Yuri Maleev: «We need to add a lot and learn»

The head coach of the Belarusian women's national team answered journalists' questions after the UEFA Women's European Championship 2021 qualification match against Norway.

- The score speaks for itself. I can say that the team plays as its opponent allows it to play. Today they allowed us very little, if not to say nothing at all. In principle, our current level is such that the team lasts for 30-35 minutes in confrontations with top teams.

Are you satisfied with these 30-35 minutes?

- We had a specific game plan. According to this plan, we had to act in a certain way, depending on a particular situation. In general, it worked on this segment. In preparation, we showed a number of matches from the World Cup and, in principle, we covered the player who should have been covered. I’m talking about number 6, which is the main player and captain of the national team and is playing in Chelsea. This player is hard enough to cover, but number 3 made mistakes quite often, as in the World Cup matches, as well as in the match against England, which they won. Therefore, I can say that I am rather satisfied but with the defensive aspect of my team's game.

It seemed to me that they played well in the middle of the pitch and didn’t allow the Norwegians to create much...

- I agree with you, but you understand that for us such matches are a big school. When we were preparing for the game, we explained to the girls the manner in which the Norwegian team played. They played two central defenders, two strong midfielders, two insiders and two forwards, who formed the majority in certain parts of the pitch. Our task was to prevent them from doing this, but as you saw our midfielders coped with the task for exactly 30 minutes. Unfortunately, Tanya Krasnova was even injured. To compete with such teams for the national team of Belarus, first of all, you need a good physical condition. We are technically weaker, because the opponent has a completely different set and selection of players, therefore, in order to withstand the high intensity of the game, we first of all need a good physical condition. Today we had enough for 30-35 minutes. I’m not particularly pleased with the game in the middle of the pitch, because the tasks that were given to our players were accoplished for exactly 30 minutes, and then we were physically short of it and this resulted in us being torn in the middle, and as a result dangerous moments were created on the wings ... I would also like to say thanks to Natalia Voskobovich, who repeatedly helped us out today.

Norwegians spent five days in Minsk. Have you been following them?

- Sure. This is a living textbook. You can hear it a hundred times, but you can understand something faster when you experience it first hand. This is a lesson for players and for the coaching staff. I don’t completely separate us here. We all learn. To be honest, it was my favorite team at the World Cup, but then I didn’t know that we would be in the same group, and when I found out, I even wondered how we would look at that level.

Today, two goals were conceded from set-pieces. It turns out  you did not play not entirely successfully in this component?

- Yes, I agree. Here you can show, arrange and tell, but what is a set-piece? This is a static position in which attention plays a special role. You looked at the ball, turned, and after a split second the player is already here. Therefore, in this component, as in many others, we need to add a lot and learn in order to compete with such teams. In order to raise the level of football, we need to work all together, starting from the clubs in which the girls prepare and ending with the national team. We don’t have much time. Only three days of getting together and playing with Norway, then another three days and playing with Wales. There are a lot of problems and we constantly think how to solve them. We try, but something works and something does not.

Kunitskaya was not called up previously. She came from Turkey, and in my opinion she entered the game badly today. Missing speed. How do you comment?

- I have been working for the national team relatively recently and I am interested in seeing all the players. Better to see once than hear a hundred times. Of course, I’m looking for information on all the players, but in order to make the most complete impression I need to see the player live myself. Only in this way can I understand who can be counted on, and whom I should say “thank you” for today. The substitution was carried out with a score of 1: 5. Today I had to check it out, which I did.

On Tuesday you have a match against Wales. The team has gained a lot over the past 10 years. Wales played two matches in the current qualification. Have you watched these games?

- I watched both matches. I watched the game against the Faroe Islands before our first home game. It is clear that more attention was paid to the Faroe Islands then, because we had to play with them, but even then I also looked at Wales. The tactical scheme of Wales in matches with the Faroe Islands and Northern Ireland was different. In the first game they played 4-4-2, and in the match with Northern Ireland they played with three defenders. It can be assumed that they have an away and home game model. I can say that this is a very good team. In general, in our group all the teams are very good. I repeat in order to compete with such teams, we need to be well prepared physically, tactically and psychologically.

Lubov Gudchenko was not called up to the national team. What is the reason?

- I recently met with the head coach of the Lithuanian national team and the Gintra football club, for which Lubov plays. We were all gathered in Milan after the World Cup. Lubov got injured, so we didn’t cause it. Plus, as I said, to make an impression I need to look at other players.