After an exciting and evenly matched game in Szczecin, Wisła Kraków coach Mariusz Jop summed up his team’s performance, control of the match, and the players’ fitness and squad situation.

Assessment of the match and the point earned
“We certainly have to appreciate this point on a difficult ground against a very good opponent. I think the team performed well and very well at many moments. I think what we improved, what was visible, was that we had greater control over the match through possession. Of course, we did not avoid our mistakes. On the one hand, we appreciate earning our first away point, but on the other, there is also some disappointment because after Bozic’s chance in the 87th or 88th minute, we were very close to scoring a third goal. It was an even match, and I think the fans generally enjoyed it. A great atmosphere at the stadium; I think these are the moments for which we do what we do. So once again, congratulations to the team on a good performance and earning a point on difficult ground,” coach Mariusz Jop summed up the match.

Possession and turnovers in midfield
Asked to comment on the moments when the team lost the ball easily and on James Igbekeme’s performance, the coach said:
“It came from the fact that there is an opponent on the other side who also has their own plans and there are moments when they execute them effectively. There are moments when we are better. In football, it is always the case that I and my opponent, in roughly the positions we occupy and the spaces we are in, are always trying to outdo each other—I would not say deceive each other—but whoever is better at a given moment, whoever is more cunning, whoever shows more quality, maturity, or experience at that moment. We have to admit that Pogoń’s first counterattack was excellent, very quick in execution, and they turned it into a goal. As for James, I think he looked good today. He took two very dangerous shots. Overall, I think it was a good performance from him.”

Defence and cover against the opponent’s long balls
Answering a question about the opponent’s attempts to play balls behind the defensive line, the coach explained:
“We pay attention to that very often. We know that when in possession, covering the attack and protecting the space behind us is very important. That is standard, and it is once again a matter of execution. Either we do it better or we do it worse. In general, though, there were no situations in which the opponent got through one-on-one precisely after such a long ball behind our defence. It was more often after transition phases, when covering the attack is certainly more difficult because the players are simply positioned to build the attack.”

Changes to the lineup and Dario Grujcic’s performance
Asked about the change at centre-back and replacing Dario Grujcic with Max Maisonneuve, the coach explained:
“Above all, we wanted to give ourselves a little more in the buildup. We know that Darijo is a player who is very good in this aspect. Having a left-footed player on the left simply makes a difference here. The change was made because I could see that the match had taken a lot out of him. I remembered his situation: he had practically not played any friendlies during pre-season and had needed a long time to recover from a muscle injury. I assessed that it was a greater risk for him to remain on the pitch. I am not talking about an injury, but simply that, in my assessment, he was already lacking a little physically.”

Ángel Rodado’s situation
Asked why Ángel Rodado started the match on the bench, the coach replied:
“We know that Ángel is a fantastic footballer. He has done a great deal for Wisła. When he is fit, he can score against any opponent. His history is also that he had this injury for a very long time and underwent surgery. He trained somewhat differently, then later joined the team for more intensive work, and it was clear that it had taken a little out of him. I think Ángel will recover quickly and will also be a major strength for the team.”

Absences of Julian Lelieveld and Federico Duarte
Asked about the reasons for Julian Lelieveld and Federico Duarte being unavailable, the coach said:
“Lelieveld’s absence is the result of an aggressive challenge in the match against Górnik Josemy. Duarte also has a post-match injury. I would not like to speculate here about how long they will be out. Together with the entire medical department, we are doing our best to get these players back as quickly as possible so that they can help the team.”

Erwin Omic not included in the matchday squad
Asked about Erwin Omic’s absence, the coach explained:
“That was also an injury sustained during the week before the match. It was a situational incident in which he was struck in the quadriceps by a knee. This injury meant he could not travel for the match.”

Jordi Sánchez’s performance and Jeremi Guillemenot’s introduction
Answering a question about selecting Jordi Sánchez again and bringing on Jeremi Guillemenot late in the match, the coach commented:
“If a player has scored five goals in the previous four matches, then it is generally good to have such a player on the pitch. It is, so to speak, a kind of flow, a moment when a player can sometimes score even from what appears to be a difficult situation. Jordi is certainly in a very good moment, hence his presence on the pitch. I have already said that Jeremi is a player who needs time to reach his optimal level in many respects. He worked very well this week, which is why he appeared on the pitch. I think he will get more minutes as time goes on.”

Pogoń Szczecin coach Óscar García’s summary
Pogoń Szczecin coach Óscar García summed up the match and his team’s performance:

“I am quite a demanding coach, and of course it is still only the beginning of the season. However, as I said earlier and will repeat now, there are still many elements of our game that need improvement. We are really starting with the basics, with the first steps, and we are focusing on improving our intensity, our desire to win, and our willingness to give everything on the pitch. These are foundations that are already at a fairly decent level, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. As for the match and its result, I think we deserved more and had the opportunity to win it. In the end, though, the result is 2–2, and I think it was a good match for the fans to watch. But as I said earlier, there is still a lot in our game that we need to improve.” Influence of Attila Szalai’s absence on the defence
Asked to assess Attila Szalai’s absence and its impact on the defensive performance, the coach replied: “If we look at the goals, the first was a deflection, so there was little we could do, while the second came from a set piece. If we analyse the previous matches, we also conceded goals from set pieces with him in the team, so that is how it looks.”

Asked whether the centre-back’s absence had a decisive impact on the result, he added: “You never know. However, the first goal was practically impossible to avoid; it was not a mistake, simply a deflection. As for the corner, we never know how things might have unfolded. The goal was conceded, but it was not something he was responsible for either, so you never know—it is difficult to say.”

Areas for improvement and the lack of a win
Asked specifically what the team had been missing in order to claim all three points, the coach listed: “Above all, we lacked quality with the final pass, as well as efficiency when finishing some of our chances. First and foremost, in the first half, we certainly lacked control through possession. Those were the things we were missing in this match.”

The role of substitutes and assessment of the replacements
Asked to assess the players who came on in the second half, Óscar García stressed: “Whenever we make substitutions, we want to improve something in our game—whether tactically, technically, or physically. We always hope that the changes will help us. And, as I have repeated many times before, for me these are not players coming off the bench, but players finishing the match. They are not substitutes, but the finishers of the match. We expect them to maintain such a high tempo and to be decisive in ensuring that the match ends with this kind of high intensity.”

Debut of the new centre-back
Assessing the performance of the defender making his debut, the coach noted: “It was his first match not only with us, but his first match of the season altogether. He can play both at centre-back and on the left side of the defensive unit. He played a decent match. He had a difficult task today because Jordi Sánchez is an extremely dangerous striker, as he showed in previous matches. We managed to stop him today, so overall, both defensively and in terms of his individual performance, it was a good match.”

Marko Bozic’s movement and marking
Finally, asked about Wisła Kraków winger Marko Bozic’s freedom of movement on the pitch, the coach briefly replied: “Everyone knew it about Arjen Robben too—that he would cut inside, yet people still could not stop him.”