Myron MARKEVYCH: “Legionnaires are obliged to lead the national team of Ukraine”

Former head coach of the Ukrainian national team, Myron Markevich, spoke about the prospects for the team of Oleksandr Petrakov in the match against Scotland, as part of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.

— Miron Bogdanovich, Is there a possibility that the match between Scotland and Ukraine could happen right now and right after the draw?

– This is a double-edged sword. Yes, Scottish teams are playing in strong championships, they have solid experience but the players are not robots and fatigue will have an effect somewhere until summer. Of course, we also have guys playing in Europe, but at the same time, Dynamo and Pitmen do not have a competitive period load. So a lot here will depend on our team’s coaching staff, how they take the team to this confrontation. And it is very important that all the leaders of the Ukrainian team are healthy.

Personally, despite the current situation in domestic football, I think our team is stronger than the Scottish team. We just need to go out and play as much as we can.

– How do you think Dynamo and Shakhtar’s collections look, judging by their matches in a charity round?

– These matches are held without much stress for the players, but it’s better to spar than just practice. All hope, but the gathering of the national team, when the team gathers in full force. This is where you should make the most of it.

— What are your impressions of the recent performances of the national team candidates in foreign championships?

– The first half of the year, the guys look good. Don’t let everyone practice proper play, but it takes legionnaires to lead the team. We’ve seen this more than once.

– May debate, four or five official matches in the first half of June … Will the wards of Alexander Petrakov have sufficient physical preparation?

– We’ll see. Here again, it is important that the team coaches work well. It seems like a lot of time, but also not enough. In my opinion, in a duel with Scotland, you have to take the balls very seriously, especially near our target. Almost all of the opponent’s game is based on power struggles, passing passes, set pieces… And the situation is not good for us at all. One thing I am sure of so far is that our team will enter this game with strong feelings, but we will see how everything turns out on June 1st.