AN INTERVIEW
Sparta fell in Pilsen, Slavia happily pushed over Slovácko. Such were the results of the two most watched matches of the past league round, to which expert and former elite gunner Horst Siegl returned in an interview for eFootball. According to him, does Viktoria have to make it to the title, for example?
What did you say about the last round of Fortuna: leagues?
I think it is worth mentioning mainly two matches. Namely Plzeň – Sparta and Slavia – Slovácko, ie the fights of the first with the second and the third with the fourth. Both matches had high parameters, so they probably fulfilled what we expected from them. But it is true that the Sparta players were a slight favorite this time. Viktorka was going through a slightly more difficult period, on the contrary, the situation calmed down at Letná. All this suggested that Sparta might play something there, but the opposite was true. She lost and, in my opinion, deservedly, because Viktoria was better in every way. Unfortunately, that is the way it is.
At the same time, the beginning of the season caught Praguers in quite good shape…
They didn’t have bad results, but again they didn’t play with such strong teams. In any case, the positive thing was that they didn’t get many goals. And even though coach Pavel Vrba sometimes had a very difficult time composing the line-up, he managed to deal with it. But as is sometimes the case, then the match comes and in short, everything is wrong. Which is exactly what just happened to Sparta now.
But didn’t Vrba watch Saturday’s match? Among other things, by breaking the stopper couple and pushing Michal Sáček to the fore, for example, he probably didn’t feel comfortable twice in this position…
It may seem like this, but the main responsibility for the result lies with the players themselves. Once they’re in Sparta, they just have to deal with their role on the field. Personally, however, I don’t really like Pavelek in reserve. He doesn’t shoot properly in the match or he’s not very emphatic. In this respect, Sparta misses the wounded Ladislav Krejčí Jr., who always shows a huge appetite for victory. Even on the bench, on Saturday I saw greater quality on the part of Pilsen.
Victoria needed the win a lot. How do you actually see her results so far in the season?
I think that after the arrival of Michal Bílek, Pilsen rose overall. She did very well at the beginning of the season, until the unfortunate match in Sofia came, which probably shook the whole club a lot. Nobody really knows what’s going on there now. How much Pilsen is dependent on the arrival of a new investor and the like. In any case, against Sparta, Viktoria has shown that it is still a healthy club that must be taken into account. It was clear that she had prepared very well for Saturday.
In your opinion, can Pilsen really attack the title?
Slavia and Sparta have to attack him, there is nothing to solve. And I recorded the words of Michal (Bílek) that Pilsen does not have such goals. On the one hand, I understand this statement, on the other hand, I say that he talks a little (smiles). Of course, she would also like to win the title. In my opinion, he can easily talk about the fight for him, at least he will stay in the foreground of the table.
And how did you like Slavia’s match with Slovácko?
Both teams showed quality performance. Most importantly, however, it should be appreciated that Slavia has not lost to the 52 long matches in the league. She then extended her great series on Sunday against Slovácko, over which she scored three points, but in the end, after a chance, Navrátila could lose two. But it didn’t happen and the Slavists remain the only team in the league that has not lost a point. The question is how long it will take them.
However, the disappointment for the fans was certainly that Slavia did not get into either the Champions League or the European League. What did you say about her elimination?
For me, I say that she could not even get a lighter opponent on the way to the fourth preliminary round of the Champions League. And she still couldn’t do it, which is her big mistake. And you can’t look at what it would be like if the great mistake of Ondřej Kolář did not happen. Even these situations are brought by football and will be. Although the Slavs started the league well, they disappointed a lot in the cups. Although not only them. I expected to have more teams than just three in the core groups.
Stanislav Tecl is a very grateful topic of the past days. I assume it will not be a complete attacker according to your taste…
I wouldn’t say that again. In my opinion, Standa would be more respected if he played in another team, where there would be no such pressure on him. But he is still struggling with his situation. He has a stellar period. Even though he only scored two goals, it was enough for him to get to the national team by coincidence. Everyone sees that he is one of the favorites of coach Jindřich Trpišovský. He’s a good guy who works for the team, but unfortunately he doesn’t score much of those goals.
And what do you say to Michael Krmenčík, who could hopefully jump into the base of Slavia soon? Will she become the number one attacker there, and do you think Sparta made the mistake of not getting him?
She probably didn’t make a mistake when Krmenčík is still not ready and Tecl is playing instead. It was probably easier for coach Vrba than in Slavia, where he has to fight hard for his place. But it’s up to him to be able to assert himself there.
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