Former midfielder and head coach of Dynamo Kyiv and the Ukrainian national team Oleksii Mykhailichenko, who has experience of playing in Italy, shared his views on the Euro 2024 qualifying match.
Oleksii Mykhailichenko. Photo: V. Rasner"It will be a fight in which there is no room for compromise"
- Oleksiy Oleksandrovych, what do you expect from the Ukraine vs Italy match?
- First of all, a victory for our team. I don't even consider any other result. Italy missed the World Cup and wants to rehabilitate itself, but this is not our problem. Our goal is to reach the Euros. I think we deserve to get this ticket.
- What can help us beat Italy?
- Every match is a battle of characters, and then there are tactics, skills and everything else. I think the coaching staff led by Rebrov will work very hard and find the key to victory. The main thing is that in the eyes and hearts of our guys there is only a thirst for victory.
- Do you think the Ukrainian national team will be able to impose a first-pass game on Italy or is it better to play on quick counterattacks?
- It depends on what tactics Serhii Rebrov chooses. Italy will be happy with a draw, so they may choose a defensive option, but it's hard for me to predict.
- Was the Italian national team stronger under Mancini or now under Spalletti?
- It has become different under Spalletti. From the matches I've seen, you can play and win against this Italy. Much will depend on the form of our team.
- From which players of our team do you expect a bright game, who should lead the team?
- I never name heroes before a match. It is very important that there is not just one player on the field, but a team. Each position needs a leader. From the first minutes, the Italians should see that Ukraine will not give up a single piece of the field. It will be a battle in which there is no room for compromise.
- In the first match, the Italians looked almost a head stronger than our team.
- It seemed to me that our guys in that game were not able to show their best qualities. Italy won primarily because of their confidence. They wanted to get three points more. So in today's match we need to show character.
"I have played against Italy four times and have never lost"
- Can you single out anyone in the Italian national team?
- If earlier the Italian national team had highly skilled players in every position, now it is an even team. In my opinion, there are no big stars there. Yes, there are top players, such as Donnarumma, Chiesa, Barela, but they are not on the level of Vialli, Maldini, Pirlo. You can play with them.
- Do you think Mudryk will be able to show his strengths, will Italy give him space for fast runs?
- Italy will thoroughly study our players and how they play. In this match, everything will depend on whether Mudryk will outplay his counterpart on the wing or not. But we don't even know yet whether Rebrov will start Mudryk in the line-up. I want all our players to play at 150-200% of their potential in this match.
It is very important that our legionnaires - Dovbyk, Tsygankov, Mykolenko, Zinchenko, Mudryk - have started scoring in recent matches for their clubs. This gives us confidence. We hope that each of them will be a leader on the pitch and lead our team.
- How did you react to the words of UEFA President Cescere, "Italy must qualify for Euro 2024. Otherwise, it will be a disaster"?
- For me, this is nonsense. How can the UEFA president even publicly discuss which team is more important in football? No matter who he supports, he has no right to say that.
- Italy played an official game against North Macedonia (5-2), while we played a friendly against Lechia the day before. Will this play into the hands of our team?
- I don't think it will help us much. Most likely, Italy will have a line-up rotation, and the Macedonians didn't cause them too many problems to talk about a loss of strength. I think we are now in an equal position.
- Admit it, when the Macedonians scored two goals, did you think about a miracle?
- There was no miracle in the match with North Macedonia, so we will have to decide everything ourselves on the football pitch.
- What score do you predict in the match?
- I never make predictions because I respect and love football very much. When journalists ask me about the forecast, I always answer: +10, +12 degrees. I really want our team to win, just like our whole country. But whether it will happen or not will be decided by the players on the field.
- You played against the Italian national team many times as part of the USSR. Which match do you remember the most?
- I played against Italy four times and never lost. Of course, the most memorable ones are the two semi-finals - at Euro '88, when we beat them 2-0, and at the '88 Olympics, 3-2, when I scored the winning goal. It was an incredible feeling when my shot helped the team reach the final, which we won.
