Twenty-one enters the Euro qualifiers. What did the head coach say before the match against Slovenia?

The Czech U21 national team will enter the Euro qualifiers with a match against Slovenia. What did the head coach Jan Suchopárek say before the game in České Budějovice?

Suchopárek, as the new head coach of the Czech Republic’s Under-21s, does not have a single friendly match, the first match with Slovenia is in the Euro qualification.

“I have felt nervousness since I joined the national team. We have our first game coming up, and it’s a qualifier. In a few days we needed to get the team together and get to know the players. We did our best to make it happen.”

The Lionesses met Slovenia at the Spring Euros, when they played to a 1-1 draw. Now they will need a win.

“They will be a tough opponent, they have excellent players on the offensive end. They benefit from speed types and after gaining the ball they immediately go into breakout situations. It’s a team that hasn’t lost for practically two years, which is certainly encouraging for them.”

An advantage for the Czech team may be the fact that seven players of the current squad participated in the aforementioned spring championship.

“It’s a great experience for those players and I think it was visible in the preparation. They have more confidence, while the nervousness of the newcomers is a little bit bigger. But the differences are being eliminated during the training sessions and the team is getting stronger.”

The Lions are not only playing for the European championship, but also for the Olympic Games in Paris, where the top three teams from the next Euro will qualify.

“I haven’t mentioned this yet, I wanted to keep it quiet for now. We have a progressive goal, which I don’t even want to put too much in the players’ heads. At the moment it is important for us to start the qualification well and to feel the right energy from the team,” Suchopárek added.

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