Oxford United Academy’s Foundation Phase Lead Alexandros Evangelakakis has been away with Lithuania Under 17s.
Alexandros is an Assistant Coach for the U17-U21s in the Lithuania National Team.
We caught up with Alexandros to see how the camp went
“We went to Georgia for a 12-day camp. I've never been to Georgia, so it was a great experience. We played Denmark, Austria and then Georgia.
“It was a very tough group. We've had Denmark who are obviously a strong team, Austria, a very technical team and who have many players playing in Germany, and Georgia, hosting the games so they always get the best facility.
“We were the underdogs, but for us it wasn't about making sure we win. Obviously, it's a competitive part but we had four under 16 players playing up to build the experience for them to play next year when they go with their own age group.
“It’s a different experience, here we play on the nice carpet, but in Georgia, we played on a pitch I've never seen on international level, so it's a new experience for the boys and a new experience for me as well.
“I spoke to the analysts here, like Christian Fortuna, and finding out how they do it is always nice. I even gave them a call and said ‘Hey, they're playing like this, how would you do it?’
“When I'm there I’m an Assistant Coach and an analyst so I help out with all the analysis and then during the games I coach, I give tactical support and whatever they need to find a solution to beat the opponent.
“We didn’t do as well as we wanted but we got a draw against Georgia. I think the boys took it up well and like I said, the most important experience, is for these boys to take it with them as they approach the higher age groups and then senior levels.
See the full interview now on iFollow.