Slavia Thrash Slovan Slucko 5:1 — Trpišovský Praises Newcomers and Youngsters After Long-Awaited Win

Prague's Slavia opened the new Czech league season in style, beating Slovan Slucko 5:1, with coach Jindřich Trpišovský putting his faith in youth and new signings — five academy graduates started the match.

"We're delighted with the winning start after such a long wait. In the first half everyone played superbly, but then we made things harder for ourselves. A lot of new and young players raised the tempo. We had a clear edge by half-time, but the second half didn't go as well — the opponent sat deeper, and we lacked movement and cohesion," the coach said after the match.

According to him, the risk with the line-up was a calculated one. "We believed that without spectators in the stands the lads would find it easier to communicate with each other and wouldn't panic under the weight of the atmosphere. We were confident we could handle the tricky moments. We felt they'd earned this through their work in pre-season — the way they played, the way they trained — so we decided to reward them this way," Trpišovský explained.

The coach noted that the backbone of the side was Holeš, Marki, Sam and Moyzeš in midfield. "It was a combination of several factors, but mainly the national-team players still need time to recover. They're not in top shape, so we opted for high energy on the pitch to put pressure on the opponent. We wanted to use the young players' energy — we reckoned it would give us more than just having a settled starting XI," the specialist added.

"The line-up was clear as early as the start of the week. We simply didn't have enough spots on the pitch for everyone — some deserved a chance to play too. There were tough calls at times, for instance with Ouanda and Ayaosi. We were also thinking about the bigger picture. Eliáš can compete with Douděra for a spot, and we wanted to be fair to those who'd earned their place through performance. There was pressure from the national-team players too, who also want to play, but by Wednesday we had a clear picture of the squad," the coach continued.

Mojmír Chytil and team newcomer Viktor Novák were on target against Slovan Slucko. "I see huge dedication in him, and the team took to him quickly. He's got great character. I've never seen him do anything at half pace — that's the kind of player who easily earns the dressing room's respect. There might be some similarity in the way he moves, but today he showed that real X-factor — a knack for scoring and carrying attacks into the box," the coach said of the newcomer.

Slavia claimed a comfortable win already in the opening round, while their traditional rivals Sparta and Plzeň both suffered defeats. "It looks pretty that we won 5:1, but I was nervous all last week. I had respect for the opponent. After the summer, when players are away with their national teams and we have to rebuild the squad from scratch, it's never easy — and this round proved it. The league is getting stronger, with plenty of quality matches. The gap in points among the top six teams will be minimal. Our young players backed up the results of pre-season and showed real character on the pitch — they got through a difficult stretch and handled it brilliantly," Trpišovský concluded.

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