Holding Midfield: What Could Have Been: Andriy Shevchenko

[Holding Midfield]

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Ukraine’s opening game of Euro 2012 against Sweden was the perfect send-off for Andriy Shevchenko. Before the game Shevchenko was talked about, yet it was mostly backhanded discussion – he was one of few recognisable names on the Ukrainian roster, but debate was more about whether or not he would complete the 90 minutes than if he would pose a danger. A perfectly timed run to meet Andriy Yarmolenko’s cross ahead of Olof Mellberg and a flawlessly placed header from a narrow angle gave Ukraine their win, and Shevchenko his fairy tale. Even the most cold-hearted of people couldn’t help but be pleased to see the joy of the doe-eyed man who had become increasingly forlorn as his career drew to a close. The goals were classic Sheva: the intelligence of his run, the accuracy of his shot regardless of whether it came from his right foot, left foot or head. Still, there were elements of his game he simply didn’t possess anymore. At his peak, Shevchenko was a one-man frontline. His footballing brain and finishing made him a lethal goalscorer, yet he was equally capable of making runs to open up space for and link with his teammates, often [...]

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[Mike]

I remember in my first ever copy of Match Magazine (back in 2002, or something), there was a big middle-pages poster of Sheva with the words 'Best Striker In The World', and I've been an admirer of his since that. Of course it was disappointing to see him 'not so good' at Chelsea but he was and still is a cracking player.