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Friday’s defeat with Russia 3: 4. He lost 2: 5 to the Swiss on Saturday. Both results, with strong opponents, quite well depict the events on the ice.
There are no big positives. Unlike previous tournaments, however, there is something different. Czechs know that they can play much better. They did not hit the performance ceiling with their helmets.
The hockey mirror was not set up in Riga, which, especially in the youth categories, shows the increasingly unpleasant fact of how the hitherto successful country continues to chase the competition in vain.
The national team in Latvia still has plenty of time to rectify. He can easily write a similar story as the selection from 2010, which, after a poor entry into the championship, made it to the gold medals.
Honestly? The preparation, speech, composition of the other teams gave hope before the start of the tournament that the current group can imitate the success.
Instead of concentrating the influx of errors
The national team refused to jump on the wave of euphoria. Commentators directly from Riga announced that the team is holding special meetings because of this. Conversations outside the official channels are being curtailed. The national team member Šustr – an enthusiastic photographer who publishes all the behind-the-scenes pictures behind the scenes – is advised to take a break from doing so at the tournament.
All with one goal – let’s focus only on hockey!
But it doesn’t look like that on ice. The national team itself decided with its own actions and especially performances. The team was nervous against strong opponents. He was inaccurate. He was wrong. The Czechs fouled senselessly against the Swiss. They miserably defended the weakening, in which they collected four of Saturday’s five goals.
The strength of the list, which the Czechs certainly do not lag behind the great powers this time, so far looks good only on paper. It’s a bad thing that the best guys are the fourth-line fachmans.
So far, there is no leader who would lead an uncertain team. It doesn’t have to be a captain, but also a fighter, who will show indomitability or at least how the road to defeat turns him on. The Swiss did not even really hurt the victory, in the end the Czechs drowned in their own frustration.
Lax defenses caused goalkeeper Hrubec to watch the last third from the substitute. The impulse with Will didn’t help, and perhaps it just wouldn’t increase the uncertainty.
Pešán is not yet paying a bet on more experienced centers. Buly, just like the year before last, at the championship in Bratislava is definitely not a Czech pride. It is offered whether to revive the center of the attack with the young man Chytil, who was sent to the wing by the coaches.
After two lost battles, it is easy to be a general, but it was not happy against the Russians to save the attack of Lenc, Špaček, Stránský. The extra-league trio played well in the preparation. And after the break, it was clear how hard it was to get into the rhythm against the Swiss.
“I do not apologize for that. But the first changes were all sorts of things. Then the inaccuracy increased. I didn’t help the team much, “Radan Lenc said in an online press release.
It should be a matter of course, but he and Captain Kovář are honored for how they dealt with the questions of journalists. After the worst entry of an independent Czech into the world championships, they did not respond curtly. They looked for mistakes in their own performance.
“It’s my fault, of course. It’s also my fault for my nomination. But I still believe, “said coach Pešán again. He doesn’t kick around either, he doesn’t go on the offensive, but he plans on the press how to fold the lines differently. He plans to install a worker in each attack.
There are five matches left, the possibilities for hesitation are diminishing
The Czechs find themselves in an unpleasant situation, which can be extracted.
Mark the performance of hockey players like in schoolfrom one to five |
Since 2012, when eight-member basic groups were introduced at the championship, 10 points were enough to advance to the quarterfinals several times. The Czechs can pick up fifteen more in Riga.
The procedure will most likely guarantee four wins from the five remaining Czech matches. Of the stronger opponents on paper, Pešán’s selection awaits only the Swedes on Thursday.
Apart from them, for example, the Danes, for example, beat the Swedish favorites on Saturday. Or Slovaks who played two very balanced duels in the preparation of the Czechs.
After a poor start, the Czechs will challenge the Belarusians on Monday from 7.15 pm. Anything other than a three-point win already greatly complicates their pilgrimage. For the eventual quarterfinals, so far “only” an opponent is emerging, which will belong to the best teams from group B.
Right at the beginning of the tournament, the national team exhausted the opportunity to choose a weaker day that almost every team will meet at the World Championships in the current format. “We tried to play combination, simple hockey, which does not hurt. This is not the way. We have to go back to work, put on overalls, “said Pešán.
He probably didn’t expect his team to have to use them so soon.
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