And not only for the reason that, as the reigning champions of the league, they can pass among the European cream of the crop through the preliminary rounds, where their first challenger is the Irish Shamrock Rovers. If they fail to do so, thanks to the improvement of the national coefficient, it will be enough for them to win the Czech highest competition for the third time in a row. And they will play the millionaire competition in a year.
Sparta has two match points. But she lost Brian Priske’s success story. The Danish coach disappeared to the Dutch Feyenoord in the summer, and was replaced on the bench by compatriot Lars Friis.
“I spoke with Prisk at a time when Sparta was not doing well,” recalls Straka. “We also dealt with the fact that I was the last coach who got Sparta into the Champions League like that. We put our hands on it, but unfortunately he disappeared,” he added.
Straka also had a hand in the subsequent direct promotion to the Champions League. He coached Sparta in the autumn part of the 2004/2005 championship season, but despite the nine-point lead in first place, he packed up during the winter break.
The team is currently being coached by Friis, who has a hard time adapting to Straka’s cult methods led by a “tatar” for the whole team. He has only one task in front of him – to continue the trend set by his previous close associate Priske and spice things up by advancing to the main stage of the Champions League. Ideally from the preliminaries to the current year.
“Not much will change. He has no reason to. The question is that everything continues in the same footsteps. If Friis has what Priske has in him, it will show with the first failure. The basis of success is to be friends with the players, but at the same time to have their respect,” reflects Straka.
The historically most successful Czech team has a double, but the Champions League is still the Champions League. “The biggest meta, the biggest challenge. There is nothing more beautiful. I experienced it as a player and I know very well what it was like for us,” said the former representative.
