On Friday, September 25, Ukraine's national team will play against Hungary in Budapest - this is Andrea Maldeira's official debut as head coach and the start of a new Nations League cycle. Bookmakers consider the hosts as favorites: Hungary's victory is rated at 2.25 odds, Ukraine's victory at 3.25. But more interesting than the odds is who the Italian decided to take to this match at all.
Five from Dynamo, none from Karpaty
At the press conference, Maldeira was asked a direct question: why is there not a single Karpaty player on the main list, despite them currently being third in the UPL, while there are five Dynamo footballers, who failed in European cup qualifiers and the start of the championship? The coach answered briefly: he selects players regardless of club affiliation, focusing on football qualities and how the player fits into his system.
"I select players regardless of which club they play for. What matters to me is their football qualities, their skills, and how I can use them in my system," said Maldeira.
Formally, the answer is logical, but the facts contradict it. Karpaty forward Nazariy Rusyn has scored three goals in the UPL since returning to Ukraine, winger Jan Kostenko has scored twice in four matches. Both statistics are not worse than the statistics of some of those called up. The question of why the "lions" are being ignored remains open - and this is no longer about tactics, but about the principles of squad selection.
Six forwards - and no obvious attack leader
Another signal: Maldeira called up six pure forwards and five wingers alongside them - too many for one position if there's no clear plan for who will be the main striker. The best statistics in the UPL among the national team players are Matviy Ponomarenko and Igor Krasnopir - four goals each. Danilo Sikan at Anderlecht scored 6 goals in 14 matches and another 5 in Europa League qualification - his form is clearly the best of all. But who exactly will start at Puskás Arena, the coach did not reveal.
A separate story is Andriy Yarmolenko. At 36 years old, he received a call and has a chance to play 20-30 minutes, which could bring him a record: currently he has 47 goals for the national team, Andriy Shevchenko has 48. The logic of the call is clear - form and the role of a leader in the dressing room. But it also means that a position in attack is taken by a player who definitely cannot claim the role of a main forward in the long term.
A gap in the defensive midfield
The squad has no pure defensive midfielder. Ivan Kalyuzhnyi from Kharkiv did not make the call, and Egor Yarmoluk from Brentford refused due to a leg problem - according to Maldeira, it's chronic inflammation, and the club's medical staff hopes to have the player ready by November.
"He has a chronic leg problem. He's very sorry, he really wants to play for the national team. We hope that in November he will be part of our team," explained Maldeira.
But just a few days after this statement, Yarmoluk played 70 minutes for Brentford against Chelsea in the Premier League - a full match for a player who supposedly isn't 100% ready. This is either a question of trust between the coach and the footballer, or very strange communication. Most likely, the defensive midfielder role will go to Volodymyr Brazhko from Dynamo or Egor Nazarin from Shakhtar - neither of them is a classic "cleaner" in front of defense.
One right-back for the entire tournament
Another detail that's easy to miss: Maldeira called up only one right-back - Illia Krupskyi from Kharkiv, a player whom the previous coaching staff completely ignored. Meanwhile, there are three left-backs on the list. If something happens to Krupskyi, the coach will have to improvise - most likely, moving left-footed Bohdan Mykhailichenko to the right flank, where he occasionally plays a hybrid role.
Together, all these decisions paint a picture of a coach who is still forming his own vision of the team, rather than working from a ready-made template. The debut against Hungary will show whether these are calculated experiments, or a sign that the tournament plan is still not fully formed. If Ukraine doesn't earn points in the first two League B matches, the question about the principles of player selection will become even more acute.
