Donetsk: Laurent Blanc has stressed that France will not solely focus on Andriy Shevchenko in Friday's Euro 2012 match against co-hosts Ukraine. The veteran striker netted twice in his side's 2-1 win over Sweden on Monday, but the French coach feels there is more to Oleg Blokhin's side than the former AC Milan star.
"Shevchenko is someone I know well. He is no longer 20 but he is so clever with the runs that he makes and he showed that in the first game," Blanc stated at a press conference.
"We won't focus solely on Shevchenko. In my opinion, he's a great player and always in the right place at the right time. The big players perform at big tournaments and he is showing that."
The former Manchester United defender then went on to stress that playing at home is not necessarily a positive for Ukraine, and that the pressure could prove to be too much for them.
"It can be an advantage to play at home but it can be a disadvantage too. Ukraine have started very well and they have already played under a lot of pressure.
"There will be even more pressure on the second game and sometimes pressure can hinder people."
Comments
0 comment