Kucera about mistakes or the atmosphere: We don’t want depression, no one accepts relegation

What happens if the team doesn’t manage such an important match like this?

The game did not go well for us. We were losing, but we managed to equalize, which should have put us on the horse, in the comfort of the game. But we conceded from a standard situation and the team scored. We were not getting into the game we wanted to play at all and the opponent was punishing us with breaks. In the end, we were already depressed, we were not able to come up with anything, on the contrary, we scored two more goals.

We evaluate the match with more distance. What were the biggest mistakes?

For example, with the first goal, we were outnumbered in the defensive box and we get a goal from that. It happened again with the third one as well. It wasn’t just in Varnsdorf, but when we analyzed the previous matches, this happens to us often. We can come back after a loss, there are a lot of us in the box, the opponent has less people there, but we get a goal. One relies on the other to block the center, save it, kick the ball away… It’s punishable. We have to be more stubborn, believe in ourselves, be prepared and react better. It’s about player responsibility. We know we have to fix this and make it better.

Sold Out? Spartan north, the home team is preparing to march. Sigma is close to the record

Top scorer Tomáš Malec could not start in the match due to a stop sign for four yellows. How much was he missing?

Dino is a support point for us in both offensive and defensive standards, he helps us keep the ball. On the other hand, Jamiu came on and was one of the few to perform solidly, even though we lost 1-5. He hit the stick, set up a scoring chance for Matoušek and did not disappoint in the match.

Now you will miss central midfielder Jakub Habusta for eight yellow cards.

Every team has players at risk, but it’s always a complication and an inconvenience when you lose someone. We don’t even have a stable back four. We want them to play together, but Bednár had to be banned from playing with Sigma, and Štěrba with Brno. We will definitely miss Habusta, but we have to replace him and I believe that whoever gets the chance will do it.

You mentioned the stability of the defense. Now you replaced stopper Štěrba early due to injury, how is he doing?

Štěrba already had some problems with Vyškov when I replaced him at the end of the match. Now he has recovered, some tests have been done and he has a bruised muscle. There is a question mark and we will see how he will be ready for the match.

You seemed to have your lineup settled. In the two matches when you won, plus against Vyškov, she played almost identically. There were more changes in Varnsdorf, so are you still looking?

We’ve fixed that, but now we’ve changed the playstyle a bit and adjusted it against the way Varnsdorf plays. We have also made changes accordingly. There was an intention, but it didn’t quite work out. I also wanted to oxygenate it after a hard week and travel with fresh energy. It did not have the desired effect. With the score 1:1, I had prepared a substitution that Koudelka and Jaroň, who played in the previous matches, would go on the pitch to revive it, but we got a goal to make it 1:2.

How is Ondřej Ševčík? Could it be a secret trump until the end of the season?

He is excited, he would like to help the team, because he came as one of the big reinforcements, but the injury sidelined him for a long time. The recovery dragged on, but he is already training with us in larger doses. He would like to play on Saturday or as soon as possible. But we have to evaluate when the time is right. He will miss game practice and fitness. I would like him on the field, but it can be counterproductive, because we can wait for Ševčík and he might not be able to do it, or he might get injured again. There are always risks and he must be 100 percent prepared.

You are penultimate with a four-point loss on the non-relegation ladder. How do you perceive your situation?

After Táborsk, we were doing solidly, but now we came under even more pressure. There are still six games to go, and if we manage them, there is a real chance to save ourselves. But we have to start winning, kick back and get out of it with wins. The pressure is building, nervousness will also be possible. We will have to manage it by defending better. We should definitely have scored now, we would have had a better match with Varnsdorf, but this is how things turned against us. Every game will be crucial now.

He refused Zlín or the leader. Mucha returned home. I want to go back to the league, reports the goalkeeper

Do you feel that you are over the precipice?

We’ve been on it all spring, since the first round. Then we bounced back from it with a six-point streak, but now we’ve lost twice and fallen back to the bottom. We have to try to dig our way up.

Do you accept the possibility of relegation?

If I had admitted it, I wouldn’t be here anymore. That’s not even possible. I don’t accept any relegation in any case and I don’t think anyone in the club would accept it. There are six games, eighteen points, and if we manage three or four games, then there is a real chance to save ourselves.

What is the atmosphere like in the team?

We lost, we arrived in the morning from Varnsdorf. Moreover, after the English week… One is physically and mentally tired. On Tuesday, we had our first practice, where we analyzed the match. We have said some things to each other and we are trying to find a positive note and mental encouragement so that it has an effect and we do not get into a depressed state. I believe that we will do well and get a good result.

How to work with players to lift themselves mentally?

In the analysis, everyone knew that the performance was not good. No need to tell the players that. We have to prepare them for what will happen, that the pressure will be and maybe greater and greater. But these things belong to football and must be dealt with. What was, was. We have to look for positive things. For example, that the team can work and that we didn’t lose in combat. However, we lack lightness, relaxation and correct handling of situations.

If we take names like Matoušek, Jaroň, Koudelka, then these are players who should have that football quality.

I know from my own experience that the head is a big factor and can influence the ease and solution of situations that would be solved differently in another constellation. It’s hard for them to get out of it, but the guys have it in them in training. But then the match comes and it’s about something else entirely. Circumstances around our heads are already binding us. Positive thinking and what we practice in training needs to be transferred to the match. It is difficult, but I believe that each individual will help the other. It’s about cohesion and we have to focus on defending and not conceding cheap goals. This can help the team more than solving offensive situations. Then there is still the transition to power, relying on bounced balls to hit it, fights in the penalty area and standard situations.

Sigma deals with the entry of an investor. She got an offer from the Americans

Now Jihlava is waiting for you, do you see this match as crucial?

We went to Brno and thought it was a key match. We played against Táborsk, he was also key, then we lost against Vyškov and we went to Varndorf with the understanding that he was key again. Now we are playing with Jihlava and we will say that he is key again. We started the spring in last place and are in the relegation zone, so every game was and is crucial.

What do you say overall about the remaining draw, in which you play Jihlava (11th in the F:NL table), Líšno (6th), Příbramí (10th), Dukla (1st), Opava (12th) and on Žižkov (13.)?

You don’t choose whether you play teams from the top or the bottom of the table. We won over the third-placed Táborsk and lost to Varnsdorf, which is at the bottom. The competition is balanced, relatively all teams are playing for something and it will be a fight until the last round. We cannot say that we do not look at the results of others. Of course we have to watch it, but personally we have to look at ourselves, we have a loss, it is not in our hands. We have to win the games.

You spent some time as a coach in Jihlava. Will Saturday’s duel be special for you?

Absolutely, one hundred percent. Some of the players I know and have coached have stayed there. It is specific to me. I wish Jihlava only the best, I had good times there, I was very happy there, but now I’m standing on the other side.

To the region for 70 thousand. There will be less time for free transfers, clubs will pay extra for them