Sparta have probably made the biggest moves this summer, they just signed Ladislav Krejci (the winger not the midfielder they already have) back from Italy in addition to Celustka & the highly rated young Bulgarian earlier. Rumor has it they may sign Pavelka as well. Plzen have made some good signings too but in doing so built one of the most unbalanced lineups ever as it stands, they could arguably field two variations of top 4 mid fields in the league but they really need Beauguel to stay healthy (not his strong suit) and are really thin in defense. Slavia raided Liberec for most of their young talent, I think Dorley (actually signed in winter) and Beran both have good potential. I think its also possible the bring Stoch back from Greece as he is unhappy there (not sure Slavia really need him though). There is a rumor that Slavia are trying to arrange a big signing from Bundesliga which many people have begun assuming means Darida, but I don't think any amount of resources or Champions League would sway a regular starter still in their prime. More likely would be an unsettled player (Ondrej Duda?) or someone further into their 30s. One person that comes to mind from the latter group is Gebre Selassie, especially if Slavia do wind up selling Coufal (which I think is likely).
This offseason is beginning to remind me of the summer leading into the 17/18 season when a number of 'big name' foreign players moved to Prague. That transfer window basically became a pissing contest between Sparta and Slavia with Plzen and their Czechoslovakian roster ultimately winning the title. I can't help but feel there is a similar dynamic here (expect now with Czech players) where both teams are just trying to one-up each other at this point. Both Sparta and Slavia are currently stacked without a doubt, but do have some interesting young players being brought up in more competitive environments as a result, which is why I don't necessarily mind this recent influx. I still do think future moves (or rumours really) will be motivated by the reason I mentioned above (like Darida for example), but it's not that unrealistic for them to sign a player from a bigger league in their current financial situation. I even saw Vydra being mentioned as a possible Slavia target amongst one comment section... As of today, it appears that Masopust is more likely to be sold than Coufal based on Tvrdik's latest comments and their signing of Ondrej Lingr today (and Tomas Malinsky earlier) more or less confirms that.
I'm actually surprised the Masopust has received the firm transfer offer, I think Coufal is a better player and a bigger need for West Ham, but either way good for him. I'm all for S clubs being ambitious, but when bringing Czech players home would rather they do it with players that are U-23 or above 32. I'm not so bothered by bringing players back from places like Turkey, while its a much deeper league, the best teams aren't really on that a different level than ours (and have a much worse ROI relative to budget). All that said and even though I don't believe the rumor... Darida would be an amazing fit for a Trpisovsky team Slavia hasn't really made a wow signing since Stanciu, but they've been buying a lot of promising players from the rest of the league, and more or less have a large set of players they loan out every season now. .
Indeed, looks like Slavia have locked Coufal and Boril into long-term deals. Certainly doesn't mean transfers are impossible as they did the same with Soucek last year, but I suspect its unlikely.
Apparently a Slavia player tested positive for Covid-19 during training camp in Austria. They've canceled their remaining preseason friendlies and returned home. It sounds like just the player will need to quarantine not the team.
As things stand right now, my prediction for next season: 1) Sparta 2) Slavia 3) Plzen 4) Liberec 5) Jablonec 6) Ostrava 7) Mlada Boleslav 8) Bohemians 9) Teplice 10) Slovacko 11) Brno 12) Olomouc 13) Pardubice 14) Ceske Budejovice 15) Zlin 16) Opava 17) Karvina 18) Pribram Among the contenders, I just think that Sparta have done the best of addressing weaknesses and have just too much game-changing talent. Slavia are one big midfield or striker signing from jumping them, and have easily the best defense in the league still. Plzen are absolutely loaded in the midfield, but they are very thin otherwise. The next group, Liberec has more or less become Slavia B with all of the loans, and I think the reinforcements are enough to move ahead of Jablonec (who are losing a lot of their production from last season). I have Brno mid-table as we've so far held off demands for our top young players, but if the clubs interested in them shift from Jablonec/Ostrava to Slavia/Plzen or international we'd not be able to keep them. The bottom of last years league seem to only be getting worse so far, so no reason to think things will change. In the 2nd division, I suspect its between Dukla, Hradec and Zizkov for the loan promotion spot.
