The Czech Republic enter into this year’s U21 European Championships hoping to go one step further than they have in the most recent iterations of this competition, with them not making it past the group stages in 2015, 2017, and 2021, while they failed to qualify for the U21 Euros in 2019.
For this upcoming European Championships, the Czech Republic were able to qualify through the playoffs, with them beating Iceland 2-1 over two legs to qualify for the tournament that is being held in both Romania and Georgia. The U21 side has been managed by former Czech Republic international Jan Suchopárek since 2021, with the 53-year-old previously managing the U18 and U19 sides of the Czech Republic. Suchopárek will hope to guide the side further this time around, with him not getting them past the group stage in 2021. This tactical analysis and scout report will take a look at how the U21 side of the Czech Republic play, as well as a prediction for how far they may be able to progress in this tournament.
Predicted Starting XI
The image above shows the predicted starting XI that we think Jan Suchopárek will use in the Czech Republic’s opening match of the tournament against the England U21 national team. In goal will be Matěj Kovář. The 23-year-old goalkeeper currently plays for Sparta Prague, on loan from English giants Manchester United. The back four will likely be David Jurásek, Robin Hranáč, Martin Vitík, and Adam Gabriel. Moving up into the defensive midfield of the 4-2-3-1, Lukáš Červ will likely start alongside team captain Jan Žambůrek. Further in attack, Michal Ševčik will likely be flanked by Kryštof Daněk on the left, and key player Adam Karabec on the right. Up top for the Czech Republic U21s will likely be Václav Sejk.
The above graphic shows the scatter plot for the ages of the players that will likely be included in the squad by manager Jan Suchopárek. As we can see from this scatter plot, the Czech Republic have a rather older squad compared to the rest of the teams that are partaking in this tournament. The majority of their squad is in the age range of 21 and older, with them hoping their experience will give them a potential advantage over the other countries in their group.
Attacking phase
The pie chart graphic above shows the tendencies of the Czech Republic U21 team in possession, which highlights which percentiles they rank in for these metrics shown above. As we can see, the Czech Republic ranks in the 81st percentile for set piece efficiency %, showing their ability to win matches from set-piece situations. They also rank rather highly in goals per match and xG per shot, with this highlighting their tendency to get into high-percentage scoring positions before attempting any shots on goal. Most of these good goalscoring positions result from good service from the wide areas into the penalty box, with this being the primary way they like to attack.
The image above shows an example of this attacking style of play from the Czech Republic U21 side. In the phase of play above from their recent Euro playoff against Iceland, the ball is in possession of the Czech fullback who has made a run into the attacking third.
The Czech Republic attacking players have all occupied spaces inside the penalty area, making them prime targets to be picked out with an ensuing cross. The cross is able to find its way to the striker, Václav Sejk, who takes a shot that is blocked by the Icelandic defender.
However, the ball falls to the Czech Republic captain who is hovering around the edge of the penalty spot. His ensuing shot is accurate and on target, forcing the Iceland goalkeeper into a save. What this is able to illustrate is the metric that stood out above, the high percentile ranking of their shots being on target.
The above image shows another example of the way that the Czech Republic likes to attack, with the ball played into the central areas from wide. In this phase of play above from a recent international friendly against Portugal, right back Adam Gabriel has made his way into the final third, with the Hradec Králové fullback matched up against Marseille fullback Nuno Tavares, on loan from Arsenal.
As the phase of play above illustrates, the Czechs are committing attacking numbers forward, with their lack of a possession-based style forcing them to try to make every attacking opportunity count. As a result, Gabriel has multiple options to attempt to find with a cross, with him attempting a cut-back ball to the midfielder making a run from deep. Unfortunately, when the midfielder receives, he attempts to play the ball to the striker, who is dispossessed.
As this section on the attacking style of play for the Czech Republic U21s has shown, they are not a side that will hold much possession throughout a match, which means they will have to make chances count. This shows in the metrics, with them ranking near the top of the percentiles in both set piece efficiency, as well as shots on target and xG per shot. If you watch this side in the upcoming Euros this summer, watch for them looking to generate attacks through their fullbacks in the wide channels, something they have been able to use to their benefit under Jan Suchopárek.
Defensive phase
The pie chart above shows the way that the Czech Republic U21 likes to defend, as well as their general style of play out of possession. As we can see from the pie chart, the Czech Republic’s PPDA is below average compared to other teams in this tournament, meaning they’ve got a fairly aggressive press along with a decent amount of recoveries in the final third.
