Today you significantly oxygenated the starting line-up, only two players in the field were over twenty-five years old. What was your intention with this?
It was forced. We returned from Drita in an uncomfortable state, on the night from Thursday to Friday. We got into bed at five in the morning. Naturally, fresh forces had to be supplied. The fact that it came out to younger players does not mean there is no continuous process. We reacted to the situation.
Photo: Miroslav Chaloupka, CTK
Pilsen footballers are rejoicing over the win over Baník.
What made you record your first league win this season?
We scored three goals, but they could have scored more. We played well, Baník tries to play actively wherever he goes. That is always better for the viewer, up and down. There were a lot of chances, some we didn’t give, some Baník. It was an attractive spectacle, four goals were scored. The spectators must like this football.
Don’t you regret that you didn’t keep the two-goal lead longer and get more peace?
That’s all of us, we just can’t make it any easier. If the halftime score was 2:0, the second half starts better for us. Everyone knows that when an opponent scores a goal in the locker room like that, it complicates life. But more lasting success is born in pain. In any case, from a tactical point of view, we played it well and constantly got into dangerous breaks.
Probably the most surprising name in the starting eleven was the eighteen-year-old stopper Jan Paluska. Why did you point at him?
Lukáš Hejda is not 100% healthy, he was supposed to rest today, so we wanted to spare him. He got on the field more because of the risky situation around Samspon Dweh, who already had a yellow card and we were afraid that he would get a second one. We wanted to eliminate this risk. With Lukáš out of the lineup, she came to Honza Paluska. He played well in training, so why not? He did it perfectly.
Due to health problems, you lost Pavel Bucha and Jan Sýkora in the match, and Matěj Vydra was not nominated. How is it with them?
My first reports from Bucha are that it shouldn’t be anything serious, it’s probably just a bumped knee. The ligaments are probably fine. Unfortunately, Syky has a damaged hamstring. Matěje Vydra is then troubled by problems with his abdominal muscles, still from Drita. We don’t know how long it will take.
Pavel Šulc got the first minutes of the season, and he immediately played the entire match. You mentioned before that he is still training. How satisfied were you with him?
I can see that he still needs to train (laughs). No, he was very good. I liked the first half, but in the second half he lost a bit of energy. We made a cycle with him as we went, which would need to be this long again. After returning from Euro U21, he did not meet the fitness requirements, he did not complete the training. He helped us, he had excellent moments, but I can see from his performance that he still has to catch up on the fitness component. It will also show us the data that we closely monitor.
Photo: Miroslav Chaloupka, CTK
Tomáš Chorý from Pilsen scores a goal from the penalty against Baník.
On Thursday, another cup duel is scheduled against an outsider, this time Gzira from Malta. What do you expect from him?
It will be a different match than with Baník. I’ve already seen Gzira on videos, I have some information. We will again have to conquer the opponent who is waiting in our own half.
Did today’s duel reveal anything about the line-up for this match? Did any of the young people ask for a foundation?
As for the composition of the lineup, I am not thinking about Thursday. But I emphasize again that there is no rapid rejuvenation process here. It will happen in the future, but it is a path that has some development. Here it came out of the situation. So that no one interprets it as the older players stop playing here, that is nonsense. We know five or six players are over thirty, they know it too. The process of rejuvenation cannot be avoided, but today was not the start of it.
For the first time in the season you faced a team that tried to play relatively active football. Did it suit you?
I was looking forward to the match with Baník. I suspected it would be nice and believed that we would be the happier ones at the end. We have to respect Baník’s offensive power, it is high. On the other hand, we knew that we would be able to get into them and find our situations.
How important is this win for the mental state of the team, even before the demanding schedule?
It is certainly a significant psychological boost. After progressing in Drita, where we had to grab it, the team shows that it has inner strength. He can handle messes. The boys showed determination, character, determination. We followed that up with another victory, that can only strengthen us.
2023-08-06 20:15:00
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