Player of the Autumn according to Seznam Správ: Chameleon and leader returns Slavia to the throne

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Choosing the best football player of the domestic autumn scene is a bit of a matter of taste, like everything else. How about the Brazilian magician Ewerton, the most productive player in the competition, who pulls Baník among the domestic elite?

Or the best scorer Jan Kliment, a graceful sprinter, who didn’t even need 11 chances for 11 hits in a rejuvenated Olomouc?

The circle of league experts in top form with a great contribution to the team is more diverse, there are many players who make the competition better, but when you talk to people from the football industry, you hear one name more often.

“As for the season and in the national team, Lukáš Provod, Tomáš Holeš and Pavel Šulc are the best for me in the autumn. Tomáš Chorý also had a great influence on the performance of Slavia or the national team. I would highlight these four players and I would also add Oscar to them,” says coach Jiří Saňák.

Then he narrows down the circle on the basis of character traits: “Lukáš Provod works well with emotions, he doesn’t have outbursts, he doesn’t simulate. These are things I notice a lot. So then I would choose between Provod, Holeš and Oscar, because both Šulc and Chorý sometimes do some kind of simulation or retaliation.”

After the recent confrontation with Slavia, Olomouc’s coach Tomáš Janotka bluntly blurted out: “Provod is the best player in the league in my eyes. He is absolutely blown away and has outgrown the Czech league. Immense quality, a joy to watch.”

Hard to disagree. Lukáš Provod played the autumn part of the season in an amazing run, added eight assists to three goals, you won’t find a better scorer in the competition. Botos from Karvina and Kušej from Mladá Boleslav reached the same number. The 28-year-old Slavia midfielder is behind Ewerton by two Canadian points.

The parade is not only in the autumn. He already got into the rotation last season. As one of the few representatives, he endured a strict standard even at the European Championship in Germany, where he shone with a beautiful goal for Portugal and, above all, with a high standard of play.

“That was a turning point, it really kicked him up,” Slavia coach Jindřich Trpišovský nods.

They are betting on Provoda as a team leader who can be used in many positions. At times you get the feeling that thanks to his excellent condition he covers all corners of the pitch. You see him storming down the wing, complementing the point guard, helping the fullback. The combination of honesty with advanced game thinking makes Provod a player with a difference and a natural leader.

“His position is extremely important, he is a hybrid who is wherever he is needed,” Trpišovský appreciates.

“When we can ask ourselves: What position does he actually play?” ponders Saňák. “Chameleon,” he replies to himself immediately.

Provod’s original games deserve an original name. The former coach of Sigma or Pardubice, who also worked as an assistant in Sparta or in Iran, notices how the Slavic style suits him perfectly.

“Slavia’s style of play is tailor-made for him, it makes the most of his strong, hybrid aspects. It plays similarly in the toolbox. As successful as the national team is in the fall, I think it was due to the fact that more Slavia players are playing there,” says Saňák.

And he ponders: “Would Provod even be a player for Sparta?” They would put him at halfback, for example, he also plays eight in the national team, he can play at ten, either on the right or on the left. We sometimes say that versatility is bad for players, that they can play multiple positions, but then they don’t play great. So Lukáš Provod can play in four positions and he will be excellent everywhere.”

The sledder will be impressed by the kilometers covered and the intensity. “He still wants to play. He is physically fit, he doesn’t spare a step. He always puts energy into the performance, it’s not just repeating it in every match. Energy is his typical phenomenon.”

It is admirable what form and condition Provod got into after injuring his right knee three years ago in Olomouc, where he unluckily tore his anterior cruciate ligament and tore the meniscus. There is probably no worse football injury. At the same time, he only turned in the middle of the field to receive the pass. Like so many times. But when he stepped on his right foot, it broke. He was twenty-five, in great shape, and there was talk of serious interest from Premier League clubs. In pain, he hid his head in his hands and his jersey and could barely hold back his tears.

“I don’t like to remember it. But I’ve already played a lot of matches, that’s why I’m grateful for where I got to and that my health is holding up,” he says with humility and relief. Again at the peak of performance.

“I believed that he would get back to top form,” Saňák had no doubts. “He was still a young player then.”

He had more time to study economics at Marodoka, which he managed to finish after returning to the field. First, he played a match for the national team in Montenegro, arrived home after midnight, and the next day at noon he made a state appearance. He wrote his diploma thesis on the topic of talent and management in a football environment. He became an engineer.

And he also learned to play the piano. “I am very thoughtful. My head is often full of thoughts. When I tore my cruciate ligament, the neighbors lent him electric keyboards, the perfect opportunity to try something new,” he told the Europa League magazine. “The great thing about the piano is that if you don’t concentrate, you keep making mistakes. It clears my head.”

