In May, it will be one and a half years since Luis Cortes, one of the best coaches in women's football from Spain, became the coach of Ukraine's national women's team after winning the UEFA Women's Champions League with Barcelona.

The professional shared the results of his coaching staff's work over this period, talked about the nuances of working with the national team under full-scale Russian aggression against Ukraine, and expressed hopes that his wards will be able to show a high level of play in the Premier Women's League of Nations.

— Luis, do you see progress in the game of the Ukrainian national team since you took over the helm in autumn 2021?

— Yes. Progress was noticeable already after the first training camp. After 17 months of work, I can assure that today's team is much better than when we started working with them. We play better, understand the game better, and despite all the difficulties, including those related to irregular camps and the training process, the girls have improved their performances. The appearance of new players helped us make the national team more competitive.

— The national team failed to qualify for the 2023 World Cup. How do you evaluate the performance of the blue-and-yellow team during your time working with them?

— To assess the performances of Ukraine's women's national team, one must take into account the context and circumstances in which our team found itself during the qualification campaign. I cannot say that our performances were excellent. We wanted to qualify for the World Cup but had to deal with a high level of teams from Spain and Scotland, who became the strongest in the group.

The June match against Scotland in Rakhiv was unsuccessful because it was the team's first game after the start of the war. The girls were not in their best form or psychological state. We played ten matches, won six, drew one and lost three. Also, in February 2022, we won the prestigious Turkish Women's Cup, so the assessment of performances should be positive.

— What changes did your coaching staff introduce into the national team?

— We changed many things: ways of playing, training process, everyday life of girls during training camps, etc.

As for the game, today's Ukrainian women's national team is an organized squad with clear ideas and attacking mentality. We try to control the ball and be the main actors in the game, we strive to play boldly.

Regarding training, we introduced our methodology of work that the girls accepted very well. We presented them a new way of training based on working with the ball, understanding the game, and decision-making.

And changes in everyday life are about, for example, nutrition. This is necessary to instill a more professional approach in the girls and develop good habits for their daily activities in clubs.

— Are there players in the national team who could become new leaders of the team considering that some experienced footballers have already retired, while long-term leader of blue-and-yellow Daria Panaschenko is already 36?

— Yes, we are also working on changing generations by giving more responsibility to younger players who become new leaders both on and off the field. We would like to enjoy football with Daria Panaschenko for a long time, but time is passing, and we must be prepared for the day when she decides to end her career in the national team.

— How do you comment on the results of the draw for the premier round of the Women's League of Nations?

— We got tough opponents such as Poland and Serbia. These are strong teams. They play good matches, especially Serbia, which a few months ago beat Germany 3-2. Poland also consistently demonstrates high mastery thanks to such leading players as Eva Payer and Paulina Dudek. Greece in turn is a team from the fourth pot but has an excellent coach, and Greek women are improving day by day, showing good results.

We are satisfied with the draw results. It's very interesting to play in the League of Nations, a new tournament that UEFA created for women's football. I consider this a right decision for developing women's football across Europe. We are ready to play against all these teams and hope to perform well starting September when the tournament begins.

— What is the attitude towards the situation in Ukraine among your compatriots in Spain? What do people say and what is being said in the media?

— This is an interesting question because most people in Spain stop me on the street not because I was a Barcelona coach who won the Women's Champions League, but because I witnessed the start of war in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Most Spanish media ask me about this. And for that reason, I am especially grateful to Andriy Pavelko and his team for helping our coaching staff safely leave Ukraine at the beginning of full-scale Russian aggression.

Now in Spain, people do not talk as actively about the war in Ukraine as they did a year ago, but I try to remind everyone in interviews and public appearances that the situation has not changed — Russian invasion continues, while Ukrainians are defending their country from aggressors.

Also note that support for Ukrainian people by Spanish society remains impressive. Many Ukrainian families receive help finding new homes, jobs, and some, like me, also help Ukrainian boys and girls play football so they can finally feel safe.

— Despite the war in Ukraine, a new national championship for women's teams started in September. In your opinion, was it right for the UAF to make a decision about resuming national competitions? And what effect does it have on the national team?

— It's good that the UAF made the decision to relaunch football competitions in Ukraine. Football is a very powerful tool for change in society, and in this situation, it can help show the world that Ukrainians and Ukrainian women are moving forward despite the war. I think the UAF did everything possible to give girls an opportunity to play football while minimizing risks for them.

And for the national team, it's good because some Ukrainian players stopped their performances when the war began as not all girls decided to go abroad to play. The new championship became a chance for them to continue playing football. The more girls are involved in the football process, the better the level of the national team will be since we'll have more options to choose from.

Results of the Women's League of Nations 2023/2024 Draw

League A

Group A1: England, Netherlands, Belgium, Scotland.

Group A2: France, Norway, Austria, Portugal.

Group A3: Germany, Denmark, Iceland, Wales.

Group A4: Sweden, Spain, Italy, Switzerland.

League B

Group B1: Ireland, Northern Ireland, Hungary, Albania.

Group B2: Finland, Romania, Slovakia, Croatia.

Group B3: Poland, Serbia, Ukraine, Greece.

Group B4: Czech Republic, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belarus.

League C

Group C1: Malta, Moldova, Latvia, Andorra.

Group C2: Turkey, Luxembourg, Lithuania, Georgia.

Group C3: Azerbaijan, Montenegro, Cyprus, Faroe Islands.

Group C4: Israel, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Armenia.

Group C5: North Macedonia, Kosovo, Bulgaria.

Schedule of the UEFA Women's League of Nations 2023/2024

Group Stage

Rounds 1—2: September 20-26, 2023.

Rounds 3—4: October 25-November 1, 2023.

Rounds 5—6: November 29-December 5, 2023.

Final Stage: February 21-28, 2024.

Tie-breakers: February 21-28, 2024.