The second star will be there forever
We managed to replace key players, that’s why the title is so valuable
“For me, this title is more valuable than the last one, because we had to overcome many obstacles. From coronavirus to complicated injuries of several players and, of course, eight or nine key players from the usual starting line-up leaving, wen I count injured Hovorka and Olayinka too. I think this would shake any other team playing on top of any European competition,” Trpišovský admits.
“The first wave came in summer when Deli, Ngadeu, Stoch or Zmrhal left. The Král, Souček, Škoda and Hušbauer. And despite this we defended the title with even more points than last year. That’s why I appreciate this title so much. There are some 70% of new players in the team who weren’t here last year. Yes, we dropped some points in spring part of the season, but when I consider all the aspects - Champions League or playing without fans after the break - I must speak highly of this title. Sometimes I am even moved watching David Zima, Lukáš Provod or Petar Musa, who are here only few months, lead the team in such difficult games. We had to replace our key players, national team players, with new players starting not only in Slavia, but also in the top division as such,” the boss continues.
The boss and his team after the win over Plzeň.
We finished something that other players and managers started long ago
“The second star over Slavia crest was a big motivation, even the last season when we won our 19th title. It was in our heads for a long time. It was close and we could feel we had a team which could make it. It means a lot, for me and for the guys too. Now we continue in something that other great players and managers left us. Plánička, Bican, Jarolím, Cipro. They were adding titles more than a century and now we finally added the second star. For someone else maybe this doesn’t have to be the most important thing, but we finished something that someone else started long before us. Those stars will be there forever,” Slavia manager says.
Improved defence was the key
“We try to play complex football, but several players who were making many points left the club, Milan Škoda or Miroslav Stoch among all. Now we are not in a situation when we can score two or three goals every game. We know we cannot concede. I think that one of the main differences between the last and the current season was Ondřej Kolář and his performance. He was an anchor, he saved many shots which would have been goals last year. We made more points this year even though we scored similar number of goals. We improved our defence and it’s mostly thanks to players like Ondřej Kolář, Vladimír Coufal or Ondřej Kúdela. They have been here long time and they grew into great players,” the boss concluded.
Jindřich Trpišovský celebrates with Slavia captain Jan Bořil.
