It’s never a good sign when a club is forced to apologize for an “embarrassment of a pitch” after the first home game of a league campaign. It’s an even worse sign when no one bats an eyelid when that happens. Because, well, you get used to it after a while. So badly are Bohemians run that they were the only club pushing Mladá Boleslav for the worst fan ratings in my first year of doing this exercise, finishing comfortably behind even Slovácko. So badly are Bohemians run that the coach had to cite Petr Mirvald as a counterargument to the (well-deserved) suggestions that ‘Klokani’ don’t scout, praising his “conditioning” above all else. The sole point after two games is arguably the least of their bad news.
Vision & Ambition: average rating of 2.0 (league median: 4.1); 2nd-worst behind Boleslav
Transfer Policy: average rating of 2.3 (league median: 2.9); 2nd-worst behind Boleslav
Presentation & Communication: average rating of 2.2 (league median: 3.3); 4th-worst
Matchday Experience: average rating of 3.0 (league median: 3.9); joint 3rd-worst
Youth Development: average rating of 1.8 (league median: 3.7); 2nd-worst behind Jablonec
Oof. Brutal. Matchday Experience is the sole flag bearer, and even there the average rating is worse than you’d probably expect for an iconic stadium where foreign neutrals flock every weekend, reflecting a steadily worsening situation with queues, malfunctioning turnstiles and beer quality — all against the backdrop of a “slight” 20% increase in season ticket prices.
And the more rich, ambitious billionaire owners flood the league, the worse they’ll make ‘Bohemka’ look by comparison. With every new top-flight show-runner like Zbrojovka’s Martin Jiránek, their 62-year-old sporting director Miroslav Držmíšek, appointed over a decade ago, will increasingly look like a serious drag. The longer the wait for planning permission lingers, the more tedious this “transition on the cheap” period will inevitably feel — despite the South Stand, on the tram side, by all accounts being ready for construction.
Meanwhile, club director Darek Jakubowicz is trying to convince everyone the family is ready to sell, while apparently insisting on some sort of clause that would allow them to take back the reins within two years should they be unhappy with the club’s direction. Whatever that actually means, serious bidders are unlikely to come knocking under those conditions. And so the familiar blueprint remains the short-term way forward for Bohemians: desperately avoiding relegation while hoping the new Ďolíček comes soon enough to spark a revival.
Looking back on 2025/26
What went right
Just like that, by a wide margin of one full year, Jaroslav Veselý is now the longest-serving Chance Liga coach not named Trpišovský. And what fantastic news that is for Bohemians, who didn’t waste any time in extending the best coach they could ever afford through June 2028. Honestly, if you think anyone else would produce the fifth-best xPExpected Points (xP) measure a team's likely point gain from a particular game; not only based on sum xGF and xGA, but also based on distribution of shots (ie. five 0.01 xG shots won't give you the same chance for a win as one 0.05 xG shot). rate with this squad, you must be mad. Veselý has already moved past Bohumil Musil, the 1970s manager who finished as high as 3rd with ‘Klokani’, on the club’s leaderboard in terms of games coached, and he’ll soon overtake Antonín Lanhaus for the third place, too. As long as he wants himself, Veselý will be allowed to attack the 200-match threshold. That seems all but guaranteed.
What went wrong
If you’re looking for reasons behind the discrepancy between their expected and actual point hauls, quite a few of them were actually beyond Bohemka’s immediate control. Opposing goalkeepers collectively saving 7.6 goals above expected is simply tough luck (more so while hitting the woodwork twelve times for good measure), though Bohemians shooters like Václav Drchal sure didn’t help it, underhitting the xGFExpected Goals For (xGF) estimates how many goals a team should have scored based on shot quality, location, and context. with their xGSExpected Goals Scored (xGS) only takes shots on target into account, including their power and placement on top of xGF. by over three goals.
Indeed, ‘Klokani’ surprisingly didn’t have a problem with entering the penalty area in possession — doing so successfully at the fourth-highest rate and completing the third-most passes and crosses in/to the box — but what they did inside it was far too often maddening. No team used up more open-play box entries for one non-penalty goal than Bohemians (15.7), and only one other team (Sparta) produced less xGF per one ball touch in the 18-yard box.
