The head coach of Ukraine's U-19 national team, Dmytro Mykhailenko, summarized the team's performance at the recently concluded European Championships.
Dmytro Mykhailenko. Photo: UAF press service- Dmitry Stanislavovich, what are your general impressions of the European Championship?
- I have only positive impressions because this tournament brought together the best teams and coaches. We saw the best standards of European football and what we should strive for. We were satisfied with our performance and look forward to the future with a positive outlook.
- On a five-point system, what grade would you give the Ukrainian national team?
- Given the difficulties we had, as well as the level of our opponents, I think we can safely give us a B-plus. It very rarely happens when you are satisfied with everything. We, the coaches, and the players could have done better.
- Was the Spanish national team rightfully the best at the Euros?
- I would mention not only Spain but also Italy. These teams were distinguished by the high individual level of their players and the tactical literacy of the entire team. It is not surprising that their head-to-head duel in the semifinals ended only in extra time. And, in my opinion, the Italians looked more interesting... The French relied more on individual skill, but their collective actions were not so well-coordinated.
-After two dry draws against Northern Ireland (0: 0) and Norway (0: 0), were there any worries about the final result in the group?
- Everything still depended on us. I believed in the guys to the end. The tournament, in principle, had an equal composition of participants. Perhaps Northern Ireland looked a little weaker, but due to the fact that they were preparing and playing on an artificial turf, the size of which was smaller, it helped the hosts to some extent to level their gap in other parameters.
Norway is a very strong opponent. They have reached the semifinals of the Euro twice in a row. This team was distinguished primarily by its excellent physical fitness, as the local championship is in full swing. They have strong performers individually. In the first game of the tournament, the Italians miraculously snatched a victory from the Norwegians due to their individual skills.
In the head-to-head game with Norway, all our assumptions came true. We suffered under the pressure of the opponent, they pressed intensively. It was only in the second half that it became a little easier, because it is difficult to act in this way for the entire 90 minutes. We leveled the game.
Returning to your question, I'd like to note that we knew that in the game against Italy we would have a chance to score. We counted on our strength, so we were preparing for the decisive confrontation in the group with a cool head...
- TheUkrainian national team fulfilled theminimum task of qualifying for the 2025U-20 World Cup ahead of schedule.However, after such an emotional match with Italy (3: 2), did your wards manage to fully recover before the semifinals with France (0: 1)?
- Indeed, the team was a bit emotionally devastated. In the match with Italy, when we managed to equalize the score closer to the middle of the second half, the guys realized that they could win. And the victory was needed not only to reach the semifinals of the European Championship, but also to qualify for the World Cup. We didn't want to play an extra match where anything could happen. So the players of the Ukrainian national team gave their all, leaving all their strength on the field. For which we are very grateful to them.
Incredible joy, emotions - it was after the game. However, the coaching staff made every effort to ensure that the players were as ready as possible for the confrontation with France. If we had played a little better in defense, we would have had a much better chance of reaching the final.
- What did you fail to realize as a coach in this tournament?
- I would like the team to control the ball and the course of the game better, so that we would not have defended as much as we did. And this depends on various nuances. I don't want to go into tactical details, but after Mykola Ogarkov's injury, our ball control left much to be desired. We made some changes, so we had to defend more often. It is difficult to change something radically during the tournament.
- In terms of the number of shots, the Ukrainian national team was among the best. Is there any dissatisfaction with the realization?
- Only about the first game. We had to beat Northern Ireland. But here I would emphasize one nuance. It was the first match of the tournament, excitement, emotions... And in our attacking group there were three players who are a year or two younger. Perhaps excessive excitement did not allow the guys to make the right decisions. But these are quite understandable things at this age. Of course, you always want the best, but I would not focus on this. In general, the team worked well.
- What are the future plans of this national team?
- There are no competitions to test new candidates for the national team before the World Cup in 2025. And we would like to strengthen this team. So I really hope that this year we will be able to get together at least once to see the other guys who were on the extended list for the European Championship but did not make it there. And in 2025, we will hold a training camp to finally decide on the players who will go to the World Cup in Chile.
