Well-known expert Oleg Fedorchuk commented on the choice of head coach of the youth national team of Ukraine Unai Melgosa regarding the squad for Euro-2025 (U-21).
Oleg Fedorchuk— Melgosa formed the final squad of 23 players who will go with the youth national team of Ukraine to Euro-2025 (U-21). The Spanish specialist "dropped" Dydyk, Varfolomeyev, and Krushynskyi from the preliminary squad. How justified was this decision, considering that Krushynskyi showed a very decent game in the "Polissya" squad during the season?
— I think there are two factors that can outweigh even a player's good form. The first is versatility, and the second is integration into the team and understanding of partners, the presence of chemistry among the players. This is especially true for central zone players. The psychological factor also matters: how ready the player is to perform in such a tournament that lasts more than a few days. Plus, there’s the preparation time for the competitions at the training camps.
For example, Krushynskyi only played in friendlies under Melgosa. Dydyk also did not have consistent playing time in the youth national team. So the coach made his choice based on the players he had tested — this was predictable.
— Yarmolyuk has joined the national team. Until the last moment, it was unclear whether "Brentford" would release him for the tournament, considering the player's health condition, but fortunately, Yegor will still go to Euro-2025 (U-21). Is this probably the main reinforcement for the youth team?
— Yarmolyuk is a very significant figure for the youth national team. He burst into the national team composition and made a pretty good debut. Yegor already has the status of a national team player and a performer, as he is consistently playing in the strongest league in the world — the English Premier League. What will the coach look like if he doesn't call up such a player when he is healthy? Yarmolyuk has very good prospects, playing successfully both in defense and attack.
— Continuing the theme of the first question. Can we say that Melgosa did not call up Maksym Khlan (Lechia, Poland) and Denys Kuzyik (Kryvbas), who had a very good season with their clubs, but made the choice in favor of Maksym Brahara (Dynamo) and Illia Krupskiy (Vorskla) specifically because of the greater compatibility and integration of the latter into his team? After all, Brahara didn’t have much playing practice at "Dynamo", and Krupskiy looked unconvincing in the second part of the season.
— There will always be questions about the squad, from specialists and journalists alike. We talked with you before Euro-2024 about how justified it was to call up aging Sidorchuk, Stepanenko, Yarmolenko to the national team. Although Yarmolenko, with his play for "Dynamo" this season, confirmed his class, despite his respectable football age. He still had strength left. And Stepanenko and Sidorchuk? This is like in earlier times when Tymoshchuk was brought to the national team in the role of a suitcase.
Coaches love to play in a microclimate, believing that the presence of such players will give their team more strength. But this doesn’t always work, one must be frank. Remember how Karim Benzema — a top player — was not called up to the French national team due to a scandal at one point.
Very rarely do players perform better for the national team than in their clubs. We have such a player — Roman Yaremchuk. He may play mediocre in the club, but for the national team, he always gives 100%, bringing benefits to the team. From Europe, it’s Jerdan Shaqiri. I already told you that I consider Yaremchuk our Shaqiri. (Smiles).
— What conclusion can be drawn regarding this squad for Euro-2025 (U-21)?
— Every coach has his own approach; I will repeat that. Only results will show everything. All questions regarding the squad will be forgotten if the team succeeds at the European Championship.
Vladyslav Liutostansky
