Scoutmania

In the Sport Centre Radotin of Prague in the Matchday 1 of the UEFA Youth League 2025/26, Slavia Praha showed their strength by beating their Norwegian peers of Bodø/Glimt with an astonishing performance which led to a 5-0 win. The team from Czech Republic was filled up with emerging talents who will surely move onto bigger stages.

Slavia Praha, coached by Jaroslav Machač in a 1-3-5-2 formation, dominated the match via ball possession and created numerous chances apart from the five goals scored.

Since the beginning of the match they exploited the gaps in the opposition back four with penetrative runs, especially made by their offensive midfielder Rajnoha (see image below).

They used long throw-ins to put additional pressure on the opposition defense, using their centre-backs dominance in aerial duels to flick the ball towards dangerous areas in the penalty box (see image below).

Out of possession, they pressed high in a 1-3-4-1-2 formation with their offensive midfielder Rajnoha locking onto the opposition pivot, the Icelandic Sturla Sagatun Kristjánsson (as you can see in the image below) forcing often long balls from the opposition goalkeeper.

Bodø/Glimt, coached by Thomas Jacobsen in a 1-4-3-3 formation (same formation used by their first team), did not manage to establish possession very often and had very few opportunities to score.

They setup in a 1-4-4-2 formation when they defended in low block and were effective in transitioning from low block to high press. Their full-backs pressed the opposition wingbacks with their wingers ready to ‘push’ on backwards passes and the rest of the team following in a coordinated manner. Once in high press they adopted a 1-4-3-3 formation.

(Bodø’s low block in the image above)

(Bodø ‘pushing’ from low block to high press in the image above)

Here the players who stood out in this match:

Adam Rajnoha (Slavia Praha), offensive midfielder born 2008.

Adam was a constant threat for Bodø’s defense with his well-timed runs from deep. He received the ball also between the opposition midfield and defense with good body preparation to play his team mates in behind within two touches. He is able to cross with precision with both feet and create chances. He scored the first goal for his team with a precise one touch finish from inside the ‘red zone’ and the fourth goal with a powerful shot with his left foot from a sharp angle after running through the opposition defense. He made the assist for the 5th goal demonstrating great coolness and decision-making in the penalty box.

Adam was in my opinion the biggest talent in this match as well-rounded modern type of midfielder and I consider him to be a great fit for the top Clubs in England, Germany and Italy.

Petr Potmesil (Slavia Praha), striker born 2008.

Left footed striker with good finishing skills and speed. He scored the third goal of his team by finishing a great early cross from the right side with his first touch. In this action he showed great reading of the space in the penalty box and timing. In addition he had a good chance when he tried to place the ball with his left foot towards the far bottom corner of the goal and his attempt was stopped by a super save of the opposition goalkeeper. He finished in two more occasions with his right foot hitting the post and getting close to his second goal.

Petr’s high level technique and game intelligence make him a good fit for Italian and Spanish Clubs. He benefits from being paired up with a target player up front so he can exploit the spaces with smart movements.

Marek Naskos (Slavia Praha), offensive midfielder born 2007.

Marek vision and ability to play through passes in the final third is outstanding! He was confident in shooting from outside the penalty box with both feet. From one of these shots he scored the second goal of his team with a precise shot directed towards the far bottom corner of the goal.

Marek next step can be to progress to the first team before being transferred to top 6 teams in Netherlands / Belgium.

Simon Sloncik (Slavia Praha), centre-back born 2007.

Simon is a tall centre-back with great physique and dominant in aerial play. He was able to set up the play both with progressive passes and precise switches of play and created numerical advantages with underlapping runs on the right flank. He also showed great confidence in stepping into midfield with the ball to beat the opposition pressure.

Simon physical readiness and mental strength allow him to be considered a profile for senior football in top 6 Clubs in Scandinavian leagues (Denmark, Sweden & Norway) to further progress to higher level (Bundesliga / Premier League).

To FOLLOW also Eryk Lukaszka (Bodø/Glimt), left footed right winger born 2008.