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Euro U-17 / Albania debuts tomorrow against Portugal, Tedesco: We are proud to be part of this experience

2025-05-18 16:29:23Sport SHKRUAR NGA REDAKSIA VOX
Euro U-17 / Albania debuts tomorrow against Portugal, Tedesco: We are proud to
Andrea Tedesco

Albania U-17 will debut tomorrow in the final matches of the European Championship "Albania 2025" that will take place in our country.

The little reds and blacks will play the first match of Group A against Portugal at the "Arena Kombëtare" stadium at 18:00.

On the eve of this historic challenge for the Albanian U-17 national team, coach Andrea Tedesco appeared at a press conference today and spoke about Albania's objectives in these finals.

Among other things, coach Tedesco spoke about the emotions of the development of the championship in Albania, the opponents, as well as the group of players who will represent Albania in this final phase.

The Italian coach underlined that the participation of Albania U-17 in the finals of this European Championship is a great opportunity for the Albanian team and football.

He expressed confidence that the team can challenge any strong opponent, seeking to make the most of this historic experience.

The objective in the European Championship? – First of all, I want to say that I am very happy that our team is part of the European finals. I wish it to be a good experience for the whole team, the staff and the Federation. It is the first time that we are in the finals of such an important competition. Our primary objective is to give pleasure to the fans, to those who will support and follow us. Also, it is important that we have a good environment within the team and, from a technical point of view, what I am looking for is a kind of level increase, just like the good performances we had from September to March. To have specific moments within the match that show the growth of the team. We have worked very well and had good performances.

European for the first time in Albania? – We are definitely happy that this event is organized in Albania. It's an incredible opportunity. For a long time we have been working both in organizational terms and with the players. Football is like that; When you are given such an opportunity, you have to live it. We are proud to be part of this experience.

Of course we have tough opponents, including Portugal, which has won the European U-17 Championship six times and has a very good team. We are ready and we will try to play as best we can, while we have to show our strength on the field. With new players you have the opportunity to create surprises, both for good and for bad. In youth football, the result doesn't matter; What matters is the performance and growth of the team. We aim to have very good performances.

Albania's opponents? – We are trying to support and work with the players both emotionally and technically-tactically, so that they can face the opponents as best as possible. We cannot accept the role of the "victim" during the match; We will try to play the football we know. A match involves many elements: emotional, psychological, technical and tactical. We are emotionally different, but tomorrow we will see what will happen, of course also being influenced by the environment, the field, the stadium and the important moments of the game. We will try to give our best, but in football there are also the specific moments of the match; I'm very curious tomorrow to see how the boys will manage them. This is a new process for all of us and we will see what happens. Anyway, I'll be very proud of my players.

The opponents of the group? – If I had been worried, I would not have accepted this opportunity that has been given to me to be the coach of Albania. The moment the referee starts the match, it is all football, like when he plays on the street, on the beach or in the stadium. This is our job, mine initially and the technical staff with whom we have been working lately. For the players, it is a dream that they have imagined since they were little. I can't wait for the first match to see how it goes. If we refer to the UEFA rankings, Albania is in 66th place, while Portugal is in seventh. We will forget this part and try our best to find some kind of balance. We will see how it goes.

Have you spoken to Silvinho and have you received any advice from him about the European? – Of course we have cooperation with Silvinjo. We see each other and talk about football every day in the AFL offices. In the last two weeks we have discussed a lot about the European. Recently, he has given me some good suggestions. I have constant contact with him and a personal relationship.

Why are there no players invited from the Albanian championship? – The policy of the AFL is very clear. Many investments have been made, in terms of stadiums, fields, courses, bringing foreign lecturers who teach lessons to those who are being trained in the framework of improving domestic football. When I received the invitation to be part of the FSHF as coach of the U-17 and not as its manager, I was invited to coach the team. We are a committee, consisting of the Technical Director, the Head of Scouting and me, who make the selection to find the best possible players. From September until now we have seen many players, we have also had the "Step by Step" project from which many players have come out which we have tried in friendly matches, or during the period of international matches. But we could only make 20 players part of the list, with our desire we would have 23 players. We all have our own preferences, I might like one player, someone else another player. But these preferences are not always met in such cases. We tried to choose the best. And from this moment, for me these 20 players are the best players in the world. I will try to prepare them in the best possible conditions so that they represent Albania as best as possible.

How will Albania play in the European Championship? – In modern football, what matters are the duels, and who wins the duels, wins on the field. For the players to grow, it is a philosophy that is not only the national team, but also the clubs and academies. For the players to progress, they must have challenges, such as the current Euro U-17. You have to try them at different times. If players need to be ready in the future for the first team, you have to give them the opportunity to test them. You can fail, but you have to start over again. Our great strength should be the group, together with the love for football, this is of particular importance. We are not focused on individual qualities, because what matters is how you work for the team. You can be very good "one-on-one", but it's more important to be a team player, and that's what I want to see. The opponents on paper are stronger than us, but if we think so, we will have lost the Championship by now. We have to manage the moments and do our best when given the opportunity.

Does the presence of Albanian fans in the stadium motivate you tomorrow? – There will be about 10 thousand fans in the stadium tomorrow and I want to thank them, starting from the family members, the groups of fans who will be. I hope we manage to satisfy them. For the players it will be a bit of a shock at first, but when the match starts, you don't think about what happens around you anymore. I wish us to have a good match and the fans to support us. It is our home, it is our country, we will do our best to represent Albania as best as possible.


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