Oleksandr Petrakov: “I very much want to play with Israel at Bannikov memory tournament”

05.05.2019 17:40

Photo by Pavlo Kubanov

The youth national team of Ukraine U-16 (footballers not older than 2003) finished the tournament in Israel in third place.

The results of the next stage of training of the youth national team of Ukraine U-16, which took part in the international tournament "UEFA Development Cup", which took place in Israel, for the official website of the FFU summed up the head coach of the blue-yellows Alexander Petrakov.

- Alexander Vasilyevich, what is your opinion about the specifics of the Israeli tournament given its innovations in the rules?

- Negative. Our colleagues from Ireland agree with this. Green cards, eight minutes removed ... It's not football anymore. Especially since the arbitrators interpret these rules differently. I did not like these novelties.

- How do you assess the work of your wards at the last meeting? Are there any positive points?

- Yes, but they are not as tangible as we would like. Some of the guys performed well, but most of the players who took part in the January training camp of this team.

Israel we lost ourselves. The referee gave us an incomprehensible penalty, did not count our clean ball, in the episode with the second goal the goalkeeper made a mistake. But if my wards used at least part of their scoring moments, they would not have to worry about missed goals.

In a duel with Ireland the guys have already shown a lot of what we have earned. There just isn't enough time to do even better. To work with such young football players is given very little time for training in tactics, standard positions ...

And as for the national team Фіджі, then this team looked like a clear outsider to the tournament.

- Three Ukrainian legionnaires also worked at the meeting ...

- Representing such solid European clubs, the guys, frankly, did not impress. Perhaps we will return to the candidacy of Daniel Lyapin due to a shortage of center forwards. But at the same time I was unpleasantly surprised by its technical equipment. It may take time, but I catastrophically lack it.

- Will the next stage of preparation of this team take place in August?

- Exactly. Let's start collecting the 20th. I am glad that before the beginning of the Victor Bannikov Memorial we will have five full days for training. I have high hopes that the leaders of our clubs will look at the calendar of the national team and, perhaps, understand that the team needs to gather in the strongest lineup, because the honor of the country wants to defend at a decent level.

- Are the rivals of the national team of Ukraine at the home tournament already known?

- The names of eight national teams already exist, but there has been no draw yet. Although I really want the Israeli team to become one of our rivals ...