Olomouc Fail to Win, But Coach Sees Clear Progress After Jablonec Flop

Sigma Olomouc's players had to settle for a draw and were left unhappy with the result, even though the coaching staff felt the side put in a far stronger performance than in their previous disappointing outing in Jablonec.

"Our first half was excellent. We had plenty of chances to score, but unfortunately the opposition punished us on the counter-attack, and we had to fight back from behind. The second half wasn't quite as good, but once again we managed to respond after conceding. As for the result, we're disappointed because we wanted all three points. We have to accept the one point with grace and prepare honestly for the next match," said Sigma's head coach.

Midfielder Janošek added: "All week we talked about needing to show a different side of ourselves than in Jablonec, and I think that was especially clear in the first half. We were practically brimming with energy. It's just a shame we couldn't get the win."

According to the head coach, the team is already showing elements he wants to see consistently. "We could probably have been even more dangerous. On the other hand, back in Jablonec, apart from our goal we didn't create a single other chance. From that point of view, we've taken a big step forward. If we'd scored a second goal, we wouldn't have had to push forward so hard. As it was, we essentially laid siege to the opponent's goal for the whole match," he noted.

Ironically, it was Janošek himself who missed the clearest chances — he had two glorious opportunities. The first came with the score still 0:0 in the 9th minute. "I wanted to close my eyes and just blast it low with my left foot, but Jiří Flodr knows me from my Zbrojovka Brno days and read the shot," the player admitted. He then, in the 33rd minute, chipped the ball over the crossbar from the edge of the six-yard box. "I needed to focus better, maybe pick my spot more precisely. That was just carelessness on my part. It's frustrating about both efforts from inside the box — in training I usually score those, but it just didn't come off today. What annoys me isn't the miss itself, but that I didn't help the team," the player admitted self-critically. "Overall, though, there's plenty to build on. We just need a win to lift morale and build confidence. But that won't happen without results," he added.

Sigma's head coach shares a similar view. "We wanted to show the fans that we know how to play football, and we managed that, even without a winning finish. But we can feel the team is united — there's real unity in the dressing room, no problems there at all. After today, I believe the lads can see we're on the right path, and next time they'll convert that effort into a more meaningful result," he concluded.

The coach is also counting on a boost from players returning from injury, of whom there are currently quite a few. In the last match, Sigma were missing injured full-backs Hadaš and Slavíček, winger Křivák, forward Mikaelsson, and striker Kliment, who was out sick. "Křivák will start training on Monday. It was just a small scratch, and we didn't want to risk it. Honza Kliment finished his course of antibiotics and will also be back. There are still some question marks over the rest," the coach revealed.

He also confirmed that the club is still looking for a replacement for left wing-back Daniel Šturm, who moved to Slavia Prague. "We're in talks, but I can't say anything concrete yet," the coach said, wrapping up discussion of this pressing topic for the team.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz