Andriy Maldera: "It is necessary to maintain balance and see the path that the Ukrainian national team should take"

On Wednesday, September 16, a press conference of the head coach of the Ukrainian national team, Andrea Maldera, dedicated to the preparation of the national team for the opening matches in the Nations League 2026/27 season, took place.

— I am very pleased to be here in front of you today. And to share with you the names of the players who will play in the upcoming matches. I made my choice very carefully, taking into account many details. My assistants and I watched matches both in the UPL and in foreign championships, wanted to be aware of all events. Considering all circumstances, surnames, the situation with injuries, I think we should be satisfied with this choice of players who will help us achieve the desired result.

Due to a large number of injured players and a lack of playing practice in many performers, this choice was perhaps the most difficult. What was the most challenging for you and how many nights did you not sleep?

Of course, I had to think a lot. This is the first time we will play four matches during one international break. Not all championships started simultaneously. Accordingly, the physical conditions of the players are different. We considered many factors. Indeed, I didn't sleep for several nights, I was on the phone with my assistants in the coaching staff. We thought about many factors, technical and moral qualities of the players - this is important to me as a coach.

— Don't you think you are giving the players too much freedom?

— That was not the case. They were ready to listen to what I asked of them. You can ask them yourself. They worked hard both on the field and in theoretical classes. I trust them completely. I guarantee that they remained professionals in everything and gave their maximum.

I don't want to be a bad policeman - I'm a coach, and it's not easy. I asked the guys for maximum effort on the field. Believe me, they behaved professionally in everything.

I received full support from the UAF, everyone helped me a lot. My work depends on the results. They provided me with the best conditions to work as well as possible. I probably don't appeal to everyone, that's life. But I can guarantee that I am fully committed and give all my energy to my work. If the UAF decides about my fate at some point, I will still be happy for the opportunity they gave me.

— There are problems in the attacking line. Dovbyk, Yaremchuk, and Vantaa have little playing practice. Stepanov, who was called up for the first time - how long have you been following him? Will he get a real chance to debut for the national team?

— As I said, the called-up players are currently at different levels of preparation. I decided to choose more performers, taking this situation into account.

Regarding the attack specifically. Yaremchuk expected some offers during the summer transfer window and played little. I talked to him a lot on the phone. He assured me that he is in great physical shape. Fortunately, the situation has now changed for the better, he has already played a few minutes for his club. Yaremchuk is a very important player, regardless of his condition. Of course, he will lack physical fitness, he hasn't played much. Like Dovbyk: he had a minor injury, so we will need to analyze his condition. That's why we added another forward - Stepanov. There were other interesting names as well. Stepanov performs very well for the club, has a lot of playing practice, and we hope he can help us.

We have four matches ahead of us, eight halves, so I think almost everyone will have the opportunity to play.

There were other candidates for the attacking line that we considered. Krasnopir, for example, is showing himself well. But since my job is to make a choice, I ultimately compiled this list.

— What task do you set for the national team in this Nations League?

— In these four matches, we need to maintain a healthy balance. We should not only think about the result. If there is a victory, it should not be exaggerated, and if there is a defeat, everything should not be brought to depression and focus on the negative. We will have to play every three days. What I want from the team is balance.

Regarding your specific question. In sports, the result is a fundamental element. But I think the future matches will be balanced enough. Their fate may be decided in some episode. My goal is to win all matches. But also to shape the team. Which is not an easy task for me. You see 30 surnames. My goal is not just to write them on paper, but to form a team, a single entity. To form a team that will improve its qualities and play well. This is a big challenge for me. I am not the best coach, but I believe in work, and I have never been a coach who just writes down 11 surnames and sends them to play. All footballers are important. What I guarantee: the players will work very hard. I hope this will be enough to win. We will all give our all - both the players and the coaching staff.

Another important aspect in such a schedule will be recovery. This will be a decisive moment for us. That's why we called up 30 players for this gathering.

— Many of those you called up do not have much playing practice. Why did you still call them up?

— Choices have to be made. For me, experience is the ability to play important matches. This is a very important quality. So indeed some do not have enough playing practice, but from the perspective of knowledge, skills, experience, in such a short period, this can be an additional value for the team.

— Have you had a conversation with the debutants of the Ukrainian national team?

