Football defender Ritchie de Laet tackled Brian Priske, the new coach of Sparta Prague. The 33-year-old Belgian spent last season under the Danish coach at Royal Antwerp, and in an interview with the club’s website, he complained mainly about the chaos that Priske was creating in the team.
The appointment of Brian Priske as Sparta’s coach was a big surprise at the beginning of June. The name of the Danish sympathizer in the Czech Republic was registered by only a small part of the fans, paradoxically Slavist ones, since it was Priske who, while still with Midtjylland, eliminated the staples from qualifying for the Champions League.
“Brian is a hard-working person with a strong personality. He was always perfectly prepared for all the situations and circumstances we discussed together. Having been a professional footballer before, he has a feeling for players, but personality is also very important,” explained the choice of the club’s sporting director Tomáš Rosický.
Sparta promises active football from the 45-year-old Dane, with a lot of pressure on the ball. And to a greater extent than before, also the use of analysis and data – by the way, Manchester City was also interested in Priske’s expertise in defending standard situations.
However, the application of theoretical knowledge into practice is no less important. And from Royal Antwerp, which the Danish coach led last season, now comes a warning. “After the game it was often more about the numbers than what actually happened in the game. You can have an xG score (expected goals) of five, but what good is that if you lose 0-1,” he recalled a year under Priskem defender Ritchie de Laet in an interview for the club website.
The 33-year-old back even called the engagement of a native of the seaside town of Horsens chaos. “I need someone who gives clear instructions. And not a coach who says: Here is the ball and you just have to be good enough to handle it. That approach caused chaos too often last season,” Ritchie de Laet did not take napkins.
Royal Antwerp finished the regular part of last season in fourth place, then lost four out of six games in the group for the title. “Priske went into every game with the same plan, and of course that doesn’t work in Belgium. He wanted to bring attacking football with high pressure, but after a few duels it became clear that it was not possible in every game. In our league, counter-attacks alternate at lightning speed, which he didn’t wait. We lacked flexibility,” added de Laet.
It is said that the players themselves complained several times about the overly dogmatic approach, but in vain. “We have repeatedly urged him to change one or two things. But Brian saw it differently, so we had to listen. He was the boss. Brian was a top guy, myou refused to ask him for anything. He would walk through fire for his players. Nbut sometimes you have to be able to hit the situation, which we missed it in some duels.”
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