Oleksandr Kosenko: "We will strive and give our all in every game to win World Cup medals"

12.08.2024 12:30

On the eve of the training camp in Portugal, the head coach of the Ukraine futsal team, Oleksandr Kosenko, shared insights about the team's preparation for the World Cup in an interview with the press service of the Association of Futsal of Ukraine.

— Mr. Kosenko, congratulations on the contract extension! The Ukraine team has completed the qualifying cycle for the 2024 World Cup, winning both the main and elite round groups and securing a direct ticket to the tournament. How do you assess the overall performance of our team in the World Cup qualifying campaign? Are you satisfied with the level of play demonstrated by your players?

— First of all, thank you for the congratulations. As for evaluating our performances, I think we are satisfied with the result since we won both the first and second qualifying groups. However, there is always room for improvement because all teams are progressing and getting better. We are no exception, and we also strive to improve. We will continue to work on this.

— The 2023/2024 season has ended, and the 2024/2025 season has not yet begun. However, on August 12, the training camp will start, and on September 14, the World Cup will officially kick-off. Will this time be sufficient for the team to be in good shape ahead of the tournament?

— I hope so. We made this decision ourselves and concluded that this time would be enough for us to prepare well. We have at least five friendly matches planned before the World Cup, so we believe this time will be sufficient.

— The Ukraine team will play against Portugal, Costa Rica, and Cuba during the training camp. Additional matches are also planned, which will be announced later. What do you think of the selection of opponents for preparation?

— I believe these are good opponents for us. It may seem that Cuba and Costa Rica are not very strong on paper, but each team has at least five or six high-level players. Portugal, of course, is the world champion. I like the selection of opponents. These games are very useful and are well-suited to prepare us for our opponents in the World Cup group stage, Angola, and Afghanistan.

— How do you plan to adapt the team to the climatic and time zone conditions of Uzbekistan?

— From September 1, we will be in Kazakhstan, which is close to Uzbekistan, so I think we will have enough time to adapt. We plan to use the training camp in Kazakhstan to prepare for the conditions in Uzbekistan and our matches at the World Cup.

— Do you have a plan in case key players get injured during the training camp?

— Yes, we have reserve players whom we will involve if someone gets injured. We have backup players ready for such situations.

— The average age of the players you've called up for the training camp is 28.6 years. Do you think this is a good balance of experience and youth?

— In my opinion, this is the best indicator. At 28, players have experience and still have the energy. It's a good age for players to showcase their abilities and demonstrate what they are capable of.

— Along with the men's team, the head coach of the women's national team, Oleh Shaitanov, will join the camp. What role will he play during this camp and the tournament?

— We are very happy to have him with us on the coaching staff, we wanted this. Oleh will be responsible for analytical work and video materials, an area in which he is very knowledgeable. He is a futsal expert, so we are delighted to have him on our staff.

— In your opinion, what could be the key factor for a good result for the Ukraine team at the World Cup?

— Preparation and the team's microclimate. These are the most important components. Therefore, we will do everything to prepare the players, ensuring they are in good shape and high spirits.

— What result at the 2024 World Cup would be considered a success for our team?

— I want us to win every match. I have often encountered situations where stating something explicitly doesn't always turn out well. I'll just say this — we will try our best and give our all in every game to win World Cup medals, but we will focus on each game individually and not look too far ahead. We'll concentrate on the next match.

Ukraine futsal team squad:

Goalkeepers: Yuriy Savchenko (Avrora Kyiv), Oleksandr Sukhov (HIT Kyiv), Kyrylo Tsypun (Piast, Poland), Oleksandr Siritskyi (Uragan Ivano-Frankivsk).

Outfield players: Ihor Korsun, Petro Shoturma (Uragan Ivano-Frankivsk), Yevheniy Zhuk, Andriy Melnyk, Daniil Abakshyn, Ihor Chernyavskyi, Oleksandr Pedyash (all - HIT Kyiv), Mykola Mykytyuk (Cordoba, Spain), Rostyslav Semenchenko (Avrora Kyiv), Mykhailo Zvarych (Energiya Lviv), Nazar Shved, Artem Farenyuk (both - Eurobus, Poland).