According to Siegl, who won the league eleven times with Sparta, no one counted on Viktorka in the fight for the title before the season, even though they are the defending champions. The club should respect the current coach. “They are still third, they have a lot of matches ahead of them and their opponents are still within striking distance,” points out the four-time top scorer of the Czech top flight about the minimal differences at the top of the Fortuna league. Pilsen loses two points to the second Sparta and four to the leader Slavia.
Current performance and position in the table are closely related to the coach’s position. Another guest of Přímák, Robert Neumann, editor of the Sport.cz website and former league midfielder, sees the title defense pessimistically: “Something extraordinary would have to happen for Plzeňští to still intervene in the fight for the title. They’re not doing well, they’re cramping and they don’t believe in themselves,” he says, adding that when the team is in this state, it’s extremely difficult to kick back. He and Siegl do not completely agree on this prediction. “There are still games between each other in the superstructure, a lot more. For me, Plzeň is not out of the fight for the title,” the former representative does not lose hope.
It’s a shame, the boys hit rock bottom, coach Michal Bílek regrets the loss. Now we have to go all out!Video: Sport.cz
The West Bohemians lost a total of eleven points in the last seven rounds. Their Sunday juice from Ďolíček, on the other hand, scores points away from home and has the third best record in the league on opponents’ pitches. However, Siegl would not be worried about Bílek even if Viktorka does not win the duel with Pražany. “As long as it is not about rescue, there is no reason to react hastily,” agree with Neumann.
The rotation of coaches is not unique among the West Bohemians. Since the end of 2013, when Pavel Vrba finished his first job and moved to the national team, eight men have taken turns on the Pilsen bench. Specifically, however, Bílek has been at the helm since May 2021, when he replaced Adrián Guľa, who had been working in Pilsen since December 2019.