The famous Ukrainian coach Vitaliy Kvarciany shared his impressions of the first match between the national teams of Ukraine and Belgium (3:1) in the playoff of the Nations League for the right to perform in Division "A", and also talked about what he expects from the return match in this pair.
Vitaliy Kvarciany— It would be important to win the second match. This way, we could maintain the brand that emerged sharply after being somewhat lost. The Ukrainian national team is now a special face of our football and events in the country.
You know, there is a saying — "A spoonful of tar will spoil a barrel of honey." So, based on that, I can say that a drop in the form of a positive result from the match in Murcia overshadowed all the previous negativity. And it is very good that our team has stepped into positivity. Now it’s very important to hold on to it. As a representative of Ukrainian football, I really want our national team to beat Belgium or at least draw, which would give them the opportunity to maintain their place in the elite division of the Nations League.
— Not long ago, the Belgian national team was considered a fairly formidable opponent, feared by leading national teams. However, from the first game with Ukraine, it could not be said.
— Of course, we all cheered for the Ukrainian national team, but at the same time, we looked at football from the perspective of football people. Usually, in such cases, you react to some changes, unexpected things, and so on. And in the first of the two-legged confrontation, the unexpectedly low qualification of the Belgian national team caught my attention. Their new coach, Rudy Garcia, cooked up some kind of porridge, mixing up where the south and the north are. Apparently, because he worked in the United Arab Emirates, he thinks that it’s completely different here. It is unclear how a coach is chosen for the national team at such a level.
I believe that after Roberto Martinez left the Belgian national team, who now coaches the Portuguese national team, and then Domenico Tedesco came, the "Red Devils" began to decline. This was already noticeable during the group stage match of Euro-2024, in which the Belgians faced Ukraine. I observed the course of that match in the stadium in Stuttgart and saw that the Belgian national team was no longer "that". And with each match, they played worse and worse. This ultimately led to Tedesco's dismissal, who had no good results at other workplaces — in particular, at "Schalke 04", Moscow "Spartak", and "RB Leipzig". I’m surprised who his agents are and how they arrange it for him. I never characterize coaches, but I can say that the situation with Tedesco is unclear. It feels like agents are pushing, as they say, moss and sludge.
What’s done is done — and that's good, they get their percentage from the deal and "smoke". And the presidents of clubs or heads of national football federations then suffer. Returning to the situation with the Belgian national team, as far as rumors go, there was some conflict in the team. Therefore, they lack the psychological state that provides confidence. And this is precisely what is coming to the forefront now.
Additionally, in the game against Ukraine, Rudy Garcia miscalculated with the tactics, the style of play of Belgium was terrible. Only Lukaku looked like some kind of knight on the field, poorly served. And I also find it strange why the Belgian coach didn’t put Doku in the starting lineup. In my opinion, besides Lukaku, he is the strongest player in the Belgian squad. I don’t even know what the reason is. Personally, I don’t care whether a player drinks or smokes, dances or hops on one leg. If he’s class — I put him on the team. Even if he came from a banquet at three in the morning, that doesn’t mean anything. I once had a case in my coaching career. A player was brought in drunk in the morning, "washed" in cold water, he slept, drank a glass of beer — went to the game and scored three goals. And everything was fine.
— But Belgium has not played for more than one goal. The same cannot be said about our team's performance, which managed to score three times against Thibaut Courtois.
— Our players could have scored more if they had felt that Belgium had such a weak defense line. As for Courtois, one thing is clubmates from Real Madrid, and quite another — partners from the Belgian national team. I lead to the fact that in the Spanish giant, the defenders look more or less qualified and do not make serious mistakes. Therefore, it can be concluded that the Belgian goalkeeper was not ready for a good game and could not show his concentration. That is why Courtois did not act in the best way in the situations when the Ukrainians scored their second and third goals. The goalkeeper was standing still and not playing.
— What are your expectations from today’s match, in which the Belgians must win by a margin of three goals to keep their chances for a favorable result over the two games?
— If our guys take into account the weakness of the opponent's game, and the Belgians do not account for their mistakes from the first meeting and will play the same way, then they have no chances. In this case, everything will turn out well for the Ukrainian national team, and they will win this confrontation.
— And what is your prediction for the second match?
— A difficult question. I think Belgium will not have enough power to win this match. In the best case for them, it will be a draw. After all, our national team has confidence, its teamwork is evident. Plus, the psychology is at a high level. And if they do not make "kicks" and somehow play back, as the same Belgians did, everything will be fine. I’m betting on a draw or a victory for Ukraine.
Andrey Pisarenko
