Unai Melgosa, the head coach of the Ukraine youth national team, spoke about the plan for the October Euro qualifiers and the team's personnel situation.
Unai MelgosaOn the first matches as Ukraine U-21 coach
"I would talk not only about the game against Northern Ireland, but also against Germany - it was my first match as a coach of the Ukrainian youth national team. I think we did a really good job at the previous training camp in September. The team tries to follow all instructions, acts in a disciplined and structured manner, which is the most important thing for us.
Of course, we have room for improvement. Perhaps to be a little more aggressive in the final stages of attacks, the guys know that. But in general, as far as the game as such is concerned, the team is trying to play to the fullest. So I'm happy about that. I think our goal is to play better than we did in September. And if we can do that, we will have a chance, of course."
On injuries
"Some players are coming back from injuries, like Batagov and Vivcharenko. But they are ready to play. Skorko has some muscle problems, we have to pay attention to that. Because you know, sometimes you force a player to play after he has missed 1-2 months - it's not good for them, we have to take care of them."
On the next match against Luxembourg
"When analysing Luxembourg, we should start not from the game against England, but from the match against Northern Ireland - we won it 1-0. I expect it to be a tough opponent, they are very fast, especially in attack, which is dangerous. But if we play close to our best, then of course we should be able to cope with the match and get a good result."
On the mood before the game against Luxembourg
"We will not play 1-0 down to save our strength for England. We can't do that, we don't get such instructions from the national team coach Serhii Rebrov. Of course, we know the potential of other teams, but our goal is to seize the initiative in the game, whether it's with Luxembourg or England - it doesn't matter. The situation may change during the match, but at the beginning we play in our own style because we want to develop with the players."
On Rebrov's influence
"Of course, he follows the team, we are in contact with Serhii Rebrov. After all, this project is not only about the national team, but about building a system for years to come. We have to create something solid in the youth team as well, so that players can quickly adapt to the national team if they get a call-up. We have players who can get a call-up from Serhii Rebrov at any time, so we have to be in touch all the time."
Yevhen Moroz
