Mariusz Jop after the #WISGKŁ match: The game was enjoyable for the large crowd. We thank them for their support!
Coach Mariusz Jop summarized the thrilling 3-2 victory over Górnik Łęczna. He praised the team's attitude and thanked the fans for their large attendance.
"Congratulations to the team. I think the first half, especially, was very exciting and high-level. High intensity. We knew that the opponent was in good form. This is evidenced primarily by the fact that they often have goals scored above XG in recent matches. This shows that the team is in form, and they demonstrated that in several situations. Although it must be admitted that they had fantastic effectiveness in the first half, because from a set piece and the first counter-attack they launched, they scored a goal. I think the emotions that were there today, especially in the first half, and the game itself could have been enjoyed by the large crowd. We also thank them for their support. A very large number of them came to the stadium today, and as usual, we felt their strong support today. So, I also thank them for what they did. We could have controlled this match more calmly earlier. We also created chances in the second half. It's a pity that we didn't manage to convert any of them into a goal. The opponent had their chances towards the end, where there were set pieces, which is always dangerous. However, it wasn't like they had situations where Leta had to make good saves. Congratulations again," Wisła Kraków coach Mariusz Jop began his summary.
"Anticipating questions. We certainly have a few injuries. We don't have an exact diagnosis yet regarding the players who reported during the match or left the field due to injuries," he added.
Wiktor Biedrzycki's health status.
"Ankle joint injury. It's more about the plantar tendons there. Something to be investigated," he said.
Angel Rodado's injury.
"We still need to diagnose it accurately, check it, but there's pain around the shoulder that was already injured," he said about the players' health.
Górnik Łęczna's performance in the match and the reasons for conceding goals.
"As I said - fantastic effectiveness in these situations. Of course, there are always some errors along the way. When we analyze each goal, it's practically never just one player; it's always a chain of improper actions that lead to the opponent getting into a scoring situation. In this case, you can point out to three or four players that they could have acted differently, because it was our high press, a press from which we also scored a goal, but in that situation on the flank, James lost the duel with Orlik, then there was a through ball, and the defenders also hesitated a bit here instead of dropping back earlier. Then, in the final phase, the ball could have still been cleared, because Dario practically had it at his foot. Such situations happen, as I said. The opponent today confirmed that they are in good form, very dangerous in quick attacks, with players who have the predispositions for such a game. The second goal was a set piece. There was a flick-on from the near post, which is always very difficult to defend. If there's a deflection from another zone, the ball then drops into a space that is harder to guard, and that was the case here. Moreover, the opponent is statistically low in terms of the number of corner kicks, but their XG and effectiveness from these set pieces are high. This was unfortunately confirmed again today. We, on the other hand, had a lot of set pieces, but we also converted one of them into a goal. You could say it was a draw in that regard," continued the White Star coach.
Could they have played more effectively?
"Recently, we talked about creating fewer chances. That was the main criticism after the match against Odra Opole, so today I think we created a lot of chances. I believe that if we convert three in every match and score three goals, that's enough. Of course, we can always say that we could have scored more, because that was the case, but let's appreciate what we have," stated the coach.
Controversial situation in the first half?
"From my perspective, I didn't see if 'Lelo' hit the knee or the ball, but there was definitely a central defender in the middle. I don't think there should be any talk of a red card. At most, a foul and a yellow. However, I didn't see that situation in the TV replays. From my perspective, I can't judge it, but I think we have to trust the referee, because even if it was a mistake, I think these mistakes happen sometimes, just like they do to anyone else, whether it's a player or a coach, and it's simply factored into the sport," he assessed.
Did Patryk Letkiewicz hesitate when coming out to the Górnik player for the guests' first goal?
"We watched the replay of that situation. With the pass behind the back into the flank, I think he couldn't take the risk. Just as easily, that ball could have gone directly to the striker, and then if he had been roughly on the sideline of the penalty area, the goal would have been completely empty. That would then be considered a mistake, because he didn't know where the ball would be at the moment of the pass. Later, with the pass along the penalty area, I think it was difficult to cut it off there. I absolutely wouldn't see any mistake there," he said in defense of our goalkeeper.
Long-range shots. There were more of them today.
"I think it's not some groundbreaking discovery that when the opponent is sitting deep and with a large number in the penalty area, it's one of the solutions that can lead to a goal. We took a lot of such shots today, not only Duarte, who scored a very nice goal, but there were more of these shots. Moreover, the opponents also tried these long-range shots. Statistically, we also knew that Górnik is a team that allows the most shots from outside the box. So, that's one analysis, and two, as I said, it's one of the solutions against a low defense. So yes, that was something we wanted to do," explained the coach.