Miroslav Koubek Viktoria Plzen Tactic

Miroslav Koubek stands as one of Czech football's most enduring figures, whose career has spanned more than five decades. From his early days as a steady goalkeeper in Czechoslovakia’s domestic leagues to his later years as a tactically astute manager, Koubek’s journey is a testament to both resilience and adaptability.

Born in 1951, in Prague, then part of Czechoslovakia, Miroslav Koubek’s fascination with football began at a young age. His professional playing career began with Poldi Kladno, a club based in the industrial city of Kladno.

Koubek’s career as a player is most closely associated with his time at Poldi Kladno, where he spent the bulk of his professional playing years. The club, while not amongst the giants of Czechoslovak football at the time, provided Koubek with a platform to hone his craft.

As his playing days wound down, Koubek began to show a keen interest in coaching—a transition that would see him leave an even larger mark on Czech football.

Koubek’s first forays into coaching coincided with his final seasons as a player. He began working with youth teams at Poldi Kladno, transferring his experience and knowledge to the next generation.

His approach was methodical: he believed in building strong fundamentals and emphasised discipline and tactical awareness. Soon, his reputation as a promising young coach took root.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Koubek steadily ascended through the ranks, taking on roles at several Czech clubs. His early managerial stints included periods at Kladno and SK Slaný, where he was tasked with overseeing both senior sides and youth development.

These formative years were crucial in shaping his coaching philosophy and cementing his commitment to player development as a cornerstone of his approach.

Koubek’s breakthrough as a manager came with his appointment at FC Viktoria Plzeň in the early 2000s, where he served as an assistant and later as head coach. He continued to build his resume with roles at teams such as FC Zenit Čáslav.

At each stop, Koubek was known for his attention to defensive organisation and the ability to quickly stabilise underperforming squads.

A major highlight came during his time with FC Banik Ostrava. Appointed in 2009, Koubek led the team to win promotion to the Czech First League in the 2009–10 season, a significant achievement for both him and the club. This success brought Koubek wider recognition and solidified his reputation as a manager capable of achieving results on limited budgets.

The next notable chapter unfolded at FK Mladá Boleslav, where Koubek was appointed head coach in 2011. There, he guided the team through Europa League qualifiers and secured a solid domestic finish, proving he could deliver at the highest levels of Czech football.

His growing stature led to further opportunities, including a brief stint at SK Slavia Prague in 2013, one of the country’s most storied clubs. Although his time at Slavia was short-lived, it underlined his credentials and ability to work under intense scrutiny.

Koubek’s crowning achievement as a manager came with his appointment at FC Viktoria Plzeň in 2014. Tasked with reclaiming the league title, Koubek implemented a disciplined, no-nonsense approach that paid immediate dividends.

Under his guidance, Plzeň captured the Czech First League championship in the 2014–15 season, showcasing not just tactical acumen but also the ability to manage high-profile players and expectations.

This triumph marked the pinnacle of Koubek’s managerial career, earning him admiration from peers and pundits alike.

Miroslav Koubek’s managerial style is defined by discipline, organisation, and a clear tactical identity. He is widely recognised for his emphasis on defensive solidity, often building his teams from the back and ensuring that every player understands their role within a structured system.

Koubek is also known for his direct communication style: he is honest, sometimes blunt, but always committed to getting the best out of his players.

Another hallmark of Koubek’s approach is his adaptability. He has managed clubs with varied resources and ambitions yet consistently delivers stability and improvement.

His training sessions focus on tactical drills, fitness, and team cohesion, reflecting a belief that success is born of collective effort rather than individual flair.

Throughout his tenure, Koubek has most frequently deployed a 3-4-1-2 or 3-4-2-1 formation, which provides both defensive stability and attacking flexibility. This shape allows his side to maintain compactness in the middle of the park while also supporting quick attacking transitions.

The double pivot in midfield—comprised of a holding midfielder and a more box-to-box operator—acts as both a shield for the back line and the engine for transitions. The attacking midfield consists of two playmakers, often tasked with creating scoring chances and interchanging positions to disrupt the opposition’s defensive shape.

The lone striker is expected to be mobile, able to drop deep to link play, and proficient at finishing chances created from wide and central areas.

In attack, Koubek’s teams favour direct play and quick transitions. While not averse to patient buildup, especially when protecting a lead, Plzen under Koubek often look to exploit spaces behind the opposition defence with rapid ball progression.

Data indicates that Plzen, under Koubek, averaged around 1.5 goals per game, with a conversion rate of approximately 14-16%, underscoring their efficiency in front of goal.

As a formation in game, we will use the 3-4-2-1. With a sweeper keeper on defend duty. He doesn’t need to go out of his way to sweep up the loose balls, his main task is to stop goals.

The back three is made of three central defenders on defend. This role distribution keeps the defence balanced, making the players react and play according to each game moment, keeping the team defensively solid.

The midfield area is flexible, even though the given roles might not suggest that.

Two wing back on support were used to make sure that when needed, these two players defend. But when the team has possession of the ball, they will go up the pitch in the rhythm of play and help out creating goalscoring chances.

The midfield is asymmetric, to try and balance out the formation as much as possible. Since we need cover for our defence, the defensive midfielder on defend was chosen. He is meant to screen the defence and recycle the ball. As such, I asked him to take fewer risks when having the ball.

The other position was assigned a segundo volante role on attack. We need this player to be a shuttler between defence and attack and link-up play. As such, he needs to get further forward. And arriving late in the opposition’s area provides an extra attacking opportunity.

As I am not a fan of double pivots, I chose an attacking midfielder and an advanced playmaker role for the two attacking midfielder roles.

They are both tasked with creating goalscoring chances and orchestrating attacks. As the attacking midfielder role comes without any player instructions, I assigned to him the ones of take more risks, dribble less and mark tighter.

The attacking playmaker may become a goal threat when needed, overlapping the striker.

And the striker was assigned an advanced forward role, being asked to mark tighter.

The way the formation is created is to be balanced in defence and to disrupt the opposition’s defensive organizational when the team has possession of the ball.

I chose positive as mentality.

In possession, balanced attacking width, and play out of defence. A balanced passing directness and a slightly higher tempo. Play for set pieces, to maximize the goalscoring chances and be more expressive, to encourage the creative players to express themselves outside of the tactical limits when possible.

In transition, counter-press, counter and distribute the ball to the centre backs as much as possible.

And out of possession, a mid block and a standard defensive line. Trigger press is more often, as the team had 9-10 PPDA when the tactic was employed.

Prevent the goalkeeper short distribution and force the opposition outside were also added.

Using this tactic, we were champions in my building a nation save in Romania, with FCSB. Domestically, we won the Super cup and were runners-up in the cup.

And in Europe, we were knocked out from the league phase in the UEFA Champions League.

Miroslav Koubek has managed quite a few teams during his career. But his best time seems to have been managing Viktoria Plzen. And I think we were privileged to have bene able to witness his team play.