Levy on the campaign of Slovácko: No surprise. He has a chance, Kolín is not in form. Is Svědík heading to a bigger club?

Did you expect after the lottery that the team from Uherské Hradiště would still realistically fight for promotion from the group?

Everyone took Slovácko as an absolute outsider, but I didn’t see it that way. He has a very experienced team and I am not surprised that they play a good role among strong opponents.

Slovácko’s matches are very attractive. How do you rate the performance?

There wasn’t a single match where they outright failed or disappointed. Of course, they lost the game they won against Partizan. They may end up missing those two points. They won in Nice, although to be honest, it should have been decided there after the first half. However, they managed to come back from the weakest half and turn the game around, goalkeeper Nguyen contributed a lot, who caught many chances.

Before the last two games, the situation is open.

Yes, everyone can still advance. In order for Slovácko to keep their hopes alive, they need to beat Kolín nad Rýnem on Thursday. They are capable of it at home, they managed to put both Partizan and Nice under pressure, even though they only got one point in the end. However, a lucky victory in France gave them a new chance.

In Uherské Hradiště, you worked twice as a coach, then also in the management of the club. Is there a player that surprises you this fall?

It is a great pleasure for me how Milan Petržela presents himself. I trained him in Slovakia already in the 2005/2006 season, when he was there as a very young boy. I’m glad he’s staying healthy and he’ll probably break the record for the number of league games. I also had it in Pilsen. I’m glad he made it. Even at an advanced age, he lost nothing of his performance.

Exactly. At his age and the way he plays, it’s terribly important. If he stays away from injury, we will see him on our lawns for some time to come. I wish him that.

You mentioned the record in the number of league starts, Petržela currently has 464, as does Jaroslav Šilhavý. Will the goal of 500 matches be reached?

I am convinced of that. As I say, health matters. But in terms of performance and approach to matches, this milestone is not unrealistic.

Would you say in 2005 that Milan Petržela would reach similar goals?

It was hard to predict back then. After all, it’s already been 17 years (laughs). But he had qualities that are valued nowadays – speed, good ball work, one-on-ones. He also improved in his defensive work, he is one of the key men for Slovácko.

In the 2017/2018 season, you already had several wards from the current squad under you. Who lived up to expectations the most?

Marek Havlík clearly had great expectations. He can play in multiple positions, has an excellent left foot, is creative and has also improved his defense. Now he mainly stabilized his performances, the potential was definitely there. With the accumulated experience, it only confirms it. However, it is necessary to say that Slovácko re-evaluated the strategy that was there during my tenure. They wanted foster children and players from the region to start, so that young people would get a chance. The philosophy is currently radically turned around, they bet on experienced footballers who have something behind them. It brings them success.

As you say, Slovakia is experiencing an exceptional period. However, the classification of foster children is important. How do you perceive change over time?

The league cannot be played with only young players. It’s good when they get the opportunity, but performance should always be the deciding factor. It doesn’t matter if the footballer is from abroad, from the region, young or old. At any cost, trying to play with the children sooner or later will catch up with you and get you into trouble. This has also sometimes been shown. I was surprised that the change was quick and radical. Slovácko has the oldest squad in the league. This is related to the fact that the team is financially expensive. However, the bet on quality is clearly paying off. The only question is what will happen in the future.

There are a lot of thirty-somethings in the squad and we don’t know how quickly they will leave one after the other. If more of them were to end at once, it could cause problems.

Could this be one of the reasons why Slovácko, unlike the Conference League, is struggling in the domestic competition?

Most of our teams, when they play two competitions, have problems in one of them. Although it surprises me a little with Slovácko. They have a quality and mainly wide squad, several reinforcements have arrived. I expected them to handle the double load better. They lost unnecessary points. The last match with Teplice, which they managed to turn around, but showed that they will gradually work their way back up.

The dominant personality of success is coach Martin Svědík. Does he grow with the results?

The fact that he got Slovácko into these positions and has been working at the club for some time is a testament to his quality work. It’s true that even before I left I recommended him, I followed him on previous trips. His career is off to a very good start and he will have to prove it even in a bigger club than provincial Slovácko. There, the pressure is not enormous like in other bigger teams in our country or abroad.

Has the time come when Martin Svědík has outgrown Slovácko and should try a job at a bigger club?

First of all, it is Martin Svědík’s priority decision, what he wants. I can hardly advise him, the verdict is only up to him.

As already mentioned, Bundesliga team Kolín nad Rýnem is heading to Uherské Hradiště on Thursday. How do you read its current form?

This season he is not as stable and successful as last year. It will not be easy for him to repeat his last year. Even though he beat Slovácko at home (4:2), he clearly did not convince me of his strength. The big warning is the last league outburst, when they lost 0:5 in Mainz.

In the opening duel, they started without the biggest supports. Do you expect him not to underestimate anything this time?

For Cologne, as well as for Nice, the domestic competition is a priority. I’m not saying they underestimate the Conference League, but it’s not their top priority. They certainly won’t come to lose, but Slovácko has a great chance to win the match and fight for promotion to the spring phase.

Is it true that you still have an apartment in Cologne?

Yes that’s right. From the days when my daughter was studying hotel and tourism management. That was many years ago. But I still have the apartment and rent it out.

You have a relationship with both cities, but will you support Slovakia?

I want us to see nice and interesting football. I will be co-commentating on Sport 1 Slavia in Kosovo and Arsenal before that, so I won’t see much of the game. I would like it to be an attractive spectacle for the audience. I’ll avoid the question like this.