Viktoria Plzeň defeated Dukla 4:2 in the last league match of the regular season. At the post-match press conference, assistant coach Marek Bakoš, who together with Jan Trousil filled in for the absent Miroslav Koubek, answered the journalists´ questions.

Match summary:

As for the match, it was a bit specific in that we didn´t have a head coach available. I think the guys were able to accomplish the goal of today´s game. They were able to win, scoring four goals, although it was not easy because we scored from the first action. At that moment, the game against Zlín flashed through my mind, when we were in a similar situation. The beginning was unpleasant, but we managed to turn the game around, we dictated the pace of the game most of the time and in the end we won successfully.

Was today´s match with Jan Trousil different in any way? Maybe more nervous?

It´s true that it was a bit different. I wouldn´t mention the nervousness, we were more aware that when the head coach is missing, it´s just a different situation. We tried to remind the players not to underestimate anything. There´s always a danger that if the boss isn´t present, it can slip somewhere we don´t want it to. But I think the guys approached it responsibly, especially mentally. The team has certain automatisms in place and it was just a matter of transferring them to the pitch, which they did.

Thirty laps down, 65 points. Which loss hurts the most? Is it the home defeat to Baník, a direct competitor?

Looking back, it´s the home losses that hurt us the most. We´ve had unfortunate games here, some even after European Cups. We certainly regret the games against Baník, Slavia, but also against Teplice, whom we couldn´t beat here. There could have been more points. If you want to play for the top positions, you simply have to manage home games. And that´s something we´re really sorry about.

Was there any preparation for the game with the coach? Were you in contact during the game?

The coach had a preparation with us until Wednesday, after which he underwent surgery. He was still here with us yesterday fine-tuning the details, we discussed different options for the development of the match and how we will approach the match. On the day of the match we were already managing it together with Honza Trousil.

You scored four goals today. Do you feel that your attack is your strongest point?

It´s true that we have above-standard strikers for the Czech league and we are happy that we can use them and that they bring us goals. But we want to be balanced, to find the right balance. It´s not just about offense, we want to be solid at the back as well. And we didn´t quite do that today. We had moments where we allowed the opponent to be dangerous. If we are compact, both up front and in the back, I think we can look towards the highest goals.