What We’ve Learned So Far

Two matches under their belt and six points in the bank, the Ukrainian national team is poised to make a run at qualifying for the 2010 World Cup. But with the real tests against England and Croatia still ahead, and performances that leave plenty of room for improvement, is Ukraine a true contender for a trip to South Africa?

Since I was not able to watch Wednesday’s match against Kazakhstan, I have little personal insight to offer so lets get right to the post-match thoughts of head coach Oleksiy Mykhaylichenko:

Overall I am happy with the result. We played smarter at both ends of the pitch. We created numerous chances, but also had our share of disappointing misses. Up two goals, we managed to concede due to individual defensive lapses. (Yevhen) Levchenko played as the second holding midfielder (with Anatoliy Tymoschuk), which gave more freedom to our creative midfielders (Oleksandr) Aliyev and (Serhiy) Nazarenko. I think everyone saw that our attacks were well executed and lead to finishing opportunities.

Mykhaylichenko added that the defensive mistakes were to be expected from a lineup that featured an untested partnership in the center of defense, and that most of Ukraine’s troubles against Kazakhstan were self-inflicted. He pointed to the absense of Artem Milevskiy up front and Andriy Rusol in the back as a cause for the team’s overall lack of sharpness. When asked to rate Ukraine’s performance in the match, Mykhaylichenko responded, “Maybe 75%,” indicating that the squad still has a long way to go to please their coach.

There are 30 points from 10 qualifying matches available to teams in Group Six. Historically, 24 points should be enough to stand at the top of the table when the dust settles. 18 of those points are to be had from the less heralded teams in the group, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Andorra. With 6 of those points already in the bag, Ukraine can reasonably expect to end up with 16 total from those matches. The real contenders, England and Croatia, will likely end up with a similar haul. That means that to ensure direct passage to South Africa, Ukraine will have to take 8 points from 4 matches against their main rivals. If they take 6 points, for a total of 22, they would be in good shape to take second in the group and reach the playoff round.

After their performance in Zagreb, England have been elevated from presumptive underachievers to favorites in Group Six. After losing twice to Croatia in Euro 2008 qualifying, England fielded a squad featuring plenty of pace on the flanks, none pacier than Arsenal’s 19 year old winger Theo Walcott. The newly discovered team speed of Fabio Capello’s side is likely to cause problems for Ukraine’s back four. But the immediate challenge for Ukraine will come on October 11 in Kharkiv against Croatia. After losing to England at home, Slaven Bilic’s squad will be desperate for a result, and may choose to play an open game in pursuit of three points. Such an attitude could play into the hands of Mykhaylichenko, who must realize that a conservative counterattacking game plan would serve Ukraine better than going toe to toe against the talented Croats.

Andriy Pyatov looks to be the team’s new number one keeper. Andriy Shevchenko is back to being a first choice striker. Andriy Voronin current form does not warrant anything but mop up minutes. Dmytro Chyhrynsky needs to be fit by the time the likes of Wayne Rooney and Ivica Olic come calling. Tymoschuk is an absolute beast and I would not want to see how Ukraine plays without him. And after getting 90 minutes and a pat on the back from Mykhaylichenko, Aliyev seems to have his troubles behind him and an inside track on a permanent spot in the first eleven. Lets hope he can provide us with more moments of brilliance while wearing yellow, like the one below:

On another note, the Dynamo Kyiv Offside is up and running! If you follow the exploits of the White-Blues or another UPL club, stop by and say hello.