England cannot focus solely on Hamsik, insists Wright
By Kristan Heneage
Jan Kozak has rarely enjoyed a good night’s sleep during his coaching career. “I do not have to have dreams about football after a match, because I am not able to sleep,” Kozak said during an interview with the Blizzard.
The 62-year-old is coaching Slovakia in their first ever European Championships. The country gained independence in 1993, and Kozak will be well aware that progression would add another important chapter in the country’s fledgling footballing history.
Such a pressure is likely to keep the head coach restless in bed on Sunday night. Slovakia needs at least a point to advance into the knockout rounds, and they face a resurgent England side on Monday in Saint-Etienne.
Roy Hodgson’s men are favourites for the match, and that is no surprise. A comeback victory over Wales highlighted their quality, with striker Jamie Vardy also lauding the squad’s depth. "If something's not working you're going to need to bring someone off the bench and everyone's willing to make an impact," Vardy said. "We have 23 players in the squad - it's a team game. Competition for places is good. And with the options we've got, we can use different systems as well.”
The same cannot be said of Slovakia. Jan Kozak has a solid core of players, but little in the way of depth. To watch Slovakia’s two previous matches in the tournament was to see Marek Hamsik dictate proceedings in attack. According to Kozak, the Napoli man is deserving of a bigger club, a statement that will not have gone down well in Naples.
Hamsik’s quality is undeniable. A creative fulcrum for his team, his beautiful goal against Russia highlighted why so many teams have attempted to steal him away from Napoli recently. Switch off for even a moment, and England will be punished. However, ITV pundit Ian Wright thinks it would be naive for Roy Hodgson’s side to focus solely on the 28-year-old.
“Yes, Hamsik has real quality,” Wright said. “I think if you watch that Russia game though there’s other players that can do something. Focusing on one players like that can open up spaces for other players. Guys like, [Vladimir] Weiss and [Robert] Mak can provide that moment of quality, and Roy needs to make sure he’s prepared for that.”
Slovakia requires at least a draw if they are to qualify automatically, and so there is pressure on them to take the game to England. A position that Kozak’s side have rarely looked comfortable in, it could feed perfectly into the hands of Roy Hodgson. Allowing Hodgson’s side to sit back and counter-attack, their quick breaks could prove lethal against a Slovakian back line that has looked poor during this tournament.
Typified by the performances of Martin Skrtel, the Liverpool man has seen little Premier League action in 2016. Consequently somewhat rusty, Hodgson might be wise to use Jamie Vardy’s pace and habit of playing on the shoulder to exploit space in behind.
Such prospects are likely why Kozak rarely enjoys a restful nights sleep. A manager that knows he can enjoy a momentous occassion with progression, he faces an England side with their own priorities. “The important thing is to be in the last 16," Hodgson said. “We really want to win the group because it means we'll play against a third-placed team rather than playing a second or first-placed team."