Former Ukrainian national team midfielder Evgeny Levchenko shared his opinion on the advisability of changing the head coach of the Ukrainian national team in light of the unsuccessful start to the qualifying tournament for the 2026 World Cup (Ukraine - France - 0:2, Azerbaijan - Ukraine - 1:1).
Evgeny Levchenko— Evgeny, is a change of the head coach needed for the Ukrainian national team right now?
— We have good players in the national team, but the question is whether the coach is suitable for these footballers for the team to develop, whether there is synergy. And this is determined very simply — how the team plays, how much the players give of themselves on the field for their coach, how well they understand his ideas? Does he have influence over his charges? There is currently a lot of uncertainty in the team’s playing style. This is a serious question for the coach.
It is difficult for me to say definitively what is happening with the team without knowing all the nuances occurring within the group. If I were the leader, I would invite the head coach, the core of the team, and try to figure out what the problem is. Communication is necessary; otherwise, issues will not be resolved.
— If we assume that the position of the head coach of the Ukrainian national team is vacant. What candidates do you see for this position?
— I understand that many want to see some people at the helm of the national team who have coached the national team before, but have been out of work at the highest level for a long time. This is a step backward. Football is developing very quickly now, and the coach needs to be on top of things in his work.
Again, if it were up to me, I would give a blank check to a young and promising coach to present his plan and adhere to it. As for your question, for example, it could be Ruslan Rotan; although it’s a radical decision, I advocate for innovation processes, for specialists who view all innovations in football from a European perspective.
In my opinion, a quality foreign specialist will not come to a country where there is a war and where public pressure is very high.
— Will the Ukrainian national team advance from the group in the qualifying tournament for the 2026 World Cup?
— Obviously, there can be no talk of winning the group, but the fate of the second place may be decided on October 10 in the match between Iceland and Ukraine. Until the rooster crows in one place, we cannot gather ourselves. So there’s no more time to waste. Sergey Rebrov’s charges aren’t satisfied with even a draw, otherwise we can forget about the World Cup. But to be honest, and looking at how Iceland played against France, it will be very difficult for us in Reykjavik. Banally speaking, a serious analysis needs to be conducted, and conclusions must be drawn to be competitive at least in the upcoming confrontation.
Sergey Demyanchuk
