12/11/2023, Editorial Board
Jindřich Trpišovský, together with his implementation team, coached the 300th competitive game on the Slavia bench and decorated it with an important 3:1 win over Sigma Olomouc. He discussed the course of the match with journalists, highlighted the performance of Petr Ševčík, who returned from injury, described the reasons for the substitution and also mentioned Andres Dumitrescu’s workload.
“We have had a great match, the quality of which was contributed by all its participants. We showed strength and excellent movement, thanks to which we were able to beat Olomouc, who were also playing very well. I must also highlight the fast turf, which was in great condition throughout, and I must not forget the referee, who set a looser trend. Considering the demanding schedule of the last few weeks, I appreciate the wins immensely. The entry into the game itself was, in my opinion, one of the best of the season. We managed to take the lead, the team was confident. The opponent then countered with a perfectly played standard which dampened us a little. We lost too many possessions in the offensive part, which brought Sigma back into the game. Fortunately, the second goal helped us, after which we watched the rest of the game. It was a tough but fair evening, the technical quality on our side was the deciding factor,” the coach evaluated the duel against Hané Jindřich Trpišovský.
After almost two months, Petr Ševčík returned to the base. How satisfied are you with its performance?
“I have no idea how he does it, but he’s always in the best shape when he gets back on the field (laughs). However, if he plays England weeks, he is prone to a muscle injury in the second game, which we try to avoid. Petr is a completely different type of central midfielder – very winning, as one of the few players who can also determine the tempo of the game. He has the gift of choosing the right solutions for the given situation and, above all, he sends fast balls up, which I miss a little in other center players, although of course they have their own qualities. In short, Peter’s construction of the game is fluid and very fast at the moment when he is looking for established players. This is one of the ingredients that we lacked in his absence and he is irreplaceable for us at the moment. If he is not on the field, decisive parameters are missing offensively.”
The motivation to follow up on the scalp of AS Rome must have been huge.
“We were mainly helped by the local environment, the stadium and the lawn are fantastic by Czech standards. We also had a technical opponent playing a European style of football. The transition to the league was not such a shock this time, the match had high parameters. I’m sorry that our form will be hampered by the national team break, hopefully no one will get injured and we will continue in the same rhythm. We are playing at ease, the team is self-confident and can deal with unpleasant pressure from the opponent. I also see an advantage in the fact that we played at home on Thursday and therefore did not have to travel so much. We have a great mix of players who have brought confidence from Europe and four newcomers who have contributed with unrelenting energy. We appealed to give everything in the last game before the break, the time to rest will come after that. I must also appreciate the support of the fans, who once again came to see us by the hundreds. Their cheering helped us a lot to manage the match and avoid swings.”
Was the option with Mojmír Chytil in the starting line-up also in play?
“Was not. In the match against AS Rome, he was also a bit upset by the referee, who forbade him to be substituted in the 78th minute. In the end he had cramps in both calves, honestly he is still getting used to the high intensity and undergoing a series of fights. They take even more strength than just running itself. We knew that we would use him in one of the matches, possibly as a substitute in the other. He gave everything to the game on Thursday, I have to give him a lot of credit for that. Played on Llorente with Mancini who could teach positional play and defensive to the body. Mojma showed great quality, he really helped us. That he would play from the beginning was out of the question. At halftime, a consultation took place at the moment when Tijani went down, but he himself was in such a state that he did not feel well for the entire halftime. I think it was evident in the last fifteen minutes. The substitution was more of a reward so that he could return to his former stadium. Otherwise, we wouldn’t even put him in the match.”
Did you prepare for Filip Novák, who returned to the league after about eight years?
“We knew that Beneš was sick and probably wouldn’t play. Filip Novák added a different ingredient to Sigma, they had both a right-handed and a left-handed hitter, and they made it harder to rush us. That’s why we chose two strikers to start with, so that the opponent’s stoppers would be under more pressure. Sigma is starting to pick up a lot in this, whether it’s Frozen or Grabbed, the play is very complex. But we preferred to choose a tactic in which the players on the sides will be more free. He showed what he is strong in, that he has vast experience. He has a passing game, he also surprised me with his positional play. In the second half you could see the intent to push Mick van Buren into the attack behind him, he did it brilliantly. He will be a fantastic player for Sigma, who will give them experience, left-footed play and, like the team, he is dangerous offensively.”
Igoh Ogbu did not start for the second half. Was there a more serious reason?
“Igoh was already playing with groin and knee problems on Thursday. It wasn’t even in the original plan that he would start. But on Saturday he was in a state where he wanted to play. He played great in the first half, but in the cabin he himself came to the fact that the strained places are already hurting him. Similar to Tijani, with whom we were very dissatisfied in the first half with his performance and ball retention, I found out in the cabin that he had hit his hip right from the first fight, which swelled up and at the moment he can’t even walk properly. Both were forced substitutions, and I must also praise Vlčák and Mick, who went into the match with a score of 2:1. Even though Tomáš Vlček received an early yellow card, he handled the match brilliantly.”
What is Andres Dumitrescu’s current situation?
“I would say that things have fallen a bit on Dumi lately. He had a better start than we expected, at the moment we blame him for some things defensively, such as taking over players. At such a speed, he has to absorb the exchange of information between players, which causes him a bit of a problem. Rather, we make decisions based on the formation we are playing and also based on how the opponent is playing. The typology of the player who will play on him also determines whether we play in five or four at the back, whether we play at home or away. It is an advantage that Lukáš Provod can also play in the middle or on the wing with movement inside, Conrad Wallem can also play in many positions. Today it was focused more on Chvátal, the opposing player who the halfback was playing on was deciding. Dumi needs to improve the defensive side, but it’s also about communication and the things he absorbs. He has interesting strengths, which he showed again, but he also has to get used to the competitive nature of the Czech league a little.”
You were given a yellow card at the end of the match. What preceded it?
“I would say it was more of a misunderstanding, the first card on the changer was for someone else. I was just saying that there was a foul on Oscar before, and that there is no card for the foul, and there is for this one. But it was only in quotes, I got a little carried away. But I have to admit, as I said at the beginning, that the referees handled the match perfectly, I like the trend they are following. The situation was rather unfortunate. Otherwise, I have to say that I was absolutely calm during the match. It was just an exchange of opinion, from my point of view it wasn’t even a yellow card. But that’s about the point of view.’
