I’m proud of our boys!
Wednesday, July 3, 2019
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Shakhtar U17 head coach Oleksandr Sytnyk reflects on winning the league title, the Academy’s historic achievement and the prospects of its graduates
- Congrats on the championship! Could you, please, sum up the major season results?
- Thank you! Over the two years of my work with the team, all the players have noticeably grown professionally, which is probably the most important thing. Last time, we weren’t successful enough to win gold medals, while this season, the guys have produced not only excellent results but also good quality of football, which is very important for me as a coach. Over two years, they have significantly stepped it up both individually and teamwork wise. Not only did we win the top spot in the regular league campaign, but also spent the final part in high gear. Many experts pointed out that in terms of play organisation we were a cut above the rest, and this resulted in such a confident victory.
- Which final tournament game can we call the key one?
- Probably the first group stage game against UFK Karpaty. They are strong opponents, one of the DUFLU leaders, we beat them 8-0 though. When I saw how resolute the guys were about the final part, how much they want to prove themselves and win gold medals, how they prepare for the match, I immediately realized that they would give their all for the sake of victory. The team had this mood through the final part, scoring 20 goals against the opponents with only one goal conceded.
- This season, the Shakhtar Academy has achieved historic success – they won the DUFLU gold medals in all four age groups. What enabled them to achieve this result?
- Right, this is big success. I think the changes are connected with the arrival of Jorge Raffo at the Academy, who, with the support of the club management, is implementing his football school development strategy. Everyone - from employees to coaches and players – appreciated his ideas, with everyone trying to contribute to the victories. It’s not worth differentiating in this case, because credit for this historic achievement goes to all the staff of the Academy.
- The layers born in 2002 form the graduation group at the Academy. What are the prospects for this age?
- I’m really proud of our boys! They did a great job, for which I am grateful to them. I believe that the generation is strong and that this age has some great prospects. Some players will play for Shakhtar U19, and some will even play for Shakhtar U21. For them, this is a very important step, and I wish them just the best of luck. Most importantly, they shouldn’t stop, working on themselves, progressing and moving on. Let's hope that we will see some of them in the senior team some time.
- Thank you! Over the two years of my work with the team, all the players have noticeably grown professionally, which is probably the most important thing. Last time, we weren’t successful enough to win gold medals, while this season, the guys have produced not only excellent results but also good quality of football, which is very important for me as a coach. Over two years, they have significantly stepped it up both individually and teamwork wise. Not only did we win the top spot in the regular league campaign, but also spent the final part in high gear. Many experts pointed out that in terms of play organisation we were a cut above the rest, and this resulted in such a confident victory.
- Which final tournament game can we call the key one?
- Probably the first group stage game against UFK Karpaty. They are strong opponents, one of the DUFLU leaders, we beat them 8-0 though. When I saw how resolute the guys were about the final part, how much they want to prove themselves and win gold medals, how they prepare for the match, I immediately realized that they would give their all for the sake of victory. The team had this mood through the final part, scoring 20 goals against the opponents with only one goal conceded.
- This season, the Shakhtar Academy has achieved historic success – they won the DUFLU gold medals in all four age groups. What enabled them to achieve this result?
- Right, this is big success. I think the changes are connected with the arrival of Jorge Raffo at the Academy, who, with the support of the club management, is implementing his football school development strategy. Everyone - from employees to coaches and players – appreciated his ideas, with everyone trying to contribute to the victories. It’s not worth differentiating in this case, because credit for this historic achievement goes to all the staff of the Academy.
- The layers born in 2002 form the graduation group at the Academy. What are the prospects for this age?
- I’m really proud of our boys! They did a great job, for which I am grateful to them. I believe that the generation is strong and that this age has some great prospects. Some players will play for Shakhtar U19, and some will even play for Shakhtar U21. For them, this is a very important step, and I wish them just the best of luck. Most importantly, they shouldn’t stop, working on themselves, progressing and moving on. Let's hope that we will see some of them in the senior team some time.