Krivosheenko: I didn’t know before why Taloverov was called up to the national team of Ukraine, I thought he was just a friend of Misha Mudrik

Ukrainian national team in a nominally home match League of Nations in Wroclaw played a draw with Czech national team– 1:1. All the most significant moments match Ukraine – Czech Republic we discussed with a famous former football player from Vorskla and Mariupol Ivan Krivosheenko.

— There were only two days between the official games with Georgia and the Czech Republic, but we did not see any definite rotation in the starting lineup from Sergei Rebrov. Only Stepanenko returned to the starting lineup, displacing our team’s debutant Kalyuzhny. Don’t they change the winning lineup?

– Yes. Although I looked, and the Czech team had practically no changes compared to their victorious match against Albania. I think that for Sergei Rebrov the main thing was for the players to recover physically after the difficult match with Georgia. In general, if we take the match with the Czech national team, our players played well; in terms of movement and intensity, there are no special complaints about anyone.

— The first half didn’t go very well for our team, in terms of the score, that’s for sure. What did you see in the first half of the game?

— We started well, and what a chance Nikolai Shaparenko had in the fifth minute of the match! Mudryk did everything to ensure that Shaparenko shot from a lethal position. Nikolai did not adjust to the ball. Such moments need to be implemented. If we had led the score, I would have looked at the Czechs and how they would have played. And our guys could break into free zones, what they love.

As for the missed goal, here Shaparenko and Sudakov did not finish the episode. Cherv struck powerfully from outside the penalty area. Of course, it was necessary to block this shot from Cherv, although if this guy had shot 50 more times from this distance, I’m sure he would never have hit this corner of the goal. Later I liked the activity of Efim Hemp, he was very useful in attacks. Once his cross could well have been an assist.

— How would you assess Gutsulyak’s injury?

– This happens sometimes in football. Alexey went for a high ball and collided head-on with his opponent. There’s probably a concussion. I didn’t notice the same desire as Gutsulyuk’s in Shaparenko. Have you seen with what eyes Kalyuzhny came out as a replacement – he is ready to win the fight in every episode. Ivan’s eyes are definitely burning.

— Could we have equalized the score before the break?

“We tried to do this, but it seems to me that the direction of our attacks fell on the left flank. Most of our attacks were on Mudrik’s flank, and Sudakov often fell there too. Stylistically, it’s easier for George to express himself there. But it was necessary to turn the game around, especially since Mudryk himself had already shown his partners – I’m already full, let’s change something. Our guys lacked rationality in the game in the first half.

— The second half began with a penalty against Kovar. The head coach of the Czech national team, Ivan Hasek, said after the match that such penalties harm football. What do you say about this moment?

— On the replays it was clear that the defender played with his hand in this episode. Did he play along on purpose, especially since Konoplya was behind his opponent and no longer took part in the episode? Don’t know. We have been awarded several similar penalties lately, so everything here is deserved.

— How do you like Artem Dovbik’s performance? Is it fully integrated into team interactions?

— He scored the penalty confidently. Artem clung to many balls and threw balls to his partners. When necessary, he put pressure on opponents and helped in defense. In attack, yes, not everything worked out. I think that replacing Roman Yaremchuk could have happened earlier. Based on the developments in our group, Ukraine needed to beat the Czech team. Although the draw left a chance for the quartet to win.

— Did you like the matches of the Ukrainian national team in October?

— Compared to the games in September, our team played better. In Wroclaw, for example, we played much better than in Prague with the same Czechs. I would note this fact: in October, about eight experienced performers did not join our team due to injuries. We are talking about Lunin, Mikolenko, Zinchenko, Brazhko, Popov, Yarmolenko, Tsygankov and Malinovsky. New recruits came in instead and we all saw that we had competition and quality players.

Now everyone has appreciated the level of play of Kalyuzhny, Kryskiv and Gutsulyak in good matches with strong opponents. As sad as it may be, Stepanenko’s time playing in the Ukrainian national team is coming to an end. In his place there are already Brazhko and Kalyuzhny. Nazarenko is progressing in Polesie. The Ukrainian national team needs fresh blood.

— What didn’t you like about our team’s performance in these two matches?

– We look bad in set pieces. We often score after corners and free kicks. You need to be bolder, play harder with your opponents. We don’t often use set pieces at the opponent’s goal and we need to work on this.

— How do you like the game in the center of defense of Maxim Taloverov, who, although not a debutant for the national team, often came on as a substitute at the end of matches?

“I’ll be honest, I didn’t know why he was called up to the national team before. And many of my friends and acquaintances said so, it’s true. I thought that he was just a friend of Misha Mudrik.

Svatok was often good in this position, but Sergei Rebrov entrusted this place with Zabarny in the center of defense to Taloverov. So far, Maxim looks good, he plays well in the air, he can start an attack, and he is always ready to play ahead. How the story will develop with him in the future, when Mikolenko returns to duty, and Matvienko, in theory, moves to the center of defense, I don’t know. He needs to play and improve, because Taloverov is only 24 years old.

— Who is your best player in the Ukraine-Czech Republic match in our team?

— I would choose between two players. Mikhail Mudrik tries to take the initiative, tries to beat his opponents, and at speed, but he doesn’t always succeed. Although you cannot refuse his desire. But who played confidently and usefully in Wroclaw was Anatoly Trubin. He really helped us out a couple of times. And it was impressive.