C. Tulleners: "Fans will want to see players fiercely fighting for their country

2024-06-04 13:55 © lff.lt

Very soon, one of the most important summer tournaments in Lithuania will start - the European U19 Girls Championship, where the Lithuanian national team will test their strength against the strongest teams on the continent.

The championship will take place from July 14-27 in Kaunas, Marijampolė, and Jonava, and the Lithuanian team has been placed in Group A, where they will face off against the teams from England, France, and Serbia.

All their matches will be played at the Kaunas Darius and Girėnas Stadium.

Leading this team will be a specialist from Belgium - Cederique Tulleners. He joined the team earlier this year, taking over from Karolis Jasaitis.

This is already his second coaching stint in Lithuania - in the past, he worked for the Lithuanian Football Federation and contributed to the development of women's football. After some time away, he has returned to Lithuania in recent months to prepare the team for this historic experience.

In a detailed interview, the coach talked about his journey into football, his time in Lithuania, and the upcoming continental championships.

- Tell us your story - why did you choose to work in football?

- Like many children, I fell in love with football during my childhood, playing it in the yard and at school. When I was 18-20 years old, I realized that becoming a professional player would be difficult, so I decided to explore coaching. I decided to try coaching and around the age of 22, I fully immersed myself in this work, got the necessary licenses, gained experience. I enjoyed this work from the very beginning because I had to think about football all the time, work with players, strengthen them, and build a team. I enjoyed this process, and that's why I am a coach now.

- What are the biggest differences between working with men's and women's teams?

- First of all, football is the same worldwide, everyone plays eleven against eleven, but the environment in women's football is slightly different. Like between different countries, there are certain differences between women's and men's football. Speaking about Lithuania, I think we are still trying to grow women's football, probably that is the biggest challenge because we need to create a structure and involve more and more girls. In countries with strong clubs, everything is easier, as competitive teams and leagues simplify the work in national teams.

If we compare Lithuania with major football nations, there coaches can choose from thousands of players, while we choose from 10 thousand. This complicates things a bit when putting together a strong team or wanting to see fierce competition in the league every week.

- What do you like most and find most satisfying in your work with women's football, do the key principles remain the same as with men?

- Some parameters, like physical ones, are different, tactics also differ. Of course, our accents are slightly different as well. Generally, the girls feel that they are trusted and that help is offered, and I think that is the main thing. When they feel that they are doing something good and the coach trusts them, it is easier to introduce certain tactical components into their game, create training programs. The first emphasis in women's football, in my opinion, should be on good well-being, a good atmosphere in the dressing room, and self-confidence.

- Who do you see as the leaders of this team? Karolina Jasaityte is the captain, but who else do you see as potential team leaders?

- In every group, there are different leaders, some leaders are more vocal, others demonstrate leadership by example, while some are very calm and choose to speak only at appropriate times and in appropriate ways. I think there are many leaders in our group, but they all have different characteristics or demonstrate them in different ways. In our team, there are many different personalities, and I think that is very good.

- How long has your stint in Lithuania been and what differences did you notice between the first and second stints here?

- I was in Lithuania before for two years, then I was away for a couple of years and returned around 7-8 months ago. When you return somewhere after a break, you notice differences more easily. When you are constantly in one place, the changes are not so obvious. Since I was not here for two years, those differences are more visible now.

In football, there is often a desire to invest today and see results tomorrow, but things do not work that way, we have to invest now and gradually move forward. Over time, these changes will become more and more noticeable.

I think the situation here is heading in the right direction, we see better results from youth national teams, I myself see more and more talented players. It takes a little more time, but we are definitely on the right track. I believe that with time, the situation will improve even further because there is certainly potential in football here.

- How big of a tournament is this upcoming girls' championship for Lithuania and what is its significance?

- This is the highest level in Europe and a unique life experience. The best seven European teams will participate, and Lithuania will join them, so only 160 girls from all of Europe will be able to play. This is a huge tournament and a great opportunity for the girls to see what it's like to play against top-level players.

With this will come certain difficulties and challenges that will prepare us for the future. It's a great tournament for us, but we have to be realistic - we will play against very strong teams from England, France, and Serbia, which have been investing in women's football for a long time and have a large pool of players.

It is the highest level, and it would be somewhat unfair to compare with these teams, but we can promise that we will give our all and try to achieve our tasks. The girls also talk about representing their country at the highest level in their age group.

I keep telling them that the fans supporting them will want to see them fighting for their country, for each other, for themselves, and that they take pride in wearing the national team jersey. If they do that (which I am convinced they will) - the whole country will be happy, no matter what the result.

- Who do you see as the favorites of this tournament?

- I think France is very powerful, their players are extremely strong individually, physically and technically. They have a variety of players - tall and fast, shorter and resilient, their game leaves a very good impression on me. England will also be an interesting team, but in the entire championship, only the best teams from all of Europe will play, so all of them will be strong, but if I had to pick three - it would be France, England, and Spain.

- The entire team will play at the Darius and Girėnas Stadium, how do you think such an atmosphere can affect the players?

- This is the biggest tournament where they can play in their age category, so they truly deserve to play here. The girls are also looking forward to playing at our biggest and most beautiful stadium. Of course, it might add some pressure or excitement, as they are not used to it, but that additional stress can be good, you cannot come to the match and think about other things; psychologically, you have to be there.

- The championship will come and go, but in your opinion, what will be the most important to take away for the future?

- I can repeat that this is an opportunity to show themselves at the highest level, we have to show what we are capable of, fight one hundred percent for our country, and then be able to say to ourselves that we did everything we could. But we also have to enjoy this moment because we will play against the best opponents in the best stadium, we will have everything provided for us.

Looking at the bigger picture - I hope that such an event will encourage even more girls to get involved in football. I hope that the girls watching us will enjoy the atmosphere, the competition, and the support, and they themselves will aspire to play football.