Oleg Blokhin's side have suffered a series of friendly defeats including losses to Austria and Turkey, who both failed to qualify for Euro 2012, in their final warm-up outings.
To make matters worse, 10 players were then laid low by a stomach bug as Ukraine prepared for Monday's Group D clash against Sweden while their three top keepers are all unavailable for the finals, one because of a doping violation.
"I won't dispute the fact that in the games against Austria and Turkey things happened in our team that were far from what was wanted. But there were reasons for this," he said.
"I can assure you in the match against Sweden you will see an absolutely different style of play from the Ukraine national team."
"To be honest, I don't care how many minutes I will be out on the pitch," he said. "The main thing for me is to do the right things to help the team."
Most worrying is the loss of Ukraine's three first-choice goalkeepers, two to injuries and the third, Shakhtar Donetsk's Olexandr Rybka, to a two-year doping ban after he tested positive for a banned substance in a domestic game.
This may prove problematic against Erik Hamren's attack-minded Sweden side.
He has also freed last season's Serie A top scorer Zlatan Ibrahimovic from his target man role, allowing him the freedom to torment opponents all over the pitch.
Johan Elmander, who has recovered from a foot fracture, is likely to start on Sweden's right flank, with a licence to cut inside and make the most of his powerful running.
