EURO 2024: Taras Stepanenko and Vitaliy Mykolenko speak to media before Belgium clash

24.06.2024 14:45

Ukrainian national team players, midfielder Taras Stepanenko and defender Vitaliy Mykolenko, answered journalists' questions at a press conference dedicated to their performance at the European Championship.

— Vitaliy, how are you feeling? Are you ready to play?

Vitaliy Mykolenko:

Everything is fine. I have been training with the team for two full days now. I am happy to be back on the pitch and preparing for the game against Belgium as usual.

— How can the Ukrainian team surprise Belgium? How do you plan to stop Romelu Lukaku?

Taras Stepanenko:

We have already started preparing directly for the game. We understand that they have many good, individually strong players. This opponent can only be stopped by proper tactical actions. The match against Slovakia showed that if everyone wants to win and everyone works hard, any team will have problems with us. Everyone is preparing for this final.

Vitaliy Mykolenko:

Discipline is the most important thing in defense. If we maintain discipline in both defense and attack, we can beat this team.

— Taras, you mentioned that Ukrainian players wake up every day and immediately read the news about what is happening in the country. Does this create additional pressure, and did it affect the match against Romania? What changed in the match against Slovakia?

Taras Stepanenko:

This war has been affecting Ukrainian players every day for more than two years. Yesterday, the Russians attacked Kharkiv with aerial bombs, causing destruction and casualties. Every day you read such news. It is unknown how long this war will continue. All players have friends and relatives in Ukraine. We think about our country and our people.

In the game against Romania, I believe we were not a united team but rather individual players. In such a tournament, only a team can win a trophy, get out of the group, and show results. Against Slovakia, it was a different match because I saw a team that wanted to win. The match against Belgium is a final for us. It will be a tough game, and we are preparing for it with full concentration. I am ready to play and give my all, as are all the players. But the decision will be made by the coach.

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

— Vitaliy, you play with the Belgian Amadou Onana at Everton. Are you friends with him?

Vitaliy Mykolenko:

We are not close friends, but we are good partners. Onana is a great player, just look at his transfer value. If we both play, I will challenge him every time. In the next game, we will not be friends or partners.

— Taras, what messages do you receive while at the European Championship?

Taras Stepanenko:

After the match with Romania, I did not receive many positive messages, which is understandable. But I always get support from my loved ones, especially my mom and wife. I am not a person who likes to talk a lot. The best message we can send to our people is our actions on the pitch. We must show that we are ready to fight and show spirit, as we did in the last match.

— Vitaliy, what should be done to neutralize Kevin De Bruyne?

Vitaliy Mykolenko:

He is the best assistant in the Premier League, the best player in the Belgian team, and their captain. I hope he won't score or assist against us, and then I will be happy.

— What are the weaknesses of the Belgian team?

Vitaliy Mykolenko:

We can't say that at the press conference. But we know them.

— Vitaliy, after the match against Romania, the team faced a barrage of criticism, but you did not play due to injury. Did this affect your psychological state, even though it did not personally concern you?

Vitaliy Mykolenko:

I thought about the criticism and pressure and realized for myself that I had already been to EURO 2020 and felt it. After the match with Romania, it was easier for me to deal with this pressure because I already have this experience and know how to draw conclusions and prepare for the next matches.

— Are you ready to play against Belgium with five defenders?

Taras Stepanenko:

When we played with such a scheme, we showed good results against top teams. This is decided by the coaching staff. Everyone understands what to do, some play like this in their clubs. But what the scheme will be against Belgium, I don't know.

Vitaliy Mykolenko:

I am comfortable playing with both schemes. We have shown good results. For us, there is no difference, and if the coach gives instructions, we have to execute them 100 percent.

— Have you noticed the fast attacks of the Romanians and the high pressing of the Belgians in their head-to-head match?

Vitaliy Mykolenko:

Yes, we have. We watched the match and analyzed the moments.

— Taras, who can you highlight in the Belgian team?

Taras Stepanenko:

I like Jérémy Doku. He has good dribbling and passing. He showed a lot in attack in recent matches. He is a very dangerous player.

