“I’m looking forward to our team’s game with Germany”

Leonid Buryak commented on the start of the Ukraine team in the Nations League, and also spoke about the chances of Ukrainian clubs in the European Cup qualification.

– Leonid Iosifovich, what do you think of the start of the Ukraine team in the Nations League?

– I have not seen the match Spain – Ukraine (4: 0). It is difficult for me to judge the game. I know we lost a lot. The League of Nations is a great competition. With these teams out of the Nations League, we might not have played. There, if you agree, the qualified teams have games scheduled 3-4 years in advance. And here you can compare your capabilities, what world someone is in.

Ukraine played well against Switzerland. Switzerland is quite mobile and looks good, as is Ukraine. We have our own problems. The season has just begun. Some footballers are not in their best shape. Each comes in their own way in the form, like the footballers of Switzerland. But with the Swiss, in principle, it turned out to be a very good game. And about the game with the Spanish, I think about the goals conceded, it’s a bit too much. But again, I have not seen the game. There is material that coaches need to digest, rethink and move on.

– Can we say that Spain is an inconvenient opponent for Ukraine? Since the 2006 World Cup, when we lost 0: 4, we have not scored four games in a row against the Spanish and we have lost with a total score of 0:10!

– When I was head coach of the Ukraine team, we played in Kiev with the Spanish 2: 2. And there, although we lost 2: 1, our game was good. We went to the press conference to applaud. Then we had to beat the Spanish team. Matches with teams like Spain are needed.

I really want to play for the German team, because they may not play as aesthetically as Spain, but it is very difficult to play against Germany, against German footballers. Physically, they are quite strong and tough. They play mobile and modern soccer. If you are not in good condition, it is very difficult to play with them.

– After such a “cold shower” in the match with Spain, can you expect something?

– I saw Spain in a match with Germany. There is a change of generations. Both in Barcelona and in the Spanish team. Messi himself says that you have to do a bit of rotation, to give way to young people. And judging from the reviews I read, those players, except Ramos, who no one knew, played quite well.

I think Ukraine needs matches like the ones it had with Spain. Because even if big loses, we can draw conclusions from all this, in which direction we are moving. I don’t want to draw any conclusions from a game. Because anything can happen. So Croatia lost to Portugal 4: 1. I have already written to some players that we have very good youth. We used to look for players, we found 12-13 players. We now have about 20-25 footballers vying for a place on the national team. Everyone must understand this.

– What do you think of Mikhailichenko and Tymchik’s debut in the Ukrainian team?

– I think the Ukraine team has found two good players for a long, long time.

– And about Ukrainian clubs in European competitions. Do you think Dynamo will beat AZ in the Champions League standings?

– Let’s hope Dynamo succeeds. But AZ is not an empty command. Evgeny Levchenko says it will be a very difficult match, but we must pass. I hope so. Dutch football, like German. They are somewhat similar. But this is not a stellar Ajax. I think Kiev can handle this rival. You must tune in to the game and do your best to move to the next stage.

– Will Lucescu’s experience help the Dynamo?

– It’s hard for me to say. The choice of composition is important. When a coach is so experienced, he can make some adjustments. But a lot depends on the players, on the leaders. Lucescu is not on the pitch. Yes, tactic, the composition is yours. And the creators of his idea are footballers who must improvise within the framework of what the coach asks of them, and they must give results.

– If Dynamo go to AZ, their potential rivals are Gent or Rapid Vienna. Who is better?

– In our time, we played Austria Vienna. Austria is a mini Bundesliga. They play the same football, the same trained footballers, very strict, very good. But these are not the best teams, these are not Manchester. I think they are too harsh for Kiev. We must tune in to these commands, whoever it is. But first we need to solve the problem with AZ and then think about all the others.

– Do you think Kolos will shoot Aris in the Europa League?

– He will shoot or not, it’s hard to say. Greece is very hot at this time of year. This will be a difficult test for Kolos players. You have to tune in and play. Desna has the same situation. The team never played at this level either, especially with those teams. It will be very difficult.

– They’ll probably get Wolfsburg.

– Yes, we are talking about Wolfsburg. And although anything is possible, I think that one hundred percent of Desna’s rivals will be Wolfsburg.

Dmitry KOTKOV