with Al-Ain, became vice-champion in Saudi Arabia with Al-Ahli.
Rebrov has been in charge of the national team for a year already, can you see any changes? When Shevchenko came, he formed a serious coaching staff of Italians Mauro Tasotti, Andrea Maldera and Spanish goalkeepers coach Pedro Haro. At the time he said: "We will play differently". In the first match under Shevchenko, in which Ukraine lost to Croatia 0:2, the sprouts of a new style of play were visible. And neither under Oleksandr Petrakov, nor under Serhiy Rebrov have I seen something similar. I do not see, at the expense of what our national team can change anything in the game.
- Now many experts severely criticize many players of the Ukrainian national team. Is it really that bad?
- If we analyze this ill-fated match with Romania, there are really a lot of questions. Here, say, Georgiy Sudakov. In the game with the Romanians he again played "on himself". There were moments when he was supposed to pass, but instead he went to play or shot on goal from an awkward situation. So he feels like selling himself. That's my opinion.
As for the performers of the role I know well - goalkeeper, I justified my opinions on this matter in one of my interviews. I think that Georgi Buschan deserves a place in goal. And not only because he is an Odessian. No. The fact is that this goalkeeper is better at exits and better performs long and medium passes under pressure.
- How do you assess the chances of the national team of Ukraine to get out of the group?
- Support for our national team is very necessary now. It is it, not baiting, that it needs at the moment. After all, there has been too much heath for the last few days, and it will not do any good. When I was a soccer player, I did not like it myself. Hence, I don't want to heckle. We need support, because these are the elite of our soccer today. These are the best players we have.
Ukraine's exit from the group depends on the guys themselves, everything is in their feet and heads. This is about skill. And the most important thing is game discipline, dedication, will and desire to win, full concentration. If at the first of the two conditional finals for us, with Slovakia, the Ukrainian national team will play in this way, then the chances of reaching the next round of the tournament will increase. Our whole country hopes for it.
Vyacheslav Kulchitsky
