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Soukup stresses Czech continuity

Miroslav Soukup did not lead the Czech Republic through qualifying for the U19 finals, but he will head their coaching team at the tournament in Poland.

Miroslav Soukup did not lead the Czech Republic through qualifying for the UEFA European Under-19 Championship, but he will head their coaching team at the final tournament in Poland.

Continuity required
Soukup was assistant to Jaroslav Horák when the Czechs reached the finals by finishing first in Elite round Group 4 ahead of Switzerland, mini-tournament hosts Ukraine and Denmark. When the previous No1 opted against extending his contract, his 40-year-old deputy stepped into the breach. Soukup does not see his promotion as a radical change, telling uefa.com: "I have worked with this squad for two years and we prepared a training plan with the former coach even before the preliminary tournament. It will be the same style that we had in Ukraine."

Absent duo
However, Horák will not be the only absentee from the party that performed so well in late May. Soukup explained: "I hope the squad will not be weakened but we have lost two key players. Midfielder Milan Černý tore knee ligaments in the last qualifier and our most experienced central defender, Marek Suchý, broke his collarbone in a bike accident. On the other hand, forward Jiří Jeslínek is back in action after an injury sidelined him in Donetsk."

Familiar name
Also coming into the fray is a familiar name, Ivan Hašek. The midfielder has been playing in the third division with CU Bohemians Praha, but there are hopes he can follow in the footsteps of the father whose forename he shares, a former Czechoslovakia captain. "He is a very gifted midfielder and has impressed me in his games for Bohemians," Soukup said. "He is very strong in attack and I hope he is able to replace the injured Černý."

World Cup aim
Performing Soukup's old role of assistant in Poland is Jakub Dovalil, who recently led the Czech U17s to the final of their European Championship, losing on penalties to Russia. Soukup is setting more modest goals than that, saying: "I would take third spot in the group as it will ensure participation in the FIFA U-20 World Cup. Anything more will be a great success for us. I am looking forward to Poznan as we won the preparation tournament there last year, when we defeated England as well as one of our group rivals, Poland."

Top-flight experience
It is not only the hosts whom Soukup sees as challengers in Group A. "I think Belgium and Austria have very strong teams, even though their qualification may surprise some," he said. "But the young players in those countries have better opportunities to play top-flight football than youngsters in Italy, France or England. Experience in senior football is very important, but we have several top-flight players too." Soukup's squad will hope to prove him right in Poland.

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