Viktoria Plzeň’s footballers will finish the regular part of the FORTUNA:LIGA on Sunday in the home Doosan Arena from 3 p.m. against Teplice. But Plzní moves another topic, if coach Koubek really nods to the offer to continue…¶
Pilsen coach Miroslav Koubek during the cup semi-final with Zlín.
| Photo: Daniel Ulrich
More than the approaching end of the FORTUNA:LIGA, in which it is difficult for anyone to dislodge the Victorians from third place and the way up the table is just as thorny, everyone in Pilsen is interested in the final of the MOL Cup with Sparta. But even before that, a decision should be made whether Miroslav Koubek will continue with the team as coach.
According to information from Deník, the 72-year-old coach received an offer from the management to extend the contract by one year, and now it’s all up to him. He is even supposed to have already decided to accept her, only the signature on the contract is missing.
Not too many people doubt that an experienced pilot deserves to continue in a well-deserved job.
Even the coach himself indicates in his statements that he enjoys working in Pilsen. “I have great assistants here. The best I’ve ever had,” coach Koubek highlighted the work of Jan Trousil, Marek Bakoš, Zdenek Bečka, as well as fitness coach Martin Kastner after the 1-0 victory over Slavia.
And most importantly, his work brings results and succeeds in involving young players. In the summer, they were loanees Šulc, Hranáč or Cadu, Dweh came from Vyškov, and before that, in the winter, goalkeeper Jedlička, Červ, and even Valenta due to injury. Souaré and Metsoko, other players from Vyškov, also appear.
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The result of all this was a sleepy ride to the quarter-finals of the European Conference League, where Viktoria was eliminated by Italy’s Fiorentina only after extra time, thanks also to the fact that Pilsen played for a long time in the return match without the expelled Cadu.
Coach Koubek added another success on Wednesday, when he and his charges advanced to the final of the domestic MOL Cup against Sparta. It will be played on May 22 from 6 p.m. in Pilsen’s Doosan Arena.
Regardless of how the final match turns out, Viktoria Plzeň is almost certain to qualify for the 3rd preliminary round of the Europa League. It is enough for her to maintain third place in FORTUNA:LIZE, in which she has a 15-point lead over Ostrava Baník, who is fourth, with six rounds to go.
“Purely mathematically, we don’t have the third place yet, but in my eyes it’s already 99 percent. I believe we will make some more points. Why not on Sunday at home with Teplice,” said coach Miroslav Koubek after Wednesday’s victory over Zlín (3:0) in the semifinals of the MOL Cup.
“However, Teplice play well, unpleasantly. It will be a tenacious opponent with good offensive players,” warned the experienced coach of Viktoria, who must have remembered the summer’s 0:1 defeat at Stínadly in Teplice, after which he changed his team’s game system.
It also led to a sleepy ride through the Conference League. And on Sunday, the Victorians can confirm their participation in the fight for the European League against Teplice. “Of course, that’s a better competition,” smiled Koubek.
Will he continue to command the bench of Viktoria Plzeň?
All indications are that yes. This story doesn’t end…
