“It is not easy to beat the Swiss”

The well-known Ukrainian coach Vyacheslav Grozny in an interview with Sport.ua shared his expectations of the match of the sixth round of the Nations League between the teams of Ukraine and Switzerland.

– Switzerland looked dangerous with Spain. And how can we win? What number will we play?

– We won’t play number one or two. We will play situationally. Let’s try to push. We will choose targets, certain players will be chosen who make decisions for a longer time, work a little worse with the ball. This is the so-called trigger. Here the coaches will explain that if a right-handed player has the ball under his left foot, he must be attacked immediately. This is what coaches usually do. Distance, the distance will be respected.

I think the Ukrainian team plays better with the ball than the Swiss. But no worse, that’s for sure. The Swiss are not Spanish. The bottom line will be higher. The middle block option suits us. The Swiss will not be able to have the space they had against the Spanish. The Spanish do not remove the ball, they do not refine it, they want to play the first number and that is why they have certain free zones. We squeezed a lot out of the standards, we squeezed big quick attacks. We can combine. We have a large group of players who can pass, anyone can be sharp. It’s very important! In attack, Yaremchuk and Moraes can score. Flanking players can do this too: Zubkov, Marlos. Also Tsygankov and Yarmolenko, who, unfortunately, will not play.

– What are the trump cards of the Swiss team?

– Yes, the Swiss are not so easy to beat. They have a solid team with character. Vladimir Petkovich made a good team. He has been working with the Swiss national team for a long time, the players know how to play. I won’t say they have superstars, but they are a good solid team. There are many good class players.

– By the way, Ukraine has never lost to Switzerland in the previous three games! What to expect in this fight?

– In the game with Switzerland not many goals will be scored. I think we will win with a goal. I’m sure the Ukrainian team will play fairly reliably. Psychologically, we are already high. Switzerland is a good team, since 2014 they have been playing at a good solid level, but not higher. Ukraine is progressing and growing, so I have a healthy optimism about this game. And I want our team to win. It will be good for all of us! Shevchenko and the Ukrainian team are not thinking about defeat. Nobody thinks about losing. I am sure that the psychology of the winners, which has the coaching staff and a series of leading players, is transmitted to the whole team.

The Switzerland – Ukraine match will take place on Tuesday, November 17. Andriy Shevchenko’s team will be satisfied with a draw to maintain the record in Division A of the Nations League.