You're listening to the Footglitch Podcast.
Love football, learn English.
Who was the better team in the Georgia-Czechia game?
Why did this game feel at times like a game of handball rather than football?
Is there still a chance for the Czech Republic to make it to the playoffs or are they out?
And what does to chase the ball mean?
Hello everyone, welcome back to the Footglitch Podcast.
I'm sitting in a park and we are cooling down here with my friend Tomáš.
Tomáš is my classmate from high school.
Hi Tomáš, welcome to the Podcast.
Hi, good afternoon to everybody.
Is it afternoon? It is, isn't it?
I think it is.
Yeah, so you're listening to the Footglitch Podcast.
You're probably not used to this format.
Normally I record episodes of this podcast online, but this time is different.
And that's because we have just finished watching a game, Czech Republic-Georgia, Tomáš.
So how did you see that?
To be honest, it was better than I expected.
This morning I was like, oh, this will not be a good day for us.
I watched Georgia against Turkey and then I was really scared.
Because compared to our game against Portugal, they played really well, especially in the offensive way.
So the quality of the ball was really high, I think.
And I was really scared.
So my expectations were that today we will probably lose.
Yeah, we did not in the end. So that's good news, right?
Luckily we didn't lose.
Does it mean that you are happy?
Are you delighted with this point against Georgia?
We drew 1-1. They held us to a draw.
I think at the moment it's good news for us that we didn't lose.
Are you sure?
Yeah. To be honest, we didn't deserve to win.
Really?
We played better. The possession was on our side.
Barely, but we had a lot of chances.
We had a lot of chances, that's true.
But Georgia also had very good chances to score.
And the last minute, I think, easily...
The last touch of the ball, they were 3-1.
Exactly.
3-1, it was a counter-attack from Georgia.
It was almost a heartbreak for the Czech Republic.
Because if they had scored that, we would be out of the tournament.
Game over.
I don't think we would even be recording this.
We would be so pissed.
We would be so pissed off that we wouldn't even...
Drinking one beer after another.
Yeah.
Well, I think the result is really disappointing.
I agree with you that the way we played was definitely better than against Portugal.
But then again, this is what you would kind of expect.
The quality of Georgia isn't as high as Portugal, of course.
But we put some pressure on them, right?
That's true, Zdeněk, you're right.
We have to say that in the first half, it was more like a handball than football.
Because the first goal Georgia scored was from the penalty kick.
Who handed the ball?
Yeah.
It was Hranáč.
Our centre defender.
The unlucky guy is like a curse.
But this was very questionable from my perspective.
He touched the ball by hand, that's true.
There was a sound clip.
They played the sound clip.
The VAR played the sound clip.
So you can't argue against that, Tomáš.
I cannot, that's true.
But after Hranáč played by his hand, then Georgian player, he had a chance.
So it was like an advantage, right?
He could score.
And then on our side, we scored.
And then it was cancelled because he was playing by hand.
So it was like a handball.
And they didn't really have too many chances.
Most of the time we were on the ball.
We lost the first half 1-0.
And in half time, our manager obviously tried to make some changes.
He tried to encourage the players to play better.
Did you feel...
It's a tough job.
Did you feel like they were...
Could you see something was different in the start of the second half?
Not really.
The first and all was the same, right?
You didn't take anyone off.
That's true.
But I didn't feel any big change in our approach.
I didn't really see too many attempts.
And we didn't...
I really missed the quality on the ball in the last third of the pitch.
I think it was a big...
I haven't seen it.
This is something that's really troubling me.
Also with our Czech teams like Slavia, Sparta, Pilsen.
We see this...
We don't see it on our Czech league.
But we can see it when compared to the European teams.
What they say is the experts.
They say that basically the way we train our children...
We don't focus on the technical aspect of the game as much as we should.
It's more about the physicality.
The coaches apparently shout at the kids rather than letting them express themselves.
That is the problem.
If you compare it to places like Spain, Portugal, Italy.
It's really about enjoying themselves with the ball.
Totally agrees.
I think that's something we have to change.
