Ukraine's youth national team (players not older than 2007) triumphantly won the elite round of the Euro 2024 U-17 qualifiers. "The Blue and Yellows took first place in their group with three wins in three matches. After the team returned from Greece, where the competition took place, its head coach Yuriy Moroz answered questions from the UAF official website.
Yuriy Moroz (photo: uaf.ua)- Yuriy, what was the most difficult thing for you as a coach on the eve of the tournament?
- To convey to the players the requirements we had set for them so that the team could play a complete game. I can't hide the fact that I was worried, because a lot of work had been done before the tournament, and I was afraid that the guys might not take it well, but they did well. They tried to do all the tasks to the smallest detail, and it paid off in the matches.
- A coach always has questions for his players, but the team scored eight goals in three matches and did not concede a single one...
- I'll say this: everything was well-coordinated - both in defence and attack.
- What did you say to your players in the dressing room after the game with Slovakia?
- I told them a big thank you for trying to do everything as we agreed.
- The best scorer for Ukraine in this tournament was striker Artem Stepanov...
- Almost our entire attacking group scored goals. Someone - more, someone - less. In this situation, I was pleased that they were aimed at the opponents' goal.
- Do you feel that the same Stepanov is going through the European school of football?
- Yes. Moreover, this striker joins the training sessions with Bayer's first team. Artem is trying, but he is still young, so he still has a lot of work to do.
- With the performance your players showed in the elite round, can we expect anything serious in the final part of the Euro?
- Every next tournament is a new challenge. And this challenge is getting bigger, the opponent is more aggressive, faster, stronger every time. We still need to improve both our team and individual performance.
- There are two months until the final part of the European Championship. The next training camp will be just before the tournament, will you be able to find another window for preparation?
- Today, there is a proposal from Cyprus, the host of the European Championship, to play two friendly matches with them in the first or second decade of April. There is such a plan, but I can't say how everything will work out yet. And then the team will gather in May just before the final tournament. But again, it's not clear what date the training camp will start, as much will depend on the clubs. There are a lot of questions, but I hope everything will work out for the best.