Most valuable player
Per my MVP model (traditional stats): Aleš Čermák (ranked 9th league-wide)
Per my positional models (advanced stats): Aleš Čermák (97th overall percentile at AM)
Aleš Čermák may have been the hottest midfielder in the league right around the pandemic, between 2019-21, yet it’s still entirely possible he has just turned in his most complex quality campaign ever at 31. He was at his most dynamic, for sure, pressing up high to create danger seven times (the league high was nine). He peaked as far as his defensive contribution goes, too. He was arguably at the top of his powers as a penetrative passer, generating the most expected threat that way after only Lukáš Provod. Together with the Slavia star and Tomáš Ladra, they were the only AMs to land in the top 25% for both deep passing and crossing.
And on top of some real, meaningful growth beneath the surface, Aleš Čermák also provided the counting stats most like to see more than anything else. He chipped in to a total of 16 goals scored and led the league with 50 chance-creating actions on top, delivering 10.5 EPAExpected Points Added (EPA) estimate the value of one's goals and assists based on game state (late game winners = top)..
Chip on the shoulder
Speaking of counting stats… boy aren’t they overrated!
Peter Kareem must be truly happy in love, because to sort through nearly 21 starts without contributing to so much as a single goal scored — even in just a tertiary role — is just… unheard of. He was third on the team behind Čermák and Vlasiy Sinyavskiy in chance-creating action production (21), quite often acting as the primary creator (9). He did all the right things with the ball: consistently moving it to the danger areas (7th in both net xTExpected Threat (xT) measures how the player increases the probability of scoring a goal by carrying or passing the ball. and xG build-up contribution), playing through balls, cracking the penalty area in possession at the third-highest rate, everything. Even without the ball he was a menace in hunting it down.
Yet here he is, with nothing to show for it. Sure, his open-play xA rate places him right in the middle of the pack (50th percentile), but even that is normally good for a few assists. Abdullahi Bewene or Jiří Fleišman were in the same boat as fellow 0.05-xA-per-game fullbacks without a point, but at least they combined for seven secondary goal contributions.
For Kareem, it was zero. Zero across the board.
Saying all that, knowing Bohemians (and Veselý’s frequent complaints about his lack of end product), and being aware of Boleslav’s active interest in his services, I was frankly shocked ‘Klokani’ still moved ahead to extend Kareem through 2029, by just one extra year. It might have been the smartest move Bohemians made since moving to buy him in the first place.
Inside the off-season
special thanks for guiding me through the motions of Bohemians Praha 1905’s off-season go out to @ogy_16, @martmartinec, Josef Vašička, Natyyy1905 & @rid4el
Squad turnover
You could perhaps make an argument that many of the departed players overstayed their welcome at Ďolíček, and some of them even made for good riddances, but when you’re retaining five members of the most-utilized XI and losing authors of 40 goal contributions, inclusive of those who notched 16 of your 29 tallies… you’re hardly ever in a happy spot.
Yusuf Helal and Václav Drchal may have endured historic droughts, combining for a miserable five points, but Lukáš Hůlka (4+2), Vlasiy Sinyavskiy (0+4) and Milan Ristovski (5+1) all instead enjoyed seasons that would be in the running for their personal best. Hůlka alone was the third-busiest defence-minded player in the league, having finished the previous three campaigns ranked 16th, 1st and 1st again among all Chance Liga footballers.
For long, Bohemians breathed through Hůlka; this will be immensely hard to get used to.
Biggest upgrade
At the end of the day, Milan Ristovski broke through.
He did so in the only way he really ever knew — by ghosting into the right areas (as we say in Czech: “nachomejtl se”) — but five goals are hardly nothing, even if three of them were basically buried from the goal-line. That being said, Ristovski was still arguably the most upgradeable piece of the usual starting XI. As someone who could no longer be considered a centre forward due to his deployment below the striker, he did far too little on the ball to qualify as a solid attacking midfielder, making his departure no great loss despite undergoing something of rehabilitation in the fans’ eyes and even becoming a bit of a cult hero for some.
In steps Václav Pilař, clearly uber-motivated to show everyone he’s still got it. And there’s tangible evidence he does. You’d better count on him for only 15-20 games per season, but when healthy, Pilař still has the dynamic qualities to make a difference despite approaching his 38th birthday (October). He ranks 10th out of 40 in the “proactivity & discipline” category.
