Match of the 4th round of the extension of the first football league, title group: 1. FC Slovácko – Sparta Prague, May 23, 2023, Uherské Hradiště. Ladislav Krejčí Jr. from Sparta celebrates winning the league title on the pitch.
Uherské Hradiště – Defensive all-rounder Ladislav Krejčí Jr. led the Spartan footballers in the role of captain to the first league title after nine years, which he called the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. According to the twenty-four-year-old Czech representative, the season in favor of Letenský broke at the end of the autumn part, when coach Brian Priske's men managed to win in Pilsen after a 0:4 debacle in the Prague derby against Slavia. Krejčí is convinced that the Spartans were the best in the year.
Advertisement'; }
Photo gallery: First Football League 2022/23
< /p>
< /p>
“It means the fulfillment of a lifelong dream for me. It's one big chapter that I wanted to achieve in my career. I'm glad that I could be the captain of a team that did it and that I could be part of this great team,” he told reporters Krejci after the match of the penultimate fourth round of the extension part.
His team has not lost 21 league games in a row since the October debacle at Slavia. “I dare to say that it might have been breaking down at the end of the autumn part, when after losing the derby we were able to manage the match in Pilsen. A new style of play was established, which we worked on. Both the implementation team and the players handled it brilliantly. Then we they were incredibly hungry. There were probably more moments, I wouldn't say just one,” reflected Krejčí.
According to him, Letenský deserved the title. “The euphoria is great, but also great exhaustion, both physically and mentally. It was a tough fight, some of us were playing for the title like this for the first time. Big hat to everyone for enduring it. They still believed, even though it wasn't so much in the game good, there was a bit of a decline in the game. But we won the title,” Krejčí rejoiced.
“We were the best in the whole season, let everyone say what they want. We dominated, for me we changed the way we play in the league. Maybe Bohemka and Hradec played in the 3-4-3 formation before, then everyone adapted to us. It was more difficult, but we worked hard and believed in our path. It's euphoric and I'm incredibly proud of everyone,” added Krejčí.
He himself missed most of the autumn due to a lingering injury, but they dominated the spring and the round before the end of the competition has 13 goals to his credit. “I gave my absolute best to everything on and off the field. If it helped, I'm happy, but it wasn't the main thing. After Slavia, the results and game growth, when we kicked things off, was without me,” said Krejčí.
“Not only me, but also the older guys who are in charge of running the cabin, did an awful lot of things together. Then, when we didn't beat the opponent so much anymore, we managed it for morale. I am convinced that, as in the Czech league if you don't stand by yourself even off the field and lean on yourself in difficult moments, you won't succeed. This helped a lot, and I'm most proud of that,” added the Brno native.