They also make a high amount of recoveries per match, which highlights that they are normally on the back foot for the majority of proceedings during a match. The Czech Republic U21 side are more defensive-minded, which can also be corroborated by the attacking pie chart metric that was shown in the previous section. This section will take a look at the defensive style of play in more detail for Jan Suchopárek’s side, and what fans can expect to see from them during this upcoming European tournament.
The image above shows a typical defensive phase of play for the Czech Republic U21s under Jan Suchopárek. As we can see, they look to drop off and sit in a compact shell when the opposition are in the final third. As this defensive phase of play against Iceland above shows, with the fullback moving out to engage the opposition player in possession out in the wide channel, the two defensive midfielders drop into the box to give the Czechs more defensive superiority in the central areas. This allows the Czech Republic to have a 5v2 advantage against the Iceland attackers, with the ensuing cross able to be easily cleared away by one of the centre-backs.
The image above shows the defensive shape that the Czech Republic look to set up in when they assume their defensive structure when they decide to drop off and allow the opposition to build. As we can see from the image, the Czechs assume their 4-2-3-1 shape, with only the central striker out of the picture in a more advanced position. This also is able to highlight the tendency for the Czech Republic to not put major pressure on the opposition, with the compact and narrow defensive shape forcing Iceland to play the ball into the wide area.
When this occurs, the Czech Republic stay drilled, with them all staying in their compact and narrow shape, forcing Iceland to play backwards and attempt to play through, with the Czech Republic eventually dispossessing them and regaining possession. As this section has shown, under Jan Suchopárek, the Czech Republic look to be a drilled defensive side, with the U21 side looking to defend in a compact and narrow mid to low defensive block.
Transitions
With the Czech Republic U21s not a side that will hold the majority of possession within a given match, this makes the transitional phase really crucial for Jan Suchopárek’s side. The Czech Republic look to transition quickly into the attacking phase when they force the opposition into a turnover in the middle third of the pitch, using their central striker and attacking midfielders to great effect in this phase of play. Their defenders also play a key role in transition, with the Czechs looking to commit numbers forward to attempt to catch the opposition defence out in these transitional phases of play.
The image above shows an example of a transitional phase of play from the Czech Republic U21 side from a recent match against Andorra. Preceding this image, Andorra had turned over possession just inside the Czech Republic half, which allowed them to transition to try and catch the Andorra defence out. The main thing to point out here is the numbers that the Czech Republic have pushed forward in this transitional phase. While they are 5-0 up at this stage against Andorra, it doesn’t stop them from trying to create a goalscoring chance from this transitional moment.
The 19-year old Adam Karabec is in possession, with players making runs all around him before he picks out Sevčík on the flank making a run in behind the Andorran defence. The 21-year-old is able to send a dangerous cross into the box after receiving, but it is important to note the number of players that are moving into advanced positions for the Czech Republic. This is what allows Suchopárek’s side to be clinical during transitional moments, their tendency to commit numbers forward and look to catch opposition defenders asleep.
The image above shows another transitional phase of play by the Czech Republic U21 side. In their recent Euro U21 playoff qualifier against Iceland, this transitional phase began with an Iceland turnover in the middle third of the pitch. The Czech Republic gathers possession, and even though they have a one-goal advantage in this crucial qualifier, they choose to again commit numbers forward to this transitional moment.
The ball is played wide from the midfielder to the on-rushing Czech Republic fullback, who drives into the attacking third with the ball at his feet. Ahead of him, striker Daniel Fila makes a run from wide into the central space, which opens up the channel for the fullback to drive forward into.
They were able to progress the ball into the final third in this transitional phase, though they were not able to create a goalscoring chance. However, this example once again displays the urgency that the Czech Republic U21 side show during transitional moments of play, with them constantly looking to catch opposition sides out when they turn over the ball in the midfield area.
Attackers
Looking at the group of forwards the Czech Republic U21 side possesses, they are an intriguing group that could very well surprise many people at this UEFA U21 European Championship. All eyes will immediately turn to Václav Sejk, with the 21-year-old Sparta Prague striker likely being the starting centre-forward for the Czech Republic come the first match against England. Currently on loan at Czech club Jablonec, the striker has scored six goals in 16 matches, with Suchopárek hoping he can keep this goalscoring form up come tournament time.
Another forward option that will be at Jan Suchopárek’s disposal is 20-year-old Slavia Prague striker Daniel Fila. Currently on loan at Czech side Teplice, the Czech youth forward has only played in six matches for them, so his form coming into the tournament could be a question mark.
