EURO 2024 Preview: Youthful Czech Republic head to Germany in search of new stars
Qualifying and draw
During the European Championship qualifiers, the Czech Republic went head-to-head with Albania and Poland for top spot in their group and ultimately finished second due to a 3-0 defeat against the former.
Their qualification run was overall uninspiring and immediately after securing their berth, manager Jaroslav Silhavy stepped down rather than renewing his contract and was replaced by Ivan Hasek at the helm.
Hasek's approach to the job has been one of: Out with the old, in with the new. The Czechs have selected the youngest squad of the 24 participants with an average age of 25.5.
The stated aim of Hasek's staff is to build for the World Cup in two years' time. Curiously, the Czechs have a very good record at the Euros and a very poor one at qualifying for the World Cup in recent years. Perhaps some of that Euro fortune will rub off on this side.
They will play in Group F in Germany and will face Turkey, Portugal and Georgia.
High time for new stars
It has been 20 years since the Czech Republic last made a real impact at a major tournament. At the 2004 European Championship in Portugal, the team were only beaten by the eventual surprise winners Greece in the semi-finals in extra time.
Back then, the team included top stars such as Milan Baros, Petr Cech, Tomas Rosicky and Pavel Nedved. However, there are no big names in the current squad that compare to those. That being said, there are a few players who could yet become the nation's newest superstars.
Bayer Leverkusen, the runaway German champions, contribute three players to the squad: Patrik Schick, Adam Hlozek and goalkeeper Matej Kovar. The latter two were bit-part players but Schick played a key role in Bayer's incredible season and will be the Czechs' main hope for goals.
Schick has a good record with 19 goals in 38 international matches and made a splash at the last Euros with a wonder goal against Scotland.
In midfield, the heart of the team both literally and metaphorically is West Ham United's Tomas Soucek. Playing 52 of 53 possible competitive matches for his club this season, the Czech Republic's Footballer of the Year is characterised above all by his commitment and physicality but he is also a threat in front of goal, especially from set-pieces. His 12 goals in 69 international matches are proof of this.
Fellow West Ham regular Vladimir Coufal will play at right wing-back - the team typically employ a variation of a 3-4-3 system - and will be key to providing crosses into the danger zone where the Czechs possess a lot of height.
At the back, Ladislav Krejci will be one to watch. The left-sided centre-back captained Sparta Prague to the Czech title in the season just gone and the one before and he has just signed with LaLiga club Girona. Alongside him, the impressive Robin Hranac of Viktoria Plzen could be the next Czech making a big move abroad.
Formation & tactics
Likely starting XI: Jindrich Stanek; Tomas Holes, Robin Hranac, Ladislav Krejci; Vladimir Coufal, Tomas Soucek, Lukas Provod, David Jurasek; Antonin Barak; Patrik Schick, Jan Kuchta.
As mentioned, the team tends to play in a variation of a 3-4-3 or 5-3-2, depending on how you look at it. In their two most recent friendlies, they employed a back three with wing-backs, two strikers and either two central midfielders behind a number 10 or three midfielders.
Most of the team picks itself, with Jindrich Stanek the first-choice keeper and the back three of Krejci, the composed Hranac and experienced Tomas Holes looking likely. Coufal will play as the right-sided wing-back and David Jurasek is the first choice on the left.
Michal Sadilek would have started alongside Soucek in the middle of the park but he was ruled out of the tournament after falling off a bike at their training camp in Austria. That means Slavia Prague's Lukas Provod could get the nod in central midfield with Fiorentina's Antonin Barak likely to play in the hole behind the strikers. Hlozek has also been used there recently.
Up front, it will be Schick plus one of Hlozek, Jan Kuchta, Mojmir Chytil or the towering presence of Plzen's Tomas Chory.
The Czechs possess height, physicality and defensive cohesion but they lack the creativity to unlock well-structured sides. The strength of the team lies on the right-hand side where Coufal has the engine to overlap well from wing-back and even underlap at times to create an overload, with Holes shifting to the right-back zone.
Ultimately, they will be counting on Schick for goals though and if he doesn't fire, they lack the bench depth to worry the better sides.
Expectations & predictions
In Group F, it's likely to be a matter of which team can finish second or third behind Portugal. The Czechs and Turkey will both fancy themselves to beat Georgia and then test one another, meaning it could all hinge on that final group game in Hamburg.
If the Czech Republic progress from the group, it will be deemed a success. Going any further would be breaching the expectations of even the most ardent supporters. Remember, it's supposed to be about the World Cup in two years' time!
Really, the most important thing for this young side is to beat Georgia and compete in the other fixtures. And who knows, maybe a few news stars will grab the chance in the limelight and put this proud footballing nation back on the map.