© EuroFootball.com
In the first camp of the year, Lithuania's national football team coaches got to know the players and evaluated them in training match simulations. On Tuesday at the LFF Stadium in Vilnius, the reserve (B) and under-21 national teams made up of players playing in Lithuania tested their strengths against each other.
According to the U-21 national team coach V. Stankevičius, it was more of a training session than a match - the footballers played not the traditional 90 minutes, but three halves of 25 minutes each, with many substitutions taking place.
"The national team head coach Csaba Laszlo wanted to get to know the players better and test them in training - both the older players playing in Lithuania and the youth national team players were experimented with, trying them out in various positions," explained V. Stankevičius. "This is the first stage of forming the team. We will continue to monitor the players at their clubs, as the season is starting soon."
The teams were divided into "green" with mostly B team players, and "red" with exceptions consisting of members of the youth national team. The "green" team, who scored goals through goalkeeper Vaidas Šilėnas and forwards Andrius Velička and Artūras Rimkevičius, were more precise.
V. Stankevičius stated that he did not evaluate this training decisively. "There were both positives and negatives in the game. There were some mistakes and the pitch was a bit slippery. However, it must be said that the stadium workers prepared the pitch well," said the coach.
One of the most experienced members of the B team, forward Andrius Velička, viewed the short training camp positively. "It's great that a team of A league players was assembled, and the coaches provided an opportunity to see who is worth what," said A. Velička. "Whether it's the reserve or the main team - an invitation to the national team is always pleasant. Especially at my age. We didn't have much time, but the coach mentioned that he would require our maximum effort."
As the training camp was ending, the national team strategist Cs. Laszlo along with the head of the LFF national teams section Robert Tautkus flew to Switzerland to scout future opponents of Lithuania, the Bosnian and Herzegovinian footballers. They will play a friendly match against the Brazilian national team in St. Gallen tonight.
Lithuania's B team: Marius Rapalis, Valdemar Borovskij, Georgas Freidgeimas, Algis Jankauskas, Vaidas Slavickas, Andrius Bartkus, Andrius Urbšys, Mantas Savėnas, Mantas Kuklys, Vaidas Šilėnas, Andrius Velička, (substitutes - Marius Šoblinskas, Artūras Rimkevičius).
Lithuania U-21 team: Emilijus Zubas, Karolis Jarmalavičius, Vytautas Andriuškevičius, Jaunius Juozaitis, Karolis Urbaitis, Arminas Vaskela, Karolis Chvedukas, Tadas Eliošius, Tautvydas Eliošius, Ernestas Veliulis, Audrius Brokas (substitutes - Marius Miškinis, Markas Beneta, Ernestas Pilypas).
