STAVANGER (from our correspondent) – The tropics that they had become accustomed to in the hot Czech summer in recent days were not exactly what they expected in Scandinavia. However, the decent 13 degrees Celsius above zero that the thermometer showed after landing in Stavanger was not exactly a respectful welcome. In return, the Spartans will not only have to deal with artificial turf, but also with temperatures up to 15 degrees lower than at home.
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However, Brian Priske declared in advance that he would not look for any alibis or excuses. He knows Norwegian realities well from his own experience. The student from Horsens, Denmark won the title in the domestic competition with Aalborg, in Belgium he won the cup with Genk. He also managed thirty starts in the English Premier League in the Portsmouth jersey. However, the universal defender ended his career in 2011 at the IK Start club. In the middle of the Norwegian league played in the spring-autumn system, Priske went to Denmark’s Midtjylland to work as an assistant coach. And the team from Kristiansand, a city 230 kilometers from Stavanger, then immediately went down.
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We absolutely dominated. We only lacked goals, Brian Priske evaluates his debutVideo: Sport.cz
“Unfortunately, I worked in Norway for only five months, but they were beautiful. Great experience, the culture here is quite different from Denmark, so it was nice to get to know it,” the coach recalled before training at the Viking Stadium. “I’ve never played a competitive match here, only a friendly one. But my friends played for Viking, the former coach also trained here Danish-born Äge Hareide. I know it’s a big club, the stadium and the infrastructure match it.”
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Sparta Praha coach Brian Priske.Photo: Vlastimil Vacek, The law
Speaking of the coach’s active career, it also includes 24 starts for the national team. However, he only made it to EURO 2004 in Portugal, where the Danes were defeated by the Czech team. “I sat on the bench during the quarter-finals. I watched Tomáš Rosický and the Czech team play beautiful football,” recalls Priske with a smile.
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It was the sports director Rosický who brought him to Letná as a coach. And now the two are trying to get the newly assembled team over the first hurdle that lies ahead. Sparta has no chance of repair, they have to knock out a total of three opponents on the way to the group. Only then could she claim approximately 75 million crowns, the basic bonus for promotion to the Conference League.
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We are disappointed. I’ve never seen an opponent here that we shut down like this, says Dávid HanckoVideo: Sport.cz
“I don’t even want to think that we will miss Europe in the fall. On the other hand, a possible non-advancement will in no way threaten the financial stability of the club. A crash in the cups would hurt us from a sporting point of view,” CEO František Čupr reminds his subordinates.
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“I’m not nervous, I’m looking forward to the rematch. There will always be pressure in Sparta, you have to learn to work with it. Emotions could distract us from our work,” assures Priske.
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