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London club striker Andriy Shevchenko from Ukraine claims that due to the team's failures he has become a scapegoat, but admitted he is determined to fight for his place at the Blues.
Shevchenko moved from AC Milan to Chelsea this summer and has received a fair amount of criticism lately due to his poor performance. The Ukrainian scored only three goals in the Premier League this season, and one in the Champions League.
According to some sources, Shevchenko's relationship with the team owner and close friend Roman Abramovich, as well as with coach Jose Mourinho, has deteriorated recently. Shevchenko himself tends to deny this.
"It's an overblown issue. Sometimes I see Roman Abramovich in the changing room or at practice. We often have brief conversations. It's natural since we both speak Russian. Maybe we shouldn't communicate in this language, as it gives people the wrong impression," the footballer pondered.
The 2004 Ballon d'Or winner is dissatisfied with the criticism he receives: "Many things said about me are untrue. It hurts me and my family. I am a footballer, not a politician. My job is to play. That’s it. I've been doing that since I was nine years old. People often go too far in criticizing me. It makes no sense."
At the age of 30, Andriy Shevchenko began his career in 1994 at Dynamo Kyiv. In 1999, he moved to AC Milan for more than 30 million euros. He played 208 matches and scored 127 goals for the Italian club over seven seasons. In the summer of 2006, the leader of the Ukrainian national team moved to the London club for 45 million euros. According to many experts, it was a wrong move.
“Because of Chelsea's unsuccessful game, I am considered a scapegoat, which I am certainly not. My contract ends in four years (2010). I am here now, and I will remain here, continuing to work to fit into the team. I am attacked from all sides, but I will endure it because I am a strong person," Shevchenko did not lose optimism.
This season, Chelsea, who is not performing particularly well in the English Premier League and holding the second place, will play a very important game away against Liverpool this weekend. Shevchenko would like to help the team, but it is believed that coach Mourinho may leave him on the bench.
“If the coach decides that I am not needed on the field, I will just have to work even harder. I don't want to hear questions about what I think about it,” the Ukrainian said.
