Coach Jaroslav Šilhavý did not know whether he would continue with the football team in the next cycle after being eliminated in the semifinals of the playoff qualifying for the World Cup. His contract ends in the summer.
“I will not decide. I do not know how it will be. I am against fur to deal with it after this match. I am ready for anything,” said Šilhavý after losing to the home Swedes 0-1 after extra time, in which the Czechia lost the chance to advance to the World Cup in Qatar.
“We have to evaluate it with the boys first, given that our contract expires on the last of July. We should sit with the management and the executive committee and evaluate what and how,” the 60-year-old coach added.
The head of the FACR, Petr Fousek, also spoke in a similar spirit in an interview on Czech Television.
The name of Ivan Hašek, who already led the national team, is most often considered in the media as a possible successor of Šilhavý.
Among the players, however, Šilhavý has support. “I honestly wouldn’t get involved. We reached the last eight of the Euro, we played an excellent match here in Sweden, which according to paper assumptions was a clear favorite,” said goalkeeper Tomáš Vaclík.
“They were at home, but we played a very good match here. We were very well prepared for it,” the goalkeeper praised the coach.
Team captain Tomáš Souček would also like to continue under the current coach. “I heard he has a lot of support. We players give him support too, so we stand behind him,” said the midfielder, but realizes that others have decisions in hand. “What happens will happen. We are one team and we will always do our best for the national team,” Souček promised.
According to Vaclík, the team has great potential for the future. “The League of Nations is waiting for us, then the qualifying for the European Championship will start. Some results in the qualification for the World Cup could have been better, but as I say from the beginning of the whole cycle, the team has something in it and goes for it,” he said. man with gloves. “I believe that we will manage the next qualification again successfully and advance to the European Championships,” he added determinedly.
The match at the Friends Arena in Solna was decided in the 110th minute by substitute midfielder Robin Quaison. “I’m disappointed, the boys in the cabin have their heads down. Even though the Swedes have a great team, just as we knew they had to make it to the penalties today and give it a try. Despite all the problems we have with I had to commend the boys for their performance, “said Šilhavý, who has been leading the national team since September 2018 and advanced to the quarterfinals with her at the European Championships last year.
Due to a number of absences, including a complete defensive four from last year’s Euro and gunner Patrik Schick, the Czechs entered for the first time under his leadership in a position with three stoppers.
“It definitely served its purpose. We thought about it for a long time, because it has to be played and trained. We had one training session. It was a big risk, but we were agreed with the boys who accepted it,” said Šilhavý.
He explained to the players that he goes beyond the unconventional concept, given that the opponent has great strikers. “He kept stuffing it into the middle of the field and it was also due to the absence of our extreme defenders. That’s why we made this decision,” said the coach.
According to him, the absence of currently the second best scorer of the Bundesliga, Schick, was most pronounced in the setting of the second half, when the alternating Milan Havel, completely alone in the lime, aimed at Tomáš Souček’s center inaccurately.
“If Patrik Schick arrived with us and got into the chance that Milan Havel had in the second half, we would probably proceed. I said it a little ironically. Of course he wanted to score a goal, but he doesn’t have such an ending as Patrik,” said Šilhavý.
He alternated for the first time in the 76th minute, when instead of half-jacks Lukáš Masopust and Jakub Jankt, the more defensive Milan Havel and Aleš Matějů came on the field.
“In the five-member line, the players played offensive players first and they both had cramps. It cost us a lot of energy, so the rotation was forced. .
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