Andriy Shevchenko: A Case Of Too Much, Too Late?

I’ve been away from B/R for over a week, having had a relaxing holiday. But now I’m back and the topic of my first lengthy article will be Andrei Shevchenko’s departure from Chelsea last week.

Things never did work out for Andriy Shevchenko at Chelsea. His signing was greeted with much fanfare (from me included), and it was presumed he would add another dimension to Chelsea and score a hatfull of goals for the Blues. Just over two years later, Shevchenko has returned to Milan, having scored 22 goals in 76 games.

His time at Chelsea started well. He scored in our 2-1 defeat to Liverpool in the Community Shield and against Middlesbrough in the Premier League. But then, injuries began to take their toll, with Shevchenko missing the run in to the 2006/2007 season with injury.

There have been many rumours that Shevchenko was forced upon Jose Mourinho by Roman Abramovich, but it is highly unlikely that we’ll ever know the full story behind all of the backroom machinations that undoubtedly took place.

Mourinho suggested as such when he said recently that Shevchenko was not his first choice signing, but was given to him as a “second option“.

However, I don’t think this was the main reason behind his failure. The two things I consider to be most pertinent when examining Andriy Shevchenko’s failure at Chelsea are his age and the effect injuries had on him.

As the title of this article suggests, I think that the transfer was completed a couple of seasons too late. Chelsea’s interest in Shevchenko seemed to appear every summer once Roman Abramovich took over, and every time AC Milan didn’t entertain any thoughts of letting their prized asset go.

When they did, he was approaching the wrong side of 30 and they probably thought that they had gotten the best out of hin. While this is true, another factor combined with Shevchenko’s age to render his time at Chelsea a failure: injuries.

The summer of his arrival at Chelsea, Shevchenko had just recovered from an injury and had taken part in Ukraine’s World Cup Campaign, reaching the Quarter Finals where they lost to Italy. There was virtually no time for him to have a rest and recharge his batteries.

This might not have affected him as much if he had stayed in Italy, after all he was used to the pace and style of play in Serie A. But his transfer to Chelsea demanded that he adapt to a new style of play and a new lifestyle. This must have placed huge demands on him mentally as well as physically. It is no wonder he wasn’t able to keep up his good early season form.

When he was at Chelsea, I always maintained that, given a run in the side and a chance to boost his confidence, Shevchenko would become a useful player. However, he never really did get this chance.

In December 2007, when it seemed he was starting to hit some form, he went and got injured again. Shevchenko scored against Liverpool in the League Cup and then scored a cracker and set up another in our 4-4 draw with Aston Villa, his finest performance in a blue shirt in my opinion.

Peter Kenyon’s suggestion that Shevchenko was value for money is of course wrong, but to typecast Shevchenko’s whole Chelsea career as an unmitigated failure is to ignore the facts slightly. Shevchenko’s presence up front alongside Didier Drogba in the 2006/2007 season allowed Drogba much more space than when he played up top on his own, and contributed to Drogba’s tally of 33 goals that season.

Sheva, as he became known amongst the Chelsea fans, also had some moments of brilliance in a blue shirt. Undoubtedly the finest was his goal against Tottenham in the FA Cup at White Hart Lane, changing direction with the instep of his right boot and then firing an unstoppable shot into the top corner.

Such moments were few and far between, but this is mainly because Shevchenko wasn’t given a run in the side and a chance to boost his confidence. The transfer was a case of too much, too late, but the injuries and lack of confidence also help to explain Andriy Shevchenko’s failure to set the Premier League alight.

He started his Chelsea career with a bang, but the remainder of it went along with a whimper, which was a sad sight for all of those Chelsea fans who had such high hopes when he signed for the club.