“No matter how bold it sounds, the final must be our goal,” Rosický said in an interview for fan site Sparta Forever. “The task of the management and the coaches is to constantly instill in the boys that they can have a unique chance. Sparta’s goal is always the same – to play in the Champions League, to play in the Europa League. You don’t have the goal of playing in the Conference League,” he emphasized.
According to the sports director, Sparta still has a lot to work on. “We talked about the mental aspect of the whole team, that it lacks more hunger. That’s right. Otherwise, a weaker phase would appear once or twice, but not so many times. That’s one thing. From the point of view of individual positions, we will be prepared for all positions, as always. Those processes are already underway and we know what we want,” pointed out Rosický.
At the same time, Letenský faced repeated criticism from the fans during the autumn, who openly expressed their dissatisfaction with the team’s performances several times.
“I think that the fans’ expectations, even if they are sometimes huge, almost miraculous, are absolutely fine. It follows from the size and history of Sparta. It cannot be otherwise. I have absolutely no problem with it and it should continue to be that way,” Rosický realizes.
According to him, it was also necessary to give time to coach Brian Priske and the team itself. “It hasn’t been here for a year. Some players have developed, some haven’t, some have aged. Some hoped it would be better, some are worse. Even the coach is gradually getting to know the team. The expectations are absolutely fine and Sparta has a coach who is new, but he has a huge advantage – he knows the league. He no longer gets burned here by being naive,” thinks the sports director.
One of the examples of players who initially did not receive much confidence, but in the end of the autumn, worked their way into key figures, is Santiago Eneme. “When he came off the bench, he never disappointed. I think he is a good player because he has a different dimension than the others. He has an attribute that I really like – sometimes he slows down the game and then he can speed it up. There is no one else like him. In this particular case, could Brian have reacted better? Probably yes,” Rosický added.
