Oleksandr Petrakov: I was completely satisfied with the meeting of national team coaches in Turkey

13.02.2021 15:04

Photo by Pavlo Kubanov

The head coach of the youth national team of Ukraine U-18 (football players not older than 2003 of birth) Oleksandr Petrakov told the UAF official site about the impressions from working trips to Turkey, where Ukrainian clubs held meetings.

- First of all, I would like to thank the UAF leadership for organizing such a business trip. After visiting Turkey, I seemed to return to football. The fact is that I haven't seen my team for a year, and for the coach, you know, such a pause is like a drought.

- Did many football players who are suitable for your national team by age play in Turkey?

- Almost all the best players of this age are gathered in Dynamo and Shakhtar. There was also the Vorskla youth team, as well as the Rukh (U-19) team, which I really liked. It includes many football players from Karpaty and the Lviv sports boarding school, and we know what a good school there is.

- Did you talk to the club coaches, to the guys themselves?

- Yes. I repeat, the trip turned out to be very productive. Although without own trainings, but I was also involved in the process (smiles).

- A meeting of Ukrainian national team coaches took place in Turkey ...

- We discussed the principles of the game of national teams. I can say that I was completely satisfied with the results of this event. I hope these meetings will be regular. At least next time we should talk in early March.

- What are the next plans of the Ukrainian U-18 national team?

- I asked the leadership of our association to organize a training camp in March. We want to gather several times before the qualifying round of Euro-2022 (U-19), which is to take place in October this year in Poland.