Famous journalist Andriy Shakhov reacted to the statement of his British colleague Callum Brennan, who considers Ukrainian Everton player Vitalii Mykolenko the worst left fullback in the Premier League.
Andriy Shakhov— How constructive and justified is Mr. Brennan’s statement? For me, it’s the maximum subjective hate, because when Mykolenko is healthy, he is a stable starting player for Everton and has the maximum trust from the head coach of the Toffees, Sean Dyche. There have been only one or two outright “mistakes” attributed to him, such as conceding a penalty in the game against Manchester City (1:1).
— In my opinion, Callum Brennan is trying to promote his name by harshly criticizing a well-known player. So, in my understanding, this is indeed hate.
— Nonetheless, let’s be as objective as possible; Mykolenko’s certain decline in form this season (2024/25) is noticeable. Is this a consequence of the injury that Vitalii suffered at the end of last season, injuring his ankle?
— I don’t consider Mykolenko to be having such a bad season. This topic can be discussed for a long time. This current season is noticeably worse for Mykolenko than the previous one, but I believe that, for example, in the 2022/23 season, Vitalii played worse than he does now. He didn’t have a good start to this championship. Objectively he failed in matches against Brighton and Tottenham, but in those games, lost 0:3 and 0:4, the entire team failed. He struggled in the match against Manchester United, but, again, everyone played very poorly in that match. Hardly anyone liked Mykolenko’s performance in the last game against Bournemouth... But he also had wonderful matches — against Ipswich, Brentford, Arsenal; and in the game against Chelsea, in my opinion, the Ukrainian played fantastically.
Moreover, let’s take into account that Everton is fighting for survival this season, demonstrating less than stellar play. And the complaints similar to those directed at Mykolenko could be made about almost all of the team’s players, except, probably, for McNeil. Just as it is unreasonable to say that Mykolenko is not earning his salary. Just for a moment: among all Everton players, he is fourth in terms of time spent on the pitch.
— Should we look for reasons behind sometimes unimpressive performances from Mykolenko in his family life? It is known that he currently has a pregnant wife, for example.
— Acquaintances among veteran footballers and coaches say that marriage and the post-wedding period can affect a football player, but I don’t recall anyone saying that a player loses form due to his wife’s pregnancy.
— Our countryman is also recently facing criticism from Everton fans. Of course, the fans’ opinion is not a measure of the level of play of a player, but their psychological pressure clearly does not benefit the player who is being hated or trolled.
Has he lowered the bar in the eyes of those who appreciate Mykolenko’s talent? Is that how it should be understood?
— You expect more from some footballers than from others. Consequently, you set higher standards for them. I fully admit that, for Mykolenko, as for a talented player, Everton fans likely have higher expectations than for some hypothetical Holgate or 39-year-old Ashley Young. Moreover, many evaluate full-backs based on scoring points, and Mykolenko has 0+1 this season. By the way, Young has 1+3.
— Shouldn’t Mykolenko, while he is still young enough, step out of his comfort zone, that is, ask his agents from ProStar to find him another club, one more ambitious than Everton, which has been fighting solely for survival in the Premier League in recent seasons?
— Look at the position Everton occupies, at the criticisms directed at the team’s players and at Vitalii himself, and the pressure they are under. Can this be called a “comfort zone”? I understand that the times of golden Everton under Dixie Dean are far in the past, but Everton remains a great English club.
Everton has spent the most seasons and played the most matches in the top division of the English championship, regardless of its name, and has scored the most goals. Everton has not been relegated from the elite for over 70 years! Yes, the club is going through tough times right now, but that doesn’t make Everton any less great and playing for them is truly a great honor.
Viktor Hlihennyi
