Myron Markevich: "The result for the Euro, without a doubt, can be attributed to the national team of Ukraine"

13.07.2021 11:00

Photo by Pavlo Kubanov

Myron Markevich, the head of the UAF National Teams Committee, believes that under certain schedules, the blue-and-yellows could have swung for more than the quarterfinals of the continental forum.

The official website of the UAF asked Myron Markevich to sum up the results of the last European Championship and at the same time - the performance of the national team of Ukraine.

- Myron Bogdanovich, what will be your general result of the last European Championship?

- The most worthy national teams met in the final of the tournament. And the team that had to win won. If we talk directly about the Euro, there were many good matches. Class football was shown even by those national teams that did not make it to the playoffs. I would, for example, mention Hungary. In the rivalry with Portugal, France and Germany, the Hungarians did not have five minutes to get out of the "death group". I liked the last forum.

- Is Italy a natural champion?

- So. I am impressed by her style. Roberto Mancini's team always plays forward, does not hold the ball in the middle of the field for a long time. The Italians created many moments to score. And I really liked their transition from attack to defense. All outfield players participate in the selection of the ball, it is bribing.

- And before the Euro, who did you bet on?

- I immediately bet on Italy and talked about it in an interview.

- Apart from the Hungarians, what other team do you remember?

- With a plus sign, I would mention Switzerland. Vladimir Petkovich's wards looked decent in each of the matches. I liked the Danes. Even without its leader Christian Eriksen, the team came together and demonstrated not only fighting qualities, but also effective football. Disappointed Croats, I expected more from this team.

Photo by Pavlo Kubanov

- How would you evaluate the performance of Andriy Shevchenko's team at the Euros?

- If we start directly from the result, it is positive. The national team of Ukraine has never reached the quarterfinals of the European Championship. If we talk about the game, then the question is. There was a good second half in the match with the Netherlands, the first half of the game with Northern Macedonia. They played frankly badly with Austria. Rehabilitated in a duel with Sweden. But the match against the British can not be attributed to our team.

- Why, in your opinion, did such swings come out in the actions of the national team of Ukraine?

- I think because of a short bench. We have footballers we can't do without, and it all depends on what form they are in. Andriy Yarmolenko performed well at the tournament. Ruslan Malinowski's injury did not allow him to play at his maximum. Oleksandr Zinchenko spent a difficult season for Manchester City, and somewhere he was missing. Although in the match with Sweden, we saw this artist in all its glory. Roman Yaremchuk looked good, but I think this striker could have played better. We have problems in defense, especially in the game on the second floor. We miss a lot from the standard provisions.

- It was possible to perform better, was it a peak for this team?

- I think it was possible. But again - if the coaching staff did not have staffing problems and all the players were in optimal condition.

- Nevertheless, if the team rewrote the story, is it commendable?

"Of course." I congratulate the coaches, players and all the staff with a worthy performance at the European Championship. This result, no doubt, can be entered in blue and yellow to the asset.

- What was the most positive moment for you in the game of the national team of Ukraine?

- Character shown in the second half of the match with the Netherlands. And if it weren't for this curious third goal in our goal, I would have put this game in the top in recent years performed by Andriy Shevchenko's wards.

- Name the three best football players of the national team of Ukraine on Euro.

- Alexander Karavaev, Alexander Zinchenko, Andrey Yarmolenko.

- The selection for the World Cup will resume in September. What can we expect there after a not quite successful start?

- You need to seriously prepare for these battles, you can not lower the bar. Nothing is impossible in football. The team has five matches ahead. If you take the maximum in these matches, the World Cup will not go anywhere from us. Ukraine needs this tournament, especially at a difficult time for the country.