Former Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Serhiy Kovalets commented on the victory of the Ukrainian national team over Georgia in the Nations League match.
Serhiy Kovalets. Photo: Getty Images- "I remember when Valeriy Lobanovsky said that there should be a balance between defense and attack," the coach began the conversation. "There was a lot of press about this: if you lose the fight and rebounding, you have no chance of winning the match or at least drawing. And we talked a lot about the fact that Dynamo, Shakhtar and the Ukrainian national team have a problem with this.
Analyzing the matches of Ukrainian clubs in European competitions, I once said that there is only one midfield player in the Ukrainian championship who takes the ball away - Ivan Kalyuzhny. In the match against Georgia, which our team won, there was just this balance between defense and attack. In the episode that preceded the Georgian goal, there was a collective ball selection in the attacking zone. In the final phase, it was done by Sudakov, who passed the ball to Mudryk, who scored the goal. This is something that has been said more than once: if you lose the ball, you need to immediately engage in the tackle. In this component, I liked the game of our national team. And in my opinion, the Lion of the Match is the debutant of the national team Kalyuzhny. The number of tackles and interceptions he made deserves to be recognized.
As Lobnovsky said in our time, you need to look for a fight. If your game is not going well, then all the players have to do it. They have to fight, pick up, catch up, get ahead. Sometimes when you watch the best teams from the leading football countries, such as Italy and Germany, you realize that in order to win matches, you need to do all of the above. And not just for individual players, but for every player without exception.
- You mentioned Ivan Kalyuzhnyi, whose performance in the match with the Georgians was recognized by Serhii Rebrov himself. Do you think this is the player the national team lacked in this position?
- Yes, I do. He is one of those players who should be in the national team. We have a lot of players in the middle of the field that we can talk about. However, apart from Stepanenko, who was injured and could not take part in the match against Georgia, no one else in the Ukrainian national team actively takes the ball away. Everyone in our team works hard to make the interception. How can I not recall Jozsef Szabo's favorite phrase: "Show me your midfield and I'll tell you what kind of team you have." Therefore, in this regard, you need to look for players like Kalyuzhny and certainly invite them to the national team.
- In your opinion, did the Georgian national team play below its capabilities in Poznan against Ukraine?
- When I read the interviews with Georgian players in which they claimed that they would beat Ukraine - they say we are leaders, we are fine - I realized that the Georgians had no chance. As they say, they got a little carried away. Yes, they played well at the European Championships and started well in both matches in the current Nations League draw, but it is clear that the coach did not manage this process. Before that, the Georgians had been modest, but then they started saying too many words, which boiled down to the fact that the Ukrainian national team was supposedly a weak team. And when I analyzed this match before the Ukraine-Georgia game, I said that we would win 3-1. I believed that we would beat the Georgian team due to the fact that in their interviews, their players themselves gave our guys reasons to show character and play a good match.
- You predicted a two-goal victory, but it turned out to be only one. What did you do wrong when making your forecast?
- That's a good question. To be honest, I was impressed by the quality of the pitch. It was ridiculous that at such a high level it left much to be desired. Both teams suffered on it. We saw that there were bumps on the field, and unfortunately it was not of the best quality. There are a lot of questions about it. So now you can understand why Dynamo and Shakhtar play their home games in European competitions in Germany. The pitch is a pitch, but we did not work hard enough. After all, we had good approaches to the goal, half-chances.
However, we did not use them (this applies to Sudakov's shots, flank passes, Mudryk again, and Dovbyk could have scored). Nevertheless, the result is in favor of Ukraine. It's important that we didn't concede, because we hadn't managed to keep the goal dry in every match before. In general, I believe that in such a game, a score of 1-0 is better than 3-1. I repeat: because we scored and did not concede.
- How do you see the development of further events in the group after getting three points in the game with Georgians?
- It all depends on the players themselves. The task facing Serhiy Rebrov and his coaching staff is to reach the 2026 World Cup. The head of the UAF, Andriy Shevchenko, also believes that this is how it should be - Rebrov must finalize the contract. We have a very good national team with qualified players. Most of them play in the European top championships, where they have shown their high level and are in good standing. However, our team needs to be more aggressive.
The next match against the Czech Republic, which will take place on Monday, October 14, should show where we are heading - towards victory and stability or whether we will continue to stagnate. The victory over Georgia should relieve tension and give our players confidence. If Ukraine wins the next three matches, it can take first place in the group and advance to League A.
Andriy Pysarenko
