Ex-blue-yellow forward Alexey Belik – about the match Germany – Ukraine
National Ukrainian national team began preparations for Euro 2024. Sergei Rebrov’s team in Nuremberg tied 0:0 with the hostess of the European forum – Germany national team. Evaluate all significant moments match Germany – Ukraine we asked ex-forward of the Ukrainian national team Alexey Belik.
— The Ukrainian national team played its 10th match against Bundesteam and never won. What do you think about the German national team?
— The German team is always a very strong and organized team. For me, England and Germany are the favorites for the upcoming Euro. They have a lot of experienced players representing top clubs in Europe. There are also fantastic youngsters from Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart and Hoffenheim. I think Nagelsmann now has a wonderful mixture of experience and youth. Yes, we know that in a month Cross will leave the national team, perhaps Müller and Neuer will end their careers in the Bundesteam. The German national team coaching staff has a good selection of players in all positions.
– However, 4 players from Real Madrid and Borussia (Dortmund) did not play against our team?
– Yes. Rüdiger, Kross, Schlotterbeck and Füllkrug are resting after the Champions League final. Even without these masters, the German national team is a very aggressive team. They can play both with and without the ball. The German team’s pressing is simply automatic.
— Let’s move on to the affairs of the Ukrainian national team. Our team’s 5-4-1 scheme surprised many. How do you like this tactical formation?
— I wouldn’t be so categorical: Sergey Rebrov tries different variations of the game in sparring. For example, at the European Championship, if Ukraine leads 1:0 in the match with Belgium, they will know how to play with 5 defenders. God willing, in the playoff round, where there will be strong opponents, you will also need to play skillfully in defense. I am convinced that our coaching staff will analyze and model everything.
— Why in the first 20 minutes of the match we did nothing but defend? Only once did Mudrik run away on a counterattack.
— We don’t know what the game plan was from Sergei Rebrov. And you always need to remember that there is a rival. How he plays is also important. It is impossible to criticize our team too much; this is a friendly match, and on the field of the German national team.
— What did you like about our team’s game?
“I saw that we have quality players both in attack and defense. Mudrik, Tsygankov and Dovbik can break through any defense. We will have a different game against Romania and Slovakia, where we will control the ball much more than in Nuremberg. And we’ll create more chances at the opponent’s goal. It seems to me that we have strong full-backs – Konopolya and Mikolenko are good in attack. And the 5-4-1 scheme can easily be transformed into a 4-3-3 scheme.
— Are the statistics of this fight informative? Shots on goal – 27-6, shots on target – 5-3?
— Numbers never lie. I repeat, we do not know what game plan the coaching staff has chosen. It is unlikely that we wanted to respond with an attack to the German attack. It’s hard for the Bundesteam to leave the ball without the ball when such masters as Gundogan and Wirtz are playing there. We need to strive to play like the top teams and match them. Of course, the hosts created chances at Turbin’s goal, but the score was 0:0. There are benefits to be gained from such a game.
— Not all of our leaders played here either – Lunin, Mikolenko, Sudakov and Dovbik were not in the starting lineup…
-Yes. But we tested the capabilities of some guys who haven’t played much lately – Yaremchuk and Zinchenko, for example. And Stepanenko played little at Shakhtar in the spring. Plus, the possibility of Svatka does not prevent him from believing in such a confrontation.

— Who is the most useful player of the Ukrainian national team for you in this game?
— Anatoly Trubin. We all know his level. So in Nuremberg he saved us several times. It’s good that the Ukrainian national team has three good goalkeepers. The fact that Trubin is progressing is thanks to Lunin. The fact that Courtois is such a top is Lunin’s merit. Competition is always good.
— Who is our number 1 goalkeeper now?
— For me this is Andrei Lunin. He plays for the best team in Europe – Real Madrid. Let Sergei Rebrov look at all the goalkeepers in sparring and make the right choice.
— Three sparring matches of the Ukrainian national team – enough for quality preparation for the European Championship?
– Yes. It’s good that all the opponents are diverse. Strong Germany, where you can see our defensive play. Poland is equal to us, where we can simulate a different game and Moldova is weaker. In Chisinau you can and should play on the attack. So the choice of sparring partners is excellent.
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.