What did the match against Italy show us? Jankto and Masopust can’t play at the same time, Vaclik should be number one

The Czech Republic crashed out in the first of two pre-Euro games. They were beaten by advanced Italy and unlike in qualifying, the match exposed a lot of flaws. These are most obvious in defence, but there are also problems on the wings and other positions.

The wing pairing of Jankto – Masopust

The opening of the match was the only part of the match in which Jaroslav Šilhavy’s team did well. It was able to constructively retrieve the balls and managed to score several centred balls. However, there came the main problem.

Jankto is a typical left-footed left winger, so he sticks to the sideline and relies more on passing and crossing. However, Lukáš Masopust has been identified with the same style of play on the right side in recent months, which creates a gap on the midfield.

Krmenčík was alone in the box, and without the support of his teammates, he was not able to assert himself. This is another reason why maybe Adam Hložek should be given a chance instead of Masopust, who would definitely work much harder in the middle of the field than the Sšívany player.

Trouble at stopper

There are not only quality problems at the central defender position anymore. Bristol captain Tomáš Kalas injured his knee before the game and Ondřej Čelůstka had similar problems at half-time.

He was replaced by David Zima, who, like the Brabec-Celůstka duo, disappointed under the weight of high expectations after his great performance in a Slavia jersey.

So far, we have played only one game in the preparation and already in it three of the four stoppers managed to make mistakes, which were most evident especially in the first goal, which was practically assisted by Brabec and scored by Čelůstka himself.

How to solve it? The stopper pair Čelůstka – Brabec will probably not play at the Euro in this form. Kalas should be replaced by either the young Zima or the experienced Čelůstka. However, the question is how much Zima is counted on, because if it weren’t for the injury, he might not even see the pitch.

With Kolar out, it should be clear at the number one position

Ondřej Kolář will be absent at the European Championship this year, so the selection of the number one has made it much easier for Jaroslav Šilhavy. He was definitely helped by the performance of Jiří Pavlenka on Friday, who, although he didn’t have much to do with the four goals he conceded, didn’t stand out on other fronts either.

For example, such a Zima is used to playing a lot backwards in cooperation with a technically gifted goalkeeper. However, Jiri Pavlenka showed us against Italy that his footwork is not one of his strengths and I cannot imagine a midfield between him and David Zima again against quality opponents.

Tomáš Vaclík, who is still looking for a new job and will definitely want to prove himself at the Euro, will most likely be among the three poles.

Coufal’s troubles in the national jersey

There is no doubt that the Czech Republic have one of the best right backs in the Premier League and definitely a world class player. It’s a shame, however, that Vladimir Coufal hasn’t been able to sell himself to the national team since his big boom in the Islands.

Even in qualifying, he was nowhere near the difference player he used to be under coach Moyes and it showed even more against Italy. Indeed, apart from a couple of forays in the opening minutes and one beautifully played standard situation, he seemed to be absent from the pitch.

So there’s a possibility that despite his undeniable qualities, Kadeřábek would be the number one right-back at the Euros. At least in the qualification, he performed better than the vaunted Coufal.