Kudela’s chance to play again against Switzerland is open, because Brabec left the team due to injury.
Czech Republic coach Jaroslav Silhavy does not regret his decision to play Ondrej Kudela when beaten by Portugal 4-0 in the Group 2 match of UEFA Nations League A, Sunday (25/9) early morning WIB.
Slihavy brought on Kudela in the 22nd minute to replace the injured Jakub Brabec. In the 33rd minute, Diogo Dalot escaped Kudela’s control, so he was able to open Portugal’s winning goal.
Meanwhile, towards the end of the first half, Mario Rui released a pass from the left side of the attack, and the ball had passed in front of Kudela before finally Bruno Fernandes scored Portugal’s second goal.
Slihavy said that playing Kudela to replace Brabec was a decision he had to make, because Persija Jakarta’s gatekeeper was considered to have experience.
“Ondra (Kudela’s nickname) plays in that position, so it’s a logical change. The Indonesian league is a bit fragile, but we know what Kudela is like,” said Slihavy in his statement to reporters quoted on the official website of the Czech Republic Football Federation (FACR).
“He’s experienced, and sometimes it’s very important to have an experienced player in that position.”
Kudela’s opportunity to appear in the decisive match against Switzerland at the Kybunpark Stadium, Wednesday (28/9) early morning WIB, is quite open. The reason, Brabec has certainly left the Czech Republic squad to recover from his injury.
Instead, Slihavy summoned Patrizio Stronati. The 27-year-old defender of Hungarian club Puskas Akademia has never appeared with the senior team. When strengthening the U-19 to U-21 teams, Stronati did not play much.
The duel against Switzerland is very decisive for the Czech Republic to stay in Level A. Currently, the Czech Republic is at the bottom of the standings with four points, two points behind Switzerland.
Slihavy said the Czech Republic players must show a better performance if they want to stay at Level A. Moreover, Switzerland has a 2-1 victory over Spain.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect Spain to lose at home, so this is a big change for us. We will definitely have a difficult match on Tuesday (Wednesday morning WIB),” goalkeeper Tomas Vaclik told Radiozurnal.