Biggest downgrade
There’s no greater symbol of the 2019-26 Bohemians than Lukáš Hůlka, that much is beyond doubt. He was the captain, the emotional leader, the elegant force to be reckoned with. Until the very end, he remained somewhat nonchalant defensively at times, prone to switching off at the worst possible moment, but with an average percentile of 68.5 across the six metrics I group under “rudimentary defending”, he was a frequent saviour who is to be sorely missed.
That’s all the more obvious because he is right-footed and that’s quite a rarity at Ďolíček…
Need left to be addressed
Indeed, the biggest need left to be addressed is connected with the biggest downgrade, which is never a good combo. Replacing someone, who’d averaged 32.75 starts per season over the last four years, with David Heidenreich, who barely made as many Czech top-flight starts in his entire career (37), was bold to begin with. That he was benched after starting the opener, forcing David Lischka onto his off side, surprised next to no one. It was coming.
Make no mistake, Lischka was a spirited winter addition and you’re not exactly limiting his on-the-ball upside by shifting him to the right. On paper, they even create a nicely balanced duo with Jan Vondra who took some notable steps forward with his passing, hovering around the 90th-percentile mark in metrics like forward passes into the half spaces, accurate diagonal spreads, expected vs actual passing accuracy (plus 4.1%) and open-play penalty area entries. The thing is, Vondra is still very exploitable in his own end and currently coming off a longer injury lay-off that has left Bohemians dangerously exposed. Matěj Kadlec, Denis Vala and Jakub Tichý have combined for just 42 top-flight appearances. While the former theoretically possesses a tantalising combination of size and ball-playing ability, he’s yet to truly put it together at this level. And ‘Klokani’ can hardly afford to gamble at this position.
New kid on the block
Fully realizing they are a small fish in a big pond, Bohemians have re-positioned themselves to try to become a big fish in small ponds around towns like Mělník or Velvary. That’s commendable, but who knows whether it will actually usher in any meaningful change. A first block that isn’t going anywhere: the fact CU Bohemians, which runs the youth division, is de facto a partner to Bohemians Praha 1905; a different “company” altogether, with the big club mostly just contributing financially and otherwise having a very little say in how everything is run. A second block that isn’t going anywhere: while 14-year-old kids and younger are typically in the running for championships, U-17s and U-19s remain stuck in their respective second tiers without seeing a light at the end of the tunnel. The oldest category has just wrapped up a campaign dwarfed by the likes of Pardubice “B” or Chrudim.
That being said, it used to look far grimmer in the New kid on the block section. Jakub Tichý (b. 2006) is one of only two right-footed centre backs and could follow up on his spring debut. Šimon Černý (b. 2006) is back after a second-tier loan, hoping for more. And Matěj Šurýn (b. 2004) is the only truly fresh face, albeit on the older sign. Solid technically but in sore need to bulk up, he’s a right-sided player capable of filling in at right back or at wing. Given that the Květ arrival immediately pushed him outside the matchday squad, Šurýn is likely just an occasional filler, but what can you do? His more impressive colleague from the third-tier B-team, Oleksandr Koval (20), is now under contract at Vlašim; ran out of patience.
Looking ahead to 2026/27
Below is the team’s current depth chart with a maximum of 4 alternatives for one position. The colourful ratings are a static snapshot of the league-wide situation on 21 July, and they are just a playful bit to add flavour to it; the names featured should be relevant to this day. To learn more about my approach to constructing depth charts, with all its limitations, head here.
Primary formation
Given the sheer lack of senior centre back options, Bohemians are most certainly not returning to 3ATB3ATB means 3-at-the-back, ie. any formation with three centre backs and wingbacks, or alternatively, five defenders. anytime soon (they spent roughly 30% of 25/26 in this setup per Wyscout). Given the sheer lack of senior or junior centre forward options, Bohemians are most certainly not going two up top anytime soon, either. They are married to 4-3-3.
Colours I grappled with
The right-hand side was definitely a candidate for an upgrade, but Peter Kareem injured himself during pre-season, Jan Matoušek generally always injures himself (he was only available to feature in 15 games last term), and the backup options are also always injured (Dominik Pleštil, Vladimír Zeman) or haven’t shown much/anything of note at this level.
