Ukrainian former striker Oleh Yashchuk, who became the Belgian champion four times with Anderlecht, shared his thoughts on the match of the year for the Ukrainian national team.
Oleg Yashchuk- What are your general impressions of the first two matches of the Ukrainian national team at the Euro ?
- At the time of the first match against Romania, I was in Africa for work, so I didn't manage to watch the game, I only saw the result. Of course, I was surprised when I looked, and it was 0-3. As for the match with Slovakia, I didn't really like the first half, and in the second half the team showed character and managed to win an important victory.
But now I have seen two games of the Belgian national team. I think it will be hard for us, very hard. For me, they are still the favorites of the group. Yes, I said earlier that this is not the same Belgium as before, but they are still the strongest in our quartet. However, I do not like their defense, it is unconvincing. At the same time, they have enough skill up front - they have someone to create chances and score.
- Romelu Lukaku has already had three goals disallowed after VAR review ...
- Well, that's the way it is, you can say he's unlucky. If only they scored all the chances they create, then our group would have a completely different picture. The most important thing for the Belgians is that they know how to generate danger at the other team's goal. At the moment, they are prioritizing the result, they need to get out of the group. What will happen in Belgium against stronger teams is another story. There really won't be that many opportunities to score, you'll have to make the most of your chances.
- Can you agree with the opinion that Serhii Rebrov's team has a lot of individually strong players, which is why the team play suffers? Isn't this situation similar to what happened with the golden generation of the Belgian national team?
- Well, maybe. Indeed, if you look at our players, they are all individually strong, but they have not demonstrated a high-quality team game for a long time. Except for the second half in the match against Slovakia. I don't know what this is due to. It takes time to create a powerful team. As they say: "Order beats class".
We can have very good individual players, but if we don't have a team game like that, it will be difficult for us. And we have already seen this.
- What happened to Belgium in the match against Slovakia? Was it just a bad performance?
- To be honest, they could have made it 1-0 in the first five minutes. I think it would have changed the game. And then you don't score - they score on you. And so Belgium pressed quite well, had moments. Indeed, it looks like they were just unlucky.
Although the Belgians scored quickly against the Romanians, they could have conceded later. 1-0 at the beginning of the game is a shaky result. Who knows how the game would have turned out if Romania had equalized.
- What are our team's chances in the match against the Belgians? What weaknesses of Tedesco's team should we pay attention to?
- I think that we need to take advantage of their tentative defense. Here are their names: Jérémy Dock, Kevin De Bruyne, Romelu Lukaku. Only these three can make the game. To be honest, it will be very difficult for us, but we have to believe in the best. If not for the result in the first game against Romania...
- Journalist Igor Tsyganik expressed the opinion that the main weakness of the Belgian national team is their head coach Domenico Tedesco. Can you agree?
- To talk about this, you need to know the coach and his methods of work very well. If we take our team and the Belgian national team, then on paper they are obliged to beat us. I am convinced that it will be an extremely interesting game. As for the words about Tedesco, journalists say a lot of things, but if Tedesco was a bad coach, would he have been appointed to such a position in the Belgian national team? The most important thing is to show results.
- Even after the golden generation, the Belgian national team still has such masters as Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, Trossard, and Carrasco. Does this team have an unobvious leader to watch out for?
- I think that all the main stars of Belgium are visible. We need to study them, go out and get the necessary result. When you play, you don't think, you do your best to win. We need to let go of those mistakes in the match against Romania and start from scratch. We need the guys to come out and give it their all, and it doesn't matter who's opposite them. If you give yourself to the game from the first to the last minute, it is more likely that your team will get a positive result.
- If we don't win against Belgium, Slovakia and Romania will be satisfied with a draw. Do you believe that these teams can easily draw the world cup, given their position in Group E?
- It is very likely that they will draw. No one will take any risks at this level. It is better for them to play for a draw and get out, for example, from second or third place. Why take this risk? Belgium needs to win 100%. I think that the Belgians will not understand the "humor" if their team fails to beat Ukraine.
- Doesn't it seem like it's easier for Ukraine to play against top teams? What is this phenomenon about, because Serhii Rebrov preaches a game with ball control, but he never manages to fully implement it.
- When you play against top teams, you know you have nothing to lose. You move away from a good organization and try to play as well as possible, to run out on the counterattack. If we have succeeded in this before, I hope it will work with Belgium.
- What do you think of the idea of playing three center backs against Belgium? It seems that after the last two matches, the Ukrainian national team's defense has received the most criticism.
- Well, the coach obviously knows best. He knows all his players well, he has obviously analyzed the Belgians' game and knows their strengths and weaknesses. Yes, Belgium has problems at the back, but in front... I worked with Doc at Anderlecht, I know him well. You saw how difficult it is to play against him one-on-one. So I think Rebrov will do what's best for the team.
- Is it appropriate to compare the main young stars of both national teams - Mykhailo Mudryk and Jérémy Doku - in terms of their style of play?
- They are both fast. This is probably where the similarities end. Mudryk is thrown forward more and runs. But Doku is good even from the spot, a very sharp player. A young player who came to Manchester City and almost immediately broke into the first team, played so many matches at the highest level, and is now one of the leaders of the national team. I would even say it's unrealistic to play against him one-on-one...
- Roman Yaremchuk has surpassed Serhiy Rebrov's performance for the Ukrainian national team and has become the main goal scorer in the history of our national team at the European Championships. Should we expect him to appear in the match against Belgium instead of the star Artem Dovbyk, who, after a difficult season in Girona, is currently unable to prove himself at the Euros?
- It's hard to say, because I consider Dovbyk to be a very good player. The best scorer in the Spanish league, after all. The fact that he is not scoring now - it happens, it's football. Again, Rebrov knows better. I don't even know who I would choose in his place. Maybe it's good that Dovbyk starts, and then Yaremchuk comes on and scores. It means that the coach is doing everything right.
- What is your prediction for the match?
- To be honest, I will be rooting for Ukraine, but I think Belgium will win. By what score? I think it will be two goals.
Vladyslav Liutostansky