— Taras, how do you comment on the words of Razvan Rat, your former teammate? Did you talk to him?

Taras Stepanenko:

I have known him for a very long time and know his jokes. They are specific. The guys told me about his words. I took it normally. He called me and said he was misunderstood, there was a wrong translation. We joked. I have a good relationship with him.

Regarding the topic of retirement... When a person is over 30, everyone starts talking that they are old in football. I don't know where this comes from. I have my head, I work. We run every day with sensors that show your physical condition. When you look at their indicators, everything becomes clear, and you can't fool anyone.

People react to a defeat and say Stepanenko is old. But I was 34 when we beat Barcelona, playing matches against England and Italy. I don't quite understand what has changed. These six months were not very successful for me because of injuries. But no one sees that after every match in the Ukrainian championship, I come home and get on the treadmill. This is so that when the coach gives me a chance to play, I stay at the level I should be. The most important thing is not what they say but what you do. I can retire tomorrow, in a year, or two. But this is my decision, which I will make when I am ready. Razvan joked, but they always write to me about it. Why didn't they write after the game with Barcelona? This is my inner feeling, and only I will decide when I know I can't do something.

Photo by Andriy Yushchak

Vitaliy Mykolenko:

I agree with Taras that it is not about age. Ashley Young plays with me. He is 38, and no one says he is old, that he should retire. The sensors show everything, as Taras says. When you see that he, Yarmolenko, and Sydorchuk are in the top five in training, you understand that it doesn't matter what his age is if he shows everything on the pitch and works so hard. People only see the tip of the iceberg.

— What does the youth bring to the Ukrainian national team?

Vitaliy Mykolenko:

Yesterday we played in a square during training. Illia Zabarnyi, who has already played so many matches for the national team, is still young. I wouldn't say we have rejuvenated a lot in recent years. Yes, new players are coming, but we need balance. There must be a golden mean. I think we have it in the team. I don't see a big problem or a big plus. It's normal.

Ukraine squad for EURO 2024

Goalkeepers: 1. Georgiy Bushchan (Dynamo Kyiv), 12. Anatoliy Trubin (Benfica, Portugal), 23. Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid, Spain).

Defenders: 22. Mykola Matviyenko, 2. Yukhym Konoplia, 21. Valeriy Bondar (all Shakhtar Donetsk), 24. Oleksandr Tymchyk (Dynamo Kyiv), 16. Vitaliy Mykolenko (Everton, England), 13. Illia Zabarnyi (Bournemouth, England), 3. Oleksandr Svatok (FC Dnipro-1 Dnipro), 4. Maksym Talovierov (LASK Linz, Austria), 26. Bohdan Mykhaylichenko (Polissya Zhytomyr).

Midfielders: 7. Andriy Yarmolenko, 19. Mykola Shaparenko, 18. Volodymyr Brazhko (all Dynamo Kyiv), 6. Taras Stepanenko, 20. Oleksandr Zubkov, 14. Georgiy Sudakov (all Shakhtar Donetsk), 17. Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal, England), 15. Viktor Tsygankov (Girona, Spain), 10. Mykhailo Mudryk (Chelsea, England), 5. Serhiy Sydorchuk (Westerlo, Belgium), 8. Ruslan Malinovskyi (Genoa, Italy).

Forwards: 11. Artem Dovbyk (Girona, Spain), 9. Roman Yaremchuk (Valencia, Spain), 25. Vladyslav Vanat (Dynamo Kyiv).

EURO 2024 Group E: Schedule and Results

June 17: Romania vs Ukraine - 3:0

June 17: Belgium vs Slovakia - 0:1

June 22: Slovakia vs Ukraine - 1:2

June 22: Belgium vs Romania - 2:0

Standings

June 26: Slovakia vs Romania. Frankfurt Stadium, Frankfurt. Kick-off: 19:00 Kyiv time.

June 26: Ukraine vs Belgium. Stuttgart Arena, Stuttgart. Kick-off: 19:00 Kyiv time.

Kick-off times are in Kyiv time.