The head coach of the youth national team of Ukraine (U-21) Ruslan Rotan gave an interview to the official site UAF, in which he shared his expectations for the draw for the final part of the U-21 European Championship 2023, which will be held on Tuesday, October 18.
— Ruslan Petrovych, Ukraine got to the fourth basket. Have you explored your options with potential rivals? Which of them are preferred?
— The teams we can beat. The main thing is that our football players want to play with the strongest national teams. This only shows that the guys are confident in their abilities - they are not afraid to play against anyone. Perhaps this is the most important summary of the selection cycle. Moreover, the key here is to play, not to fight.
I already have in my hands the minimum file for all participants of the Youth Euro.
— Which national teams, in your opinion, are the most dangerous, and therefore can be considered the favorites of the tournament?
— Actually, there are a lot of them. It seems that for the first time, all the top teams of Europe without exception got to such a forum. We know well the French national team, which we met in the selection. I repeatedly emphasized that this team was the leader of the qualification in almost all statistical indicators. I saw the Spaniards play when we were preparing for Slovakia. Traditionally strong teams in Portugal and Germany. I have given you only the representatives of the first basket, but there are also Italy and England, Belgium and the Netherlands.
— For the third time in history, after 2006 and 2011, the youth national team of Ukraine made it to the Euros. Is this a breakthrough for our football?
— Of course, it is nice that, after a long break, our football players will be able to perform at such a prestigious forum. I believe that we have very good young people, and they have earned this right. We will make maximum efforts to play decently in the final tournament.
— It's too much that passes from Europe to the 2024 Olympic Games in France will be raffled off there...
— Yes, it also adds motivation. At the same time, such a task requires improvement in all areas of training. This is what we are currently working on as well.
— Have you already dealt with the emotions after Slovakia?
- We in the team immediately agreed: we are happy for the day - we will continue to work. This especially applies to our football players who returned to the clubs and continued to solve their tournament tasks there.
I see that the vast majority of them left their youth in great shape. We continue to monitor each player, keep an eye on potential newcomers, and keep in constant contact with them. In short, we don't have much time to celebrate. Work continues.
While preparing for the final round of the Euro, we must not forget that a new cycle for a new youth team will start in September next year, so we have a difficult task ahead of us. At the same time, you need to work on the future. In addition, judging by the current situation, we do not rule out that some of our leaders may be promoted at any moment. Therefore, one must constantly look to tomorrow.