In 1966 the world was delighted with England national team who won the World Cup. The manager of the team Adam Ramsey changed the scheme of the play and great result was achieved. But Ramsey’s innovations weren’t a great surprise for Victor Maslov. His Dynamo Kyiv started using same principles even before Englishmen. At that time there was already no place for flank strikers such as Lobanovskyi in Dynamo Kyiv. Halfbacks were working both for attack and for defense. This type of football was very much criticized by fans and journalists. 3 or 4 of his players could attack the same opponent at once. People didn’t like such football and didn’t realize that they saw the invention of pressure which is one of the most important aspects of football nowadays. But from 1965 till 1968 Maslov’s Dynamo Kyiv was invincible. The team won 3 USSR championships and 2 USSR Cups.
All that proves that Maslov was the true genius of team-building. He was very strict and not very diplomatic but very respected and loved by his footballers.
Victor Maslov died in 1977. He was the coach who outpaced his time.
