What’s going through your head? Disappointment from two defeats and an early cup end?
Bodö won both matches and deservedly advanced. Today we may have had more dangerous situations than the opponent, but it was not enough. We learned a big lesson in productivity: whatever we offered Bodö, it punished mercilessly. It’s a shame that we didn’t score the first goal at the start, maybe it would have been different.
Editing of the match Bohemians 1905 – Bodö/Glimt | O2 TV Sport
Instead, the opponent took the lead, and overall you had to make up for a four-goal deficit. Big problem?
A stupid loss, a quick counter-attack and a goal… However, I was pleased that we were able to get back into the game and equalize. Then we conceded again at the end of the first half, just like in Norway. That lifted me up a lot. In the second half, we managed to score a goal to make it 2:2, but then in a period when I thought we were controlling the game, we conceded two goals from set pieces. This should be solvable.
Before the match, you announced changes and strengthened the midfield with Michal Beran and Lukáš Hůlka. Were you satisfied with them?
We wanted a more mobile backup with a reinforced center, thanks to which we succeeded in construction and sometimes we outplayed the opponent. However, it was again shown how terribly deadly any unfinished situations and stupid losses are in cups. If we were compact and in a block, the opponent had a hard time getting into us. However, any poor securing or hole in the block meant that Bodö was dangerous around our box. It bothers me that we offered the opponent four cheap goals. I can praise the performance and the attitude, but I can’t praise the four goals conceded.
Isn’t it infuriating that you got the Norwegian league leader Bodö out of a set of potential opponents?
It’s hard to choose, even Slovácko went to strong Fenerbahce last year. If there is any chance for the Czech teams, it is rather through the MOL Cup and the start in the Europa League. Advancing through the three preliminary rounds in the Conference League is difficult. We have to think about it: Croatians, Hungarians and Serbs, who we used to tend to underestimate, are also building football. You won’t meet anyone weak today. Whoever advances to the cups has some quality.
Despite the defeat and elimination, the fans were chanting your name. Was it the most emotional match of your career?
It wasn’t, it lacked a better result. It wasn’t about me, it was a celebration of bohemianism and fans of each other. I’m not jumping to the ceiling when we lost 2:4 today and 0:3 in Bodö. I enjoyed, for example, fourth place in the league more. It’s nice from the fans and I thank them, but it was the work of the whole team. But if you lose, there is no question of any use.
Maybe next time. Would you like to go to the cups again after this experience?
Sure, it’s a different football world. I talked about it with the Slovakian coach Svědík: we agreed that in Czech conditions it is difficult for the fourth team from the league to manage two competitions with its breadth of staff and infrastructure. Sparta, Slavia or Pilsen have the best players and are ready for the cups. On the other hand, it is a struggle for a smaller club.
It is difficult to fight battles on two fronts: you will lose one competition, or both. Did you notice how Bodö accelerated the quality in the return game around the 70th minute thanks to the substitutions, while our quality dropped?
Sure enough, Bodö just scored two difference goals in the last twenty minutes.
If we wanted to play cups regularly, it would mean more investment in the width of the staff and infrastructure. You can’t play in a borrowed stadium every year. We could take inspiration from Bodö, which has been building a cup team for three years. At the same time, however, we cannot buy midfielder Grönbaek, for example, who cost over three million euros. But I don’t regret anything, it was a good, albeit bitter, experience. The whole club saw what Europe is all about, if only in two games.
2023-08-03 20:50:20
#world #Bohemians #coach #quick #finish #Europe #Cups #struggle #smaller #club #Sport.cz
