We're now just a little over a month from the beginning of the competition, and it's time to start looking ahead: who do we expect to make the squad, who want to make the squad, and how will we do in a fairly weak group. In my opinion the following players are compete locks for the squad: GK Petr Čech (Chelsea) Jaroslav Drobný (Hamburg) Defenders Roman Hubník (Hertha Berlin) Michal Kadlec (Bayer Leverkusen) Tomáš Sivok (Beskitas) Midfielders Jaroslav Plašil (Bordeaux) Tomáš Rosický (Arsenal) Tomáš Hübschman (Shaktar Donestsk) Petr Jiráček (Wolfsburg) Forwards Milan Baroš (Galatasaray) In addition, I think these are pretty much locks: D Theo Gebre Selassie (Slovan Liberec) Jan Rajnoch (Sivasspor) M Václav Pilař (Viktoria Plzeň) F Jan Rezek (Anorthosis) Tomáš Pekhart (Nürnberg) In good position: D Daniel Pudil (Cesena) David Limberský (Viktoria Plzeň) M Daniel Kolář (Viktoria Plzeň) M/F Jiří Štajner (Slovan Liberec) F David Lafata (Jablonec) Absolutely should be there: M: Ladislav Krejčí (Sparta Prague) A few other possibilities: GK Tomáš Grigar (Teplice) Jan Laštůvka (Dnipro) D D: Ondřej Čelůstka (Trabzonspor) Zdeněk Pospech (Mainz) David Rozehnal (Lille) Marek Suchý (Spartak Moscow) František Rajtoral (Viktoria Plzeň) M Milan Petržela (Viktoria Plzeň) Jan Polak (Wolfsburg) F Tomáš Necid (CSKA Moscow)
For what it's worth, my 23 would be: GK Petr Čech (Chelsea) Jaroslav Drobný (Hamburg) Jan Laštůvka (Dnipro) Defenders Roman Hubník (Hertha Berlin) Michal Kadlec (Bayer Leverkusen) Tomáš Sivok (Beskitas) Theo Gebre Selassie (Slovan Liberec) Jan Rajnoch (Sivasspor) Daniel Pudil (Cesena) David Limberský (Viktoria Plzeň) Ondřej Čelůstka (Trabzonspor) Midfielders Jaroslav Plašil (Bordeaux) Tomáš Rosický (Arsenal) Tomáš Hübschman (Shaktar Donestsk) Petr Jiráček (Wolfsburg) Václav Pilař (Viktoria Plzeň) Ladislav Krejčí (Sparta Prague) Daniel Kolář (Viktoria Plzeň) Milan Petržela (Viktoria Plzeň) Forwards Milan Baroš (Galatasaray) Jan Rezek (Anorthosis) Tomáš Pekhart (Nürnberg) Jiří Štajner (Slovan Liberec) Our forward position took a big hit from injuries this last year. This time last year it looked as if Necid was a lock, and V. Kadlec was the rising star.
Not the strongest squad we have this time around. Pekhart and Baros are the only two strikers playing in good leagues. Hopefully with Rosicky's and Cech's great form this season they can really help propel us forward. The defense is shaky in my opinion.
I actually think this group is more talented than the 2008-2010 squads, but certainly with a lot of new faces with no major international experience. Still, regardless of how the tournament goes I imagine several of the domestic players will get opportunities in bigger leagues this summer. I expect Pilař to make the move to Germany that got denied in the winter, and think Selassie, Kolář, and Petržela may get chances somewhere. While Rezek has made an unusual league choice, he was in good form for the Ireland friendly. The real question for me is our opponents, I really don't know what to think of this group other than that it's clearly the weakest in the tournament.
