Former head coach of the Ukrainian youth national team Oleh Kuznetsov assessed the team's performance at Euro 2024 U-19.
Oleh Kuznetsov (photo: uaf.ua)- Could the Ukrainian team have done better at this Euro and won medals?
- They did very well as it is. The team fulfilled all its tasks and made it to the top four on the continent. They played very well, but somewhere they lacked skill, somewhere they were unlucky. In the semifinals against the French, the game was equal, but we were not lucky. Still, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal can field several teams at this age, and they will be more or less equal. In our match against France, we had three leaders, and it was immediately noticeable on the field.
- So it's useless for us to compete with these top teams ?
- Well, why is it useless? We have already won both the World Cup and the European Championships at this age. I repeat - we were just unlucky. Spain has a huge selection of players, plus all their national teams - from children's to the main one - play according to the same scheme. That's why it's easy for players to adapt to new challenges with age. You see, Ukraine has a U-19 championship, but Spain does not. There is the second division, the third, and so on. And those 18-19-year-olds play against adult footballers. We have our own way of developing football, and it also gives results. For example, after this Euro, three players of the national team go to the training camp of the first team of their club.
- The U-19 European Championship is often called a "forge of personnel"...
- Yes. And not only it. Starting from the U-17, other clubs follow the players. They watch the game, analyze it. Although this is already a fairly high level, not all future stars can prove themselves at this age. One plays brilliantly, but gets lost in adult football. And another is hardly noticeable here, but easily adapts to adult football. For example, 16-year-old Spaniard Yamal played in the adult Euro, although he could have played in the youth. But he has outgrown his age, as they say, and is already a world star.
Maksym Kachurivskyi
