According to coach Frank de Boer, the Dutch footballers will have to give their best performance in Sunday’s round of 16 for the European Championship in order to advance through the Czech team.
The coach’s ward, Jaroslav Šilhavý, considers it dangerous mainly because they can put their opponents under pressure, which they showed, for example, in March in a 1: 1 draw with Belgium in the world qualification. De Boer praised the goal of the Czech striker Patrik Schick from the middle of the field at the beginning of the tournament, but he is not going to prepare a special defense for him.
“The Czech Republic is a cohesive team. They know what they want to play. In my opinion, what they do best is putting pressure on their opponents. They can press. They showed it (in March) against Belgium and against the rivals in the group. They were able to draw 1: 1 with the finalist of the last World Cup in Croatia. They are excellent in all aspects of the game, “said De Boer during an online press conference at the match venue in Budapest.
“Czechs can play on the ground, they have players who can get high on the field. They fight for every ball. We have had very challenging matches against them in history, so we have a tough opponent against us. We have to give 100% performance tomorrow to beat them , “added De Boer, who decided the match against Euro 2000 with a single goal.
Midfielder Frenkie de Jong is also convinced that the Dutch will only need 100% performance to advance.
“The Czechs are very organized and disciplined. In addition, they have excellent individualities. We will have to show our best, otherwise we will have a hard time advancing,” said De Jong, who was previously a teammate of the currently injured Czech winger Václav Černý in Ajax Amsterdam. “I talked to him, we talk sometimes. But not before this match,” added the Barcelona midfielder.
All three Czech goals at the championship were scored by striker Patrik Schick, who shone mainly in a 2-0 victory over Scotland with a lob from a record distance of 49.7 meters. “It was a fantastic goal, one of the most beautiful in the whole tournament. I don’t think anyone will beat that goal anymore. A world goal from a great striker,” said De Boer.
“He shows it in other matches, even at the club level. But we will not defend him other than we would normally defend. We have good defenders. If they concentrate 100% so that they do not let him into any goal chance, I think we will succeed. , “added De Boer.
Advancing in the quarterfinals, he will face a paper-playable opponent, Denmark. “We are in this part of the spider, we know where the path to the final leads. Any further matches would be advantageous for us, but we will focus only on the match with the Czech Republic. Of course, advancing to the semifinals or finals would be great. But we have another six or seven teams “They think the same way, they have the same quality players and they want to reach the finals. We have the quality, but everything has to fit together,” said De Boer.
He is looking forward to the sold-out auditorium of the Puskás arena, which can be the only one fully filled in Euro. Czech supporters could prevail.
“I always liked when the stadium was full, whether the fans cheered or roared. It always affects the players, it’s motivation. I think it will be great for us too. That’s why we play football,” added De Boer.
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