On October 11 in Poland, the Ukrainian national team will meet the leader of Group A - the Georgians - in the Nations League. Oleh Fedorchuk, a well-known coach and now also an authoritative expert, told us what he expects from the clash in Poznan:
- I do not like the fact that long before the match the press started to emphasize the personnel losses of the Ukrainian national team. There is no need to prematurely look for an alibi for Serhiy Rebrov. We should focus on those performers who remained at his disposal.
- But facts are stubborn things: it is even hard to remember the last time when injuries haunted such a large group of Ukrainian national team players.
- Let's not thicken the colors. Vitaliy Mykolenko, Viktor Tsygankov and Volodymyr Brazhko could really help the national team now. The rest are rotation players, with all due respect to Andriy Yarmolenko and Taras Stepanenko. That's why we have 5-6 "star" players, while Georgians have only two of them: Giorgi Mamardashvili and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
- Do you believe in a positive result in the game with the Georgians?
- I favor the Ukrainian national team, but they need to use their "trump cards" as much as possible. Here we can take the example of the Georgian national team manager Willi Sanyol, who has been using the tactical scheme 5-3-2 for a number of seasons. Yes, this formation does not guarantee spectacular soccer, but it is effective. It counts on a reliable back line and a quick transition to offense. On the other hand, in what manuals is it written that spectacularity should be a mandatory attribute of soccer? I remember that in his time Oleksandr Petrakov was also often criticized for his rational style, for sticking to the scheme with 5 defenders, but it did not prevent the youth national team of Ukraine under his leadership to become world champions.
That is why on October 11 in Poznan there will be a rivalry of coaching ideas, who will surprise whom more? I hope Serhiy Rebrov knows what to do.
The Georgian national team, indeed, has been performing more stable lately. But the Ukrainian team has more potential and a more balanced squad. The goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin from Benfica, stopper Ilya Zabarny from Bortmouth, Georgiy Sudakov from Shakhtar are ready to try themselves in a top championship, Artem Dovbik scores in Serie A. Although they have something to prove playing for the national team.
And one more aspect I would like to draw attention to. In recent years, our national team has repeatedly "shot" when there was nowhere to retreat. The day after tomorrow in Poznan, our team will have one more opportunity to jump above their heads.
Andriy Pisarenko