What did the match between Slavia and Legia show? Masopust is unfairly underestimated, Holeš shines in defence

Slavia didn’t play the first Europa League play-off match against Legia Warsaw as expected and will have to win in Poland after a 2-2 draw. What did the performance of the Prague team show going into the next matches?

The indispensable Holeš

At times, the centre of Slavia’s midfield did not work as expected. Jakub Hromada and Ibrahim Traoré made a few mistakes and it was clear that they were not fully composed. You could say “Holeš was missing”, but he played in defence.

And he played very well. Not only was he confident in the air and took the majority of the ball, but especially when the opponent broke, he often put out the fire.

He won over the fans in the stands with his footballing prowess, as he didn’t knock a single ball into the stands and dealt with all situations constructively. At the end of the match he literally toyed with one of the Legia players at the line and kept the ball in the possession of Slavia.

Kolář is not like Neuer anymore

Ondrej Kolář is clearly not himself. The media pressure on him is high and after his mistake on Legia’s first goal (wrong run on a high centre behind the defence) it could be even worse.

The national team goalkeeper clearly doesn’t trust himself that much anymore, we didn’t see him outside the big box at all on Thursday, as has been the norm in recent seasons. He doesn’t ask for the ball so much anymore.

Even his teammates don’t look for him in difficult situations anymore, it was visible in Holeš’s performance, even Oscar Dorley didn’t turn on Kolář too much. Only Alexander Bah seemed to trust his goalie 100%.

Unjustly underestimated Masopust

Lukáš Masopust has been regarded by the general public as a “clog” since his arrival in Slavia, but he has already proved several times that he is an excellent footballer. In the spring he was one of the best in the league, yet many fans insulted him during the Euros.

On Thursday, Trpišovský once again took advantage of his versatility. In the first half he rotated with Baho as a right wing-back, after the change of sides he filled in for Oscar Dorley at left-back and when he picked up an injury he worked honestly at the tip of the attack for a few minutes.

The national winger also scored in his second consecutive European game and, as it turns out, is one of the few players in Slavia who has a good selection of places. Let’s hope his injury is not serious and he will prove it in the rematch!

Source: O2 TV