Dreksa says Slavia’s defeat by Sabah drew criticism in Czechia

Former Neftchi footballer Pavel Dreksa shared his views on Sabah’s Champions League victory over Slavia and the Azerbaijani club.

The Czech defender currently lives in Cyprus and works with Anagennisi Deryneia. Dreksa said he ended his playing career in Cyprus two years ago and is now working toward obtaining a PRO coaching licence.

He said he follows the teams he has played for and also tries to watch Neftchi’s matches. In Dreksa’s view, the Baku club has good players. He said he remembers his time at Neftchi positively and plans to visit Baku to watch one of the club’s home matches.

Dreksa said Sabah’s 2-0 win over Slavia surprised him, adding that the Azerbaijani club has quality attacking players capable of scoring. He said he did not believe Slavia had underestimated its opponent, but argued that the Czech club’s physical style of play was not sufficient at Champions League level.

According to Dreksa, Slavia’s performance and result were criticised in Czechia. He said the defeat could negatively affect the country’s ranking coefficient and that the result had not been expected given the difference between the clubs’ budgets.