We arm ourselves with numbers and explain why the success of the Rotan team is not an accident
To date, 24 matches have been played at Euro U-21, which is at least three-quarters of the total. Why “at least”? Because it is not clear exactly whether there are 7 or 8 fights left in the tournament. In other words: will you need a special playoff for a ticket to the Olympics?
Read also: Euro 2023 quarter-finals. Difficult option for Ukraine at the tournament, not bad for entering the Olympics
54 goals scored – an average of 2.25 per game. Of these, exactly one third fell on the “French” Group D, where on average they scored three per match. Accordingly, the “Ukrainian” quartet under the letter D turned out to be the most stingy in terms of goals – only 11, i.e. 1.83 per game. Only two teams out of 16 failed to excel at this championship at least once. And both – Croatia and Romania – played in Bucharest against Rotan’s team.
The youth team of Ukraine is in the top 6 of the tournament in terms of goals scored. Only peers from France (7), England and Spain (6 each) scored more. The same number (5) are Georgians and Swiss.
Read also: Euro 2023 has already become a record for the youth team of Ukraine
It can be said that Ukrainians showed good implementation. For 5 goals, they had 38 shots in total (9th indicator) and twelve shots on target (7th-10th places). True, with the proviso that in one case (the confrontation with Romania), our guys were helped by an own goal.
It is noteworthy that the Germans made as many as 60 attempts (first place with a margin), finished off the target 18 times, but limited themselves to two goals and ingloriously left the tournament from last place. And the French team was the most targeted: only 34 attempts to break through (fifth place from the end), but immediately 19 – accurate (record)!
In 15 cases out of 48 (31%) one of the teams finished the match without conceding goals. Two times wedge-shit was recorded in our asset Trubin and Spaniard Tenas. Only the Englishman has more wedge-sheets Trafford, which, as you might guess, is not old at all, although it is listed in a club from Manchester. The Keeper, not yet needed by Guardiola, had a great season at Bolton, helped the Wanderers reach the Championship playoffs, even won some kind of individual award.
Rotan-style: control and return
Dry matches are not the only statistical column where Ukraine is in the top. For example, our guys are the third in terms of accuracy of passes (88.7%, only Spain and England are higher) and 5th in possession percentage (54). Rotan-style in all its glory! By the way, more often than Ukraine, the ball was owned not only by the representatives of Albion and the Pyrenees mentioned, but also by the Germans and the Netherlands who flew out. Another confirmation: everything is relative, and sterile control as an end in itself is by no means a guarantee of success.
The last maxim does not claim to be exclusive, but other figures indirectly confirm it. The national team of Ukraine is the second at the Youth European Championship in selections (50, only Georgia has more) and intercepts (109, only Norway is higher). Agree, this way the picture looks both more balanced and more solid. You can’t add up the picture on bare numbers, but they can be a good clue – how our youth has sunk into a life that for the first time in many years makes a rustle in Europe.
Read also: Two Euros, one silver, an Olympic dream. History of the youth team of Ukraine
It is gratifying that in terms of discipline the Blue-Yellows are among the best at the Euro. And this despite the intemperance Vanata, who got into a dubious and small company of four people who saw a red light in the group stage. But in the liabilities of our compatriots – only one yellow card, and this is a record! The Israelis, for example, collected 12 of them (with one red one). And the Georgians – 10. And these are also quarter-finalists! In terms of fouls, our compatriots are third from the end – 10 per match. Only the Germans and the British broke the rules less often.
Strength in the team … and the joker in the deck
As for individual indicators, there are no Ukrainians in the leading positions here. Kashchuk divides 8-14 places by the number of shots (8), but only a Croat more often hit him on target Freegan and Italian Nyonto. Goals, assists – none of our compatriots have more than one … individually. True, Kashchuk had a goal plus a pass – and he managed all this in the first round!
It is easy to conclude: Ukrainian team is strong first of all collectively. But the factor of individuality should not be underestimated. Especially on the eve of the confrontation with France, where no matter where you spit – all the stars of Ligue 1, and even other top championships (bade, Kalyulu, Adly, Horse)…
There was no order to hang up the nose – we have our own selebs in each of the lines. Take at least the players who have already registered in the basis of the first team – Trubin And Sudakova… But there is still Mudrik – one of the two most expensive players in the entire tournament, who has not yet played a second at the Euro. The notorious damage between Macedonia and Malta… But, there is reason to believe that the fair-haired joker will be ready for the ¼ finals at least for a while.
Maybe it was the Chelsea winger, the notorious trump card in the Rotan deck, who again made people talk about himself as an untalented coach with these three matches?
Source: Sportarena
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
