From 20 to 26 March, the Ukrainian national team will take part in the elite round of Euro 2024 (U-19). To make it to the finals of the European Championship, the blue and yellows need to take first place in the competition with the national teams of Switzerland, North Macedonia and Latvia. The mini-tournament will be hosted by North Macedonia, with the quartet's matches taking place in Skopje at the Makedonija Gjorce Petrov and FFM Training Centre stadiums.
Dmitry MikhailenkoOn the eve of the training camp dedicated to the preparation for these competitions, the new head coach of our team, Dmytro Mykhailenko, answered questions from the UAF official website.
- Mr Dmytro, how did the correspondence with your wards go?
- I called a lot of guys, wrote off, besides, we have an analytical group that was at the Euro qualifying round, so I know a lot about the players' abilities. I also had the opportunity to look at those players who had previously been injured.
- Do you have enough information about the five foreigners in the team?
- Yes, there is. I was sent links to the matches in which these players took part, the coaches shared their fitness data, and I talked to the guys myself.
- We can't help but ask you about Andriy Shevchenko's son, Christian. What qualities made him stand out?
- This footballer plays in a strong championship - I don't think there will be any questions about the competitiveness of the English championship. Christian plays and scores there, having scored seven times in the last seven games. He came through Chelsea's academy, and this is also a sign of the quality of the player.
- The upcoming tournament will be your debut as a national team coach. Is there any excitement?
- There is a little excitement, because this job is different from the club one. Most of the time I have to spend at the computer screen, looking at potential candidates for the national team. I can't wait to meet the team. The upcoming tournament is short, only three matches, and there is not enough time to prepare. There is no opportunity to play up - first of all, you need to convince the wards, set them up for the kind of football that should produce results.
- What can you say about your future rivals, Switzerland, North Macedonia and Latvia, is there a favourite among them?
- I think it's Switzerland. The qualifying round, in which the Swiss beat Italy and Sweden, is proof of that. But we have information about all our opponents. It is important to prepare well, nothing is impossible in football.
- Is the Ukrainian national team a dark horse?
- Ukraine is a football nation. Now, due to the Russian aggression, we do not have the opportunity to play friendly matches, unlike other national teams. But we have character, a desire to win, and this also means a lot, so our team is also one of the candidates for the final of the European Championship.
