Former Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Serhiy Kovalets commented on the defeat of the Ukrainian national team in the Nations League match against the Czech Republic (2-3).
- I, like everyone else, was disappointed with the result. The game itself left much to be desired. First of all, in terms of responsibility. In this match, the Ukrainian national team had a rotation - compared to the match against Albania, six new players appeared in the starting lineup.
I believe that the Czech national team, given the result in the first match of the Nations League, was under more pressure than our team. After losing to Georgia 1-4, the Czechs were nervous. And the Czech national team players themselves said it was hard. In addition, they noted that the Ukrainian team had such support that it seemed like the match was taking place in Lviv or Kyiv, not Prague.
From the point of view of all the moments, the game was given to us. But the winner is the one who makes fewer mistakes. And the mistakes were in team actions, and, unfortunately, there were quite a few of them. And again, we are talking about standard positions, wrestling, rebounds. And whoever wins the fight wins the match. Take the second goal conceded by Ukraine as an example. We lost the rebound and got a goal. It was the same in the match with Albania. If you look closely, there were seven players in yellow uniforms and only three in red on the approach to the goal. However, this did not prevent the Albanians from scoring the second goal. "The most difficult element in football in terms of technique is ball selection. If you have seven people not taking the ball away from you, but only imitating it, then, of course, it is quite difficult to win such a match. As for the attack, this component of the game is easier psychologically: you run, trying to create a goal. A lot of nice words are said about it: attack, smart pass, good shot, spectacular finish. But the teamwork of our national team leaves much to be desired.
- Based on the two September matches of the national team, Serhii Rebrov will have to draw conclusions. Do you think that in this process he will focus more on the team as a whole or on some specific players?
- Of course, the coaching staff of the national team of Ukraine needs to work quite productively. Serhii Rebrov says he has been working with the team for three weeks. Yes, the national team has a very short period of preparation for matches, because there are FIFA dates. But the work after the matches is of great importance. I mean their thorough analysis. Again, we are talking about defense, "standards", safety net, pressure and playing for results. This is where we need to work hard to provide information. And I am convinced that our coaching staff is doing that. However, despite this, there are still too many mistakes. Just remember how many shots the Albanians and Czechs struck during set pieces and crosses from the flanks.
Anyway, I think we have a good team. We have a good selection of players - one hundred percent. But the psychological state is not at a good enough level. I think it's right that our leaders - Yarmolenko and Zinchenko - supported the coaching staff. But it is also important that the players feel responsible for their words of support for the coach. The team and the coaching staff must be one. Despite the fact that Rebrov has been working with the national team for two years, it seems to me that the balance between team actions in defense and attack has not yet been found. After all, we see that there is not a single game that is equal from the first to the last minute of the match. Unfortunately, there are always mistakes and failures - and this is the joint work of the entire team.
- What prospects do you see for the Ukrainian national team in the October matches? Will something change for the better or is it unlikely?
- After the match at the Fortuna Arena, I had the feeling that our team played in Lviv, not Prague. And if the national team or our clubs participating in European competitions really played their home matches in Lviv, Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Donetsk, Rivne or Khmelnytskyi, I am sure they would look completely different. After all, your own land, your own walls are a big plus.
But be that as it may, the guys must understand that the country has been at full-scale war for three years now, and in this regard, we must be prepared to rely on ourselves. Only the teamwork of the entire team can yield a positive result. We expect this in the October matches against Georgia and the Czech Republic.
There is a lot of talk now about the experienced Yarmolenko, Stepanenko, Zinchenko and Malinowski. I will express my opinion about them. Every top team now has such experienced leaders. Take Pepe, for example, who played for Portugal until he was 41 and only recently completed his professional career. We can also mention 39-year-old Portuguese Cristiano Ronaldo and Croatian Luka Modric. I would like to see more leadership qualities from our experienced players. Not only on the football field, but also in the locker room.
Andriy Pysarenko