These players are needed today by the national team
Head coach of the youth team of Ukraine Ruslan Rotan commented on the situation with the invitation to the team Ilya Zabrany and Mikhail Mudrik for matches Euro 2023 U-21 qualifying playoffs against Slovakia.
“Of course, we did not ask the first team Ilya Zabarny and Mikhail Mudrik. We have working communication with the national team. We were told that we could count on Anatoly Trubin, Alexander Sirota and Daniil Sikan, but any of them could be taken away at any moment. One “suddenly” has already happened – the goalkeeper of Dynamo Georgiy Bushchan was injured.
“Understand, Zabarny has long been not just a player in the main team of the national team, but its leading performer. I don’t know how many footballers in our history have already played more than two dozen matches for the country’s main team at the age of 20. There are no questions here at all.”
“Regarding Mudrik, the situation is perhaps somewhat different – unlike Zabarny, he walked with us almost the entire way. However, now Mikhail is demonstrating an excellent game at the highest level, so all questions here may disappear. Again, you need to understand the strategic tasks that Ukrainian football faces, and the desire to get to the Olympic Games.”
“I would like to remind you that the final part of the Youth Euro is no longer a youth tournament, but a competition of 23-year-old professionals, mainly playing for the first teams of the leading European leagues. You can correct me, but I do not remember that all the leading teams of our continent, without exception, got into the final of the youth championship. That’s just everything.”
“We played against the French and it was an experience that is sometimes difficult to get even at a higher level. You already know the value of the players of this team without me, but this summer alone, more than 150 (!) Million euros were paid for five of its players. These are not just price tags in Internet resources – these are real funds. So, in June, our guys played with them on an equal footing, and in some places they outplayed them. After performing at the Euro, they can cost the same, because there will be not only the French, but the Spaniards, Germans, Italians, the British and other grandees.
“Isn’t it risky to call in players who don’t have match practice in clubs? There is no risk in football, but here we are talking about the guys who have come with us all the way, played in the first team. I think that they deserve to be with the team during such matches. This also applies to many performers who are on the reserve list.”
“We will have enough time, and for that I am grateful to our clubs and the Premier League to assess the readiness of the players. Perhaps we will organize sparring – now our managers are working on it. We’ll see, but the team is still very good competition.
Ukraine qualified for the play-offs for Euro 2023, finishing second in qualifying group H. Team Rotan lost first place to France, but was 11 points ahead of Serbia.
Ukraine will play the first match against Slovakia in Zilina at the Pod Dubno stadium on September 23. The meeting starts at 19:00 Kyiv time.
The second leg, which is considered “home” for the Rotan team, will take place in the Polish city of Bielsko-Biala at the Municipal Stadium on September 27. The match starts at 18:30 Kyiv time.
Source: Sportarena

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