I figured we can have a separate thread to discuss our team at the Euros, so I went ahead and opened this. Anyways, Vrba will announce the final 23 players that'll be going to France this summer in a few weeks. I don't believe a preliminary list will be made public, so I put together this pool of players. There might be a few others that could be in contention, but I'm just basing this off of Vrba's tendencies with the exception of one name that I added on there to make things interesting. GK - Cech, Vaclik, Koubek We're set at this position. Cech has had another strong season and Vaclik was outstanding against Sweden. No concerns here at all. RB - Gebre Selassie, Kaderabek Very strong competition in this position. The only question is, who starts? Can't really go wrong with either, but I'm leaning towards Theo. CB - Sivok, Suchy, Kadlec, Hubnik, Brabec, Baranek Sivok and Suchy are locks. Now it becomes interesting. The chances of Kadlec making it seem to be fading each day. He's played in one game (at LB) since his poor showing against Scotland. That then brings Roman Hubnik back into contention. It's hard to argue his very impressive performances with Plzen this season and it just might earn him a call up after an extended absence from the picture. The final spot should go to one of Brabec or Baranek. Would be ideal to have one of them gain some experience at this tournament for the future. LB - Limbersky, Pudil Shouldn't be any surprises here either. Though Limbersky wouldn't be starting in my world, but we shall see. I'd even give Theo some more minutes on this side in our preparations. DM - Pavelka (?) He's finally fit again and was on the bench for Kasimpasa over the weekend. However, he would be lacking match sharpness going into the tournament. I would still take him as we need a real DM in the squad and in the lineup for that matter. CM - Darida, Plasil, Vacek Darida was injured the last few weeks, but should return soon. As we've said before, he really needs to step up his game in this tournament and take on a greater role. Otherwise, Plasil is playing regularly and will make it. Vacek has a decent chance of making it too. RW - Skalak, Petrzela, Cerny (?) Despite being terrible in the March friendlies, Skalak has since found his form for Brighton and has been contributing each game. Unfortunately, Petrzela has been starting for Plzen lately and I honestly fear that Vrba might take this idiot to France. Perhaps it's too soon to consider Cerny, but he's such a talent and quite frankly, he offers a different element than any other winger we currently have. AM - Rosicky, Dockal, Kolar Our captain is "fit" again, albeit for the U21 team. Vrba indicated he will call up Rosicky regardless of where his minutes come from. We still need him in the squad and most likely in the lineup. I listed Dockal centrally, though he can easily be on the wing too. I have nothing to say about Kolar other than he shouldn't make it. Vrba will think otherwise though. LW - Krejci, Kovarik, Sural (?) Krejci has been in good form since the beginning of the year. With Pilar out, his replacement at Plzen in Kovarik could be an option to fill the void on the wing where Sural looks to be an injury doubt. Also worth noting that Frydek could also miss out due to injury. ST - Necid, Vydra, Lafata, Skoda Necid and Vydra are locks. Then it's between Lafata and Skoda, who have both been in poor form during the spring. I'll wait a few weeks before I name my 23 and starting lineup. For now, this is how I see things shaping up. Feel free to add/subtract players from this list at anytime.
Also, here's an idea of how our preparations will look. May 19 - Vrba will announce his final squad. May 23 - Players will meet in Prague. May 25 - The team will head for a training camp in Austria where they'll play Malta and Russia in friendlies. May 27 - Czech Republic - Malta (18:00 CET in Kufstein). June 1 - Russia - Czech Republic (18:00 CET in Innsbruck). June 5 - Czech Republic - South Korea (15:10 CET in Prague). June 8 - The team leaves for France.
The right back spot is very strong, whereas the left side is not. I'd like to see Selassie at LB for the Euros. He has played there for Werder a few times this season. I feel more confident with him there than Limbersky to be honest. If I was manager, I'd field: Cech, Kaderabek, Sivok, Suchy, Selassie, Skalak, Vacek, Darida, Krejci, Rosicky, Necid Basically a 4-2-3-1. Rosicky and Darida controlling the midfield with Vacek being a defensive mid helping the defense out. Vydra and Plasil would be good impact subs. Rosicky likely can't go the full 90, so subbing Plasil for him, then having Darida go in Rosicky's spot would be smart.
