Lukáš Štetina: The best period in Sparta was under Kotal. There is no better person for the position of sports director than Rosicky
Slovak defender Lukáš Štetina is back after ten long years in Slovakia, where he signed for Trnava. In the Fortuna League, he wore the jerseys of the Prague teams Dukla and Sparta. The experienced defender recalled his time in the Fortuna League and revealed under which coaches in Sparta he experienced the worst period.
In your early twenties, you left your native Nitra and set off on your first foreign assignment. You transferred to the Ukrainian Metalist Kharkiv, where you spent one year. How do you remember Kharkiv?
It was a big challenge for me at the age of nineteen. I felt very good in Nitra, I and the team succeeded, but when the transfer offer came, I was really happy. remember that if you work on yourself and do everything for football, it will come back to you.
However, I have to admit that it was very challenging in Kharkiv, both mentally and football-wise. There were a lot of players from Brazil or Argentina who played at a huge level and quality. Of course, they were joined by Ukrainian players, who were very hardworking and of high quality.
In terms of life, I was not satisfied there. The city did not make a good impression on me. There were broken paths on the roads and not many shops to look into. But for that, the club’s facilities were at a high level.
We had a doctor there with his own surgery, two large saunas and a swimming pool. Compared to Nitro, it couldn’t be compared. There were also great fans who cheered from the beginning to the end of the match. Home games were sold out.
You left Kharkov for a loan to Prešov in Slovakia and then to Dukla in Prague, where the loan turned into a permanent transfer. Was it a relief for you when Dukla decided to commit a permanent offence?
Quite honestly, yes, it was liberating. After my guest stay in Dukla, I returned to Ukraine in another two weeks. There it culminated in the fact that my club wanted to send me on loan to Odessa, where I flew.
I was so frustrated that I didn’t want to stay there. In the meantime, Mr. Paukner became the majority owner in Dukla, thanks to which I returned to Dukla, and I was very relieved. I was also very happy that coach Kozel worked in Dukla, who knew exactly what he wanted to play.
We succeeded as a team, but it was a shame that not many people came to see us, and they still don’t go there to this day. Anyway, I felt very good in Dukla and I remember this period fondly. And even after the experience with Ukraine, it was very pleasant to live in Prague.
Dukla has been active in the second league for the fourth season, and even this season it does not look like promotion to the first league, as the club is at the bottom of the table. What do you say to the fact that Dukla has been in the second league for so long? And are you in contact with anyone from the club?
The fact that Dukla has been in the second league for so long is primarily because it is difficult to get a quality coach and at the same time a quality player, because it is only the second league. I am in contact, but only with a few people.
And that with a piece and a lawnmower still working there. Otherwise, about 99% of my former peers no longer work there. And these two guys really suited me from a human point of view during my tenure.
You experienced much more successful times with Dukla, thanks to which you earned the attention of Sparta Prague, where you also transferred. Do you still remember the period when you heard about Sparta for the first time?
Yes, I remember that. The end of the season was approaching and we played the penultimate match with Dukla against Slavia, with whom we drew 2:2. And I already knew about Sparta’s interest. At that time, I also finished school, when I was preparing for the high school diploma.
After the match with Slavia, I was so sick that I had to undergo an operation on my appendix. And only after that I signed a contract with Sparta, so it was a very interesting period for me. Anyway, I was very pleased and appreciated Sparta’s interest.
You transferred to Letná in the summer of 2017, how was the change for you personally in terms of football? After all, there must be a difference between playing for Dukla or Sparta, where the demands and pressure are huge.
There is no doubt about the difference. The only thing I lacked in Sparta was a stable coach under whom we would have a visible playing style, or at least the way we would like to play.
Of course, it’s different to coach Dukla or Sparta, but during my time at Sparta I had so many coaches, and not one of them seemed to me to know what he wanted to play in the long term.
Some told us that playing for Sparta is mainly about the head, but they themselves did not have the head for Sparta. In fact, it always resulted in a change of coach after about seven or eight months.
During your time at Sparta, you experienced a lot of coaches. If I’m not mistaken, you met names like Stramaccioni, Hapal, Ščasný, Hornák, Jílek, Kotal and Vrba there. Under which of these coaches did you experience the best period, and under which the worst?
Yes, you counted it right. I probably experienced the best period under coach Kotal, when we managed to win the cup. There weren’t any big tactical instructions, but it just sort of fit under him.
Dočky also played a big role at that time, who cemented the team. It seemed to me that we pulled together at that time and I really enjoyed football. And I would say the worst period was under coaches Ščasný and Jílek.
