Former Ukrainian national team footballer Ivan Hetsko shared his expectations from the match against the Belgians and named the main trump card of our national team.
Ivan Hetsko— What are your expectations from the match between Ukraine and Belgium?
— I only have the best expectations. I would like us to finally start achieving success in football. Belgium currently has a young team, we can play against them. We need to set the highest goals to achieve the success we need.
— Do you consider the Ukrainian national team a favorite?
— Perhaps in some aspects Belgium slightly prevails over Ukraine, but I wouldn’t emphasize this. Many of our players also play in European clubs. So it doesn’t make sense to talk about any special advantages of Belgium. Moreover, our national team is currently at a good level: all players are performing well in their teams, demonstrating quality play and scoring goals. I was particularly interested in the attacking line, as we score few goals, but closer to the match against Belgium, our forwards found their optimal form, and that inspires optimism.
— Do you think our footballers should pay the most attention to De Bruyne?
— There is a saying: we shouldn’t try to shut him down, but he should think about how to play against us. It would be interesting to see such a game. If you give the Belgians freedom, they will show their game. But if you play tightly, not giving them space — that can change the course of the match. De Bruyne leads the game, so he, and players like him, need to be maximally neutralized and not allowed to play their game. I think the coaching staff understands this perfectly. A player like Kevin must be excluded from the game or at least his influence minimized — then it will be much easier for us.
— Belgium recently changed its coach. How might this affect the team before the match against Ukraine?
— To be honest, for Belgium this is a big problem. The coaching staff changes, the lineup, the structure of the game, there is rotation, and this creates certain difficulties. I think this plays to our advantage, as adapting to a new tactic takes time. So, in my opinion, this situation may benefit the Ukrainian national team.
— What is Ukraine's biggest strength in the match against Belgium?
— Our main advantage is combination play. We will play compactly, tightly, and with maximum dedication. An important factor will be the mood and the desire to win. We have long awaited such an opponent to test our strengths, and our boys will have fire in their eyes. We need to believe in ourselves and show all that we are capable of. Many Ukrainian players play in European clubs, and we want them to prove their competitiveness and achieve the desired result.
Andriy Pavlechenko
