Ukrainian coach Yuriy Benyo shared his impressions of the match of the 4th round of the 2024/25 Nations League Ukraine - Czech Republic (1:1).
Yuri Benyo"The problem was the same as in the first game with the Czechs. They used high pressing, and we had a hard time overcoming it. In those moments we were forced to come out because of a long pass to Dovbik. There was no support for him to beat anyone or save that ball.
Plus we couldn't do in the first half what we did against Georgia - impose our own pressing. We first built a defensive block and then tried to press from there. And when the Czech Republic set up a scheme with three centerbacks and two wide linemen, it was already difficult to press. We let the Czechs maintain their structure on the field, so it was harder for us to press them. We should not have let them spread out, but immediately pressed at the first opportunity, like Georgia.
We started the second half more aggressively, plus the Czechs also sat down, because it is tiring to press the whole match. And the substitutions were successful, they strengthened the game - Zubkov, Kalyuzhny.
Who did you like the most? Sudakov and Trubin were the best. Shaparenko? For me it's a situation when there are two players on the same position. Shaparenko likes to play "left eight", and Sudakov - too. They feel more comfortable there, they can take a shot from the right, give sharp passes. They often overlap in the game, two get into the same zone.
With this scheme of play, the right eight is an awkward position for them. I would like to have a left-footed midfielder there: Pikhalenok, Bondarenko", - said Benio.
