Courtesy: FIFA


Michal Striz: "The blend is perfect"

(FIFA.com) 04 Nov 2004

In the build-up of the FIFA Futsal World Championship Chinese Taipei 2004, Michal Striz, coach of the Czech Futsal team, talked to FIFA.com about his team's chances and the development of Futsal in the Czech Republic.

You have been drawn against Brazil, Australia and Thailand in the Futsal World Cup in Chinese Taipei.
How do you rate your chances of getting through to the next round? What are your expectations? How do you rate your opponents?

The draw has been relatively kind to our team - after all your can't choose any opponents in the final tournament. Brazil are the clear favourites not only in our group but for the whole World Championships. We feel playing against Thailand and Australia gives us the possibility to progress to the next round. That is our aim.

Where do you see the strengths of your team and what needs to be improved on a short-term basis before the World Cup? What is the Czech style of playing Futsal?

Our strength is in our team, the players want to play for the team and their priority is the success of the group. We have to concentrate on some tactical situations before the World Championship. Our team is known for having good organisation and tactical preparation.

Are you happy with the blend of experienced and young players in your team? Who are the key players?

The blend of our team is perfect. Some of the players have taken part in two European Championships, while there are players from a new generation, who will form the personality of the team in the future. Although our best player Roman Mares will not play in this event, we can rely on players like Jan Klima, Petr Krayzel, Jaroslav Kamenický and Daniel Rajnoch.

In the play-off-matches against Bosnia-Herzegovina your team seemed nervous. Have you worked on psychological aspects in readiness for Chinese Taipei?

We were slight favourites in this match and we were playing for a historic progression to the World Championships so it was understandable there should be a certain nervousness in the team. Of course, we prepare the team under pressure but we don't go into the tournament as favourites and we don't have anything to lose.

What are your plans before you leave for Taipei? Which teams will you warm-up against before the World Championship?

We play two friendly matches against Russia at the end of October then we won't play any others. We will organise a short training camp to get the players ready.

Who do you see as the favourite to win the title and which team could spring a surprise?

The favourites are Brazil, although Italy will be strong too. The surprise package could be Egypt or Iran.

If you take a look back to the roots of Czech Futsal, where do you see the sport nowadays in your country? How do you judge the development of Futsal in the last few years?

Thanks to the success we have had in last five years futsal has always had a higher profile among the hall sports in the Czech Republic. It is not easy to challenge the traditional sports as basketball, handball and volleyball. I believe after the participation in the World Championships and the European Championships (which will take part in the Czech Republic in February 2005) futsal win gain even more popularity and promotion in the media.

How did you start in Futsal? When did you decide to take up Futsal? Was it a logical step for you to work as a coach after finishing your career as a player?

The first contact I had with futsal was when I was 15-years-old. I used it as to complement my football training. I enjoyed it more and more and so it became my No. 1 sport. It was natural for me to continue as the coach at the end of my playing career because I studied physical education at university.