— I spoke personally with some of them. The rest were communicated with by my assistants. We tried to establish contact with all the players. I heard great motivation from these guys. This is the most important thing. I want to see players in the team who can't wait to put on the national team shirt. Not only in matches but also in every training session. Each training session should give them goosebumps. Being in the national team should be a great honor for them. And this is what I heard in their voices. This is as important as the technical qualities of the players.

— Three goalkeepers were called up. The main goalkeeper of the national team, Trubin, is without playing practice. Who will you rely on in this situation?

— Of course, the lack of playing practice can be a problem. We know very well the capabilities of Trubin, his value for the national team. We know that he is an important goalkeeper even without playing practice. But there is also Riznyk: he has a lot of playing practice, and he also plays well.

— Clarify the situation: why wasn't Yarmolyuk called up, who played for his club in the last matches?

— We have been in contact with him for the last 10 days. At the same time, our medical staff contacted the medical staff of Yarmolyuk's club. Yegor has a chronic foot problem. It's not an injury in the classical sense. He was very upset, he wants to play for the national team.

— How much does the determined composition of the Ukrainian national team correspond to your vision of the team?

— The main challenge is not just to have a list of players but to create a team from them. From a tactical point of view, it's not so easy to do in three days. No matter how much we would like it. That's why I wanted to mix young players with less experience in international matches with more experienced performers. We need to maintain a balance and see the path we have to take. You can't create a team in a second, give it tactical identity, considering that it is composed of players from different clubs.

Everyone is waiting for the result, that's understandable, but we need to understand where we want to end up in the end. I wouldn't want the result to influence me too much in terms of how I see the path of the Ukrainian national team. Of course, we will strive to win all matches, but it will be important to maintain the balance of players and the team.

— Do you count on Nazariy Rusyn in the future?

— Yes. Initially, there were 40-45 names on the list of candidates. We kept them. But I had to choose. The doors of the national team are open to those who play well and show themselves.

— How do you consider rotation in 4 matches in 12 days?

— This is another challenge. Of course, there will be certain substitutions. I fully trust everyone on the list. Some may play every three days, but psychological and physiological recovery will be a fundamental factor in such a schedule.

— "Dynamo" had a poor start to the season, but five players were called up from this team, and none from "Karpaty." Why is that?

— I understand perfectly well that a fan wants to see players from their club in the national team. My choice is determined by where and how certain performers play in terms of technical equipment and the roles these players have.

Regarding "Dynamo," at the beginning of the season, this team indeed had certain difficulties, did not qualify for the main stage of European competitions, and the players experienced this failure firsthand. But in recent weeks, we see that Dynamo players are playing better. This factor was the reason for my choice.

— What was the reason for calling up Andriyevskyi?

— Each candidacy was discussed in detail within the coaching staff. We lost Malinovskyi and Yarmolyuk due to injuries. And the choice of Andriyevskyi was the result of finding a player who would fit into this position. I talked to him, he is very motivated, plays well in his club, knows his role well, and has experience. This can be valuable for us.

— Only one nominal right-back, Krupskyi, was called up to the national team. Will this not be a problem?

— I tried to choose players with different characteristics. Krupskyi is a right-flank defensive player. But if playing with three defenders, it's better to put Bondar. Everything will depend on the match, on the strategy chosen for it.

The same goes for the left defensive flank. The main player there is Mykolenko. But I would like to see two alternatives. Mykhailichenko is stronger in the air, in interceptions. And there is also Drambaiev - a completely different player, he plays more intensively. Perhaps he will be stronger in duels. I would like to have a variety of player choices in positions.

— What will be the philosophy of the game of the Ukrainian national team in future matches?

— I think these matches will be very balanced. Our values ​​should be balanced. Of course, our situation is a bit more complicated than in other national teams. With me, the team played one and a half matches. While our group stage opponents in the Nations League are more cohesive and feel more confident on the football field, they have more experience. This can be considered a disadvantage for us, but we will try to compensate for it, trying to combine the game strategy with the mood. We will need to analyze the qualities of the players and the results achieved very well. But football is football: one lost episode or one lost duel can cost you the result. So we will need to analyze matches and player qualities with a very clear mind. Regardless of the result. This does not mean that the result is not important to us: on the contrary, it is very important. But we need to build our new national team on a good foundation. And construct this foundation. In conditions where our opponents already have this foundation.