The first stage of the preparation camp, where the national team will play against Scotland in the 2022 World Cup play-off match, has been completed. Alexander Petrakov’s team played three practice matches. And all three against club teams: Borussia Gladbach, Empoli and Rijeka. The matches turned out differently – both in terms of score and, most importantly, in content. There is a reason and an opportunity to put everything on the shelves.

1. The main thing: the players of the national team received the necessary playing practice

The last match before the training camp in Slovenia was played by the Ukrainian team in November last year. So, by May 11 – the day of the test match against Borussia Gladbach, exactly six months have passed. Due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, almost all sectors of our life, as well as domestic football, came to a “stunned” state. The championship did not continue, only two clubs (Dynamo and Shakhtar) practiced playing in the form of charity matches. Overall, our collections (representing UPL) were in different physical and psychological state.

It makes sense, therefore, that the main priority of the first training camp was the task of “loading” the players and giving them the opportunity to “get used to”. I think the team coped with this task. The coaching team distributed the playing time approximately equally among all players. If almost everyone played against Borussia, a rotation was made in the fortnightly matches with Empoli and Rijeka. I think the coaching staff got enough information at this stage. First of all, about the composition of the team.

2. Content: excellent, good, so-so

The first game within the framework of the training camp – against Borussia – turned out to be the most impressive. Although everything is natural about it: the players missed the game, there was an emotional upsurge, there was a desire to show and prove themselves. They actually played from scratch. But they also played with their “hearts”. Aggressive, vertical, turned out quickly. “It worked” Mudrik.

But then it should be assumed that normal routine work begins. The keyword is “routine”. The guys “loaded” their legs, they were visibly tired. Therefore, subsequent games already had a different content: first of all, they had less emotional intensity.

Game with “Empoli” – less speed (compared to the first match), more mistakes. And less pressure from us. Opponents were only occasionally “included” in the game, meaning there was no sense of “integrity” to the match. Honestly, it’s a classic fight played in the off-season training camp.

This definition is even more appropriate for the match against Rijeka. To be honest, it’s not clear why it was necessary to hold the match on the second day after the match played in Italy, as there would obviously be very little speed and thought involved. Petrakov knows better. Maybe they couldn’t agree on other dates.

In the game against Empoli, Pikhalyonok liked it. Just like in the game against the Germans. I also liked Yaremchuk. Well, everything is clear here.

Who did you like in your match against Rijeka? Garmash and Buyalsky. But frankly, they were best against a low background. It’s actually the best of the “bad” because ours didn’t show any impressive play.

3. Emotional: minus five players

Based on the results of the first three matches, the coaching team decided to refuse the services of five players. These were Dynamo players Buyalsky, Garmash and Besedin, as well as Shakhtar defender Konoplya and Zorya midfielder Bulets, which were previously announced in our media.

With regard to the two “non-dynamo” the situation is clear. In my opinion: There are really stronger players in their positions in the national team. It is still too early for them to be seen as the main players. But as for the Kyiv trio… To be honest, I personally think everyone will benefit. Buyalsky is a unique (on our level) player in the game “between the lines”, Garmash is a unique all-rounder, and Besedin is a warrior of the same character. Yes, each of them has serious competitors for inclusion in the composition and has flaws, but even these rivals are by no means innocent. For example, Petrakov preferred Besedin Sikan. The solution is obvious but controversial. Approximately the same can be said for Garmash and Buyalsky.

Of course, this topic initially stinks of pleasure and subjectivity. Nevertheless, I would like to end with the words of the head coach of the Ukrainian national team: “Decisions are always difficult, but football is like this: here the strongest survive.”

4. Troubled: Who will play in the center of defense after all?

In my opinion, the main personnel problem of the current Ukrainian national team is the center of defense. There are enough applicants for this important position, but it seems to me that not every one of them has yet been distinguished by a credibility model. And that, to put it mildly.

In the game against Borussia from the first minutes of the meeting, Zabarny and Matvienko played in the middle “on the bridge”. There are questions about both. Zabarny and Popov opposed Empoli. Also not very clear. In the last discussion, Petrakov was marked by an even more experimental variant – Bondar – Kacharaba. Again, there are enough questions for them.

Let’s hope that with the arrival of all the legionnaires, especially the main defender Mikolenko, our coaching staff will no longer need to experiment on defense. And it will need to be determined.

5. Promising: there should be other tasks and a different qualification in the future

Soon all legionnaires will attend the training camp of the national team. And the team will eventually acquire the characteristics of a “team” rather than a “team”. As far as I understand, there will be no more matches against club teams. It will be against the national teams. About 23 and 26 May. It is clear that these fights will be judged with a clear focus on the game against Scotland. That is, they must have the minimum necessary experimentation, because they need to determine the starting line-up for the first game of the playoffs. I want to believe that this is not the end.