Andriy Shevchenko:
ВFor the first time in the history of the Ukrainian national team, our coach is Italian. But an Italian with a Ukrainian soul. I am very pleased to say a few words about Andrea.

Andrea worked with the national team as an assistant for a long time - 5 years. He has a lot of experience, but after his work he continued to progress. He worked as an assistant to De Zerbi in two top teams. De Zerbi is a specialist who also worked in Ukraine.

Andrea has ambitions, and that's very important. He has a very good background, he worked with great coaches, clubs, and achieved results. And most importantly, he understands how to work with the national team, because he has already worked here, and also has extensive experience working in the club.

So I would now like to give the floor to Andrea Maldera. Please, Andrea, the floor is yours.

Andrea Maldera (here and below - literal translation from Italian):
I am delighted to be here today and thank the President and the committee for the great trust they have placed in me. I am proud of this country. I am energized and motivated. I have never been so enthusiastic and I can't wait to get started.

Andriy Shevchenko:
I would like to emphasize, of course, the tasks that we are now setting before the new head coach. He has already formed his staff. He will tell you more about the staff that he himself chose for this job.

The task, as always, is to qualify for the European Championship. The contract with Andrea will be signed for two years with an option for a mandatory extension. The federation will decide whether to extend it or not. The first task is to win the Nations League group.

And this applies not only to the staff and the head coach. We also set this task for the players. I think the players should have more responsibility for the result, and we will talk to them about it.

The association also plans to make Ukrainian fans closer to the national team. Therefore, the first training camp, which we plan to hold under the leadership of the new head coach, will be held in Ukraine. And if possible, we will try to hold such training camps more often. There will be events organized for our fans to bring the national team closer to the fans.

Photo: Dan Balashov

Question 1
Since you are Italian, the Italian national team has always set a goal of winning first place in all tournaments. Don't you think it's time for the Ukrainian team to set the same goal?

Andrea Mulder:
Yes, but we in Italy have also had some problems in recent years with being first in our qualifications and at the world level as well. Of course, it is very good to have ambition, without it there can be no sportsmanship. And, of course, we understand that winning in football depends on various factors.

"Undoubtedly, my main goal and the goal of my staff is to offer proactive football that can convince, that can also entertain people and create the conditions for winning matches. We want the team to be courageous. It must be an example of courage, especially now."

Question 2
I think you have already done some analysis of our team, our national team. What do you think, why has the national team not been able to get to the World Cup for 20 years? Why can't this team, with a lot of talent, with a lot of players who play in European clubs, rise to a higher level? Do you understand what this team lacks to be there? 

Andrea Mulder:
I have no right to judge my predecessors, it would be wrong. But I think that the World Cups are difficult. Ukrainian football is currently experiencing objective difficulties, and we cannot ignore this. Many play abroad, but many national team players still play in Ukraine. The main thing is to be competitive.

Andriy Shevchenko:
ЯIf we analyze all the qualifications, Ukraine has only been to the World Cup once in its entire independence. And we got to the World Cup in first place. Of course, the team played at a good level, but we didn’t have a top opponent. When I say “top teams,” I mean France, Germany, for example. We had a more or less equal group, and we were able to compete.

Instead, our national team has always made it to the playoffs. Playoffs are not easy, you are competing with opponents who are approximately equal to you. Therefore, reaching the World Cup is always a very difficult road.

I'm sure we'll get there someday, definitely. But first of all, we need to build a team that believes in it.

Question 3
Will you be ready to be the "bad guy" for the football players, because there is talk that you will always be an assistant but will never be ready to be the boss? Will you be the "bad cop"? Sometimes arguing, shouting, sometimes maybe even hitting someone?

Andrea Mulder:
I know that today my role is different, I have a responsibility. I spoke on the phone with many football players and told them that I remained the same as before. In terms of seeing football, thinking, working – it will always be like that. But now I will have different responsibilities. And I will not have any fear or doubts. For my part, I am not changing as a person, but my role is changing. I have great trust in my staff, so I am sure that what you are talking about will not be a problem. I worked as an assistant coach in important championships and faced different situations personally, so the president assessed that I have not only technical, but also personal competencies for this position.

Andriy Shevchenko:
I want to emphasize the fact that in order to coach the Ukrainian national team today, you need to be brave. The fact that Andrea made the decision to live in Ukraine, to pay taxes here, says that he is a brave person.

Question 4
There was already information in the media that you were planning to live in Ukraine. Is this true? How did your family react to this? You have been in Kyiv for several days now, I know, there have been many air raids since Friday. How did you perceive it — these first days in such conditions? And in general, is this true? 

Andrea Mulder:
I decided to live in Ukraine. We are considering options. It will probably be Lviv. My position is a responsibility. You can watch the matches today on TV, but I believe that my duty is to be close to the people, to be at the disposal of the association for any initiative that they consider useful. To help these people who gave me so much years ago. I have maintained friendly relations with many Ukrainians, so I have no problems. My family, my wife will come with me. 

Photo: Dan Balashov

Question 5
How much has the Ukrainian national team changed over the past 5 years since it played at the European Championship? In your opinion, has it become weaker or stronger during this time? I have no doubt that you are familiar with the capabilities of this Ukrainian national team, with the personal qualities of the players. In your opinion, what are the strengths of this team now?

