In the previous qualifying cycle, the U-19 team won the qualification in the elite round, and the same goal has also Toni Karačić and his associates in these qualifications.

Before the start of Group 11 tournament, the head coach Toni Karačić talks about youth teams, co-operation between head coaches, working conditions, and expectations in qualifications.

Head coach, if you need to draw a parallel in terms of the working conditions and the achieved results, between the period when you have been appointed to this position and the present time, how would you describe it the best?

“A progress is evident for sure, both in terms of results and in working conditions. A great move was made. We qualified to the elite round four times. On two occasions, we were close to qualification to the European Championship and we have always been competitive. If we look at the statistics of our matches, we can see that we are attacking. We have the most number of shots, corners, as well as greater ball possession than our opponents.”

What is the general strategy regarding working with players in the youth national team?

“We always try to select the best players at a given moment, in order to achieve a result, but we prepared them for the U-21 team. It is obvious even now, as 90% of the U-21 team players played also in the U-19 team. There is continuity in operation from U-15 to U-17 teams, and then from U-17 to U-19. I must point out that the cooperation between us, the head coaches of youth teams, is excellent and for every compliment.”

Do you think that FF BH is paying enough attention to the professional education of coaches, who run youth representative teams?

“We, head coaches, had a large number of trips within the study groups in the past, which had just aimed at coach education in youth and grassroots football. There, we exchanged experiences and opinions with colleagues from Europe and this is a very good way. What we saw was applied in our work, but we also pointed out to other coaches in the Premier Youth League on some strategies for the development of club and national football in countries such as Austria and Belgium. They have good programs that can be applied in our country too, perhaps not at full capacity, but surely to a great extent. I hope we will continue in that direction, with never enough knowledge.”

What role and impact the Premier League has in creating young players and their development on the way to national teams?

“As soon as a unique youth league was formed, it immediately proved to be a full hit. This year there was a new reorganization of youth competitions, where the U-19 competition was separate from the U-17, and the U-15 league was formed. In the long term, this will give results. The Federation took a good move and it is now up to the clubs to follow it, so they should approach to the work with youth categories more seriously. Currently, there are five or six clubs that are constantly at the top in Bosnia and Herzegovina. There is a concentration of quality and they give the most players for national teams. It is wrong to think that there are no qualifying coaches with us. The profession is not a problem and there are a lot of creative people here, but unfortunately finances and poor infrastructure break us most often, and these are the segments we have to deal with.”

In your opinion, do you think that the players, whose development path has gone through the Youth League competitions, have a greater chance of success and adaptation in the senior team or national team?

“It's the only way for a young player to reach the senior team, through a quality school and a strong youth competition. In the future, it would certainly be useful if the U-19 League would be allowed the appearance of three senior players for each team or if the U-21 league would be formed. For young footballers, the most difficult transition is from U-19 to senior team, so this way would make them easier to cross.”

Based on the quality, presented in youth competitions, can you tell us, what is the future of BH football?

“Unfortunately, everything is looked at in a negative way in BH, but everything is not so black. When you make comparisons since ten years ago and now, a progress is evident. Our expectations are high and we would like to move closer to some European standards, and the results of national teams may be above what we have. We also have a large outflow of players; they go abroad, because they have better opportunities there. The Federation invests, but local communities must also be involved, so we could develop infrastructure and youth schools. For all this, we need time and patience, but we have to work in order to get closer to some European standards in club football, and the potential is certainly there.”

The qualifying tournament for the EC next year in Finland starts tomorrow. Are you satisfied with the players' efforts and their shape?

“We have selected players who are currently in the best shape, but we do not give up of other guys who have gone through this selection. We had a little specific way of preparation, because six national team players joined us before the very start of the tournament. The reason is that some clubs did not release their players to preparations before the UEFA date, so we had to adapt to it. Through video analysis, we also met with opponents and I expect to play a good tournament.”

How tough is this group and can we qualify to the elite qualification round?

“The group is of high quality. The first match is with Georgia, which we respect. They have a good team and have systematically developed a style of play that is recognizable. This first game will be a great test for us and can determine the further direction of the qualifications. We met with France three times and we have one win, a draw and a defeat. We should not underestimate Andorra. We have to take them seriously, as well as other teams. Only in this way we can reach the elite qualification round, which all of us want and we believe that we could reach this goal.”