Ukraine coach Andriy Shevchenko has praised the work of Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola in England that has contributed to the improvement in the national team.
Gareth Southgate and his squad stand on the cusp of glory, ready to take on Italy in the final of the European Championship on Sunday aiming to win the first major silverware for the national team since 1966. One of the teams they beat along the way was Ukraine, whose manager Andriy Shevchenko knows the Premier League well after playing for Chelsea.
Shevchenko likes what he sees from Southgate's England, but believes plenty of credit must go to managers such as Guardiola and Mourinho for the changes they have inspired in the game. Mourinho won three Premier League titles across two separate spells with Chelsea and also won three trophies in a year with Manchester United while Guardiola has won three of the last four Premier League as well as four consecutive Carabao Cups and an FA Cup with Manchester City.
“England are a very strong team. England are in a very good moment, an historic moment. The Premier League is very strong. The academies work very well. We can see Manchester City, Tottenham, Chelsea keep producing great players," Shevchenko told The Times.
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“The English government did a great move a long time ago to let investors come in and invest in the clubs and they brought international coaches. Manchester City with [Pep] Guardiola play different football. Liverpool with [Jürgen] Klopp, José [Mourinho] also brought a lot to English football.
"The great managers who come in the last ten years really changed the English football, change mentality, change the set-up, change them tactically. That raised the level of the football. Young players are growing from this experience and then get stronger and stronger.
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