Andriy Shevchenko: "The result is negative, but we received material for analysis"

17.11.2018 02:32

Photo by Pavlo Kubanov

Head coach of the national team of Ukraine Andriy Shevchenko held a press conference after match with Slovakia.

- Did you manage to analyze on the hot tracks what went wrong today?

- In the first half, the team was confused. We made a few mistakes, started playing in a way unusual for us, long passes. A quick goal also had a negative effect. The score could have been different, in the second half the national team of Ukraine created enough moments for this.

- How can you comment on the replacements?

- Even before the game, we lost Yaremchuk, who had back problems. We gave a chance to a young player - Boryachuk. He gained some experience today. Then Kovalenko took this position. We also released Shaparenko. They refreshed the game, there were interesting moments.

- As for the new scheme of the game - is there a chance to see it in the future? And questions about young players. It is always difficult to include them in the composition - today we are convinced of this once again…

- Today we involved, probably, 60 percent of young people. Our opponent was very motivated, but in the second half our team mobilized and was able to add. Yes, there was a change in tactics. We strengthened the flanks, but there were no special changes in the design of the game. Unless in the middle it appeared on one player less. I don't think that's what influenced the final result.

Our footballers made a lot of mistakes in the first half, they played long passes. In the second half, we had better control of the ball, more short passes.

- Today the team conceded four goals. Apparently, you are not happy with the game in defense. Isn't this a consequence of Rakitsky's absence, and do you plan to call more defenders for the match with Turkey?

- We had a conversation with Rakitsky. Yaroslav now has certain physical problems. That's why we decided to involve other players in this role. As for other artists, we'll see. Kryvtsov was injured. Whether we call someone else will depend on how heavy it is.

- Today you took a certain risk, determining tactics and composition. Was he justified?

- We knew that several players would not be able to take part in the match due to injuries. Was the risk justified? To some extent, yes. In the second half I saw some positive moments in the team's game.

Even if the result is negative, we have received material for analysis. We played today against a good motivated team. It was interesting to see how our young players, who have only recently been in the U-21 squad, will be performing.

Finally, I would like to thank the Ukrainian fans who came to support us. We will try to please them with a good game and result in the next matches.