I think I'm set on the 23 I'd take to France. I currently have Sural there, but if he can't go, I'd call up Cerny. There's been some speculation that Vrba could take one or two players from the U21 team that are cruising in their qualifiers. It's a bold move, but I would call up Schick, who is probably the best young talent in Czech football along with Cerny. It could very easily be Lafata instead, but considering guys like Rosicky, Cech, Plasil, and Sivok will likely retire from international football in the summer, I think we need to start building for the future. The reserve list are some players that could also make the squad or act as a replacement for any injuries. I wouldn't mind if any of them made it. Honestly just hoping that Kolar and Petrzela stay at home for this one. Goalkeepers Petr Cech / Arsenal Tomas Vaclik / Basel Tomas Koubek / Slovan Liberec Defenders Michal Kadlec / Fenerbahce Tomas Sivok / Bursaspor David Limbersky / Viktoria Plzen Theo Gebre Selassie / Werder Bremen Daniel Pudil / Sheffield Wednesday Marek Suchy / Basel Roman Hubnik / Viktoria Plzen Pavel Kaderabek / Hoffenheim Midfielders Tomas Rosicky / Arsenal Jaroslav Plasil / Bordeaux Vladimir Darida / Hertha Berlin Borek Dockal / Sparta Prague Ladislav Krejci / Sparta Prague Kamil Vacek / Piast Gliwice Josef Sural / Sparta Prague Jiri Skalak / Brighton David Pavelka / Kasimpasa Strikers Tomas Necid / Bursaspor Matej Vydra / Reading Patrik Schick / Bohemians 1905 Reserve List David Bicik / Sparta Prague Jakub Brabec / Sparta Prague Ondrej Zahustel / Sparta Prague Martin Frydek / Sparta Prague Ales Cermak / Mlada Boleslav Vaclav Cerny / Ajax Jan Kovarik / Viktoria Plzen Lukas Julis / Sparta Prague David Lafata / Sparta Prague Milan Skoda / Slavia Prague
-----------------Necid/Vydra------------------ -Krejci-------------------------------Dockal/Skalak- ---------------------Darida---------------------- -----------Plasil---------------Pavelka----------- -Selassie-----Hubnik-----Sivok-----Kaderabek- ---------------------Cech------------------------- I'd go for something like this for the opening match against Spain. I'd save Rosicky for the games against Croatia and Turkey, who we'll most likely fight with for the 2nd/3rd spot in the group. If not for his suspension, Suchy would be starting for sure. In that case, I went with Hubnik (should he make it). It's a risky move, but I think him and Sivok would be ideal at the heart of a "bunker" defence. If Selassie isn't moved to LB, then Pudil would get the nod there. I'm certain Limbersky would bring down a Spanish attacker in the box... Otherwise, I have no issue with either choice at RW or ST, depends on how they do in the friendlies.
I feel like Hubnik has been around for so long now, but he is only 31. Has he been doing that well this season? I don't think he has even featured for the national team in a while right? I was disappointed not to see Rosicky play really at all this whole season. I worry about his match sharpness. I think you're right with benching him as much as that hurts. Pudil has also been doing well for Sheffield, but I'd still rather see Selassie at left back. Skalak also is doing well for Brighton. Skalak and Pudil are playing eachother in the championship playoffs to see who gets a chance for promotion as well. I just don't like our striker options. Necid doesn't seem to fit as a lone striker for us. I really like Vydra, but he has been pretty dire this season.
Yeah, I think that Russia debacle at the last Euros was the last time he featured, though I could be wrong. From what I've seen of Plzen and a few other top teams, there are maybe only one or two CB's in the league that are at his level. I honestly believe he's better a defender than Kadlec, the only problem is that he hasn't had the same exposure to the European stage in quite a while. Although, his ability to organize a defence was crucial to Plzen's success in the second half and it would really take some strain off of Sivok. It's hard to bench a player and character like Rosicky, but I found him to be average at best in those games against Latvia and Iceland at the beginning of 2015. His quality is certainly noticeable compared to the rest of our team, though our other players are a step ahead at the moment and that's unfortunately what it comes down to. Our forward options went downhill all of a sudden. I read that Necid hasn't scored since like February and Vydra is still in a drought of his own. With that said, we do have a few very interesting attacking talents coming through the U21 level. Vrba apparently invited a few of them to train with the team before he finalizes the squad.
