4/1/2026, Editorial Board
Assistant coach Zdeněk Houštecký at the start of training in Marbella in a comprehensive interview! We discussed goals for the camp, Barcelona, absent players, Javorček’s slow return and work with Cham. And much more.
Houštecký loves football and Slavia, that’s a well-known fact. But he has equally strong feelings for Christmas. “It’s probably the only time I can really switch off. I can see people I don’t have time for all year. It’s time for family, friends, time to get together,” he reflects. During the holidays, the two collided at his home, he watched every round of the Premier League. But more relaxed, without nerves, like a fan. He did not go into details. After all, it was the holidays.
It was an exceptional time for Houštecký at the end of 2025, he became a grandfather. “My older son had a son, I have a grandson, on December 27. The poor guy, he was named David, will have a holiday, birthday and Christmas in one week. He’s being punished a bit,” he laughs.
Then we will deal with football, Stanislav Tecl will bring him coffee. And he tells, passionately, passionately, comprehensively. A few questions are enough for a half-hour interview.
On the day of his departure to Marbella he watched West Ham, after arriving in Marbella he tuned in to the Barcelona derby. And before the start of the joint conversation, he caught United’s half-time at Leeds. No darts and the culmination of the World Cup on Saturday. Just football! This is Zděnek Houštecky.
Please jump to the holidays, you also played in Christmas celebratory spots. What reactions did it cause in your surroundings?
“I don’t have social networks, but I received positive reactions. Nice responses. Everyone made fun of me, that they could light my candle. Jaroslav Tvrdík, most of all, said that it’s not possible, he still has to reorder from the fanshop. I also bought a couple of them, gave them away to friends.”
What did you enjoy most about filming?
“Definitely the video with Standa Vlček, how we decorated gingerbread. I had a good feeling about it. If it all pleased people, our fans, then I’m very happy for it.”
As I know you, you were looking forward to the training process, weren’t you?
“Of course! You miss it, we’re used to being in a permanent position, in that carousel, together with the boys. I already felt that we missed each other. The boys and I even wrote to each other before New Year’s Eve, made wishes. Actually, the second time, the first time was when we said goodbye in the cabin. We wrote to each other in groups of wishes, it was felt that everyone was looking forward to jumping into it again. We all just love football. And I want to say one more thing…”
Please.
“The holidays were very pleasant also because in the last league round our lead increased a little more. Another two points to the plus. It encourages you. As I say it now, I realize that losing even the last bago before the holidays is terrible. You still have to think about it. You have to win everything in the last training session, otherwise you won’t carry it on (laughter). I don’t want that.”
Javorček must be one hundred percent
The first training session was in the gym. You didn’t get involved as you usually do, why?
“It’s raining here so far, we went to see the grounds first, so I haven’t participated yet. But I’m definitely looking forward to the next training sessions when I’ll join the boys.”
Dortmund was training outside the windows, did you catch a glimpse of them?
“Just in passing. I looked, I saw the fierceness, the commitment. That was enough for me, simply top. Bundesliga.”
You always praised the players after the break for how they approached individual plans. Is it the same this year?
“Everyone here already knows what they’re getting into. And if the guys don’t fulfill the plans, it will show, the guys know it. It’s directed at the performance on the field and the running equipment. If someone doesn’t fulfill it and doesn’t run, we’ll know it. It’s always been shown in the past. The players know us and won’t allow themselves to come unprepared.”
What’s in the plan, can you tell me?
“Generally, the plan is to get the player ready. He’s got his base volume built up. He’s up and running before he comes into practice.”
Does the fact that we start the spring part with two games in the Champions League disrupt the usual pattern of preparation? To begin with, we will immediately welcome Barcelona at home.
“You can’t do a classic winter training, when there is more time and you kick in. The boys sometimes reached the bottom of their physical strength, but we can’t do it now, precisely because of the limited time. That’s why the boys had individual plans, the basic warm-up is over. We have three warm-up games. On Tuesday we play Basel, then Karlsruhe and finally Brann.”
Interesting rivals, agree?
“Definitely. Both Basel and Brann are still playing in the Europa League and are fighting for promotion. You won’t find such opponents in Portugal, it’s definitely better in Spain. There are a lot of clubs here, it’s easier to choose.”
As for Barcelona, did you watch their match against Espanyol?
“He was watching. And I got upset (laughs). In the second half, an Espanyol player went on the break, he could have scored. He didn’t do it, he decided to go around the goalkeeper who caught him. At 0:0. I hate this, who would do this for us, not to pass from a clear position, he would have a problem… But even Espanyol showed that you can play with them. You can always surprise them with something… We will definitely try to do that too.”
Did you talk to Dominik Javorček at the gym, how is he doing?
“He hasn’t kicked a ball for us yet, but he’s a fighter. He was devastated by the injury. Just like guys who have had it happen in the past. These are tough injuries that take a toll on the psyche. That’s when the sports world comes crashing down on that player.”
