The premiere came out for them. On Thursday, right after its center, the Czech footballers were able to celebrate the second and winning goal in the match with Switzerland. “I had the impression that the ball was flying into the goal from my foot, but they took my goal, it was my own. So I hope that I hid the shot and will stand against Spain, “smiles Jakub Jankto.
How did the opening win encourage you before the match with a tough opponent?
For me, this is the first match with Spain. The last time I played with him at the 2016 European Championships, I was still watching TV. At that time, they lost in the end. The victory over the Swiss kicked us a lot, especially mentally. We managed one of the most important matches in the group, three points are gold. Now the match is even harder, we will need even more luck than on Thursday. We can beat anyone at home. We talked with the coach that we hadn’t lost here in Eden since the match with Brazil in 2019. We want to stretch the cord. We’re not just going for a draw. If there are chances, we will definitely want to win.
The Czech team is preparing to change the line-up against Spain. Another player dropped out due to injuryVideo: Sport.cz
You probably know both teams best. Are you really able to deal with your favorite Spaniards?
We know they are better than we are in every way. But we trust ourselves thanks to our teamwork and the pride we give to every match. For us, the goal is to stay in the elite group, after winning over the Swiss, we see that it is even more realistic. We are going to make points against Spain, one point may be key.
You mentioned the last duel with Spain (0: 1) at EURO 2016 in France. At that time, the Czech team parked not one, but at least two imaginary buses in front of the gate. So you probably don’t want to play …
I remember the match. It depends on the coach, but we already know how to deal with the opponent. I will not say how, but not 100%, as our older generation played at EURO!
How hard is it to prepare for the Swiss in a completely different style of football, when you will probably have a big running exercise …?
The Spaniards are likely to dominate possession of the ball. We hope to have the ball as much as possible. We cannot afford to lose every balloon after gaining it, we must respect it. If we don’t trust the balloon, they will let us run without the ball and we will gradually get more and more tired. We certainly have a different style of play than the Spaniards. I think we have a bigger goal, but they are really great on the ball. Technically, they stand out, I expect there will be more on the balloon, but at the same time we definitely don’t just want to defend. That’s not the style we want to play.
Spain is dominant in possession of the ball, it changes the pace of the game, warns assistant coach Jiří ChytrýVideo: Sport.cz, FACR
Do you dare to press your opponent right before his sixteen?
The balloon can be picked up by any opponent. We play a challenging style, when we get a balloon, it is necessary to respect it and not lose it.
Spain entered the group with a home draw. Did Portugal show you the recipe?
It is not possible to start only from Thursday’s match, but from more matches. The Portuguese play a little differently than we do, we have excellent analyzes. Now we believe that the win helped a lot, even though there were a lot of guys in the team and we have a lot of injuries. In fact, I think we can at least get a point.
The only team you work in Spain. So is the match more prestigious for you?
A lot of people ask me if I take it special. But I wouldn’t say. I’m not going into a fight with the fact that I play against Spain, but with the fact that I play for the Czech Republic.
