Tomas Rosicky Euro 2012 Q&A

Tomas Rosicky Euro 2012 Q&A

Ahead of Czech Republic's quarter final showdown with Portugal at Euro 2012, SoccerBible caught up with PUMA PowerCat wear Tomas Rosicky, who amongst other things noted Ronaldo and Nani as the prime threats in this Q A...

 

Tomas, congratulations on reaching the quarter-finals.  Can you describe your feelings when Jiracek scored in the second half of the Poland game to mean you d qualify?  Tomas Rosicky: Obviously we were very happy that he scored.  We needed that goal badly and it was pure joy for us when he did.     What was the mood like in the Czech camp afterwards?    TR:The mood was so positive because we were really looking forward to the next game.  The atmosphere in our team was already very good, but after the Poland game was really positive. The atmosphere in the stadium from the Czech fans has been incredible.  Does this help the players perform on the pitch?

TR:The fans contribution is fantastic, it always helps when you have the fans behind you.  We really appreciate that they are coming to the stadiums to watch us and hope we can go to the next round.

How frustrating was it to miss the Poland game through injury?

 

TR: It was very frustrating for me because I was looking forward so much to that game.  It s not easy, but of course you have to cope with it.  

How is your fitness now?  Will you play tonight?

 

TR: It s getting better, but I can t say right now if I will be fit to play tonight.  I would love to obviously, but it will be a late decision.  We will decide later.    

 

How have the teams preparations been this week?

TR: We prepare ourselves always the same, even after the loss against Russia we stayed calm and focused.  We continued to prepare and train our way - t was important to stay calm and it paid off for us.  

After the first match in the group, no-one would have seriously thought Russia would be eliminated after the group stage.  How much of a shock was this?

TR: It true I was surprised when Russia didn t make it after they beat us.  I always believed that we would go through but I also thought Russia would be the team that would beat everyone in our group.  

 

In winning the group you have avoided Germany.  Is that an important factor in progressing further?

TR: Not really, we don t care right now that we don t play Germany and play Portugal instead.  Our goal was always to qualify from the group and now of course we can t choose the whole plan. We don t care, we take anyone that is coming at us and we ll happily do so.

How will the Czechs need to improve to go further in the tournament?

 

TR: We definitely we need to improve in some areas.  After the first game I think you can see the progress what we did in the defence.  Against Greece and Poland we showed we can play some good football and we want to continue like that.

 

Not many people would have given Greece a chance to go past the group stage.  Are you impressed by Greece?

TR: Definitely I m impressed that they won the game against Russia - it was the biggest game in the group and they were able to make it.  No-one was counting that they would do it and hats off to them for that.  I think Germany will have a hard target tomorrow.    

 

You play Portugal tonight in the quarter-final.  How do you view their strengths and weaknesses?

TR: They are playing a little but similar to Russia - very compact in defence and their counter attacks are very strong.  We have to show we have made progress ourselves from the Russia game and if we don t show it we will be in big trouble.    

 

You will have to come up with a plan to contain Cristiano Ronaldo.  How important is this to winning the game? TR: Definitely the main target is to stop Ronaldo and Nani, because they are two special players.  We will focus on that and if we are able to do it on the pitch we will see.  It is very important to stop these two players Where else do you see their threat coming from?  TR: Basically from everywhere, because Portugal has a very compact team.  The front players are very talented and the midfield is very hard working and they are dangerous from set pieces.  The threat is coming from everywhere, but I believe we have some strong points in our game too and it will be interesting.     You wear the PUMA PowerCat 1.12 boot, what s so good about the boot?

TR: It s very comfortable, I like the leather. I need a comfortable boot and this one suits me very well.

 

Rosicky is wearing the latest edition of the PUMA PowerCat 1.12 football boots at Euro 2012, and will be hoping to lead his team to the semi final of the competition with victory over Portugal in the quarter finals! Share your thoughts and join the conversation online.