EURO 2021 analysis: Ukraine is considered a dark horse by many, legendary Shevchenko wants to succeed

It may not seem like it at first glance, but Ukraine has a very strong team. They are considered by many to be the dark horse of the tournament, helped by a friendly group. The charges of the legendary Andriy Shevchenko will face North Macedonia, Austria and the Netherlands. Advancing out of the group is a clear goal.

Ukraine have not lost yet this year, with 2 wins and 4 draws. Shevchenko’s chosen ones have shown several times that they can play against big teams. 1: 1 with France, 1: 0 with Spain, 2: 1 with Portugal are some of the results during the coaching of the former Chelsea striker.

Goalkeepers: Georgiy Bushchan (Dynamo Kyiv), Andriy Pyatov (Shakhtar Donetsk), Anatolii Trubin (Shakhtar Donetsk)

The very first post in the line-up is very balanced. The experienced Pyatov has slowly started to be replaced by the young Trubin both in the club and in the national team. But Bushchan is also getting his chance, each of them played one game in friendlies. So the number one of the team is not completely obvious.

Defenders: Eduard Sobol (Club Brugge), Illia Zabarnyi, Denys Popov, Oleksandr Tymchyk, Vitaliy Mykolenko, Oleksandr Karavaev (all Dynamo Kyiv), Serhiy Kryvtsov, Mykola Matviyenko (both Shakhtar Donetsk)

Shevchenko often relies on the stopper duo of Matviyenko – Kryvtsov, who also know each other from the club. The 18-year-old Zabarnyi is also getting his chance, but the duo from Shakhtar will likely start in the championship.

Eduard Sobol, who we know well from his time at Slavia and Jablonec, also got a chance at left back in a friendly. But the number one on this post is 22-year-old Vitaliy Mykolenk.

Shevchenko rotates three players on the right side of the defence. Oleksandr Karavaev and Oleksandr Tymchyk are the regular right backs, but occasionally young stopper Zabarnyi comes in. So the choice of this position will probably depend on the opponent.

Midfielders: ruslan Malinovskyi (Atalanta), Serhiy Sydorchuk, Viktor Tsygankov, Mykola Shaparenko (all Dynamo Kyiv), Yevhen Makarenko (Kortrijk), Oleksandr Zinchenko (Manchester City), Taras Stepanenko, Marlos, Heorhii Sudakov (all Shakhtar Donetsk), Andriy Yarmolenko (West Ham), Oleksandr Zubkov (Ferencváros), Roman Bezus (Gent)

Oleksandr Zinchenko, the team’s biggest star and current Premier League winner with Manchester City, plays in the centre of midfield. Although he plays left-back for the club, Shevchenko is counting on him in midfield.

Ruslan Malinovskyi, Atalanta’s 28-year-old midfielder, almost always plays alongside him. The third free position is most often occupied by Yevhen Makarenko from Kortrijk.

The flanks of the midfield change frequently. However, Oleksandr Zubkov from Ferencváros is the most frequent, with Yarmolenko and Marlos alternating on the other flank. Shevchenko can also use the talented Tsygankov, who much annoyed Slavia in the Champions League preliminary round three years ago.

Roman Yaremchuk (Gent), Artem Besedin (Dynamo Kiev), Artem Dovbyk (Dnipro-1)

Roman Yaremchuk is the obvious choice at the top of the attack. The 25-year-old Gent striker had the season of his life, scoring 26 goals. The Ukrainians will rely on him a lot.

Key factors for success: Zinchenko and Yaremchuk

It’s more or less that simple. Zinchenko and Yaremchuk are the two key players of the Ukrainian national team, without whom Shevchenko cannot imagine a starting lineup.

If both of them are fit and in good form, Ukraine can really be the dark horse that they are being pigeonholed into. Zinchenko had a great season at Manchester City, winning the Premier League and playing in the Champions League final.

His relentless movement around the pitch and great ball handling allow him to set up chances for the other key player Roman Yaremchuk. Defenders in the Belgian league were convinced of his skills and the 25-year-old forward will now want to show them in the championship.

Quarterfinals

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