After both Round of 16 games, the Spartans may prefer that the ride is over and it’s time to lick their wounds. And that they have been blessed lately. Zuřivec asked.
As expected, Sparta is out of EL. It really wasn’t for Liverpool (and mind you, I don’t add “yet”) and the trip to Anfield turned into almost a nightmare. I wish it hadn’t happened, perhaps some wished afterwards. But late bulet over the spilled slicer. Sparta made a name for itself in England, which it apparently did not care about at all. It was necessary? I mean, the spanking?
Sparta already knows that the Champions League is better not (yet).
He was necessary. He was necessary for Letná to take off the rose-colored glasses of intoxicating optimism. Although, and often rightly so, they thought in the Spartan world that they were not only well on their way to the top, but perhaps already at the end of it, Liverpool held up a merciless mirror to them. And in it, every “wrinkle”, every hip of summer imperfection showed. “Rulers of Prague”? Well, at the moment, probably yes, but behind Žebrák, Šádkovo already begins and Viktoria rules there. After all, they already know it at Letná. Speaking of which, has anything changed since the beating in Pilsen? Maybe defense?
The Spartans’ defense buys mistakes under pressure
At the moment, probably the most inclined summer series is not really experiencing a “delightful” period. Even if there is such scholarly talk that the entire team defends, the defender is on the field to defend. Does anyone have the feeling that according to the statistics of the month of March so far, i.e. a score of 2:15 and one point (!) from four competitive matches, it is really a great game of excellent defensive play? Probably not huh? Rather, it looks like the statistics of some third-rate brat. And the password “Liverpool” doesn’t work in this case, don’t get mad at me.
The Spartan defensive trio has its specifics. There are more “elegant” footballers in it than in other teams. Semipathistically, no defense dogs, but rather more technical (attacking) types. It is certainly based on Priske’s game philosophy that the best defense is attack. Ladislav Krejčí, Filip Panák, Asperg Sörensen and Martin Vitík (and finally also Patrik Vydra) are anything but “dumb” defenders. For example, Panák has an excellent passing game (this may partially apply to Sörensen as well), Vitík can also attack, and Káp Krejčí is known to feel like a fish in water in the opponent’s goal (see his shooting power).
But what applies to Karvina, for example, Liverpool does not take and stripped the summer defense to the naked eye in both matches. Under pressure, her fighters make mistakes and often fatal ones. And what Sparta will do later in the league with attack, or morale, somehow doesn’t work for a fighter from the Premier League. Even the goalkeeper post in the Leten team, if we consider it as part of the defensive phase of the game, does not excel in any way at the moment. So isn’t it time for a game changer? Alternatively, throw yourself out of the hoof during the winter transfer window?
But almost the entire manchaft was confused
Both Brian Priske and Sparta were praised for still pushing for their game in the home game against Liverpool. Regardless of the force that stood against them. A very brave act, mostly positively evaluated. There were even tones like “if it fell there, maybe….” In the last comment I wrote: tweedles and owls made of noodles, even three figs in his net would not be enough for Liverpool. Regardless of the fact that right after that the Spartans were also beaten in Pilsen. Haraslín also had the first chance, but in the end it ended with a league beating against which the “Mančaft” as a whole was unable to do anything. Perhaps due to Mr. Priske’s hesitant replacement. And red for labial Krejčí. And I repeat, the whole team was unable to respond to Pilsen’s enthusiasm.
The same pattern was repeated at Anfield. Even there, the team was not capable of any reaction and after fifteen minutes it was disgraced like a wild boar. Probably for the first time in their careers, some fighters in red experienced a “time out” in football and humming in their souls already at the beginning of the match. Normally this rule is only allowed in basketball I think, but probably because Sparta was threatened with a “basketball” (or at least hockey) result, the players and coach Priske resorted to this action. However, it did not confuse Liverpool, and the Briskan media searched in vain in the archives for a weaker unit that ever fought from the fighters from Anfield (and this is a fact, I am not adding this, they wrote that). Was it worth it to Sparta? Play your game, which is clearly not good enough for the European super top?
Champions League dreams need to be given a real basis
But what were the poor Spartans to do? Fight back to a similar result? Apparently, it would have worked out the same (plus or minus a goal) and a hand on the back of the head, it wasn’t just the defense that was in disarray. Not all of Sparta could keep up. This is a sad report card not only for her. Even Slavia was not enough for a “giant”, although its battles with AC Milan sounded more flattering for it after all. It can protect by the fact that it played underweight every time and yet did not fall as devastatingly as Sparta. However, even she was not particularly convincing that the teams from the Czech football league will soon be chasing teams in the Champions League. That is, if they don’t just want to participate in a “Coubertinian” way.
That’s why Spartan fans in particular should get down after the “English lesson” and stop constantly crying on social media about the next year of the Champions League. The management of Sparta and the players themselves have probably seen through it themselves. Although it looked like a great season after Galasataray, March brought Letná back down to earth. And pretty hard. But all can be forgotten if Sparta takes this “holdover” as a challenge.
It would be a mistake to back away from anything now. To change something, or to start fearing football just because they do it better elsewhere. Maybe for now and you too forever. After all, many other matches have shown that the game of the current Sparta is already competitive in many respects. It’s just that he mustn’t come across Liverpool right now…
And that’s how I took it. I told you that you should look forward to Hradec…
