| Player | Position | Club |
|---|---|---|
| Jaromir Blazek | Goalkeeper | Sparta Prague |
| Petr Cech | Goalkeeper | Chelsea (England) |
| Antonin Kinsky | Goalkeeper | Saturn Ramenskoye (Russia) |
| Zdenek Grygera | Defender | Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands) |
| Marek Jankulovski | Defender | AC Milan (Italy) |
| Martin Jiranek | Defender | Spartak Moscow (Russia) |
| Radoslav Kovac | Defender | Spartak Moscow (Russia) |
| Pavel Mares | Defender | Zenit St. Petersburg (Russia) |
| David Rozehnal | Defender | Paris St. Germain (France) |
| Tomas Ujfalusi | Defender | Fiorentina (Italy) |
| Tomas Galasek | Midfielder | Ajax Amsterdam (Netherlands) |
| David Jarolim | Midfielder | Hamburg SV (Germany) |
| Pavel Nedved | Midfielder | Juventus (Italy) |
| Jaroslav Plasil | Midfielder | AS Monaco (France |
| Karel Poborsky | Midfielder | Ceske Budejovice |
| Jan Polak | Midfielder | Nuremberg (Germany) |
| Tomas Rosicky | Midfielder | Arsenal (England) |
| Libor Sionko | Midfielder | Rangers (Scotland) |
| Milan Baros | Forward | Aston Villa (England) |
| Marek Heinz | Forward | Galatasaray (Turkey) |
| Jan Koller | Forward | Borussia Dortmund (Germany) |
| Vratislav Lokvenc | Forward | Red Bull Salzburg (Austria) |
| Jiri Stajner | Forward | Hanover 96 (Germany) |
| Head Coach: | Karel Bruckner | |
Scouting Report
Style of play: The Czech team is a hard-working and resilient squad that is committed to playing attacking soccer, often times at the expense of leaving itself exposed at the back. Coach 22Karel Bruckner switches between an offensive 4-4-2 (which he tends to use more often) and a more defensive 4-5-1 setup, depending on the situation. It's in the centre of the field where the magic happens for the Czechs. All four midfielders are constantly chasing the ball, making tackles, and carrying the action forward as they make the transition from defence to attack. The two wide midfielders, Pavel Nedved on the left and Karel Poborsky on the right, are the fulcrum of the attack, given license to drift from their flank positions to roam all over the field. They're supported by defensive stopped Tomas Galasek, who plays in front of the defence, and playmaking dynamo Tomas Rosicky, who supports the attack by pressing forward up the middle. Forward Milan Baros plays a slightly withdrawn role behind the main attacker, either Marek Heinz or Jan Koller, who acts as the lone target man up front.
Probable starting formation (4-4-2): (GK) Petr Cech - (D) Zdenek Grygera, David Rozehnal, Tomas Ujfalusi, Marek Jankulovski - (M) Karel Poborsky, Tomas Galasek, Tomas Rosicky, Pavel Nedved - (F) Milan Baros, Jan Koller
Strengths:
Depth - The majority of Czech Republic players ply their trade with some
biggest European clubs during the regular season. As a result, the Czechs
are stacked with outstanding players at every position: Chelsea's Petr Cech
at goalkeeper, Tomas Ujfalusi (Fiorentina) and Marek Jankulovski in defence,
Pavel Nedved (Juventus) and Tomas Rosicky (recently signed with Arsenal) in
midfield and Milan Baros (Aston Villa) and Marek Heinz (Galatasaray) up front.
Goalkeeping - Although only 23, Petr Cech plays with the maturity and
experience of a veteran. Cech is a classy goalkeeper who is a commanding figure
in his penalty area and has a booming kick. He's also very confident with
the ball at his feet, giving defenders little to worry about when they play
it back to him. The Czechs have nothing to worry about between the posts.
