Just Say No To Pavel Nedved

It seems like the defining player of the Czech midfield is constantly in flux these days, with the slight injury to current captain and midfield maestro Tomas Rosicky turning into a slightly bigger problem than most (perhaps any) expected, and in turn, the rumors that former captain and midfield maestro Pavel Nedved may return for the European Championships. The latter could actually be independent of Rosicky’s health come next month, but the chances are likely Pavel will be donning his national kit once again if Tomas finds himself unfit for attendance.

It’s surprising to find, at a mere 27 years of age, Tomas Rosicky has already managed to net an impressive 67 caps. His international coming out party was most certainly the 2006 World Cup, when he dazzled on his then club’s (Borussia Dortmund) native soul, and doing all sorts of fanciful things with that new ball and its odd, yet mesmerizing, flight patterns. Despite his success, he was still playing second fiddle to lame duck legend Nedved, on his way out after the tournament. This is to, or may, be his opening tournament as The Guy, and perhaps his only, if Lubos Kalouda is going to be as good as they say*. So it will surely be a blow, both personally and for the team, if he is to be forced from the pitch onto the sidelines.

* – Goalkeepers can’t be The Guy unless they’re of transcendent, epic brilliance, unfortunately.

Waiting on the sidelines is Pavel Nedved, unsure of whether or not he should play in Swissaustria, despite the pleas from a teammate or two. His last two major tournaments didn’t go all that wonderfully for him – the injury against Greece in Portugal 04 being a decisive moment in their loss, and their near shocking failure to qualify in Germany 06 – and there is surely a bitter taste left in his mouth. His 35 year old legs, perhaps rejuvenated from a year of one-competition exhibitions in Serie B, haven’t shown painfully obvious signs of aging just yet, and his talent is still evident, though not to his Ballon D’Or levels, making a comeback somewhat logical. Especially for a team which may or may not be without its new captain and midfield maestro in the impeding major tournament. Despite all this, Karel Bruckner should say, “thanks, but no thanks”.

I actually favor the Czech Republic to do well in this tournament. Very well, in fact. Were I a betting man (I am), I might actually pick them to be a finalist if I didn’t think German is going to take home the whole pot o’ gold – the two could, and very well might, meet up in the semis – despite the Czech’s 3-0 victory over Germany in qualifiers. Though I don’t think they’d compete with Spain or Germany in the goal scoring department, they had an astounding defensive record in their qualifying group, 5 goals conceded, and a back line which is in its collective prime. Plus that Cech guy, who can win games all by his lonesome. But how could they do it without Rosicky and/or Nedved? A simple answer with complex means.

In the (very) recent past, I see three (or four) tournament winning teams – Greece in E04, Italia in WC06, and Egypt in 2006 and 2008 – forged by one common theme: unification. Each team had something which was defining and ultimately unifying.

Greece was Cinderella. They were perhaps the greatest footballing upset in history because everybody underestimated them, and they reveled, eventually thrived, in their common status as massive underdogs. They weren’t supposed to win. Hell, they weren’t even supposed to advance. They hadn’t made a major tournament in 10 years, last “showing up” in USA 94, going home after conceding 10 and scoring a big, fat goose egg. Surely only a small, small number of people not situated on the Mediterranean picked them to defeat Portugal in Portugal for the trophy. No one believed, and that got them through. They had nothing to lose, according to Stelios Giannakopoulos. Having nothing to lose translated to not losing.

Egypt is a case of chemistry and familiarity, rather than underdog status, breeding a team concept. Much of their team plays together in the obviously dominant domestic side Al-Ahly, allowing international camps and daily practices become intertwined, morphing into one year long exercise in team play. Despite having fewer superstars than sexy picks, such as Ivory Coast, Nigeria and Ghana, they have taken home two straight continental titles, and have done so through each other, not their few and far between superstars. In fact, Hossam Ghaily and Mido, perhaps their two most well known exports in recent times, didn’t even play in AFCON 2008. A team by definition, surely.

Italia is a bit of a hard sell simply because they’re so talented, and often show up at tournaments as favorites, regardless of recent performances. This team, being ushered into Germany with the likes of Gianluigi Buffon, Fabio Cannavaro, Andrea Pirlo, Francesco Totti and Luca Toni running the show, certainly lacked for nothing in terms of superstar power. The black cloud which followed their arrival, however, is what came to define their cohesion leading up to the final. And in the end a near-tragic event finally welded the team permanently.

Calciopoli was still in its infancy when the Azzurri arrived in Germany, but it was growing with each day. A great deal of the team was on a club which would eventually find itself guilty of sporting infractions, and their recent successes and triumphs wiped away. Juventus the obvious focus of the scandal, and the biggest supplier of Azzurri talent at the time. The scathing diatribes on all things Italian football unified the team, as they now had much more at stake than simply vying for a trophy. Then came the attempted suicide of former Azzurri teammate, and much beloved friend to many, Gianluca Pessotto. This sealed the team in, and they rode the wave of unification to global glory.

In the case of the Czech Republic, they are not bustling over with talent looking for a bond like the 2006 Azzurri. They are not the great and unexpected underdog, as is the case with Greece. And, surely much to the dismay of Bruckner, they are not a team which earns its paycheck by forming national team chemistry on club level, a la Egypt.

What they do have is the chance to go into Swissaustria without their legend Pavel Nedved, and perhaps without their captain, Tomas Rosicky, who, even if he shows up, will likely be fresh off injury and out of form. Nedved became the defining figure of the Czech national team during his tenure, and rightly so – a world class figure, but the day when he could dictate a game enough is past. If they go into Swissaustria with Nedved still leading the way, will they still depend on their elder statesman? Instead of reading and reacting, will they look to him to throw the team on his shoulders when the going gets rough? It certainly wouldn’t be the first, nor last, time.

Now is time to move on, and it’s time to define themselves as a team. Now they can go into the European Champions ships as a “Czech side without Pavel Nedved”, rather than “Pavel Nedved’s Czech side”. And they should revel in that. Bond as a direct result, and fight to eliminate Pavel Nedved from the thought of the people. Fight, as a team, to form an internal team unity, failing to depend on Pavel Nedved and, to a lesser extent, Tomas Rosicky. They have enough serviceable, working parts that they can truly forge a machine, each player being a cog worth one-eleventh of the sum. Nedved, if he shows, will surely dwarf the machine. Simply become one.

Who knows, maybe Pavel Nedved shows up and lights up Swissaustria like never before. But this is a perfect chance to unify for now and for the future. By World Cup 2010, Nedved will almost definitely be out of the picture; so this is optimal motivation waiting to happen, and these chances don’t come all that often – just ask Greece. Say no to Pavel Nedved.