Debutant Vrba counts on Czech experience

Pavel Vrba has been drawing on the experience of his back-room staff ahead of his major tournament debut, against no less a foe than the European champions.

At the age of 52, the Czech Republic coach's UEFA European Championship bow has been decades in the making – and with Spain up first in Group D, it promises to be a baptism of fire. "We respect the huge strength of that team," Vrba acknowledged of the opposition in Toulouse on Monday.

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"Their team is made up of the best players in the world, who play for Real Madrid and Barcelona. So it will be a tough challenge but we will try to beat them and I hope we can – yet we know it will be very hard."

Vrba twice led club side Viktoria Plzeň into the UEFA Champions League group stage, but he accepts Spain are a different prospect. "It will be a bit new for me," he admitted – although he does have someone to turn to for invaluable advice. One of the most successful Czech coaches ever, Karel Brückner, is with him in France as a consultant.

"I have no EURO experience, so I chose a person with wide experience from both the European Championship and the World Cup," Vrba explained. "He's actually the only Czech coach who's made it to a major championships three times in a row, so from that point of view I consider him someone who can help me and advise on how everything works.

"A lot of the players respect him. He developed a lot of the players for the national team because he coached the Under-21s and now those players are playing for the A team. He can advise me on a lot of things and I'm happy we have him in our team."

While Brückner, 76, was Czech Republic boss between 2001 and 2008, this is unmistakably Vrba's side. "We still don't know the team, it's impossible to work it out from training," said defender Tomáš Sivok. "But the coach already has a clear idea and he'll tell us at the right time."

If training behind closed doors in Tours heightens the secrecy, midfielder Daniel Kolář – who knows Vrba well from their time at Plzeň – has every faith. "Our coach pays attention to every little detail. He's excited by the challenge."

That is certainly a view shared by Vrba ahead of perhaps his biggest task. "It's easy to qualify from an easy group," he pointed out. "I enjoy tough challenges." He will get his wish.