Interview with Matej Jendrisak

Matej, you were leaving the Czech Extraliga as a guy with many merits on the national and international level. But still, it was not a given that you would experience such a success already during your first seasons in SSL. What was the reason for that?

MJ: First of all, I believe the fact that I was not 20 anymore when leaving the Czech Republic is one of them. As you are saying, I already had some status and that’s why it was clear that I am not coming to Linköping to be satisfied with the role of a substitute. And then it´s the team itself. It really worked out perfectly for me in all aspects – the coach, the playing system and people in the club, who helped me to get settled. It was a 100% match.  

A year ago, you have signed a new 3-years contract with Linköping after the quarterfinals already. That was quite early. Were you so confident that Linköping was the right club for you?

It was Linköping who took the initiative. They probably didn’t want to wait until the transfer period, when I could have gotten some other offers. And I personally preferred a long-term contract too. I don’t like to change the club very often. I know how hard it is and I wanted to build myself a position. Both me and my girlfriend are happy with floorball and life in the town.

It seems like it was a clever thing to do. You have made it to the SM-Finalen in both years. What made it possible from your point of view?

Our team spirit. A real one! Linköping is a bit different from other teams in SSL. We have never played with just one super-line with all the best players, but with our strength distributed in all our lines. And we are also obviously much better in the play-offs then in the regular season. I would say that it’s because we are not really such a technically well prepared team, but more a bunch of fighters, who work well together in the key moments.

On the other hand, you have beaten neither Falun (2015) nor Storvreta (2016). Is it possible to make it to the final again next season and take revenge?

It would be awesome, if we managed. But after this season I am well aware of the fact that it won’t be easy. It’s really really hard to make it just to the playoffs. Last season we had to wait until the very last round to actually make sure, we would play the quarterfinals. And then there are two more tough rounds before one is in the final. So let’s say if we are well prepared and have some sports luck, then we might manage. We did it twice, so why not again (smile).

This years SM-Finalen in the Tele 2 arena was a big deal for the Swedish floorball federation, when it came to promotion and media coverage of floorball in Sweden. A football stadium, the world record when it comes to the number of the spectators and so on. How was it to play in front of more than 18’000 people?

Honestly said, I didn’t really “notice” that. For me, it was important to be well prepared for the game to win it. All that was going on in the newspapers and online, I was trying to be as little involved in as possible. I was really curious about the hall, what it was going to look like and to see how far the field would be from the stands. That was well done, even if I would say that the spectators were a bit too far away. I liked the atmosphere better in Globen. But it was cool to realize after the game, when one is back from his own game bubble, that this was probably the biggest arena and the highest number of spectators one will ever play in front of. 

In half a year, there will be some more important games. The WFC in Riga, where the Czechs will be defending their bronze medal from Gotheburg. The last EFT in Lausanne was not very successful for the Czech team, who lost all its matches. Why aren’t the Czechs closer to the Swedes and Finns and why don’t they manage to beat Switzerland on a regular basis? There are more Czechs playing abroad than Swiss.

The biggest problem is the national competition. The other three countries have a better league. One could also talk about money, but I think that actually the players quality is even more crucial. There are way too many players of the mid-generation who just stop playing without the young ones having a chance to learn from them. Those are usually also the ones with the most stable performance during the whole season, who can keep the quality high. It seems like the Czechs only want to play floorball as students and once they are done studying, their priorities change. That means that the other countries generate a much higher number of players, who can make it on the international level.

When it comes to the current national team, I would say that compared to Switzerland, who had obviously made a big progress, we had been just standing still or maybe even took some steps back.