Ukraine seek to spring surprise

By Igor Linnyk

Buoyed by his side's impressive displays in qualification, coach Viktor Kaschev is quietly confident for Ukraine's chances at the UEFA European Under-17 Championship in France.

Five wins
Kaschev presided over a team that recorded five successive victories in the first two qualifying rounds, with Ukraine's only defeat in six matches coming against Slovakia when a place in the final tournament had already been confirmed.

Glad of Gladkyy
Having seen off Estonia, Kazakhstan and Moldova in the first qualifying round, four goals from Oleksandr Gladkyy, a member of FC Metalist Kharkiv's sports academy, earned 2-0 victories against Denmark and Germany in the second qualifying round to book a berth in France. The only failure came in the final game when, in spite of Dmytro Moldovan giving Ukraine a 2-0 lead, Slovakia rallied to win 3-2.

'Patience and spirit'
Such form will make Group B opponents Austria, England and holders Portugal wary of Kaschev's men, but despite his side's fine record, the Ukraine coach insists qualification was not straightforward. "There were no easy matches," the coach said. "But our patience and winning spirit proved decisive and won us a place in the finals. Our hardest game was against Germany, but in that match – and in the majority of our games, particularly the one against the Danes – we performed to our capabilities, which is nice."

Seeking perfection
A sign of the high standards the coach demands from his players is shown in his reaction to the defeat by Slovakia. "In general, the players do their best, which you can see from our results," Kaschev said. "[But] it is clear that sometimes something can go wrong. For example, against the Slovakians, Moldovan's two goals gave us an advantage. Then we allowed ourselves to relax a little and conceded three. After that we tried to come back but failed to convert some fine opportunities. It is fortunate for us that the game could not influence our destiny."

Fluid formation
A shrewd tactician, Kaschev favours a flexible system that gives his team room to manoeuvre and never allows opponents to relax. "You can place players on the field in different ways according to different scenarios," the Ukraine coach said. "It is important that they efficiently and properly execute the coach's instructions."

Versatility vital
"In modern football everybody on the field has to be able to play in attack and defence," Kaschev continued. "The team have to be mobile at first. Defending starts in attack, but attacks thrives from the back-line. In this light, there is no need to speak about any particular tactical schemes. Take [RC] Deportivo [La Coruña]: even if they play with one forward, they can score three and four goals in a match."

Psychological development
Kaschev has assembled a fine collection of players that look certain to have a bright future in football, although those who shine in youth competitions are often unable to translate that level of success to the senior game. "Yes, this situation is possible," Kaschev acknowledged. "Above all it is a question of young players' psychology as football can be considered as a whole life in miniature. It depends on a number of different factors, but first of all, daily hard work in training must be maintained."

'Chance for everybody'
"It is important to have the desire to prove that you are the best, and to keep proving that," Kaschev continued. "Those who are poor pupils at school can become nice people, while the opposite is also true. Everybody has their chances to make an impression, but only some of us can take them."