“Modern footballers need a lot more intelligence”

You were Mykhaylo Formenko’s assistant at Euro 2016. How did you approach that first coaching assignment?

It was my first experience. I joined his technical staff just before the tournament. It was a good experience, being on the staff and learning from those that are in competition with you.

Formenko was a conservative coach. How did you set about building the team after Euro 2016?

The team plays with my views and ideas. We tried to develop the players to play the way we do today. We try to control the possession, build the game and play attractive football. In the last three years Ukrainian players have been improving. We have changed the mentality of the national team, you know, to really develop and display all their technical qualities on the pitch. Ukraine has a great midfield and a very good defence who