Ivan Krivosheenko: "I didn't know why Taloverov was called up to the national team before, I thought he was just Mudryk's friend

Former Vorskla Poltava midfielder Ivan Kryvosheenko assessed the performance of the Ukrainian national team in the nominally home match of the Nations League in Wroclaw with the Czech Republic (1:1).

- There were only two days between the official games with Georgia and the Czech Republic, but we did not see any rotation in the starting lineup from Serhiy Rebrov. Only Stepanenko returned to the lineup, replacing our national team debutant Kalyuzhny. Do not change the winning lineup?

- Yes, they do. Although I looked, and the Czech national team had almost no changes compared to their victorious match against Albania. I think that for Serhii Rebrov the main thing was for the players to recover physically after a difficult match against Georgia. In general, if we take the match against the Czech Republic, our players played well, in terms of movement and intensity, there are no special complaints about anyone.

- The first half was not very successful for our national team, in terms of scoring, for sure. What did you see in the first half of the game?

- We started well, and what a moment Mykola Shaparenko had in the fifth minute of the match! Mudryk did everything he could to make sure that Shaparenko scored from a good position. Mykola did not adjust to the ball. Such moments need to be realized. If we had taken the lead, I would have watched the Czechs play. And our guys could break into free zones, which they love.

As for the conceded goal, Shaparenko and Sudakov did not play the episode to the end. Cherv made a powerful shot from outside the penalty area. Of course, it was necessary to block Cherv's shot, although if you let this guy shoot 50 more times from this distance, I'm sure he would never hit this corner of the goal. Later on, I liked the activity of Yukhym Konoplya, he was very useful during attacks. Once his shot could have been a goal.

- How would you assess Hutsulyak's injury?

- This sometimes happens in football. Oleksiy went for a header and collided head on with an opponent. He probably got a concussion. I didn't notice such a desire as Hutsulyak's in Shaparenko. And you saw the eyes of the substitute Kalyuzhnyi - he is ready to win the fight in every episode. Ivan's eyes are definitely burning.

- Could we have equalized before the break?

- We tried to do it, but it seems to me that the direction of our attacks was on the left flank. Most of our attacks were on Mudryk's flank, and Sudakov often fell there as well. Stylistically, it's easier for Heorhiy to prove himself there. But it was necessary to turn the game around, especially since Mudryk himself was already showing his partners - I'm fed up, let's change something. Our guys lacked rationality in the game in the first half.

- The second half began with a penalty kick against Kovarz. After the match, the Czech national team's head coach Ivan Hasek said that such penalties are bad for football. What do you think about this moment?

- The replays showed that the defender played with his hand in this episode. Did he play on purpose, especially since Konoplya was behind the opponent and no longer participated in the episode? I don't know. We have had several similar penalties recently, so everything here is deserved.

- What do you think of Artem Dovbyk's performance? Is he fully integrated into team interactions?

- He scored the penalty with confidence. Artem clung to a lot of balls, threw the balls to his partners. When necessary, he pressed opponents and helped in defense. In attack, yes, not everything worked out. I believe that Roman Yaremchuk's substitution could have happened earlier. Based on the developments in our group, Ukraine had to beat the Czech Republic. Although the draw left the quartet with a chance of winning.

- Did you like the matches of the national team of Ukraine in October?

- Compared to the games in September, our team played better. In Wroclaw, for example, we played much better than in Prague with the same Czechs. I would note the following fact: in October, about eight experienced players did not join our national team due to injuries. I'm talking about Lunin, Mykolenko, Zinchenko, Brazhko, Popov, Yarmolenko, Tsygankov and Malinowski. Instead, new recruits came in, and we all saw that we have competition and quality players.

Now everyone appreciated the level of play of Kalyuzhnyi, Kryskiv and Hutsulyak in good matches against strong opponents. Sadly, Stepanenko's time with the Ukrainian national team is coming to an end. He is being replaced by Brazhko and Kalyuzhny. Nazarenko is making progress at Polissia. The Ukrainian national team needs fresh blood.

- What did you not like about our national team's performance in these two matches?

- We look bad on set pieces. We often score after corners and free kicks. We need to be more brazen, play tighter with our opponents. We don't often use free kicks near the opponent's goal, and we need to work on it.

- How do you like the play in the center of defense of Maksym Taloverov, who, although not a debutant for the national team, often came on as a substitute at the end of matches?

- To be honest, I didn't know why he was called up to the national team before. And many of my friends and acquaintances said so, it's true. I thought he was just a friend of Mykhailo Mudryk.

Svatok was often good in this position, but Serhii Rebrov entrusted this place with Zabarnyi in the center of defense to Taloverov. So far, Maksym has looked good, he plays well in the air, can start an attack, and is always ready to play ahead. I don't know how the story will develop with him in the future, when Mykolenko returns to the lineup and Matvienko, in theory, moves to the center of defense. He needs to play and progress, because Taloverov is only 24 years old.

- Who was the best player in our national team in the Ukraine vs. Czech Republic match?

- I would choose between the two players. Mykhailo Mudryk tries to take the initiative, tries to beat his opponents, and at speed, but he doesn't always succeed. Although you can't deny him his desire. As for who played confidently and useful in Wroclaw, it was Anatoliy Trubin. He really saved us several times. And it was impressive.