Sparta won't sack Priske, but reshuffles coaching staff after worst season start

Prague's Sparta is going through one of the worst starts to a Czech league season since the split of Czechoslovakia. The club has lost four of its seven matches so far and sits tenth in the incomplete table. On Sunday, the team fell 1:2 in Hradec Králové, following a humiliating 0:3 defeat to city rivals Slavia in the Prague derby — Sparta's second straight loss without a single point earned.

Despite the poor run of results, the club's management has decided to keep head coach Brian Priske in charge, though it has made changes to the coaching staff. Assistants Wilson and Coll have both left their posts.

Club management's response

"We've just been through one of Sparta's worst league starts in a long time. This is far from what our fans — and we ourselves — expect from this team. Everyone shares the responsibility: management, coaching staff and players alike. In response to the results and the quality of our play, we are making changes to the coaching staff and expect a swift improvement. We'll make further decisions depending on how things develop," said the club's executive vice-chairman František Čupr.

Sparta's sporting director Tomáš Rosický added: "Our start to the season has been a complete failure, both in terms of results and quality of play, and the team needs a new impulse. I'm convinced we have very good players whose potential we simply haven't managed to unlock yet. Now it's up to all of us to prove that on the pitch."

League standings

After seven rounds, Sparta has 9 points, with three wins and four defeats, and a goal difference of 13:12. The league leader has 17 points after five matches, followed by another club with 16 points after seven rounds. The bottom of the table is occupied by a team still without a single win after seven games.

Around Prague, based on reporting by prazsky.denik.cz