Then we met the Italians in the Euro 92 qualifiers, drew with them twice and left the Scuadra Azzurri out of the European Championship. And I really want our guys to do it again today.
"Did Sampdoria pay $5 million for me? I was told it was more"
- Let's talk about your Italian career. How did your move from Dynamo to Sampdoria happen?
- I could have come to Italy a year earlier. I had signed a preliminary contract with Roma, but the Roman club failed to reach an agreement with Dynamo. Apparently, Roma didn't want to be the champion (laughs - A.P.'s note). I still have the contract at home. Sampdoria managed to reach an agreement with Dynamo instead, and that's how I ended up in Italy.
- Wikipedia says that they paid $5 million for you.
- I was told that it was more, but I didn't delve into financial matters. At that time, Sovsport received a certain share for the transfer, and Dynamo received another. There were a lot of nuances.
- What surprised you most about Sampdoria after Dynamo?
- It was more about football. I played in a strong club, Dynamo, and I've been abroad many times, so I wasn't afraid of Italy. In Sampdoria, I had much more free time than at Dynamo. No one is watching you, there is no such supervision as there was in the Kyiv club, there were no visits to the base two or three days before the game.
In Sampdoria, you trained for three hours, played a match the next day - and you were free. It was wild for me. In this regard, I had to adjust a little bit.
It was also hard in terms of language, because I didn't speak English or Italian. I missed the Dynamo atmosphere because I had never been away from Kyiv for such a long time before. I had no friends and family nearby, so I had to prepare for it, but I didn't have time.
- Who were your best friends at Sampdoria?
- I had a very good relationship with Pagliuca, Bonetti, Vialli, but most of all I became friends with the Brazilian Cerezo. He is a very good footballer and person, he always helped me. We had dinner at his house many times, and there was always a warm and purely Brazilian atmosphere, with lots of children.
Coach Boshkov and teammate Katanets helped me a lot. They saw that I didn't understand Italian, so they spoke to me in Serbian, which is very similar to our language.
- Were you friends with Verkhovod? His father is from Ukraine.
- He was a bit older, so I didn't really communicate with him. Sampdoria had its own interest groups, I won't lie.
- What kind of coach was Boshkov compared to Lobanovskyi?
- He was different. I can't compare who was better, but for me Lobanovsky will always remain No. 1 in the world. I can't and don't want to put anyone on a par with Lobanovsky.
Nevertheless, Boshkov led Sampdoria to the championship when few people were betting on us, because van Basten, Gullit, Baresi, Maldini, Rycart played in Milan, Breme, Klinsmann, Matthäus played in Inter, and Maradona played in Napoli. At the time, Serie A was the strongest championship in the world, with the best players playing there.
"For me, Maradona is a little better than Messi, although Leo is also a great footballer"
- What do you remember about the confrontation with Maradona?
- We beat Napoli four times - in the league (4-1, 4-1) and the Cup (1-0, 2-0). I remember how in the cup game in Naples, Maradona was supposed to score a goal for us, but I brought him down hard in the goalmouth and knocked the ball out. I was 100% sure that it was a penalty, but the referee showed me to continue playing. Strangely enough, Maradona didn't even argue.
- You played against Maradona and saw Messi's performance. Who do you think is the best footballer in the history of world football?
- I'll put Pele in the first place. He is the only footballer to have won the World Cup three times. This is a great achievement. No wonder he is the King of Football.
Maradona single-handedly led Napoli and the Argentine national team to the championship. Teams were built around him. Therefore, for me, Maradona is a little better than Messi, although Leo is also a great footballer.
Football has changed a lot. There used to be a lot of great jewellers, but now there are more good craftsmen.
- What goal for Sampdoria do you remember most often?
