Myron Markevych, the coach of Lviv's Karpaty, analysed the results of Euro 2023 U-21 for Komanda1 and assessed the chances of Ukrainian footballers at the Olympic Games in Paris next year.
Myron Markevych- You know, if it had been said before the Euros that Ukraine would qualify for the Olympics by finishing in the quartet of the continent's strongest teams, few would have believed it. When our guys achieved this, raising the bar high, there was no shortage of critical feedback, saying that they could have done better. But I believe that Ruslan Rotan, the coaching staff, and the players were writing history and coped with this task masterfully.
- Still, let's take it one by one. Do you think the English deservedly won the main trophy?
- It was a real final, with emotions and drama in overtime. There was some justice in the fact that at the end of the match the British goalkeeper parried a penalty, keeping his possession intact during the Euros, setting a unique record that can only be repeated.
Perhaps the Spanish game was more spectacular in the decider, but this does not always pay the desired dividends. The football played by the English was more pragmatic, but they used their "trump cards" better and their rise cannot be called accidental.
- When did you become convinced that our youth team would not be a stranger at this football festival and would last so long in the tournament?
- First of all, it should be said that the UAF was right to appoint Rotan as the manager. He and his staff worked brick by brick to build a national team that matched his philosophy of the game. It was important that the guys could act effectively both in a positional attack and in a quick transition from defence to attack. It was also felt that the national team had a great microclimate, and therefore it was easier for the players to adjust. And the first match of the group round with the Croats proved that our players will make their opponents reckon with them.
- Then how can you explain the failure in the semi-finals with the Spaniards?
- The Pyrenees had more time to recover, which is very important at this age. In addition, the quarter-final with the French was emotionally exhausting, and our team could not boast of a long bench, and when the Spaniards suddenly increased their team speed after conceding a goal, unfortunately, they could not find counterarguments. Nevertheless, I am convinced that the Ukrainians did not deserve such a defeat.
- Who would you mention among the Ukrainians at the Euros?
- Georgy Sudakov, who did a huge amount of menial work and, with the exception of the match against the Spaniards, coped with the role of leader.
- Which of our players can eventually find themselves in one of the top championships?
- Mykhailo Mudryk has already achieved this right while playing for Chelsea in England. I highly appreciate the capabilities of the aforementioned midfielder Sudakov, goalkeeper Anatolii Trubin has good prospects, but he still has technical problems and the versatile Artem Bondarenko, provided he adds to the selection
- Could our national team in Romania have performed even better if it had Ilya Zabarnyi in its ranks and Mudryk in optimal fitness?
- We can discuss this topic for a long time, but is it worth it? In particular, Mudryk missed a lot of games due to injury, he tried very hard to be as useful as possible, but he lacked goal-scoring. In the end, even though Mykhailo was spectacular in every match, our national team won with teamwork.
- Rotan has already said goodbye to the youth team and will meet with some of his charges next year, when he begins preparations with the Olympic team for the Games in France. What can we expect from our guys in Paris?
- A lot will depend on the draw. But I am glad that Rotan will be able to count on a large group of players from the current youth team with their already serious international experience. This is a great "trump card" and if we are lucky enough to make quality recruitment, our national team, now Olympic, will be in the spotlight again.
Vasily Mikhailov
