Draw is fair, but disappointment prevails
Slavia have kept third clean sheet from six games to which 20-year old David Zima started as centre-back. After Leverkusen and Beer Sheva, this time the Slavia defence kept Leicester City at bay.
“It was an equal game, both teams had their chances. The draw is fair, I think, but the disappointment prevails. Especially in the second half, we put them under pressure, and we could benefit from it. We could score a winner, but we failed,” Zima said after the game.
The composition of Slavia defence was not certain with several changes in previous games after the arrival of Simon Deli from Club Brugge. But for the Leicester game, Jindřich Trpišovský opted for Zima and Kúdela, who played the most games during the autumn part of the season.
“Two days before the game I knew I would play. There have been some speculations about the line-up, but I tried not to be bothered and I focused on myself. This is up to the manager. I am glad he trusted me for this game,” David Zima added.
Leicester made only one change in starting XI compared to their last game against Liverpool. Who was the most dangerous from all the big names in Leicester line-up?
“From my point of view Barnes was the most dangerous Leicester player. But of course, you always must be careful when there is Jamie Vardy on the pitch. His style of play is different from all other strikers in the world. He is always waiting for your mistake, for his moment. You must always pay attention to him, just one tiny slip, two seconds, and he can score. It was quite a reveal when he left the pitch after an hour or so. Ihenacho replaced him, he has a bit different style and we could read him better than Vardy,” the 20-year old centre-back says.
The second leg will be played in Leicester on 25 February and chances are still equal.
“We are looking forward to the second leg. And I believe we can play another equal game there. It will be a difficult game, and for some of us maybe the biggest game of our lives. So, that’s why I am looking forward so much,” admits David Zima.
