Oleg Fedorchuk explained why Maldera does not call Kalyuzhny to the national team

Oleg Fedorchuk commented on Ivan Kalyuzhny's non-call to the national team.

Ukrainian coach and expert Oleg Fedorchuk commented on the absence of Brentford midfielder Yegor Yarmolyuk and FC Kharkiv midfielder Ivan Kalyuzhny in the squad of the Ukrainian national team for the upcoming matches.

"The absence of Yarmolyuk is definitely a loss. In the last two or three matches for the national team, Yegor looked very solid and useful.

Regarding Kalyuzhny: I think Malydera simply does not see him in his playing model from the very beginning. I will make a small digression: Kalyuzhny's popularity was largely shaped by fans and the media. Coaches, somewhat unexpectedly for themselves, succumbed to this wave and started putting him in the starting lineup. Ivan gained good form with courage, but his fundamental gameplay flaws have not disappeared anywhere. They are too noticeable.

In modern football, especially against technical national teams, a defensive midfielder must play much faster and be more quality in ball work. If we look at global trends, the game is increasingly moving down: there is less fighting on the "second floor," so the player in the defensive zone must quickly make decisions at the bottom," Fedorchuk said.

Recall, Ivan Kalyuzhny was not called up to the squad of the Ukrainian national team after Andrea Malydera took over the team. This season, the midfielder played 7 matches for FC Kharkiv, scored 1 goal, and provided 2 assists.