I didn't know that about Necid. I am starting to favor Lafata as our starting striker. We need an in form striker for this. I don't like the idea of hoping Vydra or Necid find their form in the tournament. Plasil is also on pretty mediocre form. He hasn't done that much for Bordeaux this season, and I worry his legs are gone. He is a good passer, but the old Plasil who liked to drive forward and smash long shots seems to be done. I wonder which players will surprise at the tournament. I think Skalak is going to be our Pilar this time around. I really like what I see in Skalak. His pace and wanting to constantly attack the defense can cause a lot of issues. I hope he starts again Spain because Alba likes to push really far forward and I want Skalak attacking his side.
It's definitely concerning, but to be fair, we haven't had a clear number one striker for a while now, yet we've managed quite well with Vrba. Out of the 19 goals we scored in qualifying, only 4 were from our strikers... Baros was our last prolific striker and he was awful in the last Euros. I think it'll be similar to the last tournament where all the goals came from unlikely sources in Jiracek and Pilar. Personally, I have Vydra starting because of his pace and skill, but he's by far had the worst season out of all our strikers. Knowing we'll play on the counter, I think he'd offer the most compared to Necid or Lafata. Regardless, I expect a lot more out of our midfield and wingers. I actually think it's better that we've had so many different goal scorers under Vrba, as opposed to having to rely on one forward to do it all. However, with Vrba, it will always be about how many goals we concede before we score. I agree about Skalak. He could very well put together a good showing. It's a shame Brighton couldn't manage today. I like Pudil, but it would've been much better to see Skalak have a shot at the BPL to continue his development.
You've convinced me that Vydra would probably be better for the Euros. We likely won't be dominating any of our matches possession wise, so yea counter attacking may be the way to go. Hopefully we can see Pudil in the premier league next season. Kalas will likely return to Middlesborough so that is good for his development. Too bad Kalas hasn't been a starter for them in a while though.
No real surprises here. Should everyone remain healthy, this is arguably the best we have to offer. I kind of like going into this tournament with all the other countries and their fans knowing absolutely nothing about our team. We should really look to use that to our advantage. For the five cuts, it'll most likely be Zahustel, Marecek, Kovarik (if Sural is fit), Skoda, and Schick. Now, if it were up to me, I'd take Marecek instead of Kolar to add some flexibility to the midfield. I think it makes much more sense to take a CM in Marecek. There's really no need to take Kolar when we have Rosicky, Darida, Dockal, and Plasil who can all play there and actually do a decent job. To be honest, Vacek should have made it over those two anyways. Five strikers looks nice for a change, but none of them are in great form. Assuming Necid and Vydra are going, then we'd have one spot for Lafata, Skoda, and Schick. I think Skoda won't make it based on his poor form and health troubles in recent weeks. Although, I really hope Vrba strongly considers Schick as the third striker. Sure he has no senior experience, but I haven't seen us develop a more complete striker in quite some time.
I just noticed Vacek isn't on that list. So I guess we go with Pavelka as our defensive mid? Unless Vrba wants to do a Plasil-Rosicky-Darida midfield which would be way too attacking. We have a few friendlies coming up, so I guess that'll give us a better idea of what our XI will be. At the moment, I want: -------------------Vydra------------------ --Sural??------Darida------Skalak---- -------------Plasil------Pavelka--------- --Selassie-Kadlec---Sivok---Kaderabek --------------------Cech------------------- Kadlec and Sural are my only iffy choices. I don't know enough about Hubnik to put him in. The winger spots are also interesting. Vrba could potentially play Rosicky there as more of an attacking mid than a winger.
