Ukraine national team head coach Andrea Maldera, during an official press briefing broadcasted on the UAF YouTube channel, commented on the national team's squad for the final matches of the UEFA Nations League group stage. The Italian specialist explained two key personnel decisions: the absence of Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Andriy Yarmolenko and Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin from the squad list. According to the manager, the moment has arrived for both players when the team must rely on younger performers.
Goalkeeping department: why Lunin stayed home
The Ukraine squad for the November fixtures against Northern Ireland and Georgia includes 26 players, with an additional eight players placed on the reserve list. Among the goalkeepers, call-ups went to Anatoliy Trubin (Benfica), Dmytro Riznyk (Shakhtar), and Heorhiy Yermakov (FC Kharkiv). Real Madrid goalkeeper Andriy Lunin was left off the list. In the 2026/27 season, the Ukrainian has spent only one match on the pitch — at the end of October, he played all 90 minutes in Real Madrid's victorious El Clasico against Barcelona. Insufficient playing time proved to be the decisive factor for the coaching staff.
"Very glad he played in La Liga"
Maldera emphasized that the decision not to call up Lunin does not mean undermining his contribution to Ukrainian football. "I am very glad he played in La Liga. He remains a great legacy for all of Ukrainian football, but over the past month he has played only one match. This does not take away from the fact that he is a great goalkeeper," the Italian specialist stated. Thus, the manager acknowledged Lunin's status as one of the country's leading goalkeepers, but pointed out an objective limitation — a minimal number of minutes in the current season prevents him from being considered a priority candidate for the national team's goal.
Yarmolenko and the issue of succession
The second notable omission from the squad was the decision regarding 36-year-old Andriy Yarmolenko. The Dynamo midfielder has scored 47 goals for the national team, trailing by just one goal the record of Andriy Shevchenko, who remains the all-time top scorer in the history of the Ukraine national team. In the current Nations League campaign, Yarmolenko has participated in only one match — against Northern Ireland, which the Ukrainians lost 0:3. Maldera called the experienced player "a very important person both for me and for the entire national team," yet stressed that "the moment has come for these guys to grow up on their own" and "Yarmolenko must pass the baton to others."
Personal conversation and manager's support
According to Maldera, he personally spoke with Yarmolenko to explain the motives behind the personnel decision. The Dynamo midfielder approached the coaching staff's decision with understanding and, according to the manager, continues to support his work. This episode underscores that the personnel reshuffle is of a strategic rather than disciplinary nature: the Ukraine national team, as envisioned by the coach, must be built around a new generation of players capable of taking on leadership roles in the upcoming cycles.
Stakes of the final Nations League rounds
The Ukraine national team, under Maldera's leadership, continues its fight for promotion to League A. To achieve this goal, the Ukrainians need to pick up points in their two concluding group stage matches — against Northern Ireland and Georgia. Each of these matches takes on decisive status: the outcome will directly determine whether the national team maintains its chances of promotion or, conversely, secures its place in the current division. The context of Maldera's personnel decisions — forgoing the services of the two most experienced players in the squad — is fully explained by this exact tournament situation: the coaching staff is placing its bet on those capable of shouldering the main burden in two crucial encounters.