Notes on the depth chart
Ladislav Almási is clearly Veselý’s first-choice striker and something of a like-for-like replacement for Yusuf Helal, being another tall centre-forward who’s going to win a ton of headers. But that’s where the similarities mostly end. The Bahraini could force high turnovers and certainly offered more of a target-man game, albeit one in decline (he still completed more passes or crosses into the box than Chorý, Vydra or Adu), while the Slovak should bring a greater finishing edge and more box presence, with Yusuf ranking only around the 25th percentile for non-penalty xG inside the area in each of the past two seasons.
They were initially going to start side by side, but now that Roman Květ likely takes up one of the no. 8 roles, Vojtěch Smrž and Benson Sakala must think of each other as immediate rivals. That could be good news for Veselý who can either point to the steadier presence of Sakala, or instead choose the more adventurous Smrž who was in the top 15% DMs in open-play xA.
The last two summers, Michal Reichl headed my goalkeeping depth chart, only to ultimately surrender the reins to his rival. In 24/25, he eventually recovered down the line; in 25/26, he was never given the chance, as Tomáš Frühwald showcased a tremendously complete game and belatedly confirmed his credentials as, at the time, the club’s most expensive signing ever. While aided by a small sample size, Frühwald is the only regular GK to rank inside the Top 10 in all four areas of the game I distinguish, with only Markovič and Trmal coming close.
Roster battle to follow
Now it’s not a hot topic, but when Peter Kareem returns to patrol the right-hand channel, I’m looking forward to watching Milan Havel fend off attacks from Dominik Javorček. The Slavia loanee hasn’t shown much yet, and what he has shown has been built almost entirely on athleticism, but that was just one game. Havel is a beloved relic of the days when ‘Bohemka’ still produced decent homegrown talent, but the present day might be a bit too much for him as a nailed-on starter. He can still be a sneaky finisher at the far post, his trademark weapon, but he ranks as merely “mediocre” in all four areas of a full-back’s game, which is… yeah, actually, very Bohemians-like. He’s a very poor ball progressor at this stage of his career.
At the same time, do not sleep on Jan Kovařík. He’s still around, having just signed on for another season, and remains worth keeping at hand if only for his set piece acumen. Even from open play, he was one of the smarter crossers in the league among wingers and a real cutback-loving difference-maker in the final third. Granted, that came while nominally playing further forward and not worrying much about defending (which has been a constant headache), but as long as he’s around, all bets are off when it comes to Veselý picking him.
Season forecast
It’s quite fitting that Roman Květ is returning to a Bohemians side that’s good for pretty much the same forecast as it received in 2022, on the brink of suddenly breaking out for a Top 4 finish. That summer, Bohemians were projected to earn 34.4 regular-season points, ultimately earning 48 not least thanks to Květ himself pitching a career-high 11 points in just 13 appearances before getting snapped up by Plzeň. This summer, ‘Klokani’ are seeing their worst projection in all of five years, landing 12th a year after getting pegged for a Top 8 placement, only finishing with 40+ points in roughly 17% of simulations (it was 38% in 2025).
The fifth-biggest relegation candidate all told, whose season ends in either direct relegation or the play-off in one in every four simulations — certainly not where Bohemians supporters imagined they’d be three years after facing Bodø/Glimt. But hey, that’s what years of neglect do to you, and a Bohemians derby in Dublin sure sounds better than a cold north anyway!
Bold prediction
The track record: 0/5. Veselý stayed far away from a beating in the opener
The prediction: Bohemians kindly provide 3+ teams with their biggest wins of 26/27
The rationale: A couple of weeks ago, Bohemians fans were reminded of Patrik Le Giang, who somewhat belatedly debuted for Vietnam national team at 33 with a clean sheet. Still the owner of the longest clean sheet streak since the peak of the Kamil Čontofalský era a quarter of a century ago, Le Giang certainly deserves to be honoured by a bold prediction. And how better to honour him than in the spirit of his STEP BY STEP Foundation, which is helping disadvantaged children all over the world and fetched him a prestigious award in 2021?
Specifically, we’ll see Bohemians replicate Le Giang’s inherent kindness, spreading the joy by gifting at least three teams their biggest win on the season. Could Teplice be the first one in line? Perhaps, though they beat Bohemians 3:0 last July, so this July’s 3:1 wouldn’t have cut it.
I don’t think this is particularly bold, but it is also bolder than it might seem at first glance.
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