On the pages of the UAF pre-match programme, the head coach of the youth national team of Ukraine Unai Melgosa shared his thoughts on how the performers perceive the requirements of the new coaching staff, commented on the 3-0 victory over the youth of Luxembourg and told what he expects from his wards in the upcoming match with the England team.
- Unai, did you manage to invite all the players you planned to invite to the October U-21 Euro 2025 qualifiers? Or is there anyone missing for some reason?
- Yes, all the players we wanted to call up are here with us. Some of them did not play the last matches in their clubs due to injuries, but now they are all ready to work.
- What impression did your players make on you in the recent matches of the European Cups and the UPL? Who would you like to mention in particular?
- They are progressing from match to match. Some of them play more, some of them are fighting for a place in the team. We need to understand that the Ukrainian championship is a tournament with good potential, even despite the reduced number of legionnaires. I hope that the Ukrainian youth will take their chance.
- After two opening rounds, the Ukrainian youth team has scored maximum points without conceding a single goal. In your opinion, to what extent has the team already accepted the requirements of the coaching staff?
- I think that the players in the youth national team are making great efforts in a short period of time to understand our game model, what we want to see on the pitch. And we are quite pleased with their attentiveness throughout the training process. I especially like the behaviour of the players during training, they try to do what we talk about. And, of course, they are trying to get better, not only in things related to the use of space and decisions on the ball, but also in understanding the timing of many aspects on the pitch. The latter is more difficult to grasp. They are still young and need to learn this - we are on our way.
- Ukraine's youth team beat Luxembourg 3-0. The advantage seems large, but the opponents held off the Blue and Yellows' attacks throughout the first half. Did the goal in the dressing room help the team psychologically?
- Although the match ended with such a big score, it was not easy. The first goal, as you said, was scored only at the end of the first half. We had several opportunities to score, which we didn't realise until Krasnopir took their chance. It was a team effort against a team that defended quite well in the first half. This goal, of course, helped us to calm down. But you need to be careful, because if you are too calm, you can miss - I think the team avoided this. In general, the match was difficult. It was not easy to play against the Luxembourg national team, because they fought to the end.
- Your next opponent is the European champion and one of the best youth teams in world football. England scored nine (!) goals against Serbia! How can the Blue and Yellows hold off this incredible team?
- We respect all teams, and of course we have a lot of respect for England. But I don't think our main idea will be to contain the English. We want to be proactive in our football. Perhaps after the match we can say: yes, we should have held them back with all our might. But our main idea is to transfer all the qualities, concepts in attack and defence that we are working on to the pitch. Obviously, we need to be in the best possible condition. So, we have a collective goal, as well as individual goals, so that each player shows the best version of himself in the match.
- Are all the players preparing for the match against England? Are there any players with injuries or damages after the meeting with the Luxembourg team?
- After the match against Luxembourg, we had no new injuries. A couple of players had a slight cold, but we hope they will recover for the game.
- The youth national teams of Ukraine and England will play a match in Košice, Slovakia. There are a lot of Ukrainian refugees in Slovakia since the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. Do you expect a lot of support from Ukrainian fans at the stadium? Can this factor affect the final result of the game?
- I don't know how many fans will be able to come to the stadium. But I feel that a lot of people from Ukraine come to our matches. Ukrainian fans are incredible, they always support us! It is important for us to feel this! We will try to repay this support with our own attitude, intentions and actions on the pitch. The support of the fans always helps, especially in the situation in which Ukraine is currently living.