The head coach of the youth national team of Ukraine (players born in 2007) Dmytro Mykhailenko summarized the short-term training camp, during which the team played a friendly match against "Left Bank-2", which ended in a draw — 2:2.
Dmytro Mykhailenko (photo: D. Balashov)— Mr. Dmytro, what was the main priority during the last training camp?
— This short-term camp was aimed at looking at the players who perform in Ukraine. The team had not gathered for a year, so there were many new faces. It was necessary to get to know them, especially in some positions that concern us the most. Everything went well, and we received the information we needed.
— Did the level of the opponent in the friendly match matter to you?
— No. First and foremost, we were looking at how the players perceive information; we wanted to see their condition and how they fulfill the coaching staff’s requirements. The sparring was needed precisely for this purpose. Despite this, we are grateful to "Left Bank" for allowing us to play with them.
— The qualification tournament for the Euro will take place in November. Will this team have another preparation stage?
— Yes. We will gather in September. From the 1st to the 9th, the national team of Ukraine will participate in an interesting and, I’m sure, useful international tournament together with teams from Spain, England, and the Netherlands.
— Are there many potential players for this team performing abroad?
— I can say that this will be the first national team where the number of our footballers playing abroad will exceed 50 percent.
— So in Spain, where the camp will take place, you will already determine the core of this team for official matches?
— I believe that about 80 percent, or maybe even more. The point is that there are many of our players in foreign championships, so there is still a lot of work ahead to identify the best among them.
