La Repre. Either the diminutive for “representation”, so the team that represents the country. If the latter separated from the Czech Republic, their two Národný tím (“National teams”) still share the same small name.
The calendar (French time)
June 14: Poland v Slovakia, 6 p.m., in Saint Petersburg
June 18: Sweden v Slovakia, 3 p.m., in St. Petersburg
June 23: Slovakia v Spain, 6 p.m., in Seville
The first two of each group as well as the four best thirds qualify.
The team that should play
Martin Dubravka – Peter Pekarík, Milan Skriniar, Lubomir Satka, Tomas Hubocan – Ondrej Duda, Stanislav Lobotka, Marek Hamsik – Robert Mak, Robert Bozenik, Juraj Kucka.
Bizut at Euro 2016, Slovakia is playing its second continental competition in a row. But Czechoslovakia took part in three final stages (and won the 1976 edition).
The manager: Stefan Tarkovic
For a long time, Stefan Tarkovic preferred shadow to light. For five years, faithful to the gatherings of the Slovak team, he was a valued assistant. He thus accompanied the Repre during its fine journey at Euro 2016. But his urgent appointment, in the fall of 2020, after a catastrophic League of Nations, surprised more than one. From interim Tarkovic became taulier after successfully leading Slovakia through the play-offs. And if he does not have a very heavy baggage as a coach, he intends to make a weapon of it: “I admit it, I have much less experience than others, and I have not played at a high level. But I can understand the players, and that’s what matters. “ Appointed until the end of the year, the ex-assistant will have to sublimate his team if he wants to stay in his post.
A player: Milan Skriniar
For years, the role of sentry of the Slovak rearguard fell to Martin Skrtel. Now retired international, the former central defender of Liverpool has found a successor in Milan Skriniar. The recent Italian champion with Inter Milan has established a reputation as a modern defender, formidably efficient when it comes to tackling, not clumsy when it comes to getting the ball out after a muscular intervention.
He is working to make people forget that he almost cost the qualification to his team, because of a goal against his camp registered at the end of the play-off against Northern Ireland. Voted Slovakian player of the year for the second year in a row, Skriniar has the future ahead of him. And former coach Vladimir Weiss make no mistake: for him, “We entered the era of Milan in Slovakia, as there were before those of Marek Hamsik and Martin Skrtel”. Royal Kite, what?
It happened to Euro
And Marek Hamsik arose. For Slovakia’s first participation in the Euro, the “thinking crest” of La Repre illuminated the match played against Russia, in Lille in 2016. Author of the second Slovakian goal, a shot from a difficult angle, the player evolving then in Napoli knocked out the Sbornaïa. And offered the only victory, to date, to his country in the continental competition (2-1). Something to satisfy the tattooed star from head to toe: “I am obviously very proud of this first victory at the Euro, I hope it will open the doors for us to the next round. ” Which was the case.
If Slovakia separated from its Czech neighbor in 1993, the country briefly existed during World War II. Satellite state of Nazi Germany after the IIIe Reich dismantled Czechoslovakia, the Slovak Republic sets up a federation, and the brand new selection plays sixteen friendlies, until the end of the planetary conflict. Of which the first, August 27, 1939, against Germany, in front of 17,000 spectators and the entire local government. If the locals win (2-0), history will remember that a few days after this meeting the invasion of Poland by the Nazis will be the detonator of the world conflict.
Unlike many of its neighbors, Slovakia has never developed a passion for continental telecrochet. In eight participations since 1994, the country has never done better than the 18the place of Marcel Palonder. If the singer attempted a comeback in 2010, he failed to pass the qualifying tests.
The whole country is crazy about bryndzove halusky (which, you know, is pronounced “khalushki”), so we recommend this kind of gnocchi, made with potatoes, flour and a white cheese made from sheep’s milk called bryndza. Embellished with cream, and accompanied by smoked sausages, it can be accompanied by a gouleyant zincica, a milk and fermented drink made from sheep’s milk, in order to pass it all.