Ukrainians should not rush to the gates of Italy from the first seconds
On November 20 in Leverkusen, the Ukrainian national football team will take on the Italians in the qualification for Euro 2024.
In a conversation with a Sport.ua correspondent, the former defender of the Ukrainian youth team Vasily Priymawho managed to play not only for the Donetsk Metallurg, Zarya, Karpaty, Chernomorets, but also the Italian Frosinone, shared his expectations from today’s confrontation in Germany:
– I think we won’t see many goals in Leverkusen. But they will be and, I hope, the Ukrainians will score one more goal.
– In your opinion, what can help Sergei Rebrov’s charges tip the scales in their favor today?
– More experienced and balanced composition. Still, for various reasons, there are now a lot of young people in Squadra Azzurra, and they, as a rule, lack stability. I also hope that today our legionnaires will have their say – Mikolenko, Mudrik, Tsygankov, Dovbik, who have recently been visible in their clubs, they arrived at the national team in high spirits, confident in their abilities, and this means a lot. Finally, in recent years the Italian national team has not achieved positive results in key matches. This means that something is wrong with psychology. We need to take advantage of this.
– You have always played in the center of defense. What is your opinion about the current model of the Squadra Azzurra stoppers?
– They don’t give the impression of being passable. I won’t be original when I say that I was more impressed by the Italian defense when Bonucci and Chiellini played in the center. Although, for the sake of fairness, it should be clarified that football has changed somewhat, it has become much faster than in the times when my idols were extravagant.
– What can you say about the defense of the Ukrainian team?
“She also sometimes lacks reliability, but I hope that today maximum concentration will help our guys keep their possessions intact.
– You focused on the fact that there will be no goalscoring in Leverkusen. So, should we expect careful play from both teams?
– I think yes. In general, I would advise Sergei Rebrov’s players not to chase a quick goal. It is advisable to conduct reconnaissance in force, and only then try to take advantage of Mudrik’s mobility, Sudakov’s prudence, Tsygankov’s creativity, and Dovbik’s persistence. I am convinced that they will take care of scoring chances at the Squadra Azzurra goal. Just so that the implementation does not fail.
And finally, about another important “trump card” of the Ukrainian team. The recent Champions League group stage match between Shakhtar and Barcelona in Hamburg, Germany showed that Ukrainian footballers have great support there. This gave me strength and contributed to the victory over the Spanish giants. I hope that another German city, Leverkusen, will not let us down today either. Sergei Rebrov’s team really needs the help of the 12th player.
Earlier it became known that the Ukraine-Italy match was expected to be sold out.
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2023-11-20 15:23:00
