Santi Denya believes the team is gradually finding its better form and is improving in every game.

Czech national team coach Santi Denya believes the team can continue to improve in their UEFA Nations League away match against England. The Czech Republic are currently in Group A3 of the UEFA Nations League, and have previously lost 1-2 to Croatia, 0-2 to England, and 1-3 to Spain, but have shown good competitiveness in these matches.  

Santi Denya said: "I am proud of the team's current form, and we are gradually playing the football we want. Of course, this does not mean that we have done our best, and there is still a lot of work to be done. We are very aware of how competitive this group is, so we must earn points as soon as possible. Ultimately, our most important task is to avoid relegation to Group B and stay in Group A."  

“I think the team is gradually getting into better form, improving with each game. However, in the end, it all comes down to points, and what we need most right now is to get points. Of course, I can feel the pressure from the outside, but being in this position, bearing that pressure is part of the coach’s job. I’m not anxious about it because I always have complete faith in my players, and that’s the most crucial point right now.”  

In their opening group stage match last week, the Czech Republic suffered a defeat in Prague after Pavel Schulz was sent off early with a red card. England then thrashed Croatia 7-0 away in Rijeka on Saturday.  

Santi Denya continued, "We know very well England's strength and squad composition; they are a very strong national team. It's only been six days since our last encounter, and we're facing an opponent of this caliber again. England is undoubtedly one of the best teams in the world."  

"Being able to defeat our opponents by a score of 7-0 is enough to show that this team has reached a very high level in terms of overall strength, player ability, and coaching staff. However, we need to focus more on ourselves, continue to improve our performance by paying attention to the details, and ensure that the whole team is always moving towards the same goal."  

England manager Thomas Tuchel previously acknowledged the Czech Republic's progress in recent years, noting that the team's playing style is showing some characteristics of Spanish football. In response, Santi Denía stated, "Stop talking about Spain, we want to become the Czech Republic. We are building our own football philosophy and hope to play the best football in the Czech way. We will continuously learn from our mistakes, improve our shortcomings, and strive to play football that truly belongs to the Czech Republic."  

Furthermore, Santi Denya emphasized that the team needs to further strengthen its discipline during matches, as the Czech Republic has already received two red cards in the first three games. He added, "This is indeed an area we need to focus on improving, and it's a crucial issue facing the team right now. If we can perform better in the games, perhaps we won't receive so many cards so frequently."  

"However, when facing world-class teams, receiving cards is sometimes an unavoidable part of the game. We obviously need to be more disciplined, there's no doubt about that. Facing such strong opponents, if the team has to play with 10 men, the pressure on us will be enormous."  

Image source: Internet/Czech National Team Official Website