Ihor Kostiuk, head coach of Dynamo Kyiv's U-19 team, shared his impressions of the start of the Ukrainian championship, spoke about the preparation for the match against LNZ, as well as his expectations for the team's upcoming start in the UEFA Youth League.
Igor Kostyuk- We were preparing for the start of the season, but the illness knocked us out a bit. Now we are recovering, and we are 80-90 percent back to the condition we had before the opening match.
In our country, the situation is such that all teams play European Cup matches abroad, and for the boys it is also a kind of school. This is more adult training and more difficult tests.
- What do you expect from the next match with Cherkasy LNZ?
- There are no weak opponents, we need to tune in to everyone with maximum dedication. We do not train to play strong or weak opponents, but to progress in each match, to play what we train and be competitive. In particular, we want the players to compete for a place in the first team starting lineup.
- What do you expect from the UEFA Youth League draw and the European Cup season?
- In this regard, we went to the Czech Republic for the tournament to immerse ourselves in the atmosphere of European football. We are skipping the first round because our team's rating is high. And from the second round, we will watch and analyze the opponents who will play in the first qualifying round and understand their strength. We haven't played in the UEFA Youth League for two years, we missed it, so I think we will be well prepared and approach these matches in a good mood. Our players will soon go to the national teams, where they will also gain experience in international matches, and on October 22-23 we will have our first game.
- What are your expectations for your team in the European arena this year? How ready are you to compete with serious teams?
- We can play with all opponents, this is football, it all depends on us, on how we set up and play, on the emotional state of the guys. I always say that each of our games is a preparation for the UEFA Youth League - emotionally, physically, and in terms of fighting on the football field, because the European confrontations will consist of two matches, and there will be no room for error, unlike in the group stage. We need to choose such tactics to move on. Each mistake will be costly and can decide the fate of the entire confrontation.
