Recently, Jan Mejdr and Tomáš Wiesner have alternated in the position of right halfback. Neither of them met Brian Priske’s comprehensive requirements and vision of a player who should be very good offensively and defensively. Mejdr is better in the defensive phase. He is a tall, combative type who doesn’t budge, grinds, fights. He tries to support the attack. But it has significant gameplay and technical shortcomings that limit it. Wiesner is much more football-like, better offensively, but has problems in duels and defending. Sometimes he doesn’t cover the opposing striker.
Sparta decided to react and remove the weakness at this post. Surprisingly, she hired Angelo Preciado from Belgian Genk. The 25-year-old Ecuadorian has representative experience. He played in Ecuador’s starting line-up at the last World Cup. He played quite regularly in Genk in the last three seasons. However, he was dropped from the lineup in the ongoing one, he started only twice for less than a game.
Preciado reportedly cost Sparta around 3 million euros. Spartan manager Rosický spoke on his arrival about the fact that Angelo Preciado is an experienced representative of his country at an ideal age. He is said to be used to different game systems. According to Rosicky, he will fit well into Sparta’s style of play and will improve the quality of its squad. Tomáš Sivok, Tomáš Rosický’s “right-hand man”, added that Preciado is a man in the starting line-up.
Upon closer examination of the player’s business card, one thing surprised him: In three seasons in Genk, Preciado played 57 league games, but he has zero goals in the column. In the Belgian Cup in three seasons, 6 games and also zero goals. He played 5 matches and scored zero goals in the Europa League in the 2021/22 season. Preciado did not score a single goal in three seasons in Genk! In the years 2017-23, he played 34 matches in the Ecuadorian national team, also without scoring a goal. This is a rather surprising circumstance for the right wingback, who is supposed to be a ready reinforcement of Sparta in the basic lineup for the European League.
It was all the more expected how Preciado would succeed in the derby. On the one hand, it must be appreciated that Brian Priske was not an alibi. Sparta bought Preciado for big money as a player for big matches. Priske didn’t wait for anything and sent Preciad into the game right from the first minute in the Europa League with Limassol and in the subsequent derby with Slavia.
Some experts retrospectively evaluate Priske’s move as a mistake. Personally, I think Priske did well. Although Preciado did not manage the derby against Slavia, this derby was only the first and was certainly not the most important of the season. There will be many more matches. The league title will be decided much later. At least two more league derbies await us. Maybe even a cup. That’s why it’s good for Sparta that Preciado won the unsuccessful derby now, when it wasn’t much of a problem. Preciado got to know the atmosphere of the biggest Czech derby, he gained the necessary experience from such a heated match on Sunday, which he should use later.
Angelo Preciado caused a penalty in the 57th minute in the derby, from which Slavia took the lead. He went into the fight in the penalty area very awkwardly, fouling Tijani. A yellow card could have come for this intervention. The referee did not award it.
Above all, however, Preciado should no longer be on the playing field. Already in the 21st minute, he brutally attacked Slavist Lukáš Provod near the corner flag. He kicked him under the knee. Clearly an intentional foul. Useless, stupid, not solving anything. Apparently resulting from overmotivation of the player. It was only by luck that Provod was not seriously injured. Only thanks to the benevolence of referee Sziksay, Preciad’s intervention ended with only a yellow card. According to the referee’s verdict, Preciado should have been expelled for this brutal tackle.
At least from these two situations, it is clear that Preciado “didn’t manage the derby in his head”. So far, he has not shown himself as an experienced reinforcement for big matches. In Wednesday’s MOL Cup in Líšno, he rested, just like most of the Spartans from the starting line-up. In Saturday’s match against Viktoria Plzeň, however, Preciado can be expected to be in the starting line-up again. Sparta bought him mainly for such matches. So it will be another sharp examination of Preciad’s qualities.
Preciado is a technically very well-equipped footballer, as is the custom for South Americans. He is an explosive and fast player. He said himself that he likes to play hard. In the derby, however, he overdid it with his hardness. Its weaker ending was already mentioned in the introduction. Nevertheless, from his performances so far, it seems that he will be better in the offensive. The question is how he will fare against better opponents. At first glance, his limit is a more subtle figure and a height of only 173 cm.
The Spartan term calendar is demanding. Matches follow in quick succession. The coming weeks will give an answer to the question of whether Preciado will pay off for Sparta for three million euros and become a support, or whether his engagement will be evaluated as a mistake. So far, there are more question marks surrounding his person and game. The first difficult test in the derby did not work out for him. The second Preciada awaits on Saturday, with Viktoria Plzeň.
Source: Livesport statistics