Russia will be tough though and Poland with home support can cause an issue. What do you think our starting XI will look like? You think we will stick with some of the younger players like Selassie or will we go with the older more experienced players? The Euros is a major tournament and we dont want to be playing inexperienced players. GK Petr Čech (Chelsea) Jaroslav Drobný (Hamburg) Jan Laštůvka (Dnipro) Defenders Roman Hubník (Hertha Berlin) Michal Kadlec (Bayer Leverkusen) Tomáš Sivok (Beskitas) Theo Gebre Selassie (Slovan Liberec) Jan Rajnoch (Sivasspor) David Limberský (Viktoria Plzeň) Ondřej Čelůstka (Trabzonspor) Zdeněk Pospěch (Mainz) Midfielders Jaroslav Plašil (Bordeaux) Tomáš Rosický (Arsenal) Tomáš Hübschman (Shaktar Donestsk) Petr Jiráček (Wolfsburg) Václav Pilař (Viktoria Plzeň) Jan Polak (Wolfburg) Milan Petržela (Viktoria Plzeň) Adam Hloušek (Nuremburg) Forwards Milan Baroš (Galatasaray) Jan Rezek (Anorthosis) Tomáš Pekhart (Nürnberg) David Lafata (Baumit Jablonec) ---------------Cech----------------- --Prospech--Sivok--Hubnik---Kadlec-- --------------Polak------------------ --------Plasil--------Rosicky--------- --Petržela-----Baros-----------Pilař-- There are a lot of different options though such as Hloušek, Jiráček, or Hübschman to be starting. Did Jarolim retire?
I think it will be a mix of veteran in young in the starting 11. My guess is: ----------------Čech--------------- -Selassie--Sivok---Hubník----Kadlec- ---------------Plašil---------------- -------Rosický--------Jiráček-------- ----Rezek--------------------Pilař----- ----------------Baroš----------------- Though in truth Rezek would likely play more like he did vs Ireland, as a withdrawn forward rather than purely a winger, and I could also see this with Plašil moved up in place of Jiráček and Hübschman in the holding spot. There are some other changes that could definitely happen, but that's who I think Bílek would pick if the tournament started today. I believe that Hloušek is another player out with injury, otherwise I agree he would be a very useful option on the left. Pretty sure that David Jarolím still plays, but he hasn't really been in the national team picture for a couple of years.
Jarolim is consistently starting in the bundesliga and lot of the players in our squad this year come from out league which is not a very good league. I'd take Jarolim. He is 32 I believe so maybe he can't go the whole game so him and Hubschman can switch off. I don't like Plasil in that role. Plasil and Rosicky should be playing like Arteta and Rosicky and Arsenal. Plasil is similar to Arteta and Rosicky is of course himself. Also what's going on with Jiracek? Is he injured? I forgot about him for a while but I noticed he isn't playing for Wolfsburg but he started out quite well for them.
Jarolim is consistently starting in the bundesliga and lot of the players in our squad this year come from out league which is not a very good league. I'd take Jarolim. He is 32 I believe so maybe he can't go the whole game so him and Hubschman can switch off. I don't like Plasil in that role. Plasil and Rosicky should be playing like Arteta and Rosicky and Arsenal. Plasil is similar to Arteta and Rosicky is of course himself. Also what's going on with Jiracek? Is he injured? I forgot about him for a while but I noticed he isn't playing for Wolfsburg but he started out quite well for them.
I recall that Jiráček picked up a small injury in the friendly that may have set his minutes back. I believe he started as recently as two matches ago and has appeared in a but a couple of Wolfsburg's matches this spring (though not always starting), but yeah, his production seems to have slowed down recently. I agree about preferring Plašil along side Rosický, I think Hübschman should start in the holding spot. I was just predicting what I think the lineup will be. Other than though, I wouldn't expect anyone without recent national team experience to get a call-up. The possible exception is Krejčí, a lot of people want him on the team and he'd bring a lot of skill and attacking flair to the bench. That said, I doubt Bilek is going to call in a 19 year-old with no caps for this tournament. Also, no matter what else happens in our group, I want to beat Greece. I'm still bitter about 2004.
I was crushed when we lost to Turkey in 08. We were going to go through with a pretty strong squad then Petr Cech really messed that one up.
Damn it! I'd almost blocked the memory of that game from my mind! I was actually at a cafe on Lidická in Brno watching that match on a projector screen in the courtyard, and we were all ready to start celebrating, perfect evening, a two goal lead midway through the second half, and then we... well, ugh...
I wasn't too far from there actually. I was with my friends in the hospoda in Velke Bilovice and we were all celebrating cause it was the 78th minute and we were leading 2-0. Then came the wonder strike which caught Cech off guard and we were like okay still up 2-1 with not that much time left, we still got this. Then Cech drops the ball right to the turkish player and boom 2-2. Okay wow this is going into extra time, well no. Cech wanted to get home earlier. It was a game that we want to forget as a nation. Hopefully this year we do better. It's coming around soon and we have a really good group. I don't think Bilek is that good of a coach but I gotta trust him.
