Euro 2020: Why England should not underestimate Ukraine

As a player, Ukraine coach Andriy Shevchenko was a complete striker. The 2004 Ballon d'Or winner (he also finished third in 2004 FIFA World Player of the Year ranking) was fast and hardworking. His off-the-ball movement was intelligent and his positional sense was excellent. He was also an accurate finisher and a good free-kick and penalty taker. The six-footer was strong in the air, too.

Of all these attributes, it was probably his underappreciated off-the-ball intelligence that served him the best during a distinguished playing career. He knew how to break the best of defensive lines. This knowledge will be vital as his wards prepare to play England in the quarterfinals of Euro 2020, in Rome—their first quarters appearance . The Three Lions, under defensive-minded coach Gareth Southgate, are yet to concede a goal at the tournament.

On paper, Ukraine do not stand a chance. England should be winning this game easily. And if Southgate decides to take a risk and unleash his players early on, he could take the game away from Ukraine. But, he is also under pressure. The expectations in England are rising with every passing day. Online platforms are filled with English fans shouting "It's coming home". Against Germany, Southgate delivered. He cannot fail now.

Ukraine, on the other hand, come into the match with almost zero pressure. As Shevchenko said: "We have achieved our main goal (getting out of the group) already and everything else will be a bonus. Probably, there is a different pressure on England. They are seen as favourites but everyone perfectly knows that anything can happen in football." He added that they were preparing seriously and wanted to surprise England.

But, do they have enough quality players to trouble England? Player-for-player, maybe not. But, as a unit, yes. They proved this by topping their qualification group, ahead of Portugal. The team was also unbeaten and conceded only four goals in the eight matches. Across the 10 qualifying groups, only Italy (four goals conceded in 10 matches) and Belgium (three goals conceded) had a better defensive record.

But, at Euro 2020, the defence has not been as good. Ukraine conceded six goals from four games till the round of 16. Teenage centre-back Illia Zabarnyi has emerged as an important player for the team, but at Euro 2020, he has been shaky. The 18-year-old is the youngest player to play for Ukraine at a major championship and he will have to step up if his team are to keep England out.

Zabarnyi's partner in defence, Mykola Matviyenko, 25, is a ball-playing centre-back with a good first touch and fine vision. He will be key in the team's counterattacks and build-up play. Goalkeeper Georgiy Bushchan, 27, has been steady and, at times, spectacular. He only became the first-choice keeper at this tournament, ahead of 37-year-old team captain Andriy Pyatov.

Manchester City star Oleksandr Zinchenko, 24, has generally played in midfield for Ukraine. But, in the round of 16 tie, he played as a left wing-back and scored one and assisted the second of Ukraine's goals. If he plays in a similar role against England, he could be a major attacking outlet. Holding midfielder Serhiy Sydorchuk, 30, can be effective in attack, too; he had hit the post against Sweden.

Sydorchuk's midfield partner, the experienced Taras Stepanenko, 31, is the team's midfield general and is responsible for taking the ball from the defenders and feeding the attack. He is likely to have a difficult game against England's midfield and his performance will, to a large extent, decide Ukraine's fate. Deep-lying playmaker Mykola Shaparenko, 22, is one of the most skilled players in either team.

In attack, striker Roman Yaremchuk has been impressive. The 25-year-old is 6'3'' and offers an obvious aerial threat. He is also mobile and composed in front of goal. Yaremchuk has a great understanding with the team's on-field captain, Andriy Yarmolenko; the 31-year-old attacking midfielder is creator-in-chief for Ukraine. Yarmolenko is on 42 goals and is the country's second highest goalscorer of all time, behind only Shevchenko (48).

In short, if all their players perform to the best of their ability, Ukraine are more than capable of beating England. Another factor that bodes well for the national team is that only eight of the 26-man squad are 30 or older. Twelve of them are 25 or younger. Of greater significance is that only one player who won the U-20 World Cup in 2019 is part of this squad (22-year-old Denys Popov).

That U-20 team had players like Real Madrid's 22-year-old goalkeeper Andriy Lunin and highly regarded 19-year-old attacker Vladyslav Supriaha. Are Ukraine then on the cusp of a golden generation, as more of the U-20 world champions graduate to the senior team? It is too early to tell, as performance at youth levels often does not carry on into the senior game. But, the future definitely looks bright for Ukraine.