Former head coach of Kyiv’s Dynamo and the Ukrainian national team Leonid Buryak shared his impressions of yesterday’s UEFA Nations League match Georgia - Ukraine (1:1).
Leonid Buryak. Photo — O. Vasilieva“I liked the first half of this match,” Buryak noted, − “The Georgian national team once again proved that it is a good, organized team with quality ball control. Ukraine, in turn, demonstrated high dedication in defense, there are no questions about that at all, everything was at the level.”
I especially want to highlight the performance of Zabarnyi — he is our diamond. And the first half was so good for us thanks specifically to Zabarnyi. Mudryk had one of his best games, keeping the opponents under pressure throughout the match. The defensive mission had to be carried out fully by everyone, including Shaparenko and Brazhko.
— Was there no time to think about the attack of the Ukrainian national team?
— It was difficult. In preparation for the match, Dovbik, as you know, suffered significant gaps. He was injured for a long time and trained little before this game. Moreover, I have mentioned this more than once, Artem is a dependent attacker; he needs support, good wing passes.
I know from my own experience what the absence of match practice is like. Ten days without football is very noticeable. Dovbik looked, as usual, tried to cling to the ball, and of course, he was under significant pressure. Given his condition, it was certainly hard. Remember how even Andriy Shevchenko, when he missed ten days, then wasn’t like himself...
— Did our team deserve its goal?
— Certainly. The speed of Mudryk played a role. After the dangerous cross from Mykhailo, the Georgian defender didn’t see where he was clearing the ball, which ended up in Mamardashvili's net. Ukraine's counterattacks were dangerous throughout the match.
— How much did the state of the pitch after a rather heavy downpour affect the game of both teams?
— The pitch was in normal condition. I received calls from acquaintances in Georgia, Revaz Chelebadze, who reported that the match was in question, but in the end, they gave the go-ahead for its holding. But even if there were certain inconveniences, the teams of Georgia and Ukraine made very few mistakes, which made the match spectacular, and everyone enjoyed this game.
— What impression did Kvaratskhelia’s game make on you?
— They are offering substantial sums for him, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he does move to a bigger team. This is the Georgian school of football. Kvaraetskhelia is a great master, a very technical player. He can determine the fate of any episode, he is independent of his teammates — he creates and finishes himself. It’s also important that both Kvaraetskhelia and other players from the Georgian national team were taught by Willy Sagnol to do the dirty work, to play without fear in away matches. I remember that before, Georgians were called “home” — they could tear apart anyone on their own field, but when playing away, they often lost unexpectedly and quite often with a crushing score.
— How timely and useful were the substitutes of the Ukrainian national team?
— I will only say that the Zhytomyr duo that appeared on the field in the second half could have decided the fate of the match against Georgia… There was hope. But the final result, although we didn’t lose, is not very comforting, as now everything depends not only on us.
I think we shouldn’t expect that we will beat, or should beat, everyone in a row... We need to progress over the distance step by step — from match to match. At this moment, it’s important to understand what the tournament situation will be after the 5th round. And then we will see.
Oleg Leonchuk
