Czech Mozart Rosicky not joining chorus
Reuters - Monday 11 June 2012, 17:25
Tomas Rosicky will not
be singing the national anthem at Euro 2012 because the last
time he belted it out before a match his team lost, the Czech
captain said on Monday.
The tricky midfielder who orchestrates the Czech attack is
key to the team's chances of rebounding against Greece on
Tuesday after they were overwhelmed 4-1 by Russia in their Euro
2012 Group A opener.
Just do not ask the man they call "Little Mozart" for his
trickery on the pitch to showcase his musical talents before the
game.
"I haven't sung it for a very long time," Rosicky said. "I
sing it in my mind. I am superstitious and every time I sung it
in the past, we lost."
Rosicky, whose pinpoint passing and ability to run at
defenders makes him a constant threat, was also part of the Euro
2004 team who lost to Greece in the semi-finals but he said
there was no feeling of revenge.
His team are instead looking forward to fixing the errors
against Russia in which players lost possession and left to many
gaping holes for Russia to exploit.
"Our mental state is very good," Rosicky said. "We have a
chance to correct the errors we made.
"I still feel bad about that Greece loss in 2004 but this
game is not about revenge," he added. "Both teams have changed a
lot."
Rosicky came through the Russia game without aggravating an
injury that kept him out of the final two warm-up matches,
giving the Czechs no injury worries before they face Greece.
Coach Michal Bilek is likely to make changes to his line-up
but Rosicky said it was just important for supporters to get
behind the team after some of them booed the team during the
Russia game.
"I wish they would support us during the whole match," he
said. "The team is really worth it."