Mykhaylichenko: Priority On Getting A Result

After gathering gathering outside of Kiev to hold a quick camp, the Ukraine national team has left for London to prepare for their World Cup 2010 qualifying match against England. But not all of the invited players made the trip. Metalist Kharkiv’s Oleksandr Goryainov and Marko Devic, Dynamo Kyiv’s Serhiy Kravchenko, Shakhtar Donetsk’s Yevhen Seleznyov, and Volodymyr Homenyuk of Dnipro Denpropetrovsk were left out of the final 23 man squad. Manager Oleksiy Mykhaylichenko explained that Devic, Seleznyov, and Homenyuk were not considered to be in optimal form. Kravchenko has not been able to break into Dynamo’s midfield as of late, while Goryainov was the fourth keeper called up. After Tuesday’s practice session at Dynamo’s training base, Mykhaylichenko answered some questions for the media:

We had scheduled a test match before the qualifier, but I canceled it because I felt the leading (Ukrainian) clubs have had a heavy workload of late and the players were emotionally spent. Time will tell whether it is the right decision.

I hope to avoid a repeat of the Croatia match. We will try to show a good game because I think it would improve our chances, but our goal is to get a result first and foremost. We have a lot of young players in the squad and a positive outcome would give them a lot of confidence. It is a battle for the group lead, and we still have every chance to finish in first place. Perhaps I am wrong…

On his strikers playing abroad:

If we see the necessary preparedness from Andriy Voronin in camp, we will try to get the most out of him. A player must be able to adjust from club to international play without losing his best qualities. Andriy Shevchenko has featured very little (for Milan) this season because of injuries and poor form. But he brings a great deal of experience and desire, and I think he will be a positive influence on players like Artem Kravets.

It is hard to argue with Mykhaylichenko’s latest personnel decisions, though Kravchenko’s absence from his plans has become an unwelcome side effect of the midfielder’s winter move to the UPL leaders from Vorskla Poltava. However the manager is taking a big risk by foregoing a tune-up match, and the blame will be laid at his feet if the team is not on the same page against England on Wednesday. The only conceivable reason to go straight from the training ground into Wembley Stadium would be to conceal a new formation or tactical approach in hopes of springing a surprise on the hosts.

For his part Fabio Capello will probably lay his cards on the table when his team faces Slovakia in a Saturday friendly. Capello will hope to have his side fully fit for the qualifier but there are concerns over striker Peter Crouch and winger Shaun Wright-Phillips, both of whom have missed training sessions. Tottenham defender Ledley King, a surprise addition to the squad, has been allowed to return home because of concerns over his chronically injured knee. The full roster for the Three Lions:

Goalkeepers: David James (Portsmouth), Robert Green (West Ham United), Ben Foster (Manchester United)

Defenders: Leighton Baines, Phil Jagielka, Joleon Lescott (all Everton), Ashley Cole, John Terry (both Chelsea), Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United), Glen Johnson (Portsmouth), Matthew Upson (West Ham United).

Midfielders: Gareth Barry (Aston Villa), Michael Carrick (Manchester United), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough), David Beckham (AC Milan), Wright-Phillips (Manchester City), Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool).

Forwards: Carlton Cole (West Ham United), Crouch (Portsmouth), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United).