Former Ukraine goalkeeper Ilya Blyznyuk commented exclusively for UA-Football on the match between the Czech Republic and Ukraine, which ended in a 2:3 defeat for Serhiy Rebrov's team.
- Why can't the national team play two halves straight? Again, as in previous matches, the first half is lackluster, and after the break the quality of play improves.
- I would point out several reasons. I can't say that there was no motivation for this match after the loss to Albania. But there are nuances. What caught my eye was the lack of a clear structure of the game, the players, especially in the first half, did not know what to do when there was high pressure from the Czechs. They wanted to come out of the defense with a pass from their goalkeeper, but this requires a clear execution and quality of technical skills to overcome the first third of the field. And there were problems here. We can't do it yet. It would be easier if the goalkeeper put the ball into play with a shot from the goal. It is clear that no conclusions have been drawn. This gives the opponent confidence. And the national team, having scored the ball once again, perked up a bit, but then the momentum was again reduced. There is no core that would break the unsuccessful course of the match, there is no structure, we see chaotic movements of players out of position, especially no clear play without the ball.
- The Czech national team offered power football in the first half, and we were not ready for such pressure.
- Our players lost a lot of fights, gave way in the joints. Football is all about whoever wins the most fights, micro duels, has an advantage in a certain area of the field. And this is translated into goals scored. We also lost the fight in rebounds, especially in front of the penalty area. How did we score the second goal? A large number of players were deep in the penalty area, there was a clearance, Yarmolenko did not have time to intercept the ball, Schultz picked it up and scored with his second touch. These micro duels resulted in the outcome of the match not in our favor. In the first case, Shaparenko made a mistake in the reception, and we were immediately punished. Individual and collective mistakes reflect the score on the scoreboard. Unfortunately, there is no result yet.
- Even the Czech goalkeeper, when he received the ball, delivered it to the attackers' area with long passes through the midfield, where again a fight was imposed on the principle of Canadian hockey. And the large hosts dominated this component.
- Thus, they wanted to secure their goal, to put it simply, they simplified the game. And up front, they relied on pressure and pressing, which worked. In the second half, the hosts slowed down and gave us the opportunity to switch to attacking football. Yes, the Ukrainian national team played better in the second half, but there was not enough luck and skill.
- Despite the defeat, who can be singled out in our national team?
- The one who pleased me was Sudakov. He scored a goal with his desire and energy for the game and could have scored more. In the 20 minutes that he came on as a substitute, he was very useful.
- After the defeat by Albania, there were changes in the lineup. Six new players came out for the game against the Czech Republic. Did it do any good?
- If there is no result, how could it be beneficial? Yes, the head coach wanted changes in the game, but it didn't work out. It was necessary to put more tenacious players who can destroy the opponent's game against the strong Czechs. The ability to play without the ball is also an art.
- If you conceded three goals, does it mean that the defense line is a problem again?
- I said at the beginning, the problem is in the game. Everyone misses and everyone scores, the teamwork is lame.
- After two defeats, what are the prospects for our national team?
- The next game against Georgia is similar to the final one. We have no stability in the game, the lineup. There is a lot of rotation, permutations, which have not yet yielded results. If we want to achieve our tournament goals, we need to form a core of 15-16 players who will go out and get results. We have the names, but unfortunately, we don't have a well-coordinated team. Who could have guessed that we would lose two consecutive opening matches. We were considered the group favorite, but we are still outsiders. We'll see if there are any changes in a month.
Sergiy Shebek