Work ethic - The Czech Republic is a hard-working, physical team. They
never give up, and every player - from veterans Nedved and Poborsky to youngsters
Cech and Baros - gives maximum effort every time out. This is a roster of
tireless workers, and after failing to qualify for the 2002 World Cup the
Czechs are determined to prove they belong to be ranked amongst the best soccer
nations in the world.
Weaknesses:
Defence - The Czech defence is not exactly what you would call air tight
- a fact underlined by their narrow 4-3 win over Finland in the qualifiers.
All four defenders like to move forward in attack, but all too often it's
at the expense of their defensive duties. Ujfalusi and Jankulovski are the
only defenders with any kind of reputation; the rest are simply mediocre.
Age - Having experience is clearly an asset, but the problem with the
Czechs is that the players that make up the nuclease of their team are the
wrong-side of 30: Pavel Nedved, Tomas Glasek and Jan Koller are all 33 and
Karel Poborsky is 34. None of them are over the hill, but they've all lost
a step and are physically beat up, and that will hurt the Czechs as the tournament
progresses.
Tough group - If the Czechs thought they had a tough time of it in
the qualifiers against the Netherlands and Romania, wait until they land in
Germany. Awaiting them in Group E are three-time World champions Italy, Ghana
(one of the top African nations) and a dangerous United States side. Passage
into the second round is anything but guaranteed.
Players to watch:
Pavel Nedved - The Juventus star is an industrious midfielder and brilliant
playmaker that can totally dictate the pace of a game. Posing a real presence
on the field with his physical style and never-say-die attitude, Nedved is
the heart and soul of the Czech team, an inspirational leader. Skill, speed,
vision and a blistering shot, Nedved has it all, including an unequalled work
ethic.
Petr Chech - Voted Czech Republic player of the year in 2005, Peter
Cech is, with the exception of Italy's Gianluigi Buffon, the best goalkeeper
in the world. Cech uses his height to make brilliant and athletic saves, and
routinely robs opposing defenders of goals. Acts as a sweeper behind the Czech's
back four and isn't afraid to come out of his net to challenge shooters.
Tomas Rosicky - An attacking midfielder that can also play as a forward,
Rosicky brings a touch of speed and class to the Czech team. The 25-year-old
is considered one of the most talented midfielders in Europe for good reasons:
accurate passing skills, a playmaker's touch and his ability to take on defenders
with his direct runs.
Key injuries/omissions: In a major gamble, Czech Republic coach Karel Bruckner named several injured players to his roster. Striker Vratislav Lokvenc is recovering from a serious knee injury and is not fully fit, and forward Jan Koller is just recovering from a knee injury. Key defender Zdenek Grygera is also struggling with an injury. Influential midfielder Vladimir Smicer was originally named to the team but was forced to pull out with a hamstring injury. He was replaced by Libor Sionko. Bruckner did not pick defenders Tomas Huebschman and Rene Bolf, and midfielders Roman Tyce and Stepan Vachousek, who all played at Euro 2004. Radoslav Kovac, David Jarolim, Jan Polak and Jiri Stajner took their place on the roster.
Prognosis: The Czech Republic isn't the No. 2 ranked country in the FIFA world rankings for nothing. The Czechs have plenty of skilled players at the top of their game, a solid core of veterans and they have to be the hardest-working team in soccer today. Czechoslovakia had a tremendous history of success in the World Cup (reaching the finals in 1934 and 1962) before the country split in the early 1990s. Since then, the Czech Republic has established itself among Europe's elite, advancing to the finals of Euro '96 and the semifinals two years in Portugal. Now they're at the World Cup for the first time and they are eager to prove themselves. Group E is tough, but the Czechs have the ability to beat Italy for first place and go on a solid run in the tournament. A second-place finish in the group would put them on course for a second-round matchup with Brazil, but the Czechs may just be one of the few teams that could upset the World champions. Ultimately, the Czechs are bit too long in the tooth and their age will hurt them in the later rounds, but an appearance in the semifinals is not out of the question. Expect to see them reach the quarter-finals.
