Bulgaria’s youth national team coach Todor Yanchev will take charge of the under-19 national team for the upcoming European qualifiers in November. The specialist will lead the “young lions” in the absence of Atanas Ribarski, with the matches against Gibraltar, Latvia and Moldova set to be played between 11 and 17 November in Stara Zagora.
Yanchev gathered the team for a training camp on Monday, while the first match of the qualifying tournament is scheduled for Wednesday. Speaking to the Bulgarian Football Union’s channels, the specialist commented on the limited preparation time, his first impressions of the players and the team’s ambitions.
“The time is indeed short. I got to know a large part of the players through video footage, and I also attended some of their matches. It will be a good challenge for me to get to know them as we go along. Especially since in six months, some of these boys will have the opportunity to become part of the youth national team,” Yanchev said.
The coach revealed that there are currently no squad problems and stressed that he does not intend to make significant changes to the team’s style of play given the limited preparation time.
“There is little time, so to a large extent I will stick to the tactical requirements that the players have been accustomed to so far. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we will hold a training session during which we will focus on tactical details, so that the boys are also familiar with my requirements. Our aim is to finish first in the group. I believe this is a completely achievable goal, and I hope we will manage to fulfil it,” the coach added.