Short-passing midfield triangles
When in possession and during attacking phases of the game, Ukraine adopt a 4-3-3 scheme. When Shevchenko reverts to defensive tactics, the system changes to 4-1-4-1. In both cases, the triangle in the centre of the pitch is key. In the former, it sharpens by its cone for attacking actions, and in the second, it becomes inverted with a bias towards defensive duties.
Shevchenko also experimented with a 3-4-1-2 in March’s World Cup qualifiers (mainly due to several injury withdrawals), which suggests he does have a Plan B in mind if required.
Either way, the philosophy remains the same. On average, up to 80 per cent of all passes made by Ukraine are short to medium passes. The presence of players such as Malinovskyi, Yarmolenko and Yaremchuk, who are capable controllers of the ball, pulling several opponents out of position and providing an extraordinary pass, make them the main focal points of the attacking structure.
At the other end, the centre-backs may be a weak spot – especially against top opponents. Both Serhiy Kryvtsov and Vitaly Matviyenko can struggle to read the game, while Zabarnyi is inexperienced.