I don't think Bilek is a particularly good manager either, although he certainly has us in better shape than we were in after the disaster that was Rada and the two interims. If we aren't going to pay up for a good international manager (which we most likely won't), I would rather have picked Vrba (who Plzeň just recently blocked from taking the Slovakia job).
Krejčí was called up for the UEFA U-21 qualifiers in June, although Bilek is insisting that doesn't mean he isn't in the running for the Euro squad. Krejčí himself said that while its an honor to be in contention for the EURO 2012 squad, his focus is on helping Sparta win the 1. Liga. I would it say that he's unlikely to make the squad, although I hope he does. Also, it sounds like the squad will be announced on Monday.
Monday eh? I am looking forward to seeing who gets called in. I hope it's a strong squad mixed with fresh youth and some savvy veterans. We have some good players and I hope to see us do well. Interesting note. I ran a fifa euros simulator and the final had us playing Poland which made me laugh. We apparently finish 2nd in our group behind poland and beat Germany then Italy and ultimately lose 4-2 to Poland. It was pretty funny cause if that actually happens, wow that'd be a huge shock.
Alright, the squad has been named: GK Petr Čech (Chelsea), Jaroslav Drobný (Hamburg), Jan Laštůvka (Dnipro), Tomáš Grigar (Teplice) Defenders Theodor Gebre Selassie (Slovan Liberec), Roman Hubník (Hertha Berlin), Michal Kadlec (Bayer Leverkusen), David Limberský (Viktoria Plzeň), Daniel Pudil (Cesena), František Rajtoral (Viktoria Plzeň), Tomáš Sivok (Besiktas), Marek Suchý (Spartak Moscow) Midfield Tomáš Hübschman (Shaktar Donetsk), Petr Jiráček (Wolfsburg), Daniel Kolář (Viktoria Plzeň), Milan Petržela (Viktoria Plzeň), Václav Pilař (Viktoria Plzeň), Jaroslav Plašil (Bordeaux), Tomáš Rosický (Arsenal), Jan Rezek (Famagusta) Forward Milan Baroš (Galatasaray), David Lafata (Jablonec), Tomáš Necid (CSKA Moskow), Tomáš Pekhart (Nurnberg) Bilek hasn't made the final decision on a 3rd GK, but my guess is Grigar gets left behind. No particularly big surprises, except maybe Necid, Bilek seems to have faith that he will recover his form over the next month. Meanwhile, the team will head to Graz, Austria for training camp on May 20, before playing friendlies against Israel (in Graz, 5/26) and Hungary (in Prague, 6/1).
I think I'm sticking with my earlier lineup prediction for now, but there are some players such as Necid that if they have a very good camp or friendlies may be able to break into the starting lineup.
I think that is another case of injury, or more specifically, having not returned to top form following injury. His performances since returning to the lineup this spring in Lazio didn't seem to get rave reviews (though he did end a goal scoring drought just recently). Also, my impression is that Bilek is a cautious manager, and is apprehensive about taking untested youngsters to a major tournament. I guess the positive spin is that I feel better about the World Cup cycle as I remember how many of our top youngsters are missing from the roster (V. Kadlec, Krejci, Kozak).
Off topic, but this new format just reminded me the tagline of this forum is WC 2006... I can't wait for that tournament.
First game is getting closer. Russia on the 8th is going to be the most important match of the group for us. If we lose that then we probably wont be advancing.
I don't know, Russia is expected to be our toughest opponent. While it would be nice to get a point or 3 off of them, I don't think a result is quite so critical. Still, I actually do think we'll get at least a point out of that match, of course part of that may be that I'm optimistic and biased.
Well who else would you consider to be a tough opponent? Greece and Poland will be tough but beatable.
I seem to recall that Poland has historically been a tough team for us, and I'm still in chagrined disbelief at that Greece semifinal in 2004 (more than anything this group, I want to beat Greece ). I see no reason we can't win all of these matches it's just depends on what team comes in with the best form. Right now we have several key players in good form, so I really like our chances to advance. Although, Rosický just about gave me a heart attack (though it sounds increasingly like he is fine).