Tomas Rosicky Gelsenkirchen: Tomas Rosicky scored twice in the Czech Republics World Cup opener with the US on Monday and then said he was no great goalscorer. With key strikers Jan Koller and Milan Baros both injured, however, midfielder Rosicky may just have to become one.
The Czechs beat the US 3-0, helped by Rosickys goals, one of them a fine swerving shot from 25 metres. Of course, Im no great shooter... but I tried and today it worked. Three would probably have been too many, he said.
Coach Karel Brueckner was forced to abandon his usual 4-4-2 formation and play Koller as a lone striker after Baros failed to recover from a foot injury.
The problems facing the two top strikers will put pressure on midfielders like Rosicky to push forward more in their remaining games against Ghana and Italy.
The Czechs have a wealth of talent to draw on in midfield, including former European Footballer of the Year Pavel Nedved. I dont need to say anything about Pavel... he is still one of the best players in Europe, said Brueckner.
The team still features most of the players that reached the Euro 2004 semi-finals but the media has expressed concern that with three-quarters of the midfield over 30 they are past it.
That view did not hold up against the US and the coach certainly does not agree with the commentators. Our team is not getting old, he said.
Meanwhile, US coach Bruce Arena said on Tuesday he had no regrets about criticising individual players after the loss. It (the evaluation) was accurate. The reason we lost the game was that their players played better than our players. Individually, they were better and won most of the match-ups on the field.
Following the loss, Arena uncharacteristically criticised individual players especially Landon Donovan and DaMarcus Beasley for their performance.
Arena said he had met the starting team as a group since the game, but had not had too many individual discussions. He said that he had not met with Beasley and did not yield on his public criticism of him.
The result is not going to go away, Arena said. We have a day or two to regroup, lick our w ounds a bit and put it past us. Theres still six points out there. (Reuters
Re: Artikel/Interviews Rosicky
FIFA World Cup Germany 2006 Humble Rosicky Reuters, Gelsenkirchen
Tomas Rosicky scored twice in the Czech Republic's World Cup opener with the United States on Monday and then said he was no great goalscorer.
With key strikers Jan Koller and Milan Baros both injured, however, midfielder Rosicky may just have to become one.
The Czechs beat the U.S. 3-0, helped by Rosicky's goals, one of them a fine swerving shot from 25 metres.
"Of course, I'm no great shooter... but I tried and today it worked. Three would probably have been too many," he told reporters.
Coach Karel Brueckner was forced to abandon his usual 4-4-2 formation and play Koller as a lone striker after Baros failed to recover from a foot injury that had stopped him training over the past week.
Just before halftime Koller was carried off on a stretcher with what Brueckner said initially was a serious injury.
The Czech team spokesman later said a hospital scan showed no major damage to his hamstring.
The problems facing the two top strikers will put pressure on midfielders like Rosicky to push forward more in their remaining Group E games against Ghana and Italy.
The Czechs have a wealth of talent to draw on in midfield, including former European Footballer of the Year Pavel Nedved.
"I don't need to say anything about Pavel ... he is still one of the best players in Europe," said Brueckner.
The team still features most of the players that reached the Euro 2004 semifinals but the media has expressed concern that with three-quarters of the midfield over 30 they are past it.
That view did not hold up against the United States and the coach certainly does not agree with the commentators.
"Our team is not getting old," Brueckner said.
With younger talent like 25-year-old Rosicky in the team, age does not seem to be a problem.
Brueckner also had a few words for Rosicky's new club, Premier League Arsenal, who signed him just before the tournament started.
"I would like to congratulate Arsenal on getting such a player," he said.
Czech midfielder Tomas Rosicky (C) is congratulated by teammates after scoring against USA in Gelsenkirchen on Monday. PHOTO: AFP
Re: Artikel/Interviews Rosicky
es ist zwar immer wieder dasselbe, aber es war einfach zu schön........
New Gunner shines as Czechs romp to victory By Shona Black 13 June 2006
Arsenals summer signing Tomas Rosicky gave a stellar display for the Czech Republic in their authoritative 3-0 win over USA.
The Czechs were impressive to a man, but Pavel Nedved and Rosicky stood out, the latter scoring a brace while the delightfully skilled Nedved was irrepressible throughout.
Striker Jan Koller opened the scoring with a rocket-like header in the fifth minute, before going off shortly before half-time with a hamstring injury. Early indications suggest the injury is milder than at first thought, and Koller should be able to rejoin the side, a boost for the Czechs who are still missing the injured Milan Baros.
Rosicky produced two stunning long-range goals in each half to seal victory over the outclassed Americans, and nearly had a hat-trick with a powerfully shot volley rattling the crossbar.
Czech manager Karel Bruckner commented, "I would like to congratulate Arsenal for buying such a wonderful player." Arsenal will certainly be happy to have secured the £6.8 million signing before what promises to be an outstanding World Cup for the 25-year-old midfield dynamo.
Re: Artikel/Interviews Rosicky
Arsenal fans will be licking their lips in anticipation after watching Tomas Rosicky light up the World Cup finals with two classic strikes on Monday.
The Czech midfielder inspired his country to a 3-0 victory over the United States in their first Group E fixture in Gelsenkirchen.
Jan Koller nodded the Czechs in front after five minutes before Rosicky latched onto a loose ball 30 yards out and fired a thunderous effort into the top corner.
Arsenal's new signing almost repeated the trick after the break but saw an equally venomous strike cannon off the crossbar. However, he doubled his tally with a cool finish after breaking clear of the United States defence.
Former Dortmund star Rosicky is no stranger to the Gelsenkirchen pitch - it's the home of Schalke, Dortmund's rivals. "I am used to playing on this field against Schalke and I normally play well on this pitch. Today was no exception," said Rosicky.
At the outset of his career, many considered Rosicky to be the new hope for Czech soccer. He excels in the midfield for the Czech national squad and formerly for the German club Borussia Dortmund. Rosicky signed with Arsenal FC in June 2006.
His stature is small, but his maturity, composure and ability to attack are all big. His smooth ball skills and crisp technique have made him one of the finest midfielders. All of which has made him a fine grab for Arsenal FC. With a pair of Czech titles in hand, he took a risk and made a well-publicized move to Bundesliga. This paid off for Rosicky when he won the German title in 2002.