Sparta football players (from left) Srdjan Plavšič, Bořek Dočkal, Martin Frýdek, Dávid Hancko and Ladislav Krejčí celebrate a goal during the MOL Cup quarterfinal match with Baník Ostrava.
Vlastimil Vacek, Right
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Do you still remember how you didn’t turn the penalty for Liberec into the shootout in the final in 2008, while Michal Kadlec could and Sparta could celebrate …?
I remember you don’t forget. I was very sorry then. We didn’t give two, at least I wasn’t alone. When a person goes for a penalty, he has to reckon that he will be either the hero or the one who spoils it. If the penalties came again, I would not be afraid and accepted responsibility.
Is it of special importance to you that the final will take place in Liberec, from where you went abroad?
It’s been many years. However, Liberec works in such a way that some faces still remain there. For something, it will still be nice for me to get there. In a familiar environment, I meet people I know. There are still quite a few acquaintances around the first team. For example, my teammate Míra Holeňák moved to the role of assistant. But I don’t perceive the finals in any special way, I’m not nervous about returning to Liberec. A clear priority there is to play a trophy for Sparta.
Already in January, Hromada coacha reported that he had come to Liberec to win the cup: I believe that we will torment Sparta together
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With Costa, you remain one of the last witnesses to winning the cup in 2014. Can you compare the then Sparta with the current one?
The comparison is difficult. The final is always at the end of the season. In 2014, we had an extraordinary season, we won, there were minimal point losses, the line-up did not change and there were no injuries. Actually the perfect season. The team went to the finals with great confidence and conviction that the trophy can be won. Now we also believe that we will manage the finals. However, the season was not nearly as successful for Sparta as it was in 2014. I am glad how we managed the demanding program at the end. We were able to win matches, even though the pressure was great to get to the cup places.
????️ WAITED | “It’s a trophy that Sparta is waiting for. It is on the same level to return the European Cups to Sparta and play good matches before the sold-out Letná. This is an intermediate step that we need to take. “
Captain Bořek Dočkal before the final of the MOL Cup. #acsparta
➡️ https://t.co/CKoAOfYUEz pic.twitter.com/crtVcWMe23
– AC Sparta Praha (@ACSparta_CZ) June 30, 2020
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Six years ago, you won a double and also won a super cup. Did it ever occur to you that Sparta would wait so long for another trophy from then on?
Definitely not. On the contrary, I felt that the club was on the right track, it could dominate and add trophies one by one. Nobody expected such a long wait then. There is a big difference, as I perceived it six years ago. I thought in my head that we would continue to be successful, the trophies would increase. At the same time, after six years, we now have the first opportunity to win something again. I played the final of the cup for the first time in my twenties and thought that there would be a lot of similar matches. One now sees that there is not much chance of a trophy and must use it.
You have a lot of young players in the staff. How important is it for them to taste victory?
I think that triumph is crucial for their development. Every win helps build confidence. After winning the trophy, you see the joy of the people, how much they long for it. These are all experiences that move players, the desire to repeat the top moments grows. I see the finals as an important moment. I think it’s also important to finish the season well, win the trophy and play the rest of the season so that there is no doubt that we will start the next year well.
Kotal is playing for his third cup after forty years! I don’t even remember the first two, he laughs
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The triumph in the cup would send you to the third preliminary round of the European League. Another motivation to win and save one preliminary round?
It would be good to win and be one round further. The preliminary rounds will be played in one match, which is quite unpredictable. An advantage more for a weaker opponent. It will also depend on the lot. If we can skip the bike, the only advantage for us. It’s the trophy that Sparta is waiting for. We want to return the European cups to Sparta and play good matches before the sold-out Letná. This is an intermediate step that we need to take.
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