No fumbling, right in the premiere, a duel between the two biggest favorites for promotion. “Every first game is hugely important, against anyone. It can give you confidence to continue. For both opponents, this is one of the most difficult matches in the group on paper. We have to be ready from the first minute, perform as well as possible and achieve the best possible result,” wishes midfielder Tomáš Souček.
You’ve been in a bit of a new position at West Ham lately. Do you think that even coach Šilhavy will send you further forward?
You can say that I still occupy a central position. Sometimes more offensive, sometimes more defensive, it’s always a mess. I know from the coach what I will play in the national team, but I will not reveal it now.
You’ve been out of the Hammers lineup a few times lately. In what form did you actually arrive?
The fact that I did not start two or three matches in the Premier League does not mean that I was dropped from the squad. We also have another cup match, so I still feel the maximum workload. And I hope that such a program will continue for a long time. I arrived confident, that’s the only way I can help the team in a difficult game. Hopefully the guys feel the same way, we’ll help each other.
For Poland, this is the first match under the leadership of Portuguese coach Fernando Santos. Could this be your advantage?
If everything works, I’m in favor of having a trainer for the long term. The players then know what is expected of them, which is better than having a change. But on the other hand, it is a bit more difficult for us to read how Poland will play. We have something in mind, we watched them, but with a change of coach something unexpected and a new style can come. Then we will have to react immediately according to the start of the match.
Vladimír Coufal feels like a grandfather in the national team. He does not yet know if he will make it to the match with PolandVideo: Sport.cz
There are six newcomers to the team. Do you feel invigorated?
Yes, this is a light refresh of our team. It’s always nice to see young players when they do a good job at the club and get a call-up. I can only welcome them. It’s always a bit of fun at training when they introduce themselves. But they are mainly there to show something on the pitch. There are 24 of us here and we need everyone.
What can be expected from the big game from a tactical point of view?
As for opponents, it is difficult to decipher their tactics. They can continue the way they played with the previous coach, they can change it. We recently played in the League of Nations against Portugal, who were coached by Santos, and you can take a few clips from that. But mainly we are concentrating on our performance, then we will see what they will show. I believe that we will react to it.
