Football
Preparation in warm weather is great, says Olomouc stopper Vít Beneš
Sigma Olomouc, the Czech representative at the Tipsport Malta Cup, started the tournament with a 3:0 victory over Danish club Aalborg. A significant contribution to keeping a clean sheet was also made by stopper Vít Beneš.
Is the victory over the Danish team very important for you?
Of course, it is a win. And quite a big one. But we have to take into account that they kept the ball, we kept in the block and waited for their turnovers. We tried to capitalize on those and we did. We made the most of it. We scored three beautiful goals and got a nice win.
Well chosen tactics, successful. Certainly a good foundation for the spring season. Don’t you agree?
We have to keep our feet on the ground, the first swallow doesn’t make the spring. It’s the start of some work, now it’s about how we build on it.
It’s quite valuable to play against a Danish team in preparation.
Sure, a good confrontation with international football. It was obvious that they are strong on the ball, they showed great quality. We are happy for such an opponent in the preparation. In general, the tournament in Malta during the winter training camp is great, we are happy to be here for the second year. Apart from the Danes, there is also the Austrian Tirol, only we meet the Slovakian Trnava in the preparation almost every year. I guess there is some partnership between the clubs.
And how do you like the conditions in Malta?
The important thing is that we can play on natural grass, it’s in fantastic condition, whether it’s the training pitches or the main pitch at Ta’Qali Stadium. In addition to that, there is excellent service and warmth. We have heard that at home in the Czech Republic the sun is shining, but it is cold. The weather in Malta is good for the joints, for the muscles. It is not pleasant to be cold. I am an older player and I welcome this. For a player of my age, artificial is a strain on the ankles, on the muscles, on everything.
It’s definitely a motivation. It was said last year, we are happy to be here for the second time and we would like to go next year. A win against a Danish club is a good base.
It’s preparation for the spring. What will it be like?
Very challenging, we are close to the top but also close to the bottom. We have to prepare for the first games to play them to the limit and have a successful start to the spring season. The goal is to be at the top, but the entrance will be important.