When you feel that Mrs. Provodová has Mr. Božský at home. A representative, a college student, a man of character, who will play classical piano for a woman if he has time for romance this week.

“He is smart, honest. He graduated from university, which is worth noting, so that other young guys know that they can study while playing football, that even a busy national team player can make it through university,” Saňák points out with respect. “He’s a professional in everything, he has no problems with himself.”

Trpišovský also mentions Trpišovský, who has played a vital role in his football growth, as one of Provod’s great strengths. In České Budějovice, he barely had time to establish himself in the first league, and suddenly he was playing under him for Slavia, a big team in Europe.

“His football and personal life work. The boys in the cabin look up to him, he is a natural type of calm leader, he helps everyone, especially the foreign players. His head is perfectly set,” emphasizes Trpišovský. “He has been with us for over six years, he fits the role of a leading player, he has a functional background. In short, everything came together, which I’m very happy about, because we often talk about everything possible that can affect his career. He is in his prime.”

Football. And for the transfer? It’s about time for that one. Due to age and injuries, it is difficult for clubs from top competitions to offer Slavia what they would like and what it is worth to them. That is also why she recently agreed on a five-year contract with Provod, which is unique in the Czech environment. After all, even the negotiation of a new contract was unique.

“It was very fun with Lukáš. He is an economics engineer with a red diploma. Normally, a player comes with an agent, you have fun and it’s so emotional. But Lukáš came and said he needed 20 minutes of my time. And he had it ready as a thesis – how many goals he scored, how many goals Slavia scored when he was on the pitch. Twenty minutes of arguments as to why he should get a new contract and added,” said Slavia boss Jaroslav Tvrdík in the Tiki-Taka program on O2 TV.

The long-term contract should give Provod security, more peace of mind to work under the constant pressure of nothing but winning.

“He has stabilized. He knows that he has a secured future,” added Tvrdík in the club’s Total podcast. “He’s had an injury that kept him away from a Premier League contract. As a very smart person, it was logically in the back of my mind. Now I think his future is settled. We have a clear agreement that he will be one of Slavia’s pillar players. The contract corresponds to this. He plays great behind Chorý, he plays great with Bořil. The fourth in this party of leaders is Tomáš Holeš. These players are pulling Slavia and the others are joining in.”

Anyway, you think how interesting it would be to see Provod on his first foreign mission, for example in the Premier League. Physically and technically, he could handle the most demanding league on the planet, but you want to see for yourself. “He definitely has what it takes to play in the Premier League or the Bundesliga. Now I was on an internship in Germany, he would definitely play there,” Saňák has no doubts. “But even at Manchester United when I saw them in Pilsen. As physically advanced as he is, he is also technically advanced. But I understand that Slavia and Sparta have reached a stage where the conditions compete with even the best leagues.”

In other words, the economic reasons for transferring to below-average clubs from the top leagues disappear. It would have to be the bomb. But he doesn’t think about that. His goal is clear: to return Slavia to the domestic throne after three years. It works like a perfectly tuned machine. Almost.

At the end of autumn, even Provod, under the weight of fatigue, admitted how much he was looking forward to the short winter break: “We really want to blow our noses.” The head is more tired than the body.’

No wonder. The season is barely halfway through and he has 35 sharp matches in his legs – 19 in the league, six in the Europa League, four in the Champions League qualifiers, six in the national team. That’s not even counting the three matches from the summer Euro. This is a charge that football players used to have after the season. That is also why Provod suggested to coach Trpišovská that they should not return to Prague between the matches in Ostrava and Olomouc, but save their energy in Moravia at the hotel.

This is how a complete pro thinks, who praises important articles in the background on his own at the press conference after the game: “I want to mention one thing that is not talked about so much. I would like to praise our implementation team, without them we don’t play so many matches in health. They work really hard, they take care of us, they help us every day. It is only thanks to them that we are able to handle the ever-increasing match load. So, once again, a huge bow to all the masseurs, conditioners and doctors, we are incredibly grateful to them.”

Unlike the match in Olomouc, this time in Teplice, Provod did not help to turn around the unfavorable situation after coming on in the second half, and in the end the seamers suffered their first defeat in the home competition.

Even so, they rule it with a seven-point lead over Pilsen and a thirteen-point lead over Sparta. Although many people around do not doubt the title for Slavia, Provod remains on top as a true leader. Maximum focus. Like playing the piano.

“There is still half of the competition ahead of us, plus the build-up, we have to be attentive until the very end,” commands a football player of whom the Czech league can be proud, whoever is the best for you.