- I was very happy to score against Milan in the European Super Cup game. That goal turned out to be pretty cool. We should have scored the second time, but we were unlucky and the match ended in a 1-1 draw. In the second meeting in Bologna, AC Milan beat us 2-0.
- How did Sampdoria manage to become champions that season?
- The secret of success is very simple. First of all, thanks to our desire, we really wanted it. Sampdoria had good players and we managed to win crucial matches.
We defeated our main rivals, Milan and Inter. Yes, Sampdoria had a bit of luck in those matches, but you can't win titles in football without luck. There were many games in the championship when Sampdoria pulled out a victory on luck. That's why I want the Ukrainian national team to be a little lucky today as well.
I remember very well how unlucky we were in the Euro 88 final against the Netherlands (0: 2). We missed a penalty, then hit the bar, and van Basten scored an incredible goal - if he had tried it a hundred times, he would not have hit it. So you always have to have a bit of luck.
"On the day of the game, there were always bottles of wine at Sampdoria's base and you could easily pour and drink a glass"
- Who impressed you at Sampdoria's training sessions that you watched and thought: wow, what a top level?
- Sampdoria had a lot of great players who gave their all in training - Pagliuca, Mancini, Verkhovod, Vialli, Manini, Lombardo, Cerezo. Vialli always stayed after training and practised shots from different positions until they were automatic. That's why he scored so many goals.
- Wikipedia says that you had a difficult relationship with Mancini and Vialli. What happened there?
- Wikipedia is lying, there were definitely no clashes with them. It's just that in December I went through a difficult period in Sampdoria, but it had nothing to do with Mancini and Vialli. Later, I analysed everything and understood why it was hard for me and I stopped getting into the first team. I was in a tailspin at the time - I couldn't run, I couldn't fight, I couldn't pass, I couldn't do much at all.
- Why?
- Because for ten years at Dynamo, I always had a holiday in December, and my body got used to resting at this time. And in Italy, we played all the time. After a year at Rangers, this problem went away, because I went through a period of adaptation.
- In Sampdoria, you had one red card, which you received in the match against Inter. What happened then?
- I had a clash with Bergomi. He provoked me, walked behind me and stepped on my achilles. I waved him off, but didn't even touch him. Bergomi fell down and started faking it. The touchline referee didn't see that there was no contact, and I was immediately sent off. But Sampdoria won 3-1 even with ten men.
- Did Sampdoria ever have any violations of the regime? You mentioned Cerezo, and Brazilians are famous for their love of partying.
- Brazilians go on binges when there are several of them in the team, and we had Cerezo alone. When I had dinner with him, he could drink a little red wine, but that's normal. What can I say, if on the day of the game there were always bottles of wine at the Sampdoria base and you could easily pour and drink a glass. Italians can't live without wine.
- Did you bring your Sampdoria teammates any Ukrainian vodka or bacon?
- No, but sometimes Vialli and Pagliuca asked me to bring them some black caviar. They were very fond of it. Back then, caviar was sold at an affordable price and you could bring as much as you wanted.
- Can you recall any interesting stories from your Italian period?
- When Sampdoria won the championship, we had a celebratory banquet with our wives. We drank some champagne, and then a Verkhovod's wife came up to me and said: "My husband has been working towards this triumph for eight long years." I looked at her and replied: "He was too slow, one year was enough for me." We laughed.
"I would only take Vialli to Dynamo Sampdoria, and even then - as a reserve. Mancini would not have been able to work for the team, as Lobanovskyi demanded."
- How did you leave Sampdoria, why did you spend only a season in Italy?
- As I said, I had a difficult period in December, and in January I started to come on as a substitute, but Sampdoria bought another foreigner, and only three could be on the pitch at the same time. At that time, Rangers came up with an offer for me and offered me a four-year contract.
Apparently, I had a small grudge against Sampdoria, and I decided that I would not prove anything. If the club wants it that way, I will accept Rangers' offer. I have never regretted this decision in my life and played five seasons in Scotland. I remember an interesting story.
