Moroz: I would like the guys to give at least a little joy to the Ukrainian people in such a difficult time

Head coach Ukrainian national team U-17 Yuriy Moroz spoke about preparations for European Youth Championship 2024.

“Indeed, war is the biggest disadvantage of this situation. But we believe that justice will soon prevail. As for the team, all the guys are positive and want to show their best qualities.”

“Unfortunately, there are losses. But this does not apply to foreign players. Due to an injury, Dynamo Kyiv midfielder Vladimir Ozimai, whom we really counted on, could not come. As for the rest, I think today this is the optimal composition of the current Ukrainian national team.”

“I won’t be specific, but I can say for sure that, having studied the opponents, I concluded that each of the teams in our group can present a surprise. The fights themselves will show who will be the best. Each opponent has approximately the same chance of success. The Ukrainian national team must be ready to show their best qualities in every game, this is the only way we can achieve good results.”

“As cliché as it may sound, we want to win every game. The final part of the Euro is different from qualifying or the elite round, psychological stability is very important here, there must be a good functional state, and I’m not even talking about the desire and mood of the team. In such tournaments, every game is decisive. I would really like the guys to be inspired by our ideas and give at least a little joy to the Ukrainian people in such a difficult time.”

Let us remind you that in March the Ukrainian youth team successively beat Greece (2:0), Switzerland (3:0) and Slovakia (3:0), winning a direct ticket to Euro 2024 among the U-17 national teams.

Moroz’s team will start at the Youth Euro 2024 with a match against Serbia on May 20. Next, Ukraine will play against the Czech Republic on May 23. In the final round, the blue-yellows will play against the hosts of the competition, the Cyprus team, on May 26.