The national team of Ukraine has completed its participation in the group stage of the Nations League, finishing in second place and earning the right to play in the playoff of the tournament. As a reminder, at this stage of the competition, the opponents of the "blue-yellow" can be the national teams of Scotland, Belgium, Serbia, or Hungary. To assess the performance and prospects of our national team, Footboom asked the well-known football expert, former defender of "Shakhtar" Oleksandr Sopko.
Oleksandr Sopko— All the teams in our group were tough, all were participants of the recent Euro-2024, so it is disappointing to finish last in such a quartet with seven points to our credit, — noted Sopko. — As for the national team of Ukraine, it complicated its tournament path after losing its first two matches.
However, these defeats were sobering, revealing the weaknesses of our team, forcing us to come back down to earth and get serious. The cycle turned out to be difficult and nerve-wracking for us. But this is how a new team is born, and we had to experience all of this. The national team of Ukraine had to understand that it has achieved nothing yet. Yes, we participated in the European Championship, but there are no titles. And in the last two matches, we saw determination, teamwork. As a result: we achieved a completely normal outcome. If before the start of this Nations League someone had said that the national team of Ukraine would finish second, everyone would have agreed and considered it success. Therefore, I can only congratulate our national team and ask them not to make us nervous like this again.
— After the match with Albania, there were mentions that Serhiy Rebrov is moving away from the tactic called "tiki-taka" and is already embracing the tactical principles of Valeriy Lobanovskyi…
— Any tactic works if there is discipline and proper fighting spirit. Otherwise, nothing will work — play with three central defenders, or four, and so on… We see that Rebrov has various setups. But the problem was that he didn’t have enough time to implement them, because this is not a club team, but a national team. Therefore, Serhiy Rebrov simplified the tactics towards the end of the Nations League, and fighting spirit came to the forefront. The potential of performers like Brazhko, Kalyuzhny, Hutsulyak was used in different ways. The introduction of the latter two revitalized the game and demonstrated that the team has potential. When new players appear, new connections arise because the national team is a living organism. I believe that now we need to lower the degree of criticism aimed at the national team of Ukraine.
— What is the most problematic line in our team? In my opinion, it’s the attack, because before the match with Albania, for example, we approached with virtually one healthy forward…
— No, it’s not the attack. We had more serious problems in defense. When the players were selected, and there was no desire to fight, it was noticeable. Playing as the first team at Euro-2024, we were caught on counterattacks. Rebrov understood that, metaphorically speaking, we needed to "dance from the defense." Gradually our defense became more reliable. And with a strong defense, the midfielders and forwards will also be able to unfold fully.
New performers should be brought into the national team, in my opinion, who should be given an opportunity to show themselves. For example, once again, Kalyuzhny. Everyone saw his game and thought: is it possible to play like this? Kalyuzhny is no longer a newcomer, and everyone knows that. However, any talent needs to have a chance to step onto the field in a crucial match and show themselves. After that, the coach will look at the staffing in a different way. Therefore, Filipov could have been called up to the attack, and I believe he would fit into the team’s play.
— Who among the young footballers can strengthen the national team of Ukraine?
— Our U21 national team showed good football last year. And there are still quality players there — Batagov, Syche, who has already been called up, and Artem Bondarenko. All of them can create competition. Until the boys are given a chance, it’s hard to understand who is capable of what. And this should not be feared. Nazaranko also played very well in this training camp, he had good goal-scoring opportunities. Rebrov understood that a living process is happening in the national team, and we should not look solely at the big names.
— What is more important for the coaching staff of the national team in the Nations League playoffs — to prepare new footballers or to achieve results?
— This can be combined. We need to bring the team to a new level and achieve a goal. There is already a foundation — this is the attitude, determination, and this bar should not be lowered. This is the basis on which we can adapt newcomers.
— Who among the veterans is no longer worth calling up to the national team of Ukraine?
— Building a team based on them is incorrect. We must thank Stepanenko, Yarmolenko, Sydorchuk, and others for their efforts to help. They deserve to leave beautifully. I think these guys can still delight their fans at the clubs. However, for the national team, we need to look for new footballers. And veterans should be prepared for such developments.
— At a certain stage of this Nations League, there were doubts about the feasibility of working with Serhiy Rebrov's national team. Is there a sense in discarding these doubts and leaving Rebrov alone until the end of the qualification for the World Cup 2026?
— Any system works when there is stability. Results do not appear immediately — there should be a test of time. We need to be patient, we need to maintain stability. I understand, everyone wants victories and celebrations… But we have no other national team and there won’t be one. It is necessary to understand that no top coaches are going to come to Ukraine right now. Accordingly, I believe that there should be no vacillation. If we do so, in my opinion, we will be changing coaches every 2-3 months, and no one will want to come here to play, and chaos will ensue.
— Which of the potential opponents in the Nations League playoffs would be more favorable for the national team of Ukraine to face?
— Such calculations can only be made in chess… The preparation of our team is more important. It’s wrong to choose, saying that we will find it more convenient to play against these, and against those — no. Especially since the playoffs are quite unpredictable. The good thing is that Serhiy Rebrov already has experience playing knockout matches with the national team of Ukraine. As for me, Belgium and Scotland, Serbia, and Hungary — all are tough opponents. Still, I would single out the Scots because we have already competed with them… It is necessary to understand that having playoff experience at such a level, in the Nations League, is very useful for this generation of Ukrainian footballers, and it will be needed for the qualification for the World Cup 2026.
Oleh Semenchenko
