Čelůstka and Brabec can handle the Euro, they are experienced. Hložek must play, says expert Jirkal

The Czech Republic will play its last friendly match before the peak of the season in the form of the European Championship. And before the important tournament, football expert Miroslav Jirkal talked about the problems with the stoppers and the possible deployment of Adam Hložek.

On Tuesday, the Czech team will play its last match before the start of the Euro. They will play Albania at home, who did not qualify for the tournament. According to Jirkal, what should Jaroslav Šilhavý change compared to Friday’s match against Italy? Basically nothing worked there. It was mainly the defence that was addressed, but the midfield and attack didn’t do a good job either.

“To build up the players who didn’t play against Italy, or started for a smaller time slot. It’s still a preparation, the coaches want to check something. After the bad game against Italy, it is an important game especially in terms of play,” he said in an interview with iSport.

Jakub Brabec, Ondřej Čelůstka and Ondřej Čelůstka did not make it through the first half of the match against Italy. They scored twice, did not give a confident impression and Sparta’s mainstay even had to substitute at half-time due to injury.

The below-average performance did not go unnoticed by the Czech media, who started to criticize the experienced defenders and look for suitable replacements.

“The coaches certainly know about the current form of the players, they have them at training every day. They objectively determine who they will select for the match against Albania and then for the first match at the EURO.”

Despite the poor performance of the aforementioned duo, Jirkal thinks it would be stupid to put the unplayed Zima with Brabec or Čelůstka. After all, the Pilsen-Spartan duo played many big matches together, for example, they were there for the 2-1 win over England (Brabec even scored a goal). Moreover, even Zima made a mistake before one of the Italian goals and his performance certainly didn’t earn him a place in the line-up.

“Experience is the key in such matches, we can’t throw some players into such positions on trial. Čelůstka and Brabec should be able to do it, especially with the perfect synergy of other players. That’s where experience is important.”

He would send another young player, Adam Hložek, to the championship right away. His advantage is the fact that he will play several offensive positions, with his best chance of making the starting lineup coming from the right wing position. On the other hand, the 18-year-old Sparta starlet is recovering from an injury and we’ll see how he does against Albania.

“The most important thing depends on Adam’s health. His performance means he belongs in the starting line-up. He’s an excellent underneath player across the width of the pitch, from the front and under the tip. Moreover, he has the qualities of a striker.”

Source:: iSport