Memorable moments: how Trpišovský became a god from a fool or the unforgettable progress through Genk

The 2018/19 season will always be one of the most memorable for Slavia fans. Not only did Slaviawin the double, but they also reached the quarter-finals of the Europa League, where they knocked out Genk, Sevilla and Chelsea.

When you say spring 2019, every Slavist’s eyes light up. Some may even burst into tears. What their beloveds did on the pitch back then will probably be unprecedented for a long time.

Most people will of course remember the now legendary 8th final with Sevilla, when Slavia turned it around in the last minutes of the setup, or the quarter-final with Chelsea, when the Blues were knocking for the result in the rematch. For that was when a god was born on the bench of Slavia.

Jindřich Trpišovský had been at Slavia for just over a year and had already managed to put his face on the team, but still few fans believed in him. Slavia took on Genk in the 1/16 final of the Europa League and the first leg in Eden ended in a goalless draw.

In the meantime, after a very poor and bloodless performance, the Sevivans lost 0:2 in Plzeň and Jindřich Trpišovský made a radical cut in the rematch. For the rematch, he left only the then untouchable mainstays Miroslav Stoch, Josef Husbauer and Peter Olayinka on the bench.

For the first time ever, he sent winter reinforcements Alex Kral and Lukas Masopust into the starting line-up, with Ibrahim Traoré also starting. Sending players who are playing for the first time in the starting line-up for Slavia to such a difficult and important match? The fans didn’t understand that at the time.

Those who remember the comments at the time know that before the game Trpišovský was considered a fool, there were too many fans who didn’t believe in these moves and condemned them in advance. But Trpišovský proved to be a master strategist.

And yet the match started tragically, when in the 10th minute Ondrej Kolář missed the ball on a run and Genk took the lead. But Slavia worked hard, in the 23rd minute Vladimír Coufal equalised and at that moment, thanks to more away goals, the Susians advanced.

But in the second half there was no maintenance, on the contrary. The Red and Whites decided to “finish” the home team. Ibrahim Traoré scored the leading goal in the 53rd minute, and captain Milan Škoda added two goals in the space of four minutes.

After a fantastic performance, Slavia won 4:1 and King and Masopust secured their place for the whole spring. It was after the game against Genk that the fans of Slavia finally fell under the spell of Trpišovský and started to trust him implicitly.

That’s when the nickname “JTVCD” was coined, i.e. “Jindra Trpišovský knows what he’s doing.” And it has been true ever since. Sure, sometimes a few fans still wonder about the lineup before a game, but it’s not to the same extent as before the game against Genk.

And there are a lot of people who don’t even care about the lineup anymore, because they simply trust Trpišovský to come up with something brilliant again. Just like the time in Belgium.

Source: SK Slavia Praha