The head coach of the Ukraine U-17 national team, Oleksandr Sytnyk, spoke about the readiness of his players for the first qualifying round of the European Championship.
Oleksandr Sytnyk (photo: uaf.ua)— Mr. Oleksandr, how do you assess the readiness of your players for the matches in the first qualifying round?
— We have certain problems with the squad. They were already present before the previous training camp that took place in early September in Croatia. Now, due to injuries, we will be unable to utilize a number of key players. But we believe that the players called to replace them will demonstrate all their best qualities and help solve the tasks set before the team.
— You have three incomplete training days before the start of the competition. What are you focusing on in preparing the team for the tournament?
— Some players played matches for their teams on September 28, while others did not have a match, so it is important to bring the collective to a common denominator in terms of physical condition. We will also discuss our principles of play with the players, which we work on at every training camp.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the clubs that released their players, as this qualifying round was somewhat shifted in dates and does not fall within FIFA’s official dates. However, everyone we wanted to see arrived at the team.
— Midfielder Artem Rybak from Barcelona has been called up to the team more than once. Could he be a future star of the Ukrainian national team?
— Certainly. He is quite an intelligent footballer. Perhaps he currently lacks physical strength, but he is working hard on that. The club often involves him in matches against older players, which says a lot. For us, he is one of the key players in the midfield. We had an agreement with Barcelona that he wouldn’t come to the last training camp, but instead, they would release him for the qualifying matches. Artem has all the qualities to grow into a strong player.
— What can you say about the opponents?
— It is clear that Italy stands out in our group. Moreover, this age group for the Italians is rich in talent. It will be that much more interesting to see how we match up against such a strong opponent. Italy is the favorite of our group. Estonia is a solid team that plays physical football. They have a slight advantage as the host of the competition, which provides extra motivation to prove themselves before their fans. Ukraine faced Montenegro in a tournament in Romania. They are a strong team with tall players that somewhat adhere to vertical football.
— What is the goal for the Ukrainian national team?
— The minimum task is to advance from the group. The maximum task is to advance from the group in first place because this gives advantages in the future during the draw.