Not you and I.
Obviously we don't have that power.
And when you mentioned the physical game, I think we played quite a physical game today.
We got like six yellow cards maybe.
And most of the fouls were just unreasonable from my side.
I don't really want to complain about the referee though.
I think I shouldn't.
Okay, I will not.
As if I said nothing, listeners.
The referee was alright.
I also don't complain about the referee.
I think he did his job.
He tried.
Anyway, it wasn't the referee that made us draw the game.
But then we managed to score the equaliser.
Patrick Schick with a wonderful finish.
Now that was a bit sarcastic.
Linger I think hit the post.
And then it goes to Patrick Schick who touched the ball with his chest.
He basically chested the ball and we were scared that it might be another handball.
And it was also surprising because Schick is one of our best players.
And he's very technical.
He can really handle the ball in high speed, high quality.
And then he scored the goal by, I don't know whether it was by the chest or the tummy.
Could have been something even different.
Something even different like you said.
It definitely counted and it was 1-1.
Then obviously we had more momentum on our side.
When you equalise it's good for the morale.
But nothing came of it in the end.
We put a lot of pressure.
I think we really tried to pass a lot of centres.
But nothing came out of it really.
Patrick Schick unfortunately got worse for him.
He got injured.
A calf injury probably.
Wasn't able to continue at all.
Can barely walk now.
I think he might be ruled out of the tournament now.
I don't see him playing against Turkey.
It's in four days time.
I don't see how he could play.
I would definitely agree with you Zdeněk.
I think he's very fragile.
He reminds me a little bit...
Of myself.
Of ourselves.
We are both in the same boat I think.
And also Tomáš Rosický.
He's also very fragile.
He had a lot of bad injuries.
He didn't play much.
I think with Patrick Schick it's going to be similar.
And probably it's the end of the tournament for him.
You're right.
And to be honest he was not catched in the best form.
In this tournament.
Compared to the last one.
When he really played...
He scored four goals and he was kind of the joint top scorer.
Was it Christiano Ronaldo?
I think so.
And Christiano Ronaldo won it because he had one more assist.
I believe that's what happened there.
Anyway it's irrelevant.
We are talking about Euro 2024.
So we lost Patrick Schick.
But I don't really think...
It looks like a great loss.
Especially if you are an outsider.
Not knowing much about Czech football.
But he hasn't really been doing it for us in the recent months.
I don't know.
I can't remember the last time he really played well to be honest.
Yeah.
Agreed.
I don't think...
I think today we have seen also Jan Koller on the Tribune.
What's that?
Yeah, Jan Koller.
Jan Koller.
Dino.
Which is one of the most famous football players of Czech national team.
One of the most famous tall football players.
One of the tallest football players ever to play football.
So maybe the manager of the national team will open the door for him again.
I think he could come back.
Is he like 45 now?
Yeah, but he still plays.
He plays like fourth or fifth highest league in Czech.
I'm sorry to say that Thomas, but that is not high enough I think.
I don't think his fitness is up to scratch.
Well, 1-1 is not a good result.
We only have one point after two games.
And well, same for Georgia.
Their goal difference is worse than ours.
And they have to play Portugal in their last game.
So it looks like we have a chance to finish third.
Now the question is with how many points?
Because we need a lot of points.
Yeah.
One point will definitely not be enough.
So how do we do this?
What do we do against Turkey then?
What would you change?
Everything probably.
Yeah, okay.
But I don't see any clear path to get three points from Turkey.
Because Turkey also played very well against Georgia.
But I think like you mentioned during our post-match discussion today.
I think our defense is quite okay from my perspective.
But we have to change something in the mindset of the players.
Because that's different.
We can see that there are many players in Czech national team that they can play very well.
They are actually very good football players.
But they haven't shown it on this tournament yet.
Not yet.
But maybe not yet.
That's the key word.
Maybe not yet.
Yeah.
So there is a hope.
There is hope.
And what I will say, Thomas.
I have to say, I'm actually trying to look for some positives.
For me, the biggest positive out of this game is that we are not out yet.
