Former coach Myron Markevich shared his impressions of the draw for the final tournament of Euro-2025 U-21.
Myron Markevich (photo: fckarpaty.org.ua)— I think that Melgosa’s team will be able to get out of this group. I wouldn’t say that the Netherlands is the favorite because we also deserve that title.
— Overall, how would you evaluate the performance of the youth national team of Ukraine in the Euro-2025 qualifiers? Up until the last matches, the team was doing very confidently, leading the group, and then: two defeats and second place, which cannot leave an unpleasant aftertaste.
— Of course, they failed at the end, how else to say it? Although before that, everything was going well for the team, they had several victories. The main thing is not to repeat such mistakes at the final tournament; we need to maintain concentration throughout all the Euro matches.
— The team that Melgosa has gathered is quite strong with very good players. There are Brazhko, Batagov, Rubchynskyi, Ocheretyko, Voloshyn, Krasnopir — and many others can be added. Which players from the youth national team would you highlight as key in the “blue-yellow” collective?
— I wouldn’t single out anyone specific among the players. The main thing is to gather them all so that they play together as they did in the qualifiers. We remember the situation that arose before the Olympic Games: someone lets someone go, someone doesn’t let someone go. I wouldn’t want a repetition of that story. I think that was wrong.
— In the youth national team of Ukraine during Ruslan Rotan’s time, there were obvious stars — Sudakov, Bondarenko, Trubin and Mudryk. Currently, Melgosa’s team doesn’t have such loud names, but it looks much more balanced.
— It’s good that the team doesn’t have obvious stars but is a balanced collective. I believe this is an unequivocal plus for both Melgosa and the national team.
— Euro-2025 will take place in Slovakia in the summer, but it's interesting to know how you evaluate the prospects of the youth national team at this tournament right now. Is Melgosa's team capable of repeating the success of Rotan’s team, which reached the semifinals of the Euro-2023?
— I repeat, the main thing is to gather the team together so that everyone is available to the coach. If Melgosa can count on the strongest players he wants to see in the national team, then everything is possible.
Vladyslav Liutostansky
