After an uninspired qualifying campaign that ended with a series of laboured performances, the Czech Republic has bet on the return of no-nonsense coach Ivan Hasek to recharge the squad aiming for a second-straight quarter-final appearance.
Hasek, who captained Czechoslovakia during the 1990 World Cup and led the national team briefly in 2009, took over a squad in January that seemed stuck in the mud without much hope of repeating its surprise run at the last European Championship.
Former national team midfielder and Sparta Prague coach Martin Hasek said the change has improved the mood of what he called an average squad that had stagnated under Jaroslav Silhavy, who stepped down in December.
Previous Euro performance: 1976 European Championship winners (as Czechoslovakia). Played in all seven Euros since gaining independence in 1993. Runners-up in 1996, semi-finals in 2004
Other: World Cup group stage 2006.
FIFA ranking: 36th
Nickname: Narodak (National Team)
Coach: Ivan Hasek
Star players: Patrik Schick, Tomas Soucek, Vladimir Coufal
Main clubs: Slavia Prague, Sparta Prague, Viktoria Plzen
How did they qualify: Second in Group E behind Albania
“The team is of average international quality but there is a good atmosphere in the squad with the new coach,” said Hasek, no relation to Ivan Hasek.
The Czechs face Portugal, Turkey and Georgia in Group F at Euro 2024 and will need to rediscover the bite they lost towards the conclusion of their qualifying campaign when they lost to Albania 3-0 and scraped by the Faroe Islands 1-0 at home.
Coach Hasek must also decide the fate of three important players — West Ham United’s Vladimir Coufal, Sparta Prague forward Jan Kuchta and Aris defender Jakub Brabec — who were photographed outside a nightclub two nights before the last qualifying match.
The 60-year-old Hasek omitted them for his first match in charge and the role the players will have this summer is under question, though Coufal will likely regain his place in defence at the tournament starting in June.
One player Hasek will lean on is West Ham midfielder and team captain Tomas Soucek while he will be weighing up calls to hand a greater role to attacking midfielder Antonin Barak, who plies his trade for Fiorentina in Serie A.
Attack has been an area of concern, with the absence of Bayer Leverkusen forward Patrik Schick from the final rounds of the qualifying campaign due to injury contributing to the Czech goal-scoring drought.
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But fresh from winning a Bundesliga title, Schick seems to have shaken off the injury woes that hampered him over the past year and has bagged a number of critical goals for the Europa League finalists since his return.
If the joint-goal scorer from the last tournament can recapture the form highlighted by a stunning strike from midfield against Scotland, the Czechs and their new boss may surprise once again.
CZECH REPUBLIC SQUAD
Goalkeepers: Vitezslav Jaros (Sturm Graz), Matej Kovar (Bayer Leverkusen), Jindrich Stanek (Slavia Prague)
Defenders: Vladimir Coufal (West Ham), David Doudera (Slavia Prague), Tomas Holes (Slavia Prague), Robin Hranac (Viktoria Plzen), David Jurasek (TSG Hoffenheim), Ladislav Krejci (Sparta Prague), Martin Vitik (Sparta Prague), Tomas Vlcek (Slavia Prague), David Zima (Slavia Prague)
Midfielders: Antonin Barak (Fiorentina), Vaclav Cerny (Wolfsburg), Lukas Cerv (Viktoria Plzen), Matej Jurasek (Slavia Prague), Ondrej Lingr (Feyenoord), Lukas Provod (Slavia Prague), Michal Sadilek (FC Twente), Tomas Soucek (West Ham), Pavel Sulc(Viktoria Plzen
Forwards: Adam Hlozek (Sparta Prague), Tomas Chory (Viktoria Plzen), Mojmir Chytil (Slavia Prague), Jan Kuchta (Sparta Prague), Patrik Schick (Sparta Prague)
CZECH REPUBLIC MATCH SCHEDULE
Portugal vs Czech Republic – June 19, Wednesday, 12:30 AM
Georgia vs Czech Republic – June 22, Saturday – 6:30 PM
Czech Republic vs Turkey – June 27, Thursday – 12:30 AM
LIVESTREAM AND TELECAST INFO
All of Czech Republic’s matches at Euro 2024 will be telecasted on the Sony Sports Network. The matches will also be live-streamed on the SonyLIV app.
(With inputs from Reuters and AFP)
