You're reading: Shevchenko tough act to replace, bemoans Blokhin

Ukraine have no ready-made replacement for striker Andriy Shevchenko, coach Oleg Blokhin said on Tuesday, June 26, as he urged clubs to provide fresh blood for him to rebuild the national side.

Shevchenko, 35, announced he would retire from international
football after co-hosts Ukraine failed to progress from the
group stage at Euro 2012. He has scored a record 48 goals for
Ukraine, two of which came in their opening 2-1 defeat of Sweden
in the tournament.

“I don’t think a second Shevchenko will appear soon,”
Blokhin, once a star Soviet player himself, told reporters in
his trademark deadpan style.

“The young lads who play as strikers (in Ukraine) now lack
the intuition and skill that Shevchenko has, that I used to
have…, that (Cristiano) Ronaldo and (Lionel) Messi have and
which sets them apart from others.

“This is a big loss for the national team,” he added. “And
we must think how to play attacking football… we cannot play
without strikers like Spain do.”

Blokhin said it was up to clubs to produce the talent to
fill Shevchenko’s void.

“We only take accomplished players,” he said.

Shevchenko, regarded as the finest player that
post-independence Ukraine has produced, has said he is weighing
offers from clubs in the United States and at home.

A product of Dynamo Kiev, he went on to a glittering career
at AC Milan and later switched to Chelsea where he had a less
successful time.

Ukraine’s victory over Sweden in Euro 2012 was their only
one of the tournament. They were eliminated from the
championship after defeats by France and England.