What was going through your head after Oscar’s penalty and expulsion?
We found ourselves in a very difficult situation. The suspended Oscar played a great defensive match in Cluj, so the first thing that came to mind was that suddenly we were without a player we wanted to lean on in defense. So we thought about how to fix the position of the stopper, where we got Hromad on the break. We were also suddenly in a position where we couldn’t use our pressing style of play due to weakening. We were in long passes without the ball, we went on a break. It was nice to score two to one during the interval. It’s just a pity that in the second half we weren’t able to take a break to close the game calmly.
Don’t you think the position of stopper is cursed in Slavia? The central defenders make mistakes, they commit a penalty, they are sent off.
Now with Boleslav, the penalty situation was preceded by an easy fight lost in the middle of the race. This is what worries us the most.
Did you realize after elimination that you were running the risk of another defeat, which would be very unpleasant?
I realized especially at the start of the game that we have several guys on the pitch who are struggling with health problems. The exclusion was another blow to us. But the team’s reaction was different than in previous games. Finally, there was someone on the pitch who led the team even if the proverbial luck was on our side. We felt we had players on the pitch who have not lost their patience in a difficult situation.
They say you had a session with experienced players after Thursday’s defeat in Cluj in the Conference League. Who initiated the meeting?
It is a rule that during the return from the cup matches on Thursday we check with the players their state of health. During the meeting, we also consulted with them about the formation in which we will play against Boleslav. We offered them two options for joining the game. And also, we’ve made a lot of appeal to players who have a fighting spirit in them. On Ondra Lingra or Vašek Jurečka, to show others. These guys can mentally take it in a difficult situation. So this time around we wanted players to focus more on the mental side of performance. We played a good game in Cluj, but we lost it. Due to the high percentage of lost fights.
Directed with Josef Csaplár and Robert Neumannvideo: Sport.cz
Goalkeeper Kolář contributed significantly to the victory over Středočechy. Is he returning to his previous form?
It performed very well. Not only with important procedures. Excellent, for example, the save in the first half against Thief’s shot. Overall they seemed confident, it helped the team a lot.
How is the health of the current number two Mandous?
He trains himself. If he had to go to the gate, he would have an injection or a pain pill. He is waiting for an operation to remove his health problem. We are trying to move it as far as possible.