Road to the World Cup
Current FIFA Ranking: #2
1st round matches:
June 12 vs. United States in Gelsenkirchen
June 17 vs. Ghana in Cologne
June 22 vs. Italy in Hamburg
2006 qualification route: Defeated Norway in a two-game playoff after
finishing second in Europe's Group 1 (27 points) behind the Netherlands (32
points).
Qualifying record: 14 games played, 11 wins, 0 draws, 3 losses
Goals for: 37 Goals against: 12
Top goal-scorer in qualifying: Jan Koller (9)
Qualifying results: (home team listed first)
Sept. 8, 2004 - Netherlands 2, Czech Republic 0
Oct. 9, 2004 - Czech Republic 1, Romania 0
Oct. 13, 2004 -Armenia 0, Czech Republic 3
Nov. 17, 2004 -Macedonia 0, Czech Republic 2
March 26, 2005 - Czech Republic 4, Finland 3
March 30, 2005 - Andorra 0, Czech Republic 4
June 4, 2005 - Czech Republic 8, Andorra 1
June 8, 2005 - Czech Republic 6, Macedonia 1
Sept. 3, 2005 - Romania 2, Czech Republic 0
Sept 7, 2005 - Czech Republic 4, Armenia 1
Oct. 8, 2005 - Czech Republic 0, Netherlands 2
Oct. 12, 2005 - Finland 0, Czech Republic 3
Nov. 12, 2005 - Norway 0, Czech Republic 1
Nov. 16, 2005 - Czech Republic 1, Norway 1
World Cup History
FIFA member since: 1994
All-time caps leaders: Karel Poborsky (11 0)
All-time leading scorer: Jan Koller (40)
World Cup History:
1930 to 1994 - Competed as part of Czechoslovakia
Participated in World Cup qualifiers for first time as Czech Republic in 1998
following the break up of Czechoslovakia four years earlier
Czechoslovakia
1930 - Did not enter
1934 - Runners-up
1938 - Quarter-finals
1950 - Did not enter
1954 - First round
1958 - First round
1962 - Runners-up
1966 - Did not qualify
1970 - First round
1974 - Did not qualify
1978 - Did not qualify
1982 - First Round
1986 - Did not qualify
1990 - Quarter-finals
1994 - Did not qualify
Czech Republic
1998 - Did not qualify
2002 - Did not qualify
Czechoslovakia
Number of Previous World Cup Appearances: 8
All-time record: 30 games played, 11 wins, 5 draws, 14 losses
Goals for: 44 Goals against: 45
Biggest victory: 6-1 vs. United States in 1958
Biggest defeat: 5-0 vs. Austria in 1954
Overall top scorer: Oldrich Nejedly (7 goals)
Most appearances: Ladislav Novak (12 matches)
Hosted the World Cup: Never
Other Achievements:
Czech Republic
Under-21 European Champions: 2002
Czechoslovakia
European Champions: 1976
Under-19 European champions: 1968
Under-17 European Champions: 1990
Olympic gold medal: 1980
Olympic silver medal: 1964
Greatest Players:
Josef Masopust: Hard-working midfielder who rose to fame in the 1960s
with Czechoslovakia. Masopust scored 10 goals in 63 games for his country,
saving his best performances for the 1962 World Cup in Chile when he led a
talented Czechoslovakian team to the finals against Brazil. Voted European
player of the year in 1962 and considered by many as the best Czechoslovakian
player of his generation.
Oldrich Nejedly: One of the most explosive forwards on the pre-war era, Nejedly played in two World Cups and finished as the tournament's top scorer (five goals) when he led Czechoslovakia to the finals in 1934 against Italy. Scored 28 goals in 42 games for his country from 1931-38 and would have played more but he was never the same player after breaking his leg at the 1938 World Cup.