Those predictions look solid. I'm not as familiar with teams outside the expected top six to really add any additional input there, but based on the standings of previous seasons, I can't disagree with any of those rankings. I'm torn between Sparta and Slavia as the title winner. This *should* be the year Sparta returns to glory, but the failures of players/managers in recent times makes it difficult to fully endorse them at the moment and their potential success is still dependant on a number of what-ifs. They should absolutely win the title if their improved defence performs as expected, if Hlozek has the breakout season in terms of production that everyone is hoping for, and if their current midfield manages to produce without Kanga, whether Dockal or Travnik have bounce back years or if that Pavelka for Tetteh swap does go through (in that case I'd probably give Sparta the edge for first place). It's just tough to bet against Trpisovsky and this Slavia team, especially having Kolar and Coufal for at least another season it appears. While Sparta may have won the transfer window and made the greatest immediate improvements, I wouldn't overlook the depth Slavia has added this spring/summer. I imagine those were well-calculated moves that will prove to fit into Trpisovsky's concept, something that Sparta's board and coaching staff has collectively failed to do over the years. Also, I think it was well-known for a few years now that Slavia needed to upgrade the forward position in spite of their success (highlighted by their finishing in the Champions League) and I believe they have done that with Musa. With that said, this is shaping up to be a good, competitive season that I'm very much looking forward to. I think I'll need to see this new look Sparta for at least the first quarter of the season before completely putting my faith in them. I do however think Slavia won't be able to replicate their dominance from last season, but could have another strong run in Europe and if I'm not mistaken, Sparta are also guaranteed European football this year(?).
I missed the end of the season, because 2020 happened, so this thread has been great reading through to get caught up. I still think we can make it three in a row, but am disappointed we didn't make a big signing after selling Soucek.
Opening day is also my first day home with our newborn, so only able to pay very little attention. Short summary: David Heidenreich Adam Hlozek Brno's defense (in fairness against Sparta) Results so far: Plzen 3 - 1 Opava Pribram 1 - 3 Teplice Olomouc 1 - 0 Liberec Zlin 1 - 2 Slovacko Ongoing Brno 1 - 4 Sparta (late and likely final) With the possible exception of Olomouc/Liberec this is more or less what was expected.
That first half was a glimpse of what could be a very dangerous Sparta side this year. With Hlozek now playing centrally and Dockal either scoring or assisting regularly, that's plenty of potential production right there. Julis also seems to be a solid partner for Hlozek up top. I think he'll much more effective than Kozak in open play and finally appears to be hitting his stride after kind of stalling post U21 level (much like Cermak actually) with a very impressive half season with Olomouc in the spring. A very good day for the youngsters indeed. Honorary awards to Hlozek and Heidenreich, but I think this one takes the crown. Congratulations!
Slavia were not to be outdone by Sparta and Plzen's strong opening displays, winning 0-6 at C. Budejovice. Hovorka and Zima (who replaced the former during injury) look set to be the starting CB tandem. Stanciu is still the class of the league on his best days, and Tecl had his best game in ages. More surprising is Bohemians absolutely blasting Mlada Boleslav 4-0. Thank you!
My congratulations as well @ASU55RR Great start! Not a weak performance on the whole team, even Tecl who was worthless all last season. Stanciu was the best. Competition looks stiff from the other two teams that matter.
Plzen start champions league qualification this week against Dutch side AZ, I'd say its a toss up on if they advance or drop to Europa League route, if for no other reason because I know nothing about AZ this year.
What really impressed me about Slavia on Sunday was seeing their match squad and realizing how much depth they have. I don't think Sparta and especially Plzen can rival them in this regard. They've since loaned out young midfielders Hellebrand and Beran back to their former clubs. The latter looks like a pretty interesting player from the little I saw of Slavia's preseason, which now brings their loanee total in Liberec to seven. The good news is that Liberec are allowed to use these players when they face Slavia. Had this new rule not been introduced, then I think a maximum on the number of loans to one team would need to be enforced. Plzen game is tomorrow and starts rather early. I don't know anything about AZ either, but I suspect they are slight favourites. I actually think the new single leg format may be better for Plzen though, who I feel have historically struggled in second leg qualifiers from what I can remember.
Beran is the exciting new prospect according to much of Slavia-fan twitter. We have depth because we buy so many players and loan what we don't need. I'd still rather we focus on signing a few more first-team ready players. I hope Plzen represent, but don't think they have the athleticism to compete in Champions League.
20 minutes in, and its sort of even. Plzen had the best chance so far, but AZ look dangerous on direct play.
This is a very poor match. I think each team has maybe one shot and its nearly halftime. I still think AZ looks more dangerous, but that doesn't mean they look dangerous.
Halftime, official stats are in fact one shot a piece. To be fair Plzens would have been a goal with a bit more direction on the header.
Have the game on in the background in my home office, but it certainly doesn't look or sound like it requires my full attention. Not much of a surprise, but Plzen will likely have to rely on their midfield to produce because this current front three has been nonexistent from what I've seen.
I think Plzen should bring on Ba Loua, was good in debut, and they need some width other than Beauguel being out of position. I've lost my stream, and am probably okay to just follow on UEFA match tracker.
Cermak gets another good chance but directs his effort straight at the keeper. Would of been a great goal had he finished his volley off an inswinging cross.
Few instances now where AZ have created dangerous passages from out wide and had a player attack the six yard box completely unmarked.
I guess not having the stream does cause me to miss that sort of thing, since matchtracker would have you believe they've stood around twiddling their thumbs for about 7 minutes. See that Ba Loua is in though, I think that was a good signing by Plzen.