Čelůstka and Brabec were burned in the Italian test. How will Šilhavý solve this pressing issue?

Oh, Andrew Kudelo, why didn’t you keep your mouth shut? That’s what Jaroslav Šilhavy must be telling himself now. His absence caused huge problems in the centre of the Czech national team’s defence, which burned like paper in the first half against Italy.

The start of the first half was more than decent. The Czech Republic had a good combination, the players managed to keep the ball on their kicks, but after the opening part it started to play according to the Italian notes.

If this match with a tough opponent was supposed to be a test for the stopper duo of Čelůstka – Brabec, they both failed. Čelůstka had his signature on the first goal, while Brabec did not perform on the second one. But the Italians created other chances in the middle and our team’s defence was very shaky.

Čelůstka was a bit better of the two stoppers, but the Pilsen stopper will definitely not put his performance behind him. He was out of form almost the whole spring and if Ondrej Kúdela had been available, he probably wouldn’t have even made the nomination.

Šilhavy can only regret Kúdela, who played in the form of his life. In addition, David Zima, who is much more confident with his “teacher”, could start next to him.

If the pair of Čelůstka – Brabec would also start at the championship, it could cause a big problem. Neither of them is in good shape, and both of them clearly lack confidence. It must be said, however, that Zim didn’t do too well in the second half either.

In coach Šilhavy’s defence, he had planned to send Kalas into the game from the start, but he was not let off with a minor injury. Let’s hope he’ll be fine by the start of the Euros.

Stoppers are the biggest weakness of the whole team. At the goalkeeper position the management team can choose between Pavlenko and Vaclik, the edges of the defence are also secured. Coach Šilhavý has a great luxury in the centre of midfield, the wings and the attack are also well manned.

If a certain stopper pairing cannot be found, it could be a key factor in the eventual failure of Šilhavy’s selection.

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