Now, imagine in what kind of mood we would be if we had lost it.
So that's what I'm trying to see.
A positive.
Even the players, they seem after the match, they clapped their hands and they went to the fans.
I could see that they kind of felt like we are not out yet.
Just yet.
We just needed that point, right?
Now, all we have to do is to beat Turkey.
Yeah.
That's a big deal.
I hope there is a Belmondo club in Hamburg.
So that most of the players, they can...
Turkish players.
I'm not sure.
I'm not sure that's...
They can celebrate that we have at least one point, which is more than most of the fans expected.
I'm not sure all our listeners understood what Tomas was referring to.
But basically, Belmondo was a club that...
Vladimir Tsov, Jan Kuchta and one more player went to right before our last qualifier.
And it was a music club.
So they had a few drinks and low and behold, surprise, surprise, somebody recorded it on camera.
Because these days, guess what?
People have phones and they use them.
So yeah, that's the reference to this famous club now.
Everybody knows the name in the Czech Republic.
Before, nobody knew.
But now everybody does after that party.
Yeah, I'm not sure this is the way, Tomas.
I think we need to change something in the mindset.
It's...
What would you change in the mindset?
I don't know.
I would love to know.
So do you want to go for it just from the beginning?
Just go for it.
Like give it your all or should we wait to see what the Turkish do?
I'm not the manager.
I'm not the leader kind of personality.
Maybe you should do.
No, no, no.
I'm not that kind of person.
So I don't have it inside and in my soul.
I'm not the leader.
And I miss this personality also in the Czech national team nowadays.
Because Tomas Soček was supposed to be the leader.
I don't see him like that.
He looks a bit knackered.
I think he has had a lot of games this season.
He's also dealing with some knee problem.
They have even admitted it now.
So he's got a knee problem, which it's like a small one.
So he's able to play.
But I think it might still be limiting him in some way.
I don't know.
He's definitely not at his best.
Yeah.
And what was really positive today actually for me was Barak.
I thought you were going to say the referee.
No referee.
Barak.
Barak, he was substituted for like last 15 minutes maybe.
But I think he could be the one who could change the approach of our team.
Yeah, I actually thought he would start this game.
But then I learned from you that he had been sick or ill or something.
That's what I've learned from the news this morning.
Fake news then.
Maybe fake news.
He played.
Yeah.
So let's see.
But I think that definitely there is something which needs to happen in the mindset of our players.
I don't think they are not motivated.
They are very motivated.
They want to win.
Maybe they are over motivated.
Yeah.
That's it.
Who knows?
Well, again, let's remind everyone that we have the youngest team of the tournament.
We have a new manager.
So I think it's I'm not surprised that not everything is working.
I like your positive spirit.
I'm trying to be positive here because I honestly because of what happened at the end as well,
like the chance they had.
Oh my God.
They almost killed me.
They were running three on one and it took like 10 seconds for that action to finish.
Remember that feeling.
I was like looking around the room in the pub so desperately looking like I knew we were in trouble.
And then it took another like eight seconds for it to play out.
And then fortunately for us, the player who made a shot in the end, he put it in the stands.
Right.
Yeah.
And 18 throw and everybody was quiet in the pub at that moment.
I was too.
Yeah.
I couldn't breathe at that point.
Because we had a chance just before this happened.
We had a chance on the other side of the pitch.
You mean half chance.
Yeah.
Half chance.
So everybody was screaming like and suddenly everything went quiet and we just were scared.
No, I think this is the difference for me.
Yeah.
With with zero points before the match against Turkey, it's like you're almost it's like 90 percent you're out.
We would we would have to beat Turkey by maybe three, four goals.
And maybe then we could progress with three points on good goal difference.
But with four points, it's a decent chance to qualify with four points, especially considering or sort of hoping that Portugal will deal with Georgia, which they really should.
And what do you think today?
Well, Portugal deal with Turkey or so we are recording this right before the match.
We are playing against Portugal, Turkey and.
Well, it could be an interesting game.
I still think Portugal are the favorites.
Yeah.
