Roman Yaremchuk: "We need to talk less and work more on the field. Everyone understands the importance of the match"

25.03.2024 19:43

Photo by Andrii Yushchak

Striker of the national team of Ukraine Roman Yaremchuk together with head coach Sergiy Rebrov took part in a press conference on the eve of the final match of the Euro-2024 qualification play-off with Iceland.

— Do you have any pre-game rituals??

- There are no rituals. It is necessary to prepare well throughout the week, to be a professional. This is my ritual.

— Oleksandr Karavaev said that there is no room for error tomorrow. Is it easy to tune into this thought??

— I think we need to talk less in the press that this is the match of our lives, that we must win. We need to talk less and do more on the pitch. Everyone understands the importance of the match. 

— Previously, Dynamo and Shakhtar were usually represented in the national team of Ukraine, but now football players from different clubs are called up. It goes to the plus or minus of the team?

— Of course, this is a plus for our country, because we present the best world championships. It is not easy for the coaching staff to gather us all in one scheme in a few days so that we think alike on the field. Of course, it is difficult for coaches, but the level of football players has increased. However, I repeat, it is necessary to show it on the field, because in the last match we did not show our level. It is necessary to show it here, because many of our fans will gather, there will be a responsible match.

— Who is the leader in the locker room of the Ukrainian national team?

— Now there is a change of generations, younger guys are coming. Of course, for such important matches, we really miss Taras Stepanenko and Andriy Yarmolenko, their leadership qualities in the locker room. But now there are many people who perform at a high level, can tell.

— Some football players said that you had a frank conversation between the players...

— Yes, we talked about the fact that we had such an experience after Scotland. We were euphoric, because we were one step away from the World Cup. And we let the whole country down against Wales and then went around crying. There was such a conversation that it would not happen again. Everyone took it very seriously, forgot the match with Bosnia, went to the hotel, focused on the next game. The situation in the country does not allow us to celebrate now. We need to please our fans and the guys who are holding the front.

We would like to remind you that the final match of the Euro 2024 qualifying play-off between the national teams of Ukraine and Iceland will take place on March 26 at the Tarchynskiy Arena Wroclaw stadium in Wroclaw, Poland, and will start at 20:45 p.m. local time (21:45 p.m. Kyiv time).