The youth national team of Ukraine (football players born no earlier than 2007) has completed a training camp, during which the blue and yellow team participated in a representative tournament featuring teams from Spain (the hosts), England, and the Netherlands. After returning home, our national team head coach Dmytro Mykhaylenko spoke about the past work, which was the last before the qualifying round of Euro-2026 U-19.
Dmytro Mykhaylenko— Mr. Dmytro, are you satisfied with how the team performed in Spain?
— Absolutely. First of all, because we hadn’t met for more than a year. Many footballers have changed, we were happy to see each other, and even more pleased to test ourselves against such top European national teams. We received more than enough information; there is much to work on.
— Despite the friendly status of the tournament, are you not bothered by three defeats?
— Not at all. We knew the strength of our opponents, so we deliberately sought out this experience. The Ukrainian national team is not often wanted in such circles. The tournaments we are invited to often gather lower-tier teams, but we were lucky. Again, in games against such strong opponents, it was important for us to evaluate ourselves and to see the players who came from foreign clubs, as the information we receive is minimal, but here we see the potential of the boys with our own eyes.
— In which of the matches did you have the least complaints about your players?
— In the first game, to be honest, we didn’t expect anything supernatural from the players. But when we played against the English, and then watched their matches, we realized how powerful this team is. The level of individual skill in them is simply astronomical. It was very difficult for us to counter this opponent. Our team tried hard, endured, and lost — 0:2.
But then, with each game, the Ukrainian national team improved. Even despite conceding three goals in the first half to the Netherlands, the quality of our gameplay was much higher. The match against Spain was also not easy, but we had chances for a draw. Unfortunately, it didn’t work out. I am satisfied with many episodes of the Ukrainian national team in the second and third matches.
— Which of the teams looked the strongest in terms of gameplay?
— Without a doubt, it is the England team. In my opinion, this is currently the strongest national team on the continent. It has far outpaced others in terms of the number of players involved in starting lineups at clubs.
— Now it is important for you to determine who deserves a place in the squad for the qualifying round?
— Absolutely right. Unfortunately, due to injuries in the last gathering, we couldn’t employ three midfielders, and that muddled our plans a bit. I hope that by November these footballers will be back in shape, and we will head to the qualifying round of the European Championship with our strongest lineup.
