Former advisor to Andriy Shevchenko on media matters for the Ukraine national team, journalist Mykola Vasylykov spoke about the "blue-yellow" team of that time.
Shevchenko and Vasylykov (photo: instagram.com)— From the point of view of communication within the team, Sheva created the best national team of all time. There was no barrier, no wall between the player and the coach. There were, of course, exceptions. I remember Zyuza’s (Zozulia) grievance that Sheva promised him a starting spot against Croatia, but then it didn’t happen. There were also microscopic exceptions. But mostly, everyone who came to the national team returned to their clubs and told that this was indeed the main team. So communication is the first thing that stuck with me during Sheva’s time.
The second thing is order. Sheva is really a fan of order. He worked with many coaches; I don't know who he got this from. It’s quite possible even from Lobanovskyi. Everyone must be on time. Everyone must be in shape. It’s unacceptable for someone to show up in slippers or the same bathrobe. This didn’t come easy either; Shevchenko had misunderstandings with Selin in this context. We remember this well even from the press of those times, something came out. But in general, most of those called up easily embraced this requirement, everyone arrived on time for the gathering, all in the bus in matching kits. All coaches like order, but Sheva stood out particularly in this regard.
And the third, most important for me, is what was not in other teams but was in Shevchenko’s Ukraine national team: psychological work. He was the first to start giving speeches before matches. These motivational boosts, so-called pumps. And for them, it was absolutely wild. Sheva looks like a needle at matches. He wears a three-piece suit, Versace or Brioni. His shirt fits perfectly, and the jacket has a perfectly curved back. Sheva is reserved in communication, polite, asks everyone to gather in the locker room in a circle, kindly requests to close the doors, and then suddenly: «Stars? F*** you!». I remember the shock on everyone present, probably this was during the initial matches of the World Cup 2018 qualifiers. The guys didn’t understand if it was a joke, or if there was a hidden camera, how to behave, whether to react or not…
And this psychological thing works everywhere now; everyone does it. He asks me then: «So how do you feel?». I replied: «This is the effect of a nuclear bomb. It may not have gone off yet, but in time, it will show its effect». Andriy explained to me that it’s like eating sushi. You have a special wasabi sauce to dull one taste and move on to another. They must go out on the pitch with that last thing he said, the boost that was in their memory, not all the previous worries, doubts, detached thoughts. And perhaps not immediately, but later, it worked 100%,» Vasylykov said in an interview with «UF».
