The Czech Republic announced their 26 men squad for the upcoming Euros in the summer of 2021. Head Coach Jaroslav Silhavy called out an interesting squad for the tournament including the West Ham pair of Vladimir Coufal and Tomas Soucek impressed a lot in the Premier League. This will be the first major competition for Czech to not feature retired legendary goalkeeper Petr Cech.
Czech Republic UEFA Euro 2020 Squad :
Goalkeepers: Tomáš Vaclík (Sevilla), Jiří Pavlenka (Werder Bremen), Aleš Mandous (Olomouc)
Defenders: Vladimír Coufal (West Ham), Pavel Kadeřábek (Hoffenheim), Ondřej Čelůstka (Sparta Praha), Tomáš Kalas (Bristol City), David Zima (Slavia Praha), Jan Bořil (Slavia Praha), Aleš Matějů (Brescia), Jakub Brabec (Viktoria Plzeň)
Midfielders: Lukáš Masopust (Slavia Praha), Vladimír Darida (Hertha Berlin), Tomáš Souček (West Ham), Antonín Barák (Verona), Alex Král (Spartak Moskva), Tomáš Holeš (Slavia Praha), Petr Ševčík (Slavia Praha), Jakub Jankto (Sampdoria), Adam Hložek (Sparta Praha), Jakub Pešek (Liberec), Michal Sadílek (Liberec)
Forwards: Patrik Schick (Leverkusen), Michael Krmenčík (PAOK), Matěj Vydra (Burnley), Tomáš Pekhart (Legia)
Key Player: Tomas Soucek
Also Read | Denmark UEFA Euro 2020 Squad
Tomas Soucek was already a star in the making at Slavia Prague. Moving to West Ham last summer and stamping his authority in one of the biggest leagues in Europe increased his stock. In an unforgettable season for the Hammers, Soucek delivered ten goals in 38 games from midfield to help his side gain Europa League football. His remarkable club form and goal-scoring exploits rocked on the international level too, his hattrick against Estonia in the World Cup qualifying is a great example of it. Soucek is not top athletic or gifted with speed, it is his technical abilities and positioning that help so much. But he is energetic despite not having the mentioned traits in him. Primarily a defensive midfielder, his act as a box-to-box player makes him deadly. The Czech Republic has no better player in the squad than Soucek to keep their faith in.
Strength (Star individuals)
The Czech Republic has a pack of individuals to set their ambition in the Euros. Tomas Soucek is their talisman to create defining moments on the pitch. His club partner Vladimir Coufal is a solid left-back that excels both defensively and offensively. He is good at cutting off danger while in a 1v1 situation and also good in possession. Coufal's work on the left flank will help the Czechs mount decisive counters. Silhavy's side has done well using this strategy. There is Bayer Leverkusen striker Patrik Schick to spearhead the attack and finish off counters. Czech are also defensively solid with Slavia Prague commendable center back pair of Ondrej Celustka and David Zima. Lukas Provod can make crucial assists from midfield in the time of asking.
Also Read | Wales UEFA Euro 2020 Squad and Team Profile
Weakness (Attack)
The main weakness in the Czech team is their striker department. While Patrick Schick has got potential, he hasn't scored on a regular note for his national side. The recently concluded season also didn't work out well for him at Leverkusen. Schick has also underperformed in the Euro qualification. Burnley's Matej Vydra has struck at moments but is relatively inconsistent. Tomas Pekhart has smacked 22 goals at club level and wants to replicate the same on the international stage.
To check regular updates stay tuned to Euro 2020
