Former forward of «Dynamo» and the Ukrainian national team Viktor Leonenko analyzed the roster of the Ukrainian national team for the friendly tournament in Toronto.
Viktor Leonenko- Goalkeepers: Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid), Anatoliy Trubin (Benfica), Dmytro Riznyk (Shakhtar).
— Thank God, there are no surprises here. We have no problems with goalkeepers. As for the number 1, the one who is the main one at the club should play, and that is Trubin or Riznyk. Lunin has almost no playing practice; he is a backup at «Real». Palamarchuk? Why is he in the national team? They don’t take penalties there. Our goalkeepers have often been «Man of the Match». They bear the biggest load. I won’t give tens to anyone else.
- Defenders: Mykola Matvienko, Valerii Bondar (both — «Shakhtar»), Vladislav Dubinchak, Oleksandr Tymchyk (both — «Dynamo»), Bohdan Mykhailichenko («Polissya»), Oleksandr Martyniuk («Oleksandriya»), Illya Zabarnyi («Bournemouth»), Maksym Talovierov («Plymouth»), Yevhen Cheberko («Columbus Crew»).
— Dubinchak definitely has to play. He ended the championship best at «Dynamo», looks very good on the left. Rebrov probably gave Mykolenko a rest — Vitalii is already a starter, and he often gets injured. It’s strange to me that our defenders often get injured. A request — do not tell this to Bessonov, otherwise he will curse these defenders. In my opinion, they perform below average.
- Midfielders: Mykola Shaparenko, Mykola Mykhailenko, Oleksandr Pikhalyonok, Vladislav Kabayev (all — «Dynamo»), Heorhiy Sudakov, Yegor Nazaryna, Artem Bondarenko (all — «Shakhtar»), Oleksii Hutsulyak, Oleksandr Nazarenko (both — «Polissya»), Ivan Kaliuzhnyi («Oleksandriya»), Viktor Tsygankov («Girona»), Oleksandr Zinchenko («Arsenal»), Oleksandr Zubkov («Trabzonspor»).
— I don’t see a good midfield in our team; they only write that they are great. We don’t control the ball, and if we do, it’s in our zone and we don’t attack. Our midfielders drop back to the central defenders, receive the ball, and try to start attacks from there. That’s our entire game. Finally, Bondarenko was called up, as well as Mykhailenko. I want new players in this position because all these Shaparenkos, Sudakovs... Just look how many goals they’ve scored, especially in our championship!
Absence of Yarmolenko? Rebrov knows Andriy well. Just like Mykolenko. There’s no need to be offended by the exclusion. I think they themselves didn’t want to come to this tournament instead of a vacation.
You ask why not give a chance to Veletnya from «Koloss»? Well, he scored against «Shakhtar», and so what? Supryaga also scored three goals against «Dynamo», and we’re still looking for him. Judging by the game that «Koloss» showed at the end of the championship, they should call up half the team to the national team. However, looking later, you can’t see the team.
The midfield is the weakest link in our national team, although it should be the strongest, as this position requires support for both defense and attack, and our forwards are not able to score on their own.
- Forward: Roman Yaremchuk («Olympiacos»).
— It’s very strange here, having only one forward. Why not call someone else? To me, coaches are strange people. There should definitely be three forwards. It turns out that someone from the midfield will play in attack or Yaremchuk will play without substitutions. Probably, Rebrov didn’t call anyone because in the World Cup qualification, Dovbyk, Yaremchuk, and Vanat will still play. Who would I have called up? I won’t name anyone because in this case, the players will be worth three times more.
Yaremchuk doesn’t appear in the main squad of «Olympiacos» that often; he mostly comes on as a substitute. He scored a few goals and is already boasting! The Greek championship is not needed by anyone and no one watches it! Yaremchuk lives to prove to critics that he is a footballer, while in fact, no one even thinks about him. Yaremchuk is known only because he has a well-known namesake — Vania (Ivan Yaremchuk — former midfielder of "Dynamo", — note A. P.).
- Opinion on the «Canadian Shield» tournament
— This tournament is not needed by anyone, even the footballers who will be on vacation. It is only needed by Rebrov to look at the players. What kind of tournament is this in Canada? Why didn’t they organize it next to Mars or in Australia?
It would be better if Rebrov played in Ukraine, calling up players from UPL; he knows the foreigners anyway. You can safely take U-19, youth teams, clubs from the First and Premier leagues as opponents. You can take two squads and look at them. But no — they have to throw a lot of money and go to Canada! I went there only because of the NHL, Crosby, Gretzky, and McDavid.
What can I say about the opponents — Canada and New Zealand? There are no weak opponents for us. Only San Marino was weak, and otherwise we struggled on the field, sometimes playing well only for one half.
Andriy Piskun
