“In moments we looked no worse than the Italians”

The Ukrainian youth team completed the training camp, during which the blue-and-yellows had two sparring matches – with Denmark (3:2) and Italy (1:3). One of the key performers of the Ukrainian youth team, the defender of the Austrian LASK, spoke about the results of this work Maxim Taloverov.

– Maxim, upon returning from the youth team, your LASK did not lose to Austria in an away match. Is this a normal result?
– LASK tries to win in any match. The match against Austria was no exception. We were the best, during the game there were more scoring chances, but it so happened that we lost – 0:2. Therefore, we can say that having recouped, they pulled out a duel.

– What is the task of LASK for this season?
– The main goal is to win the Austrian Cup. This coming Thursday in the semi-final of the tournament, we will play with Sturm, who, I hope, we can get in the championship in order to qualify for the Champions League. It will be difficult for Salzburg to catch up, as this team now looks stronger than its competitors. But in general, it would be nice to win the cup and break into the top three winners of the championship.

– What can you say about the gathering of the youth team of Ukraine?
“It turned out to be interesting and, most importantly, useful. We were glad to meet our teammates because we had not seen each other for a long time. Ukraine faced serious opponents. In these sparrings we got a good experience. In the match with Italy, I think we looked good, while the game showed that we have room to grow and show even better football. At times, we looked no worse than the Italians, so, in my opinion, when the Ukrainian team improves in the team and individual game, it will be able to win against such teams as Italy, which I consider one of the main favorites at the future European Championship.

And in the match with Denmark, our team showed character, snatching a victory in the last seconds of the game, this is also a kind of experience that will definitely come in handy for the Ukrainian team at the Euro.

When you come to the national team, there is no time to play something new, so we remembered our style, remembered what the coach requires. The team worked with full dedication. The gathering went well.

– Do you think that in June, when the European Championship kicks off, the players of the Ukrainian national team will be able to be in optimal condition?
– A difficult season will be behind all the participants of the Euro. Therefore, in this regard, no one will have an advantage. Everything will depend on us. I have no doubt that in every fight we will act with maximum efficiency and do our best to achieve positive results. We want to please our compatriots in such a difficult time,” said Taloverov.

Recall that this year the youth team of Ukraine will take part in the final tournament of Euro 2023 (U-21). In total, 16 teams will take part in the forum, which will be held from June 21 to July 8 in Georgia and Romania. According to the results of the draw, which took place on October 18 last year in Bucharest, the blue-yellows were in group B, where they will meet with Romania, Spain and Croatia. The top three teams in Euro 2023 (except France and England) will qualify for the 2024 Olympics.

#moments #looked #worse #Italians

2023-04-04 13:43:00