Kuchta is not just a fighter anymore, the criticised Brabec stopper number one. Which players have earned the most from the absence of the national team’s mainstays?

The Czech national team took four points from the June national team meeting and remains in third place in its Nations League table despite missing several injured players. Which players took advantage of the playing time and asked for more space in the future?

Jan Kuchta

Kuchta got his first national team invitation last autumn and has regularly popped up for the last few minutes. His job was to run and fight. But Patrik Schick’s injury has put him in the role of first striker for June’s Nations League games, and the Lokomotiv Moscow playmaker may well have grabbed the chance of a lifetime.

He scored against Switzerland to make it 1:0, then with the Spaniards he was on the scoresheet for both Czech goals (1+1) and in the games in Lisbon and Malaga he was one of the best on the pitch. He has consolidated his position as the national team’s number 2 striker, but there is also the option of a Schick-Kuchta attacking tandem. Let’s see what Jaroslav Šilhavy will come up with.

Jakub Brabec

In the absence of Tomáš Kalas or Tomáš Holeš, the coaching staff had to compose a new trio of stoppers. Brabec impressed with his performance at the last training camp and the Aris Thessaloniki defender stood up against top European teams.

The position of the middle stopper suited him, he coached the young David Zima next to him, he read the game well and stood out, he wasn’t afraid to take risky crosses. Taking into account Šilhavy’s conservatism, Brabec probably secured a place in the lineup for the coming months.

Jaroslav Zelený

Left back has long been a big problem for the national team. Ales Matějů, Filip Novák and Aleš Matějů haven’t caught on on the left side since the Euros, and just when it looked like the wing-back position might suit Jakub Jankt, he got injured against Spain.

Jaroslav Zelený was given the space in June and the big defensive all-rounder handled the demanding position decently. He probably can’t be counted on as a long-term number one, but he has at least hinted that he can alternate here and that he will definitely play better than Matějů and Havel.

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