- Tell us about it.
- When I joined Rangers, one of the conditions of the transfer was that Sampdoria would come to Glasgow for two years for pre-season tournaments. The Italian team had already been coached by Sven-Joran Eriksson, with whom I had a great relationship. They arrived the first year, and Eriksson asked me: "Are you the champions?". I said: "Yes. And you?" Eriksson frowned: "No."
"Next year, the same thing again: "You're the champions." "Yes. And you?" - "No." Then I said to Eriksson: "Take me to Sampdoria again, even if I don't play, you will be champions." He replied: "You know, I'm already thinking about it". We laughed together.
- Do people remember you in Genoa now?
- I was invited to a meeting on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Sampdoria's championship. When I was the head coach of the Ukrainian national team, I came to Genoa for Metalist's match in the Europa League. I was invited to the pitch and given a Sampdoria shirt with my name on it. The fans were very nice to me, they still remember when I played for their team. This is worth a lot.
- If you compare the Sampdoria of the championship days with the Dynamo where you played, which team is stronger?
- In my opinion, Dynamo was stronger, although Sampdoria won the Cup of Cups in 1990. I remember the 1986/87 European Champions Cup semi-final against Porto. "Dynamo missed out on reaching the final. We had a very powerful team. The same thing happened in 1999. "Dynamo was stronger than Bayern, but we were unlucky, lacked footballing chutzpah and luck.
- If you could take three players from Sampdoria to choose from for the Dynamo of your time, who would you take?
- Only Vialli, and even then - in reserve. Mancini? He's a good footballer, but he wouldn't be able to play the game that Dynamo professed. In Sampdoria, the whole game was built around him, and the Kyiv team would definitely not have had that. I don't think Mancini would have been able to work for the team as Lobanovskyi demanded. Zavarov was better than Mancini, if we compare the national teams' matches.
I only found out a few years later that Mancini played in the Euro semi-finals against the USSR national team, and I didn't see him on the pitch at all. But I remember Vialli.
"Kancelskis complained that he had no opportunities in Russia, he couldn't find a job and had to leave for Austria"
- After the war broke out, did anyone call or write to you from Sampdoria?
- Ivano Bonetti wrote to me. Otherwise, there were few messages from Italy, and much more from Scotland. Even the Russian Igor Sklyarov, with whom I played in the Olympic team, called. He has lived in Chicago for a long time and immediately offered to help. From the very first days, Sklyarov signed up for the Chicago terrorist defence team. They volunteer there and help Ukraine.
- Kancelskis' mother lives in Ukraine. Did he call you by any chance?
- He called me about six months after the start of the full-scale war. He complained that he had no opportunities in Russia, he couldn't find a job and had to leave for Austria.
- Did he say anything about the war in Ukraine, does he understand what is happening here?
- Very vaguely. He was unsure and doesn't seem to understand what is happening here. No one else from Russia has called me, and I don't want to talk to them. What can they say?
To fully understand the situation, you need to be in Ukraine. I remember how in the first days of the war I helped Shakhtar and Dynamo legionnaires and their families who had been left behind in the Opera Hotel. I can still see their frightened looks, their crying children. No one understood what was happening and what would happen next. Before we went to the train station, they started praying - it was very scary.
I was driving and there was not a single car on the roads, people looked at me like I was crazy: "Where are you going?". It's okay, everything will be fine. I am sure that we will win and drive the Russian evil from our land.
- I heard a story that after Euro 92, Ukrainian players were offered to play for the Russian national team, only you and Oleg Kuznetsov refused. Can you tell us how it went?
- We started the qualifying cycle as the USSR national team, and went to the European Championships as the CIS. After the tournament, I got a call from Koloskov in Moscow. He said that I would be the captain of the Russian national team, I was offered good money, an apartment, and more. But for me, there is only one native country - Ukraine.
I didn't even talk, I just laughed in response. Koloskov said: "I knew you would refuse, but I had to offer." I am very proud to have played two matches for the Ukrainian national team.