I understand.
“But as soon as he was able to come after the operation, he started coming to the cabin for procedures. And it’s important that he’s with the team. When I talked to him, I told him that everything bad is good for something. During the fall, he saw every game from the stands, sitting next to us coaches. So he had a great opportunity to perceive and get to know everything. For him, as a newcomer to the team, that’s also extremely important. Now he’s starting running training, but we’re definitely not going to rush him. He has to be one hundred percent.”
It is very difficult to break into the lineup
Two members of the A-team – Lukáš Vorlický and Ondřej Zmzrlý – did not participate in the training. Why?
“As for Vorlis, we know that he is a great player and football player. There is no question about that. I love these offensive players. From Jindra, I learned to perceive defense. When I was still playing, I wanted to be on the field with strong and defensive players. I never knew how to defend and when the team has those players, it is simply an advantage. During the time that Jindra and I have been together, he has taught me how to defend. I believe that today I see defensively well, but like the fans, I love offensive football players who, when they see a situation, can put it into practice. And do it quickly.”
Vorlický has all that.
“Yes. But he needs to play because he’s been out for an awfully long time. He has to get fit and unfortunately it’s not possible to give him that much space right now. He should be active in Brno in the spring and we’ll see. It’s up to him. We all know he’s Mr. Football.”
And what about Ondřej Zmrzlý?
“Ondra Zmrzlý is a player who has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, it sometimes happens that he could not fully transfer it to the matches. He has running equipment, speed, a really good shot, an excellent center, a physically and technically well-prepared player. He has great prerequisites, but unfortunately the performances were sometimes more fluctuating than needed. But he had a hard time. Malick was here and then you don’t get as much space. Ondra himself showed interest in playing more games. It’s rough I’ll show it with one example and turn to Chaly (Štěpán Chaloupek), who shot when Holi and Igoh were injured for a long time. If the stoppers were missing one or two games, it would look different too, because even Chaly knows that the first games were not the same.”
But he played and scored goals.
“Yes. The third match was already better, followed by the fourth match, and the performances increased. And today, Chaly is the future of Slavia and has the prerequisites to become a leader one day. But in general, it is very difficult for boys to get into the lineup, because the team is consolidated and has great players in their positions.”
Cham wants and tries
A number of returnees from loan spells also took part in the preparation. How are you looking forward to them?
“In our eyes, for example, Buža (Alexandr Bužek) is a player who has excellent movement, running and football skills. A player for our system. Unfortunately, he has now suffered an injury and will prepare individually at the beginning of the training. When he came to Slavia a year and a half ago, we included him in the starting lineup for the first match in Slovácko. He was also in training for the match.”
But he got hurt.
“Unfortunately, about two days before the game. Then he didn’t get into that team, he was out of the game for a long time and went on loan. It definitely helped him, because the young guys need to play. In addition, he can be used in several positions and is excellent in football. He is a ball stealer, sees football situations very well.”
You will also meet Samhkou Camara in your team for the first time.
“We’ll see, of course the competition for the position of stopper is huge here. He’s the type of player who could fit into our system. We’ll see how he establishes himself in our environment. We saw in Karviná that he has what it takes, that he can be promising. But there’s a lot of competition here. Sometimes he solves situations on the pitch quite well.”
What about that?
“Here, it may happen that something doesn’t work out for him, the pressure will increase. But that will always be shown by the environment in Slavia, which is different than in other teams. The pressure here is enormous. Camara has the prerequisites, but he has to show if he can handle it mentally.”
Muhammed Cham, who did not make it into the starting line-up, was also a topic during the fall. What are your plans for him?
“That’s another good topic – usefulness for the team. He’s a midfielder and today we play at the tip of the three. In Clermont he played more from the wing and moved inside. Something like Lukáš Provod, but he’s the team’s driver in incredible form. If a new team was formed and Muhammed Cham would come in a situation, if the squad changed more, he would get more options. But there are players here who confirm every match that they are the leaders of the team. Choras, Proviz, Holi, today Michal Sadílek joined in. Or the guys in defense. When you play in two in the middle of the field, you have to be able to fight, defend, attack well.”
He came at a moment when the competition had already been played, bonds had been created.
“Exactly. We all see and know that he is a different player with his football skills when he is on the ball. Of course, today’s concept of football is different – fast and strong, especially in the Czech Republic, but it is played like that almost everywhere. But Muhammed Cham is a player who wants and tries. He trains and plays to the fullest. As for his attitude, he is 100% professional. And he knows how to play in the Czech Republic. Now he will pass training and we’ll see how he can handle it. Of course he’ll get a chance. But there’s not much time.”
So how do you get to the lineup?
“As coaches, we have to sense if he has more value for the team than the player in front of him in the starting lineup. He will just play the one who will be more useful to the team.”
