France's head coach Sylvain Ripoll has assessed the youth national team of Ukraine, which his team will meet today in the quarter-finals of Euro 2023 (U-21).
Sylvain Ripoll"I think that the Ukrainian team has recently significantly improved the quality of its game. Especially when it comes to not losing the ball and keeping it. They are a very strong team that keeps the ball and creates problems for their opponents.
I also noticed strong discipline in attack. Ukraine is a team that is able to attack intensively, keep and play the game, and is very creative, showing their best qualities on the pitch.
Who are the most threatening players in the Ukrainian national team? It's very individual, every team has such players, and so do we. It depends on the team and the match on a particular day. Mudryk is one of those players. I don't know if he will take the field in the match against us, but when I think about the Ukrainian team, I pay attention not to specific players, but to the team. A very strong, experienced team.
I think, of course, about the players, as I said about Sudakov, for example, that he is a strong player who shows high quality when in possession of the ball. But I'll say it again: for me, the Ukrainian team is more like a collective," Ripoll said at a press conference dedicated to the France (U-21) vs Ukraine (U-21) match.
