The American Embassy in Prague notices the Czech hockey success! What did she write? And how does the public react?
The group stage of the Olympic tournament is over. In group B, the Czech team placed 3rd with a gain of 4 points. Coach Pešán’s team managed to win over the selection of Switzerland and Russia, they did not only succeed in the opening duel with the Danes (loss 1: 2). In the round of 16, the Czech team will face Switzerland again, the fight for the quarterfinals will take place on 15.2. at 9.40. What do the Czechs have to work on in order to succeed in this struggle of truth? What must they avoid and what will be their advantage?
Weak productivity
This is the greatest pain of Czech hockey in recent years. Insufficient ending is one of the reasons why Czech hockey has been waiting for a medal from a big tournament for so long (the last precious metal was won from the 2012 World Championships – bronze). In the key phases of the tournament, the Czechs regularly pay extra for the pathetic production. If you want to fight for a medal, you must rapidly improve this game aspect.
This is not happening yet. The Czech team played 3 matches in the tournament, scoring 8 goals during the game. But 6 of them fell in the last match against Russia. It should be noted that the Czechs had a lot of powerlifting, the opponent also had some progress to the quarterfinals.
Against Denmark and Switzerland, Krejčí et al. insufficient goal effectiveness. He scored only 2 goals out of 76 shots. Productivity can be a key factor in determining whether Czechs succeed in Beijing or not. We can only hope that there will be a significant improvement in the round of 16.
Absence of a gunner
Why isn’t the Czech attack as goal as it should be? A typical shooter is missing. It was already clear during the nomination that this could be a big problem. The coaching staff decided not to call Guy, Gulas or Růžička. The Czech Extralize is dominated by the Canadian scoring table, and the Czech selection offensive would definitely be uplifted. Failure to nominate at least one of them can be a fatal mistake of the coaching team. But the next matches will show that.
The absence of a typical shooter was known during the group phase. No one in the Czech team has appeared so far. The Czechs have 8 different shooters, but no one scored more than 1 goal. The team would need to have some gunner who will be able to decide at key moments in the tournament. The player is simply missing the difference. It wouldn’t matter at all if someone like that showed up. Maybe in the round of 16.
Avoid unnecessary mistakes
The Olympic tournament is played without NHL players, the line between success and failure is very thin. All teams are very balanced, even small things can decide. Every mistake can be absolutely fundamental and fundamental. The Czech team has already tasted that in the last match of the group. The Czechs led against Russia 4: 2, but within 5 minutes they received 3 goals and the promising one was gone.
You cannot afford such hesitations in the elimination phase. Absolute concentration and focus can be the key to success. The discipline of the Czech team and the avoidance of unnecessary failures will also be very important.
In the past, Czechs often paid extra for this, they should have been sufficiently instructed. Tournament success doesn’t have to be based on excellent performance. The decisive factor can be just how the whole copes with these tense situations.
The Czechs can use the knowledge from the group match
Coach Pešán’s team has already played one duel with the Swiss, which is very positive. In addition, the Czechs managed to win this match (win 2: 1 after separate raids). That should be a big psychic boost before the upcoming round of 16.
Our selection dominated the game, he clearly overshot the opponent. It rubbed off especially in the end, productivity must be much better in the next matches. In this match, the Czech team confirmed that Switzerland is a playable opponent that is definitely defeated. This is the best thing possible before the approaching battle for everything.
source: Live sport