So, three cuts were made today. Zahustel and Kovarik which are really no surprises. The third? Vydra. Our only striker that can make a darting run, play a quick one-two, and would actually pose the most legitimate threat to defenders. Vrba totally blew this one. I understand his awful form, but Vrba cannot possibly think Lafata or even Necid in his current form are more valid? The fashion in which this was done is also pure stupidity. Hold a three day training camp, name a 28-man squad, then cut three players 24 hours later. What the hell was the point of that? Anyways, Marecek and Schick will travel to Austria with the team. I'm now worried Pavelka isn't exactly a lock, which he should be. I said it would be good to take Schick to have him soak in the atmosphere and gain some valuable experience, but now I think we actually need him as a potential option, offering the very skills that are absent in Necid, Lafata, and Skoda. Otherwise, it looks like we'll be deploying our infamous crossing tactics.
Yeah, Pavelka would be the DM in the squad. Really the only mid that is combative and defensively sound. I think Sural will start from the bench with Krejci starting instead. The latter has been in excellent form this season and could be a threat with his pace, which we now lack without Vydra. I can't really fault this lineup though. We'll see where Hubnik stands, but Kadlec probably does have a spot besides Sivok for the Spain match.
Hi everyone My name is Tom and I work for the Guardian newpaper in London. I'm hoping to do a Euro 2016 project over the summer where I profile one country per day, and wondered if anyone here would be interested in taking part representing Czech Republic? Do let me know. There's more information about the project here - https://www.theguardian.com/football/2016/may/06/euro-2016-what-hopes-do-you-have-for-your-team You can email me at tom.stevens@guardian.co.uk Many thanks, Tom
You can probably just join in on our discussions. It seems @adam CZ and I are the only ones posting here at the moment, but @ASU55RR also occasionally chimes in.
Most of the team has been training together for nearly a week now, and will depart for the training camp in Austria tomorrow. At the moment, it will be 21 players (including Marecek and Schick) going with four more to join the team. For the game on Friday against Malta, the likes of Pudil, Kadlec, and probably Suchy and Vaclik will be unavailable as they still have club duties to fulfill. This game should act as a warm up for the friendly with Russia, where Vrba will field his strongest XI. Against Malta, when considering the absentees and players who are already in good position to start, we'll most likely see Koubek in goal, Sivok and Hubnik at CB, and perhaps Theo at LB. The midfield should be heavily rotated with Kolar, Rosicky, Pavelka, and Marecek all featuring at some point. Maybe we could also try Dockal centrally. It's also a good chance to see how Sural looks after injury. For the forward spot, I'd start with either Skoda or Schick. There's really no point of starting guys like Cech, Limbersky, Darida, Plasil, Krejci, Necid, or Lafata for this one. A clean sheet is a must here. No excuses.
I looked it up, and we haven't had a clean sheet since we playing Canada on November 15th, 2013. Nearly 3 years. Insane. As for these friendlies, I think Rosicky has to play as much as he can. He has only played 1 reserve match in the past year. Match sharpness is a real concern.
The Malta game tomorrow will hopefully answer some lingering questions about this squad. A shutout can really boost the defense's confidence. Also I am curious to see who is our striker. I hear Lafata is looking good in training.
It looks like I'll be stuck at work for this one, so hopefully there'll be a copy of the match somewhere online. I think this game is good in the sense that we can dominate possession and get players like Rosicky some extra touches. I'm expecting at least a 2-0 win. I think it's important that we're in control from start to finish. No lapses in concentration which is sometimes hard in these kinds of games. I personally would start Rosicky, and maybe even play him a little deeper to maximize his time on the ball. I don't think he'd be ready to start against Russia just yet. Hopefully Vrba does give some minutes to Marecek and Schick. He did label them as the "alternates" earlier this week, but I'd wait after this game to confirm the 23 players going to France. I'd start Skoda up front for this game.
I am luckily working from home tomorrow, so I'll be watching assuming this match is televised somewhere.
Not much going on so far. Rosicky looks sharp though. Defense looks pretty poor. Malta can catch us on the counter. Our fullbacks are really high up, and Hubnik and Sivok are slow. And we just scored. Plasil from distance. I think it took a little deflection, but damn that was a great strike.