Reaction: Czech Republic World Cup squad announced

by Bobo

Due to the relative inexistence of the Czech Republic for many decades, caused by the inexistence of the team for vast amounts of time, the team have, by virtue of their semi-final in Euro 2004, become known as that which can pull off the oddest of surprises. And don't look downwards if you're expecting that to happen again, because I can just as easily see it happening this time as it has every time before, thanks to a strong squad, and determined players ready to get the job done at all costs, as they have just qualified for the tournament for the first time.

Their squad consists of several players representing many different countries' teams, of many different footballing upbringings.

The team's first goalkeeper is Petr Čech, who, as Chelsea's main goalkeeper of recent years, has steered the team to so many trophies. Keen to add to this reputation of his as the best goalkeeper in the world, other teams will undoubtedly look at him as a threat to their goal-scoring opportunities, but also as a possible buy for the future.

Zdenek Grygera is the man at right-back, and has been ever since 2001. His performances at his team Ajax Amsterdam are of high quality and the young man is a deadly scoring threat in free kick situations.

Pavel Mares plays in Russia for Zenit, and first appeared for the Czechs three years ago. However, he did not feature extensively in the Czechs’ pre-World Cup qualifiers, instead staying on the bench or out of the side altogether. He only played once in the Portuguese team which came so close to victory in 2004.

Tomas Galasek is the first-choice leader on and off the pitch for both Ajax Amsterdam and the Czech football team. For the last ten seasons he has played in the Dutch leagues, and he has won two league titles, a Dutch Cup and a Super Cup in this time.

Radoslav Kovac contributed to the qualifying stages with excellent substitute appearances, and could well end up doing the same here again to great effect. He, too, earns a living in Russia, and won a domestic league Cup in 2004 with his team Sparta Prague before moving to Moscow.

Marek Jankulovski plies his trade in Italy with AC Milan, having moved to the country in 2000 with defunct team Napoli. The first-choice left-back should make his fiftieth appearance in internationals at some point during these finals, as the expert penalty taker once again makes his mark on the game, having previously been part of the 1993 team which reached the quarter finals of the FIFA Under-17 World Championship.

Vladimir Smicer spent many years in England with Liverpool before moving to Bordeaux in 2005, and is the only squad member left to have represented Czechoslovakia at international level. Despite having an unfortunate past concerning injuries, he is looking to once again make a mark on this game and maybe bring himself enough plaudits to bring himself back to a position where English clubs look at him once again.

Karel Poborsky now plays for a more-or-less unknown side in the Czech Republic called Ceske Budejovice, the same club at which he started his career all these years ago, but is still the only player to have made 100 or more appearances for the Czech national side. This is now his fifth major championships, his previous championships including the FIFA Confederations Cup of 1997. The skilful wide player spent many years abroad with teams such as Manchester United, Benfica and Lazio, before returning home with Sparta Prague.

Jan Koller is the tallest player at the World Cup this year, standing at a might six feet, eight inches tall. Naturally unbeatable in the air, he makes and creates mazy runs with ease and a great touch of the ball. He soon became a deft finisher, and when he joined Borussia Dortmund in 2001/02, he helped the German side win the league title in his very first season.

Tomas Rosicky first appeared for the national side back in 2000 and now plays along with Jan Koller at Borussia Dortmund. One of Europe’s most outstanding attacking midfielders, he can often split defences apart with his passing ability and consistency. He won the award for Czech Player of the Year in 2001, and most recently joined Arsenal immediately prior to this tournament.

Pavel Nedved still plays for Juventus after all these years. His career thus far has been so outstanding that it is almost unfathomable that this is actually his first ever World Cup finals. He won a Czech Cup winners’ medal in 1996, before winning a domestic league and cup double with Lazio in 1999/2000. He soon led Juventus to several trophy victories in place of Zinedine Zidane.

Vratislav Lokvenc currently plays in Austria for Salzburg, but had previously carved out a career in Germany after moving from his native country. He has played with the Czech team for more than ten years, making his debut in September 1995. Top scorer in the Czech league in 1999/2000, he also netted five times during the qualification for this tournament.

Martin Jiranek is one of the main challengers for the position of right-back, for which he is planning to challenge Zdenek Grygera. His career got off to a bumpy start, but he truly met some of his best football when he joined Serie A team Reggina in 2000. He later made his national debut in 2002, and was included in the Euro 2004 squad. He was later signed to Spartak Moscow, where he made a deal with a three year contract in 2004.

David Jarolim plays in Germany for Hamburg, but has an active club history before then, including three non-consecutive stints for Bayern Munich’s first team. He made his national debut in 2005 against the Netherlands, in which the Czech team lost 2-0.

Milan Baros is lightning fast and beautifully skilful, and the perfect strike partner for the mighty Jan Koller. Having started his career with Banik Ostrava, within three years, the young man was off to England, first with Liverpool and most recently with Aston Villa, where he has made appearances since 2005.

Jaromir Blazek is the team’s second-choice goalkeeper behind the young Petr Cech, but is a dependable alternative in the most awe-inspiring of situations, being as he is as good on the goal-line at organising the defence, as shot-stopping when the moment presents itself.

Jiri Stajner made his debut for the Czech team in 2002 against Hungary, and has a deceptive amount of speed at his disposal. He is productive and challenging, able to split apart defences with his deceptively fast midfield runs.

Heinz Marek currently plays in Turkey, having played for three Bundesliga teams, but most importantly spearheading Banik Ostrava in his home country to domestic glory. He now plays for Galatasaray, for whom he performs solidly in midfield.

Jan Polak first appeared for the national side at the age of 18, however, he came to the fore in 2005 with his goals in the World Cup qualifying stages, of which he scored four in ten games. He secured a move to Nuremberg in 2005, and, though with boundless talent, his focus can sometimes become cloudy.

Jaroslav Plasil currently plays for AS Monaco, where he has had the second-choice midfieldsman role since 2004. He has been at Monaco since 2000 and enjoyed the best moment of his career in 2003/04 when he reached the final of the UEFA Champions League, when he played exceptionally. As the Czechs look to rebuild their midfield, Plasil looks like the man for the job.

Tomas Ujfalusi is now looking for his third major tournament, while he is quietly heading towards his fiftieth cap for the Czech team. He previously represented the Czechs during the 2000 Olympics, as well as Euro 2004, and has most recently joined Italian club Fiorentina.

David Rozehnal is a rock-solid defender, and a shoo-in for a starting place after the exclusion of Rene Bolf from the side, a man who represented the team during Euro 2004.

Third-choice goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky currently plays for Saturn Moscow, but has previously starred for Liberec where the Czech team surprisingly reached the UEFA Cup quarter finals, managing to outwit teams such as Celta Vigo, Real Mallorca and Lyon along the way.

With no previous record in this competition, the Czechs aren’t out to surprise anyone, but with their European form something of note, they will be keen to impress scouts who are heading out for one reason and one reason only. Signatures.

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