SPIEGEL: The 2004 European Championship was full of attractive football. Do you think this World Cup will follow the same trend?

Rosický: We'll see a combination of speed and precision, strategy and creativity, like we haven't seen before. The World Cup will far surpass the European Championship because there won't be a victor like Greece this time round. If you play defensively like that, you've got no chance of winning the trophy.

SPIEGEL: Many people think the Czech Republic have an outside chance of winning the World Cup. But the same has been true at many previous tournaments. Why does the team always disappoint at major championships?

Rosický: I don't think we've let ourselves down. We just play very aggressive, imaginative football. We don't sit back. So if we lose and get knocked out, it's always the same story -- "The Czechs are so stupid, they always just attack and then fall on their own sword."

SPIEGEL: But that's true.

Rosický: We're not prima donnas, though. We respect every team. In the European Championship semi-final against Greece, we had enough chances to win the game. The disappointment was huge. But at the World Cup we're not going to play for points. That just isn't our style.

SPIEGEL: Key players Like Pavel Nedved and Karel Poborský have already turned 33 years old. The World Cup is the last chance for the "great generation."

Rosický: Sure, and that means they'll fight and run till they drop dead. We just have to be careful that our will to win doesn't get out of control. Then we run the risk of cramping up.

SPIEGEL: If Pavel Nedved is the lungs of the Czech team, you're the brains. Trainer Karel Brückner says you're the most important player. Do you see yourself that way?

Rosický: To my mind Nedved is the star. He carries more authority than me -- I'm fairly reticent. I always say, "Leave the talking to others, just let me play."

SPIEGEL: You recently left Borussia Dortmund. You didn't achieve your goal of international success there. Why not?

Rosický: The first two or three years in Dortmund were fine: league champions, a UEFA Cup final, Champions League qualification. But then came the club's financial problems. After that it was hardly fun at all. By the end there weren't any smart strategic players left on the pitch -- players like the Brazilian Amoroso had gone. You can't play in the top league with only young players.

SPIEGEL: All the same, one of these young players, David Odonkor, is now in the Germany squad.

Rosický: His selection surprised me a little

SPIEGEL: Have you spoken to Odonkor?

Rosický: No. But, I've talked to Chistoph Metzelder and Sebastian Kehl.

SPIEGEL: And what's their take on the situation?

Rosický: I'd prefer to keep that private.

SPIEGEL: Arsenal just paid €10 million for you. Are you confident about playing in London, given the competition there?

Rosický: Arsenal has always been my favorite club. When Aliaksandr Hleb moved there last year I was really envious. I know I'll have to prove myself. But that's the reason I wanted to be transferred there. I want to improve -- I want the competition. I like their style of play: fast and direct. Along with Barcelona, Arsenal play the most beautiful football in Europe.

SPIEGEL: It's possible that you'll be playing in Dortmund again in two weeks' time. If you finish second in your group you could meet Brazil there in the quarter-finals.