Andrea Mulder:
We saw them grow, we knew them as young men, we gave them their debuts, and today they are men. What the president said earlier is very right: the players must also take responsibility. We need to grow up quickly. We need to become a team that not only knows how to play football, but also has leaders. I can't say if this team is better than the previous one. I hope so, but it's wrong to make comparisons. I have great confidence in this group of players.

Question 7
You worked in the national team under Andriy Shevchenko. According to many, it was the best football of the national team in history. Can we expect that under your leadership the team will play in the same style? Positional football, ball control. Does the current selection of players allow us to play like that?

Andrea Mulder:
Andriy Shevchenko was the head coach, ideas always come from the coach. I did my job, tried to do it as best as possible, as did Mauro Tassotti and the entire staff. We had a lot in common in our views, we talked a lot about football, including in these years before my appointment. My vision of football is one of the reasons why the president and the committee chose me.

However, in football, the most important thing is the players. And if a coach thinks that he is more important and valuable than a player, that is the first mistake, the first failure.

And of course, I will work, the staff will work, but the most important thing will still be the players.

Question 8 (to Andriy Shevchenko)
There have been many rumors that Andriy Yarmolenko is not being called up to the national team not for playing reasons, but because he could break your scoring record. Can you comment on these rumors? How true could this be and how valuable is this record for you?

Andriy Shevchenko:
During my career as a football player, coach, and now functionary, I have heard a lot of different rumors and jokes, but this is one of the super jokes I have heard.

That's why I find it funny when people say that. I think I answered your question.

Question 9
You recently worked in Roberto De Zerbi's coaching staff. And Roberto recently led a rather crisis-ridden Tottenham in the Premier League. Was there a possibility that your cooperation would continue? 

Andrea Mulder:
No, as I said before, during my time as an assistant at De Zerba, we had a great relationship, professional respect and friendship. We worked together for 4 years, but I had no doubts about this opportunity [to lead the Ukrainian national team], so I knew what I wanted and I am very happy about it, very happy. 

Photo: Dan Balashov

Question 10
You worked as an assistant to many coaches, including Andriy Shevchenko. Please tell me what qualities of work you adopted from him? And a question for Andriy Mykolayovych: can you elaborate on why Andrea's candidacy is better than the others? Why is she better from a professional point of view? 

Andrea Mulder:
Quality, leadership... Shevchenko is a man of great balance. I remember difficult moments in football, and, of course, he [Shevchenko] always had this balance that helped him stay calm. Just talking about football would be too banal, too simple.

Andriy Shevchenko:
What guided us? First of all, we had four candidates, it wasn't just Andrea. We considered different candidates in different categories, but one of the main reasons why we chose Andrea is the following. Andrea has experience working with the national team and with clubs. He worked in three top championships as an assistant coach. He has known the players for a long time. He never broke contact with Ukraine, was constantly in touch, knows every player, watched them when they were still very young and played in youth teams. Therefore, he has complete information about them.

And what I like about Andrea is that he has ambitions. And the steps he is taking, in particular moving to Ukraine, show these ambitions that he wants to realize. It is very important to have a coach with ambitions.

Question 11
The question is acute, but necessary: ​​There is a stereotype in Ukrainian football that coaches in the national team institute fall under the influence of agency companies and specific agents. Please tell me, are you familiar with any of the Ukrainian agents and how do you feel about the interaction of the head coach of the national team with representatives of agency companies?

Andrea Mulder: 
There were no meetings with any agencies. The only relationships I have are with the association, my staff and the players.

Question 12
Can you tell us more about your coaching staff? Who will be on it? 

Andrea Mulder:
There will be one person from Italy in the staff - Pasquale Catalano. We are friends, we share the same ideas about football. He is a person I trust. I wanted to see Taras Stepanenko in the staff, relying not only on his playing qualities, but also on his attachment to the national team shirt. This is one of the reasons, I wanted to convey these values. For the same reason, Volodymyr Yezersky is an important figure, he works with the national teams. A similar motive, as with Taras. I was told that he is a person of great values. I wanted to have Ukrainians in the staff and I already knew these people. Therefore, I have full trust in the association and in these people, I am satisfied.

Question 13
We saw the match schedule and didn't see a single nominal right-back. Although this is a very critical position for the national team right now. It's also interesting to hear about the newcomers who were called up.

Andrea Mulder:
Regarding the defenders: When we made the list, we took everything into account, so now we are not worried. It is not a problem, we will find a solution. These guys are interesting, they deserve a challenge. I appreciate Sinchuk both as a person and as a football player. I spoke to him on the phone, he is very motivated.

Question 14
You were one of the most successful assistant head coaches in the Ukrainian national team. Now the position of head coach is a completely different level of responsibility and pressure. Are you ready for this?

Andrea Mulder:
I used to think about becoming a head coach. Today, at 55, I am entering this role. Time will tell, but I have no fear. I repeat, I know this job, I know the football locker room. I have been in different roles for many years, so I understand the difference between them, between the levels of responsibility. I am ready for this challenge.