That result *might* be excusable if it were a one-off amongst a stretch of good performances and results, but it’s not. It’s the terrifying reality of where we currently stand. The injuries are clearly playing a role though, and with Provod being the latest to withdraw, it’s very likely that Soucek starts in an advanced position again. I can’t wait for him and Cerv to play in midfield together for the sixth time this year against Gibraltar, Faroe Islands, and Montenegro. I’ll be missing the game tomorrow, but will oblige myself to watch the match replay. I’d be shocked if we scored more than three goals.
The stats were almost unbelievable. We completed something like 95% of passes, and had about 25 shots, but only one on target... that includes a missed (and admittedly, bullshit) penalty. Complete lack or plan and cohesion, just lots of side-to-side passing and hopeful efforts against a team of part-timers.
Well, our strategy looks pretty clear, why have a playmaker when you can just whip in crosses hopefully.... Jaroslav Köstl nominoval do posledního kvalifikačního utkání proti Gibraltaru tuto základní sestavu! 🇨🇿🆚🇬🇮Startujeme ve 20:45 a přímý přenos můžete sledovat na ČT sport.📺 pic.twitter.com/CrNUbBCHpw— Česká fotbalová reprezentace (@ceskarepre_cz) November 17, 2025 Admittedly, it's probably not the worst strategy considering the opponent and who is available.
Honestly, we're playing well. A lot of that is the opponent, but after the debacle against San Marino even just taking the initiative is nice to see. Can't fault this performance, can't really see it being super transferable against a real opponent though.
The one kind of unexpected thing about this match is that if I were to single out a worst performance, it's Schick pretty easily at the moment.
After about 50 minutes the performance lost it's urgency, so I stopped tracking the match. I apparently missed that the team managed to still piss everyone off even with an otherwise perfectly fine on-field performance, in this case by purposely ignoring the supporters section after the match. All player bonuses were stripped (San Marino should have done that...) and Soucek is relieved of the captaincy for at least the next match. So, any hypothetical new manager really gets to dive right in.
We'll learn our playoff path is drawn tomorrow. Since we are in Pot 2, Our first round match would be against Pot 3 (Ireland, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo), and then we'd most likely wind up against one of the Pot 1 teams since Pot 4 is legitimately kind of dreadful. The Pot 1 teams to avoid are Italy and Denmark... Can't say I like our chances against Turkey, but still Italy or Denmark would be beyond improbable. For Pot 3... easiest is probably Kosovo, on paper Ireland weren't that impressive with the very notable exception of their last 2 matches in which they beat Portugal at home and Hungary away to improbably even be here. I don't think there is that big a gap between the potentially teams honestly.
Our path is 2 home matches, which gives us a slight chance. The opponents are the Irish, who finished strong, then Denmark probably the 2nd strongest team in the playoffs.
I actually think Kosovo is the most dangerous Pot 3 team right now, but I wanted to avoid Ireland given we’ve historically struggled with the British Isles. They went through a real miserable period, but they’ve definitely improved of late. Bosnia was the most favourable draw in my opinion, and then Albania, as I do think they have faded a bit since the last Euros. Truthfully, any of these teams can easily beat us in our current state. The only team in these playoffs that might be in more disarray than us is Sweden.
With the matches in March it would all depend on form. On paper Denmark are strong and Ireland very playable, but during this last international break it was the opposite. The Danes dropped points at home against Belarus and then were beat by Scotland. If there were a match now though, I don't see us getting through at all.
According to the latest news, there is a real possibility that Trpisovsky could manage the playoffs. He appears to be one of the two final candidates that will be appointed by Christmas. Everyone from the higher ups to the players are pushing for him.
So it would be a temporary dual engagement with Slavia? I'm okay with that for the playoff since he at least knows what we have and how to manage big matches. Not sure what happens next though, if did manage to get into the World Cup we'd obviously want to keep him, but he's always sounded very reticent to be a national team manager.
I’m fine with Trpisovsky taking over for the playoffs and World Cup, should we even get there, but I’m not as keen on him as I was say two years ago. He’s still undoubtedly the best, most accomplished Czech coach that certainly gives us the best chance of advancing, but in the long run, I’m not entirely sure about him. Between him and Svedik, I’d honestly prefer the latter as a long-term option. Given the current dynamic within the team, I think we’re better off with somebody that’s detached from Czech football, or at least isn’t heavily tied to any one club. That’s a whole other discussion though. In the eyes of our FA, it’s hard to look further than these playoffs. The money from qualifying alone is critical for us moving forward, especially if we’re serious about hiring a foreign manager. It’s understandable we’d go all-in for Trpisovsky right now.
Koubek has officially been appointed, signing a multi-year contract through Euro 2028 where he’ll nearly be 77 years-old. I have mixed feelings about this. I have a similar level of confidence in him for the playoffs that I would with Trpisovsky, but I really don’t like the contract length. It sounds like Koubek pushed for it and Nedved just conceded as way of ending this remarkably embarrassing search for a manager. Although, by far the most terrifying part is Suchoparek being brought on as the first assistant. That guy is the worst.
Koubek and Nedved have met with Darida about a possible return for the playoffs with the decision still ultimately up to him. Midfield remains an issue, but we need a longer-term solution there. His return would’ve been more appropriate for the 2022 playoffs or even Euro 2024, but at this point, it just doesn’t make sense to me unless we’re dealt with an injury crisis. With that said, he’s having a great season with Hradec Kralove.
He certainly wouldn't make us any worse, but I think the issue our midfield has had in the last few years was more tactical than purely roster.
Darida has confirmed that he will be returning to the national team for the playoffs. Sport have even speculated that he will be starting alongside Soucek. Although, the main concern right now is obviously the health of Sulc. Based on the latest from Fonseca, he should be back in time. Provod has also been dealing with an injury of late, but I’ve yet to hear any details about his status.