26/04 - 20:00
Their current vintage may not boast stars like Poborsky (remember that ridiculous scoop against Portugal?), Berger, Smicer and Nedved, but the beaten Euro 96 finalists can give anyone a game on their day.
A 2-1 victory over England in qualifying illustrates that teams underestimate them at their peril.
Kicking off their tournament with a Group D clash against Scotland this afternoon, here's all you need to know about the Czechs.
For the lowdown on all 24 nations competing this summer, please check out Playmaker's Euro Guide...
Jaroslav Šilhavý is a softly spoken character, and the Czech's’s approach to games can sometimes be as measured as their manager's press conferences.
Šilhavý coached Slavia to a league title in 2017 and understandably relies on plenty of his former club's personnel at international level.
The Czechs will look to open the scoring and do it quickly under him: chasing results and adjusting in-game has never been his forté.
A lynchpin. An anchor. A key cog in the wheel. Souček has taken the Premier League by storm and nigh on every week a fresh mind-blowing stat emerges from the ether.
Most aerial duels won, most ground covered, more open play goals than Bruno Fernandes as of mid-May.
Souček is an absolute dynamo for West Ham, and he’s just as crucial for the national team.
The youngest goalscorer in Czech top flight history at 16 and the first teenager to reach the 10-goal mark in over a decade, Adam Hložek strikes the balls sweetly with both feet and is the Czechs' first real deal of a teen prodigy since Tomas Rosický.
Even a three-month injury lay-off didn’t slow the 18-year-old down this season and hopes are high that Hložek can shine on the big stage.
We garnered the opinions of Czech football expert Tomas Danicek @Czechfooty going into the Euros - here's what he had to say:
Group D will not instil confidence in any Czech fan! Their record against British sides is lamentable - we’ve lost to each and every UK team over the past four years, and Scotland especially seem to have our number (their U-21s included).
Throw in a World Cup finalist, and Czech fans may feel like throwing in the towel.
However, this is arguably our most balanced team in years, which should compensate for individual deficiencies, and a haul of four points is definitely possible.
𝐍𝐄𝐖/𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐂𝐊 | THE MIGHTY DELTA
— Stanchion (@StanchionBooks) June 9, 2021
Added copies of #3 feat @thegraphicbomb @playmaker_EN @CheapPanini @YellowArmyOUFC @BVBBuzz @edward_w97 @photojoedent @briandick, plus restocks of #1, #2 of this fanzine focusing on the UK game's top four tiers.
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Patrik Schick 42' 52' |
