The Slavist footballers’ coach Jindřich Trpišovský evaluates the past autumn part of the season positively. After 19 league rounds, Vršovičí are five points behind defending champion Sparta after 19 league rounds, but they have one match to spare, and their coach believes that they will fight for first place in the spring.
Over the past six months, Trpišovský is also satisfied with the performance in European cups and with the financial profit from the sale of players. At the press conference after the 3:2 victory in Ostrava, he also praised the growing quality of the Czech league and higher attendances.
“From Slavia’s point of view, it was 90 percent a very successful half-year. We sold players for almost half a billion (crowns), we managed to go through the qualifications and finished in first place in the Europa League group. On the transfer market and in Europe, it is me at number one, we are also going further in the Czech Cup, so we are satisfied there as well,” said Trpišovský.
In the league, his team have lost points three times for a draw and once for a 1:2 defeat at home to Pilsen. Compared to Sparta, they have a postponed match in Zlín to their advantage.
“The league is somewhat muddied by the passing game, which optically spoils it. But we only lost once in a match that we did not do well and Pilsen did great,” noted Trpišovský.
“We are second in the table, we are in contact with the first team and we want to play for first place. The move is for me in the player squad. I have already talked about it in Europe, I feel energy from the team, it is a pleasure to work with him. He also manages matches, in which we sometimes shot ourselves in the foot last year,” added the forty-seven-year-old coach.
According to him, the league went up in level, which is also proven by the increasing attendance. The largest number of spectators came to Slavia’s home matches in Eden in autumn, Sparta has the highest percentage of stadium capacity utilization.
“I think that we, as the Czech Republic, have moved somewhere. Both in terms of visits, the interest of football and the type of players we have here. The emphasis on some types of players is close to European football, which is why we have interesting matches here. In the autumn, there were a lot of goals, teams they play offensively. Thank God for the scenery that is there. There are fan zones, for example Teplice, they have a huge shift in visits,” said Trpišovský.
“But we have to keep up, offer a service, because the attractions for people are huge. Other sports and so on. We have to do everything to make the matches as attractive as possible and, if possible, even more attractive,” remarked Trpišovský.
The growing quality of the Czech league was also reflected in the cups. For the first time in their separate history, three domestic clubs qualified for the spring phase, and thanks to successful autumn results, they are in fifth place in the national UEFA coefficient for this year. Overall, the Czech Republic ranks 11th and attacks the elite ten.
“Overall, autumn is positive for me. We have three teams that advanced to the spring in Europe, all of them did great results for the coefficient. TV rights were sold, there were a lot of positive steps,” Trpišovský reminded that the league can get up to half a billion crowns, i.e. three times more.
He does not count on the fact that the Brazilian Ewerton, who is visiting Baník from Vršovice, would return to Slavia for the winter training.
“Ewe is playing excellently, good for Baník. He is the type of player who entertains people and scores points. As I got to know him, he is a boy who must be sure that he will start. I like him very much, we had a good relationship . But it is suitable for a certain style, it has to be built in a certain way, someone has to defend it a little,” said Trpišovský.
“As for his future, there is an offer from a foreign club, which was already last winter. There are many options in the game, of course it will also be with Ewe, whatever he wants. We will not take him into training. His future will be decided by our sports management with Baník and other possible interested parties,” he added.