But I wouldn't be surprised if there was a draw in this game, especially because of the format of the tournament.
Because now we saw something similar in the Spain, Netherlands game.
Both teams were at at one point kind of satisfied with the with the score because they knew with four points, it's not a bad position to be in.
Same with England against Denmark.
It seemed like they didn't want to really score a goal at some point.
Yeah, I was quite boring, I have to say.
And this game was quite this wasn't boring.
This game wasn't boring for me.
For me was also quite interesting and not boring, not boring at all.
I don't know for the others, for someone who is not a fan of the Czech national team.
Yeah, I think they could have found it.
It was frustrating, but I wouldn't use the word boring because we saw a lot of chances on both sides and and a lot of cards and bar decisions.
I think for a neutral, like if you compare this game to the Portugal game,
which we were just sitting back parking the bus, Portugal just wanted the dying minutes of the game.
I thought this game was like more interesting.
Credit credit to Georgia, by the way, credit to them because they got a point.
They had some huge chances in this game.
I still don't think they deserve to win or even get a point.
I still think we should have won.
But it is what it is and we just need to hope that we change that mindset that you've been talking about here.
Let's hope for that.
I will pray.
Well, I hope you I hope you play play.
I hope you play Tomas.
No, you don't want me.
You want to see me playing again.
The last time I played with you, you played quite well, but I was like 20 years ago.
And 50 kilos less.
Oh, 50 kilos less.
I would say so.
Oh my God.
All right, then Tomas, it's been a real pleasure talking to you about this.
It's been less of a pleasure seeing the Czech Republic play today.
Same from my side.
And thank you for inviting me here.
It's a pleasure for me.
You're very welcome.
And let's hope next time we talk, we actually win.
Yes.
All right, we will.
Cheers.
Take care.
Welcome back, everyone.
In this part of the show, I'm going to teach you some stuff.
This is what we call the language corner, or at least that's what I started calling it in the last episode.
So let's call it that.
And this time I'm going to take a look at three verbs to chess the ball, to head the ball and to hand the ball.
So as you guys know, the head, the chest, and what was the last one?
A hand, right?
These are body parts.
OK, chest.
Everybody knows where chest is, right?
At the front.
And the head is at the top of your body.
And the last one, well, people, most people have two hands, right?
The right hand and the left hand.
And in football, it is possible that a player touches the ball with these parts of their body.
And we often use these three words as verbs.
Yeah.
So we say to chess the ball.
Now, in this episode, we talked about Patrik Schick, who chested the ball into the back of the net.
Actually, he scored with his chest.
But normally, if a player chests the ball, they use their chest to control the ball.
It's quite a common move in football.
It's just a great way when somebody passes a long ball to you.
It's a great way to control the ball.
But you could also redirect the ball using your chest.
And in this case, it's not very common, but sometimes a player can even score a goal with their chest.
So we could say that Patrik Schick chested the ball into the back of the net.
Right.
And then to head the ball, that's pretty clear.
That's the most common one.
A lot of goals are scored with players heads.
Right.
And we call these goals headers.
Even the opportunities, the chances are headers.
Right.
When a player strikes the ball with their head, they head the ball as well.
So that is the verb we are talking about here, to head the ball.
For example, after that so far corner, which preceded the Schick goal, it was actually Linger who headed the ball and hit the post.
And then Patrik Schick tapped it in with his chest.
OK.
And the last one is to hand the ball.
And in football, only the goalkeeper in his own box, in her own box, is able or is allowed to hand the ball.
Otherwise, it's considered a foul.
And even when it's in your own box, a penalty is awarded.
And that's what happened to Hranács in this game.
He handed the ball, unfortunately, and the referee did not notice it.
It went to VAR and VAR played the sound clip and it was ruled that it was a penalty.
So after Hranács handed the ball.
So you can say to chest the ball, to hand the ball and to head the ball.
That's it, guys.
I hope this has been useful.
Don't forget to subscribe to the Footglitch Podcast.
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Thank you so much.
And I'll speak to you soon.
Cheers. Bye bye.