Mr. Ščasný did not fit me at all as a human being, and I think we both had that feeling. From his position, he sometimes gave me a hard time. It also happened to me that he was talking about me and standing four meters away from me. He was probably waiting to see if I would blow up, but there I showed that I could bite it and keep working.
And he told me that himself, and in about two months I was his number one hitter. He even dragged me out of bed when I had fevers. I just want to ask him once about where he got that Kanga was a good person.
Unless his interview in the media was somehow distorted. Kanga was everything, but he was definitely not a good person. And Jílek disappointed me in that he had a double standard for players. Some could not overstep and if they did, they were fined. And he was probably covering another player, so that’s about it. I was looking forward to coach Hapal, for example, but unfortunately he couldn’t do much in three months.
Now the Danish coach Brian Priske is on Sparta’s bench. Do you have any information, for example from the former finalists, how satisfied they are with the new coach?
Priske strikes me as a good and direct person. I spoke to a few people from the club and they told me that he is really good to work with. So I will hope and believe that it will finally be on the right track. I would really like it for Sparta, because I have a deep heart and wish her only the best.
Sparta’s sporting director is Tomáš Rosický, who has been heavily criticized in recent months, especially by fans and club legends. Do you think that the criticism of Mr. Rosicky is justified?
Criticism of Tomáš is not justified. I can’t imagine a better person than Tomáš who could perform this function at the moment. With him, there is a guarantee that he will always try to do his best for Sparta.
he’s still learning, of course, because it hasn’t been that long since he’s been running on grass. I understand the fans want immediate results, but believe me Tomas would like even faster. It all takes time.
He is and he himself knows that it takes time and the fans have to understand that too. I respect the Spartan legends and applaud them for making Sparta the best club in the Czech Republic. But I have to say that it bothers me how often they talk about how it was in their era.
They don’t realize that football is miles away from what it was twenty or thirty years ago. I really liked the interview with Pelém, who said that if he played football today, I don’t think he would have surpassed Ronaldo and Messi. In this case, you can see how he was on top of things. Unfortunately, he is no longer with us.
During your time at Letná, you became very friendly with Adam Hložek, with whom you even shared a room during training sessions. He is probably one of the greatest football talents that the Czech Republic had, so I have to ask you about him. First, if his performances in Leverkusen and are you in contact with him? And how has he changed since you first saw him and do you think he will succeed abroad?
Of course I follow Adam. I usually watch when he plays in the starting line-up, or I watch his goal or action from a montage. We will write, but sometimes personally I don’t have enough time and so does Adam.
I remember when Adam first came to A, our first conversation was when he complimented my car. And that’s how things started between us. We even sat down with each other and mainly understood each other about cars.
He was very eager to learn and learn something, but it cannot be understood in one evening. And when it came to football, like 99% of young players who come to A, it didn’t work right away. He needed time to adapt and gradually made small steps into big ones.
The solutions to some situations were solved by him like an experienced player and he did them brilliantly. Over time, he began to show his talent, which he continued to confirm. And if he succeeds abroad, that’s only up to Adam.
I kind of missed doing something extra with him before or after training. But on the other hand, I understand, because when you’re nineteen years old and you surpass everyone in the league, you don’t have much motivation to improve because you have nowhere to move.
But I believe that it will force him now that he will see that he has to work harder. Because I believe that he wants to establish himself in the best clubs in Europe. But then again, I don’t want to wrong him because I wasn’t home with him. Maybe he was drinking at home in the evenings, but he must know this himself. Anyway, I’m really rooting for him and keeping my fingers crossed.
In the summer, you became a free agent and agreed to a job in Trnava, Slovakia. How satisfied are you in Trnava so far and have you had other offers? And how has the Slovak league changed in the ten years since you have been there?
I am satisfied in Trnava in many ways. I’m not saying that some things couldn’t be different, but overall I’m satisfied so far. My main focus is to play well and help the team.
Of course, the league has changed. Probably mostly because there are more nice stadiums. And the one in Trnava definitely belongs among them. I also see more skilled and young coaches here, who surprise me with their work and their expression in the media. Because that was not the case before, so there has been a shift in this direction as well.
And as for offers, I had more, especially from the Czech Republic, but I already wanted to return to Slovakia. I dealt with clubs mainly from Slovakia and it turned out the way I thought it would turn out. I’m very happy about it and above all it keeps me healthy, which is the most important thing. And this is also confirmed by the fact that I am almost all matches.
Source: Ruik.cz