CONVERSATION
The match of the fall awaits them, in a way the entire season. In the rematch of the European Conference League play-offs, the Slavia footballers will face the Polish team Raków Čenstochová on Thursday, who will bring a one-goal lead to Prague. But at the weekend, the Sišivani beat Pardubice 7:0, Stanislav Tecl flashed a hat trick. Should he start in the starting lineup? And what about Yiry Soro’s departure? Former team captain Erich Brabec also spoke about this in an interview for eFotbal.
Can a seven-goal win turn positive against Raków?
Such a result will of course help Slavia, that’s clear. On the other hand, it will not have any significant effect on the rematch with Raków. It will be a completely different match. After all, we have already seen it in Poland, where the style of the home team Slavia did not suit them at all.
So a completely different quality of opponents?
Exactly. In addition, Pardubice played the entire second half by ten, there it was just about how many goals they would get. The Częstochowa players showed that they are a really advanced team. They knew when to go forward and when to pull back. They were very annoying with their quick access. They made any constructive passing difficult for Slavia. And it must be said that she couldn’t handle it for the whole match.
There is a lot of discussion as to whether Slavia is a bit hurt by too many foreigners in the squad. Do you think this is a problem?
Slavia has been betting on the line of players from Africa for a long time, integrating its own talents with them. That it has now become quite a topic, I personally would not attach much weight to that. A lot of guys from abroad were already there last season. Rather, I believe that Slavia’s internal climate in the cabin is not working at all now. There are no clearly defined leaders who should lead it. Even Standa Tecl mentioned after the win over Pardubice that it was finally a great team performance. These words say it all. Personally, I think that either the given player is simply good, or he is not. And coach Trpišovský can certainly recognize this.
You mentioned Tecla, who scored a hat trick against Pardubice. Should he be in the starting line-up against Czenstochová as well?
Standa has long been under the critical eye of some fans and experts. But he is the soul of the entire cabin, that is his main role. Until recently, it was also filled by Přéma Kovář, now mainly he. But at the weekend, Standa clearly showed that he still has what it takes to be a support on the pitch. However, if he will get a chance on Thursday as well, I don’t dare to guess at this moment. Maybe he will go to the square as a substitute player. Anyway, I think it won’t be a one player match. Slavia must succeed mainly as a team.
When we talk about the soul of the cabin, can Slavia be bounced back up by the return of Jan Bořil, who after a difficult operation began to slowly gain weight?
Honza is going through a difficult time right now. But he will be a great reinforcement for Slavia, both on the field and in the cabin. So hopefully he can make it and come back as soon as possible.
And what do you say about the possible sale of Yiry Soro, for whom the Belgian Genk is said to be offering up to a quarter of a billion? Would you let him go?
Slavia has to evaluate this, not me. If she has adequate compensation for him, if he has already done what she expected of him, then why not. For example, Dávid Hancko left for similar money, and in my opinion it was a win-win situation for him. It is possible that the same thing will happen to Sora.
