Brian Priske, the coach of Sparta Prague football players, is completely satisfied with the just ended autumn part of the season. According to him, the defending champions owe their current success to the excellently prepared pitch at Letná, the support of the fans and the cabin.
Eighteen months in the summer club exceeded the limits of his imagination. At the same time, he is happy about the end of the calendar year, because he needs to rest. He said this at the press conference after the 2:1 victory over Teplice in the 19th league round.
Letenští spend the winter in first place with a five-point lead over city rivals Slavia, who have a game to spare. On Thursday, they advanced to the opening round of the Europa League and are in the quarter-finals of the domestic cup.
“I am very happy, I am very pleased with how the team and the implementation team are working. The course of the season so far has been amazing, 50 points in the Czech league, ten difficult matches in Europe. We had a very demanding program in the cups. In the preliminary rounds, we first played double matches with FC Copenhagen and Dinamo Zagreb and six more extremely difficult matches in the group, including two more matches in the domestic cup. I can only praise the boys and the implementation team for their exceptionally hard work. I am very proud of it,” said Priske.
“The players have raised the level of our game and style. They are more confident in what we want as a team, both offensively and defensively. In the 31 games of the season so far, our quality has been at a high level. We knew we were very good physically, but they needed we have to raise our game compared to last season to win the title again in May and play in Europe. The boys are exceptional in adapting and developing our style of play,” said the 46-year-old Dane.
He sees three reasons behind Sparta’s success. “We have the best pitch in the country, the best stadium with the best pitch. The pitchmen do an incredible job all year round. Today is the 17th of December and the pitch is amazing. It allows us to play the football we want. It’s amazing,” said the Horsens native. .
“Then there are the fans, who have supported us unbelievably at home and away throughout the year. We saw it especially at Letná against Copenhagen, Zagreb, but also today. It was one of the reasons why we won today. Three days ago, we 650 fans came to support Cyprus (at the Europa League match against Aris Limassol),” stated Priske.
According to him, the third reason for the success is the cabin. “The manager and the players are one team. The way the boys manage each other is amazing. You saw today’s result, we played weakened almost the whole match against a very difficult opponent. But the boys kept pushing, believing, working, attacking and pushing forward . Sometimes you get more than you deserve and luck is on your side. That’s the core of our success, that we all believe we can do it together. I’m very proud and grateful to be a part of it,” said Priske.
He took over Sparta last year at the turn of May and June and won the title in his first season, the first in nine years.
“Eighteen months in Sparta and in the Czech Republic exceeded the limits of my imagination. I have good memories of home and the clubs there, where I spent more time than in Sparta. But I could not imagine such success in Sparta when I went to a foreign country and different culture and I worked with other people,” Priske noted.
“Obviously, I had a lot of faith that we could be successful together, but to feel the love and support of the fans is incredible. It means a lot to me. I’m grateful for every second here and to be surrounded by the wonderful people I work with. They have a big part on success, it’s not about one person. We’re all working in the same direction,” said the former Midtjylland and Antwerp coach.
Now he is about to rest. “I’m very glad that this year is over, I need to sleep just like the boys,” said Priske. He expects changes in the squad during the winter break.
“If there will be a lot of them, I don’t know. The transfer window is opening, there will be departures and arrivals,” said the former player of Genk, Portsmouth or the Danish national team.
2023-12-17 22:02:43
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