However, on the international stage the super sub, at times, has excelled. He scored in a recent Euro qualifier against England. Finally, Tomáš Čvančara will also be likely utilised by the Czech Republic in this upcoming tournament. If the 22-year-old Sparta Prague striker were to join up with Suchopárek’s side, it would be a massive addition. With 12 goals in 23 appearances in the Czech league this season, he would also be able to potentially bring goals to this Czech Republic side, something they will need a good amount of if they are likely to progress far in this tournament.
Midfielders
This is likely the most talented group of players that the Czech Republic U21 side will have on display at this edition of the UEFA European Championships. This group is loaded in both the defensive and attacking midfield area.
First up to look at is the captain of the side, Jan Žambůrek. The 22-year-old is a product of the Slavia Prague youth setup, but the Czech midfielder actually made his professional debut for English side Brentford. The midfielder now plays for Danish club Viborg, with him making 29 appearances in all competitions for the Danish side this season. With an 84.7% pass accuracy this season, he will be the main distributor from deep for the Czech Republic.
His partner in defensive midfield will likely be 22-year-old Lukáš Červ, who plays his club football for Czech side Slovan Liberec. Červ also is a decent distributor of the ball, with a 79.9% passing accuracy in all competitions this season. Alongside Žamburek, the Czech Republic will have two very good ball distributors in the deep-lying midfield areas. Moving into the attacking midfield areas, Kryštof Daněk will likely start on the left-hand side, with the 20-year-old Sparta Prague midfielder one of the more exciting players to keep an eye on. Daněk has 5 goal contributions in 23 games for Sparta Prague in the Czech League this season, with Daněk looking to take opposition defenders on and dribble past them. This is highlighted by his 5.24 dribbles per 90 minutes, with a success rate of 48.4%.
Starting in the central attacking midfield position will likely be 20-year-old Michal Ševčik, with the FC Zbrojovka Brno midfielder a key player for this Czech side. He also will try to dribble at opposition defenders, with the 20-year-old averaging 4.52 dribbles per 90 minutes with a success rate of 58.5%. Finally, probably the most exciting starter in this Czech Republic lineup will be 19-year-old Sparta Prague attacking midfielder Adam Karabec. With 76 appearances to his name already for Sparta Prague, he will continue to be key for the Czech Republic at this tournament. He will also take defenders on, with his 4.59 dribbles per 90 minutes to go along with his 49.6% success rate.
Defenders
The starting back-four for the Czech Republic will likely consist of David Jurásek at LB and Adam Gabriel at RB. The starting central defender partnership will likely consist of Robin Hranáč and Martin Vitík.
All of the defenders for the Czech side excel when it comes to defensive duels, with this being crucial to how the Czech Republic want to play. Starting with Adam Gabriel, the 21-year-old Hradec Králové player has averaged 25.24 duels per 90 minutes this season, with a 55% success rate.
Moving into central defence, 23-year-old Pardubice centre-back Robin Hranáč has averaged 15.82 duels per 90 minutes, with a success rate of 59.6%. His likely centre-back partner will be Martin Vitík, with the 20-year-old Sparta Prague defender being one of the most talented young Czech centre-backs. He is averaging 16.53 duels per 90 minutes, with a success rate of 60.5%. Finally, 22-year-old Slavia Prague defender David Jurásek will make up the back four. He has averaged 18.57 duels per 90 minutes with a 55.7% success rate. All in all, the Czech Republic’s defenders will be absolutely crucial to their side’s success.
Key player
When looking around the Czech Republic squad, it is hard to look past Adam Karabec as the key player for this Czech Republic side. From an attacking perspective, Karabec’s strengths lie in his dribbling ability and the number of touches he takes in the penalty area per 90 minutes.
The 19-year-old looks to take opposition defenders on, which is illustrated in these metrics. However, in possession is where the Sparta Prague midfielder excels the most. He ranks near the top of almost every metric shown in regards to possession, with him being one of the more accurate passing wingers in the Czech league, as well as receiving a high amount of passes per 90 minutes. While Karabec lacks on the defensive side of the game, he does not need to worry about that, with Jan Suchopárek focusing mainly on utilising Karabec’s attacking attributes to hopefully bring the Czech Republic success at this tournament.
Tournament prediction
For this tournament, the goal of the Czech Republic should be to progress past the group stages, with the nation not doing well in recent editions of this tournament. In fact, the last time the Czech Republic made it past the group stages of the U21 European Championships was in 2011, when they finished in fourth place.
This squad consisted of players like forgotten Tottenham Hotspur man Tomáš Pekhart, with them having a spectacular run in this tournament. When talking about an overall prediction in this analysis, it will be challenging for the Czech Republic to likely progress past the group stage, but anything is possible. With England likely to top their group, it may be second place or bust for the Czech Republic.
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