Oleksandr Hlivinskyi: "The overall intellectual level of the current players of the Ukrainian national team is higher than that

The press attaché of the Ukrainian national team, Oleksandr Hlyvynskyi, spoke about the atmosphere that currently prevails in the national team.

- Tell us about the atmosphere in the national team.

- The atmosphere is always positive. And no matter who the coach was, the guys always came to the national team with pleasure, in a positive mood and fulfilled the coach's requirements. They understand that representing the country is honourable and prestigious, and getting into the national team already adds points to your personal profile. That's why players leave their club problems at the clubs.

- Is there any division between old and young players or club representatives?

- If we are talking about "hazing", then there is definitely no such thing. Sometimes the young ones, who are still a little nervous, can keep to themselves and communicate separately. But experienced players do not withdraw and do not refuse to communicate with young people. Since the days of Andriy Shevchenko, the coach, all the players sit at one long table during meals, which is a kind of symbol of team unity.

It is clear that the boys may be more comfortable communicating with friends or those they know well. But in general, as I said, everyone is in a positive mood, and only a bad game result can temporarily suspend it. But even at this point, the guys, having experienced a setback, communicate, discuss the game and come out of this state emotionally together. This is a very important point that I would like to draw attention to: I have not seen anyone withdraw after a defeat - the guys unite and overcome the depression together or even prevent it.

- How do you deal with setbacks like the one with Wales?

- Of course, when I'm in despair, I realise that under any circumstances, you have to work. You need to get players to participate in flash interviews and hold a press conference. For example, after Wales, I went into the dressing room, where there was absolute silence, and told the guys that we all saw how they gave their all and Ukraine was proud of them. But I still reminded them that they had an interview to give. Then, I remember, Sasha Zinchenko stood up and took the floor.

Later, I watched his flash after the game, where he gave an interview to his wife Vlada Sedan - I want to note the endurance of both of them: I know what it's like to work on air after heavy defeats, when tears are in your throat - they both, I'm not afraid of this comparison, worked like great professionals.

Afterwards, Taras Stepanenko and Ruslan Malinowski talked to Ukrainian journalists in the mix zone. "When we win, the work goes like clockwork, but when we lose, it's always difficult. I've had some emotional rejections, but I've never heard outright foul language in my address. I think I have enough respect to find the best and most appropriate solution.

- What language do the players use to communicate with each other?

- Speaking about this year, I hear more and more dialogues in Ukrainian. Yes, Russian is present in the work process, but there is more and more Ukrainian and I am sure it will become more and more common. In addition, almost everyone in our team can communicate in English.

From my first day in the national team, I communicated with the guys exclusively in Ukrainian. And most of them answered me in our native language. And every year there was more and more Ukrainian spoken - this is a natural process of restoring Ukrainianness in Ukrainians: after centuries of Russification, this cannot be restored even in a few decades. But the progress is obvious. However, I always tell the boys that they have a Ukrainian genetic code in their hearts and souls, which is encoded in our generations - it just needs to be awakened.

For example, before the war, many guys spoke to me privately in Ukrainian and were worried that they would be nervous, make mistakes and look ridiculous. I kept telling them that there is no progress without practice, and I think it worked.

I was first impressed by Andriy Yarmolenko, even before the full-scale invasion. It was in Odesa, and we were doing a pre-match interview. And Andriy started answering my questions in Ukrainian and didn't make a single mistake. And after the interview, he looked at me and asked, "Well?" And I told him: "I told you you would do it perfectly!"

During the Euro 2020 final tournament, Malinowski made a similarly pleasant surprise when we talked online with the Ukrainian and English media before the quarter-finals. The war seems to have removed all cautions and worries and, at the same time, strengthened the sense of Ukrainian nationality: it turned out that almost all the players speak their native language very well. Now everyone can see for themselves.

- What about the intellectual level of the players?

- I think that the overall intellectual level of the current players is higher than that of their predecessors. Let the previous generations not be offended. I explain this by the number of different sources available where people can get the information they need. The main thing here is to have a desire to learn and become better.

If earlier you could see one player on a plane with a book, now I see that not everyone plays games or watches movies on gadgets. A lot of guys read their books electronically, and, from memory, I saw Lunin, Stepanenko, Konoplya, Zabarny with books. In my opinion, Taras Stepanenko is the biggest fan of reading, as he reads a variety of educational literature, including in English. And it's not just football, but also medical, economic, etc. As you can see, Taras is preparing for life outside football.

- Which of the players is the most problematic and which is the most contactable in terms of communication with the media?

- Oleksandr Zinchenko has always been very approachable and sincere. At the same time, he answers thoroughly and understands what he is saying. However, he doesn't want to have too many of them now. Oleksandr Karavayev and Vitaliy Mykolenko are also very responsible. In terms of interviews, these guys are in the top 3.

And among the 'refuseniks', Viktor Tsygankov is the most common. He is very private in this sense. I don't know what happened to him in this regard in the past, or maybe he has some superstitions, but Viktor hardly ever gives interviews. Although we agreed with him that if he scores, he talks to me.

I asked: "Why only with me?". But he is unmoved. And for some reason, Mykola Matvienko, with whom we last did a mini-interview on his birthday, 2 May 2022, has started to refuse. The third is Oleksandr Zubkov, who responds to an offer to talk: "Why me?".