Former Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Vitaliy Kosovskiy has assessed the performance of the Ukrainian national team in the October matches of the Nations League - against Georgia (1:0) and the Czech Republic (1:1).
Vitaly Kosovsky
"In my opinion, compared to the September matches (with Albania - 1:2, and Czech Republic - 2:3 - ed.) the Ukrainian national team looked much more united, more motivated to jump above their heads. This can be explained by the invitation of a whole group of newcomers, who were eager to prove that the coaching staff did not make a mistake with their choice.
I think that four points scored in October is a good achievement. By the way, it could have been more, if Mykola Shaparenko realized a goal in the opening of yesterday's game. However, it didn't happen as it was thought and soon the old rule worked: if you don't score from a favorable position, you concede. And in order to win back, they had to spend twice as much energy, because the Czechs are physically strong. It is possible that this is the reason why the zeal of the nominal hosts gradually dried up and they had to limit themselves to a draw.
What next? Once again we are convinced that there are no irreplaceable players. The absence of several leading performers due to injuries was not critical. There was someone to replace them. Moreover, one of the debutants - Ivan Kalyuzhny - quickly became his own man on the main team of the country. The fact that the competition for a place in the starting lineup will become more fierce is encouraging, because we have crucial matches in November - against Georgians and Albanians. We play away, but it should not scare us. Because of Russian aggression, the Ukrainian national team has not been able to host opponents at home for a long time and has already adapted to foreign walls. As far as I am concerned, this will only be an additional incentive to prove themselves as best as possible. It would be even more to correct the operational aim and be alert at standards at their own possession, then League A will not run away," - said Kosovskiy.
