In February of next year, the selection cycle for CS-2027 among women's teams begins. The Ukrainian team has started preparing for the tournament with friendly matches against Slovakia (2:1) and Romania (1:1).

The head coach of Ukraine's women's national team, Volodymyr Pyatenko, shared his impressions from these matches on the official website of the UAF. The games took place at the end of October:

— Due to various reasons, 11 players from the main squad were absent. On one hand, this gave us a chance to look at the closest reserve, on the other — we lacked several key players, and this was reflected in the game. But ultimately, training camps and friendlies are conducted for the purpose of refining team play.

— Did the October preparation stage and matches against Slovakia and Romania meet expectations?

— If we don't focus on personnel losses, then yes. We accomplished everything that was planned. We gave an opportunity to show themselves practically all players who were at our disposal. Especially since six substitutions were allowed. Since there was the possibility of experimenting, we tried out players in different combinations, although this did not affect the playing style. Tactical schemes remained traditional.

— From your experience coaching Ukraine's national team — which of the friendly matches did our girls perform better in?

— You know, there is one significant nuance here. The interval between selection games is a bit longer, whereas when you play every two days, as we did in October, this creates certain difficulties. One must also consider logistical issues that affect the training process and recovery. Of course, we tried to pay attention to every detail so that the workload was distributed evenly, but the Romanians only planned one friendly match and were therefore somewhat fresher. Moreover, they played at home. Perhaps it was precisely this that helped them avoid defeat in the closing moments of the game.

By the way, our opponents had different styles, but they shared a desire to use high pressing, intensify in the final phase, and often attack down the flanks. In short, these were useful friendlies, as we too strive to demonstrate football that meets today's demands.

Photo: Dan Balashov

— Among your wards, were there those who did not fit into the ensemble or perhaps on the contrary — pleasantly surprised?

— Since there were many players who previously had insufficient playing experience, let alone two debutants in the national team, it was important that they first and foremost diligently followed coaching instructions. Overall, there's no reason to complain, the national team's performance made a solid impression.

— Were there any injuries?

— Unfortunately, Kateryna Korsun and Svitlana Kogut, who played against Slovakia, were not spared from injuries and had to miss the match against Romania. I hope they will recover quickly and be able to help their teams in the next round of the Ukrainian championship.

— By the way, how are things with those among your wards who for various reasons were not involved in October?

— The vast majority of them will soon return to action. I count on them at the next training camp in November.

— Do you already know who the Ukrainian women will play against in their upcoming friendly matches?

— The matter is still under negotiation. I hope we'll play against interesting opponents at the end of November.