New Era for Ukraine’s National Team Coaching Lineup
Andrea Maldera is poised to become the next head coach of the Ukrainian national team, with potential candidates for his coaching staff currently under review. The following individuals are being considered for roles on the team:
- Oleksandr Shoikovskyi
- Taras Stepanenko
- Mauro Tassotti
- Rustam Khudzhamov
- Hlib Platov
With the national team’s next matches scheduled for early June, finalizing the coaching staff has become a pressing priority.
Potential Coaching Staff Candidates
Oleksandr Shoikovskyi began his coaching career in September 2018 as an assistant to Andriy Shevchenko with the Ukrainian national team. He has also worked alongside Oleksandr Petrakov and Mircea Lucescu. In November 2023, Shoikovskyi took over as head coach of Kyiv’s Dynamo, where he spent two years and secured a title in the 2024/25 season. Although he surpassed Andriy Shevchenko in the number of matches as head coach, he is currently without a job.
Taras Stepanenko, an active player, will turn 37 this summer. He has played under coaches such as Mircea Lucescu and Paulo Fonseca at Shakhtar Donetsk. Stepanenko was a key figure for the Ukrainian national team during the tenures of Oleg Blokhin, Mykhailo Fomenko, and Andriy Shevchenko. Serhiy Sydorchuk is being considered as an alternative to him.
Mauro Tassotti, aged 66, served on Andriy Shevchenko’s staff for both the Ukrainian national team and Genoa. In 2024-2025, he held the position of vice president of the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF). Tassotti currently assists Massimo Oddo at Milan Futuro and brings extensive experience, having played nearly 600 matches for AC Milan. He has also managed Milan on two separate occasions, first at the end of the 2000/01 season. Dmytro Chygrynskyi is being considered as an alternative.
Rustam Khudzhamov has been the goalkeeping coach for the Ukrainian national team since 2023. Prior to that, he joined the coaching staff of Polissia in early February 2022 but left the team before the resumption of competitions in Ukraine for the 2022/23 campaign. Khudzhamov came through the Dynamo goalkeeping school. Pedro Jaro is being considered as an alternative to him.
Hlib Platov has served as the chief analyst for the Ukrainian national team since Serhiy Rebrov’s appointment. Together with Hlib Kornienko and Vasyl Velmyk, he launched the educational platform PASS. Platov has also worked as an analyst for Dynamo’s youth, reserve, and first teams, and has experience in Qatar, Azerbaijan, and Slovakia. Maciej Kędziorek is being considered as an alternative to him.
The coaching change for the Ukrainian national team comes amid preparations for crucial matches, highlighting the urgent need to assemble an effective coaching staff quickly.
When selecting candidates, it is essential to consider not only their experience but also their ability to collaborate as a team, as success will depend on collective efforts to achieve set goals. With limited time remaining before the matches, the decision must be made as swiftly as possible.
As the Ukrainian national team prepares for significant upcoming matches, the integration of experienced figures like Taras Stepanenko into the coaching staff alongside Andrea Maldera could provide crucial insights and stability. This strategic move reflects a growing emphasis on blending experience with fresh perspectives in the team's development.