Sparta Prague in defensive crisis: Suchomel and Ševinský under a barrage of fan criticism

Football club Sparta Prague endured a rough Champions League outing against France's Lyon, undone by a string of defensive lapses that led to goals conceded and a red card. Fans were particularly critical of 23-year-old defender Martin Suchomel, whose performance on the right side of the back line was cited as one of the main reasons behind the defeat.

In the 20th minute, a wayward pass from Suchomel toward goalkeeper Mercado was intercepted by Lyon captain Corentin Tolisso. Goalkeeper Surochik failed to clear the ball convincingly, and Ernest Nuamah pounced on the loose ball to finish it off. Observers believe this moment turned the tide in favour of the hosts, who were backed by more than 50,000 fans in the stands.

In the 34th minute, defender Adam Ševinský was sent off for a reckless sliding tackle. Most of Sparta's defensive breakdowns came on the right flank, where Ševinský and Suchomel were stationed — when Tolisso found an unmarked Ainsley Maitland-Niles, neither defender managed to close him down in time.

A wave of fan frustration

"We defended poorly against Zelený — or rather, I did. I didn't pick up my man. And Tolisso ended up completely free there — that shows the quality of the opponent. That wasn't the first chance like that either," Suchomel admitted after the match.

Sparta fans didn't hold back on social media: "Thanks, Suchomel, thanks, Surochik, thanks, Ševinský... none of that trio belongs in Sparta's starting XI." Others wrote that with a defensive pairing like Suchomel and Ševinský, the club has no business being in the Champions League.

Not the first mistake this week

A week earlier, Suchomel had scored a bizarre own goal, trying to clear the ball only to send it straight into his own net. Sparta won that game 2:1, though, and the blunder was quickly forgotten amid the general euphoria. The player, who returned to Sparta from Hradec Králové, is a Prague native, and debate over his level has raged ever since his comeback to the capital club. Many pundits and fans feel there simply isn't enough quality at that position, where experienced veteran Pavel Kadeřábek also plays.

According to match statistics, Suchomel didn't feature in the opening-day defeat to Zbrojovka, coming on only in the closing stages. But in the match against Zlín, available data shows he lost all 12 individual duels and committed four fouls.

What's next

"I'll watch the video and go through the whole match. Just detail by detail — what I could have done better, and what maybe I actually did okay," Suchomel said after the defeat in Lyon.

The player's stats for the match: duels won — 2 of 8 (25%), fouls drawn — 2, accurate passes — 21 of 28 (75%), successful dribbles — 0 of 1.

Head coach Brian Priske commented on the situation with the full-backs: "Changes need to start as early as Saturday. We need to win on Sunday. But I look at individual moments in the game, the one-on-one duels involving Ryneš and Marty (Suchomel). I see how they're coping, how they're struggling, but they keep fighting for all 90 minutes, even when down to ten men. That's what keeps me going — seeing that they're trying."

The question remains whether the Prague club's management will commit to serious squad reinforcements, especially on the right side of defence.

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