"I wouldn't say Milevsky is worse than Gascoigne"
- At Rangers, you crossed paths with Paul Gascoigne. Tell us an interesting story about him.
- There were a lot of stories, but not all of them can be told (laughs - A.P.'s note). Once I responded harshly to Gascoigne's remark, and he called me names: "You Russian bastard". I said to him: "You Scottish bastard". For him, it was not "bastard" that was offensive, but "Scotsman" because Gascoigne is English. He was outraged: "No! I'm an English bastard". Then I said to him: "I'm not a Russian bastard, I'm a Ukrainian bastard". After that, we hugged each other and it was a draw.
I had a good relationship with both Gascoigne and Brian Laudrup, who came to Rangers later, and I had a good relationship with him.
- It seems that Milevsky repeats Gascoigne's fate, although he was not such a legendary footballer as the Englishman.
- It's a shame that this happened. Not all footballers can find themselves after their playing career. I would not say that Milevsky is worse than Gascoigne. Artem played at the World Cup, is the vice-champion of Europe with Ukraine U-21, and won a bunch of titles with Dynamo.
Let's hope that Artem will be okay, he was a great footballer and a good person. It must be hard for him to say no to his friends. I hope he gets better and can find himself in life. I sincerely wish him that.
"Before the start of the season, I considered Dynamo to be the No. 1 favourite for the championship"
- Do you watch the Ukrainian championship?
- Of course I am. I want to go back a little bit. When the war started, we at the UAF realised that if we didn't resume the championship, we would lose our football, and it would be very difficult to restore it. It's good that now they play in all divisions, at the youth level and in women's leagues. Even if it's for two hours, people can get away from their problems and return to normal life.
We will wait for Shakhtar to return to Donetsk, Zorya to Luhansk, Mariupol to their city, Metalist to Kharkiv, and Crystal to Kherson. I believe that thanks to our Armed Forces, this will happen.
- How do you watch football - on TV or YouTube?
- In different ways. If the matches take place in Kyiv, I try to watch them live - both the first and second leagues. I often attend matches at the Bannikov Stadium. The last match I attended was Zorya vs Polissia at the Left Bank. I really liked the game and it's a pity there were no spectators at the stadium. I would like the fans to return to the stands as soon as possible, but unfortunately, it is impossible now.
- Which UPL team do you enjoy watching play?
- I have only one love - Dynamo Kyiv. I can't support anyone else. There are many good teams this season: "Polissia, Kryvbas, Shakhtar, Dynamo, Dnipro-1. I really enjoyed Zorya's game against Polissia, but the Luhansk team's players lack a bit of skill and luck. I see that our teams know how to play football, and that's very good.
- The game of your home team Dynamo is not a pleasure for the fans now.
- I have seen many matches where Kyiv dominated and should have won. Before the start of the season, I considered Dynamo to be the No. 1 favourite for the championship. They had Bushchan, Vanat, Yarmolenko, Buyalsky and Shaparenko. "Dynamo has retained its core, unlike other UPL teams.
But something went wrong. However, there is time to rectify the situation. Let's see how it goes.
- Will Shovkovskyi be able to fix the situation?
- It's hard for me to answer, because I don't know him as a coach and what his working methods are. 90% of coaching work is done before the game. His work will be evaluated at the end of the season.
- Who will claim the UPL championship this season?
- It's Dnipro-1, which is playing great under Maksymov, Dynamo, Shakhtar, Kryvbas and Polissia. This season's championship is surprisingly interesting.
- Could a sensation happen and neither Shakhtar nor Dynamo become champions?
- Anything is possible, but it's hard to predict. We don't know how the teams will look after the winter break, what transfers they will make. The champion will be the one who deserves it. At the end of our conversation, I would like to thank the Armed Forces of Ukraine once again, thanks to whom the championship continues.
Andrii Piskun
