A returnee from loan, a “functionary” of Tecl or a former ace of Slovácko. Slavia without Chytil is looking for an attacking number one
The 30-year-old Dutchman has had the best half-year in his career so far, with nine goals he is tied for second in the league table of scorers and added two assists on top of that. “He came back from a loan spell where he was one of the most dangerous players in the league. He started regularly at the post, where he played the whole time. We’ll wait with him in the attack, I’ll definitely show up on Sunday (in the match with Jablonec),” coach Jindřich Trpišovský adds to the implementation team’s confidence in Van Buren.
He then also outlined where he sees the greatest strengths of the Dutch forward. “Mick is an annoying player, always on the run and annoying for defenders. I firmly believe that I will build on what he demonstrated in Liberec, and that he can do it in a more competitive environment,” hopes Trpišovský.
🎙️ | The chairman of the board spoke at the press conference before the start of the spring part of the season @Jaroslav Tvrdík, coach Jindřich Trpišovský, new reinforcement Igoh Ogbu and pupil Matěj Jurásek. 🗣️
You can watch the recording at #slaviatv! 📺
— SK Slavia Prague (@slaviaofficial) January 27, 2023
Van Buren will have his motivation taken care of, because his contract in Eden will expire in June, so he will have to fight for its extension. “When he scores as many goals as he did in Liberec, he will be the best scorer in the league, and such players cannot be renewed,” Tvrdík said to the Dutchman with a smile.
But Stanislav Tecl, one of the leaders of the Slavist cabin, who also hit nine times in the league in the fall, is also thinking about the starting line-up. “Standa has the best physical results of all the players, he ran the most meters in the sprint in the model match and had the best acceleration ever in training. He is also the best scorer of the training session. If another player had his numbers, he would be praised, it’s sometimes unfair to him,” Trpišovský praised the 32-year-old forward, who is often criticized by fans for his lack of efficiency in 100 percent chances.
In addition, with his long-term tenure at Slavia, Tecl said he would continue at the club even after the end of his career. “As long as he has something to give to the A-team athletically, he belongs to the coach, when he finishes, he will be mine. Personally, I would perhaps even wish him to have a lower performance, because we have agreed on further cooperation, which I am looking forward to. He has what it takes in terms of character and management,” Tvrdík outlined his plans for the future. Tecl will probably choose the same path as goalkeeper Přemysl Kovář, and after the end of his active career, he will move into the role of one of the officials.
Autumn league balance Slavia variant on the tip of the attack | matches | minutes | goals | assistance |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mick van Buren | 15 | 1225 | 9 | 2 |
Stanislav Tecl | 15 | 817 | 9 | 3 |
Václav Jurečka | 11 | 645 | 3 | 3 |
However, Václav Jurečka, a summer signing from Slovácko, in whose jersey the 28-year-old forward scored seventeen goals in the previous season of the Fortuna League, is also asking for a word. In the current season, Jurečka did not make the roster for the Conference League due to the injury he suffered in August, but he scored three goals and the same number of goals in the domestic top competition.
The above-mentioned attacking trio understandably has the highest ambitions before spring, which is not hidden even by the Slavia management. “The goal is the title of league champion or victory in the MOL Cup,” ordered Tvrdík. The question remains which of the purebred “nine” will get the confidence to shoot the coveted trophy.