Wisła Kraków coach summed up the team’s performance, Ángela Rodado’s form and the refereeing decisions after the PKO BP Ekstraklasa match against Jagiellonia Białystok, which ended in a fully dominant 2–0 victory.

Assessment of the match and execution of the tactical plan

Asked to assess the course of the clash with Jagiellonia Białystok, coach Mariusz Jop replied:

“I think today’s match was very good on our part. From the first minute, we took the initiative. You could say that we controlled the game until the very end, both when we had the ball and when we didn’t. We played maturely today and stayed close together. You could say that the plan we had for this match was fully implemented. And I would remind you that we were also playing against a team that is no fluke, a very good team. We didn’t allow them much. I would even say that we allowed them very little.”

Commenting on the transitional moments and chances created, he added:

“We had a lot of chances because our high, mid and low defensive blocks all functioned very well. After transitions, we had many opportunities, especially at the start of the second half, when better execution could really have allowed us to run up a high score. Today I want to thank the entire team very much, because we showed the kind of Wisła Kraków we would always like to see. I think we are past the adaptation period. Today the team played very good football and was fully dominant in many phases.”

Asked whether, given the chances missed after winning possession in the second half, even greater efficiency should have been expected, the coach said:

“I wouldn’t look for problems where there aren’t any; I would appreciate what the players showed today. As I said, from my perspective it was complete control from the first minute to the last. Of course, you can always say that something could have been done better, because there are no perfect matches. And indeed, the transition phase—though above all the good work to win the ball, which started those moments—was something we sometimes failed to execute perfectly. That is something we have certainly worked on and will continue to work on.”

The team’s defensive work and Alan Uryga’s role

Asked whether Alan Uryga’s advanced position and number of recoveries in the central area had surprised him, Mariusz Jop explained:

“I believe in my team, so good play doesn’t surprise me. I’m very happy that we really played a great match today. Alan’s advanced position resulted from the tactics we had and how we were supposed to react in the high block. At times, there were phases when we simply caught Jagiellonia one-on-one. That is also why he was sometimes so high up the pitch, when the opponent opened up.”

Maciej Kuziemka’s absence

Asked about the reason for Maciej Kuziemka’s absence from the matchday squad, the coach briefly explained:

“It was due to health issues. An injury in training meant that Maciek was not considered today.”

Ángel Rodado’s form and the situation after Jordi Sánchez’s departure

Commenting on Ángela Rodado’s two goals and his role after Jordi Sánchez’s departure, the coach said:

“I wouldn’t see it as less competition; rather, Ángel is someone who takes responsibility upon himself. I think this is where his qualities as one of the team’s leaders come through. His form didn’t surprise me because I had seen how he looked in training, and you could also see progress in his play in the previous matches. I’m very happy that he scored two goals, that he also felt he would score goals at this level and could do so often.”

Asked whether Ángel Rodado had already reached the peak of his physical and footballing form, he replied:

“I think he may have, because you absolutely cannot tell anyone here that this is their ceiling. As for the physical side, he already looks good. Regarding his awareness of space and decision-making with the ball, those were also at a very good level today. As for his intuition in the penalty area and his good shot, he has always had those qualities.”

Asked whether, after Sánchez’s departure, the club would look for a free agent to play as a number nine before the winter transfer window, the coach admitted:

“I think the market will show us whether such opportunities arise. I assume that if someone is currently a free agent, they are not prepared. So even if we signed someone now, we would probably be thinking about them in terms of the next round, because that is probably how it would work. However, I absolutely wouldn’t want to make any definitive statement. The sporting department is constantly working on potential reinforcements or completing the squad, so we’ll see what life brings.”

Asked additionally whether the current squad contained a player with a profile similar to Sánchez’s, he replied:

“No. I’ve already said that this is a profile we don’t have.”

Assessment of Élie Youan’s performance

Asked about Élie Youan’s performance and the reason for his substitution in the second half, the coach explained:

“His style is to gain ground either by carrying the ball or through movement. He is certainly an unconventional player who can provide something extra. Of course, there are still aspects of his game where, at certain moments, he lacks a bit of composure, because when he feels he should take a moment to rest, he should simply play more simply. I think that also comes from his background, because he hadn’t played competitive matches for the previous six months, and you can see that some decisions on the pitch are not yet optimal. This is something I say very often: you have to be patient in such situations. However, he shows that he can help the team and contribute a lot. He is a very fast player who can also win individual duels, but today he worked very hard defensively as well. He was substituted because, in my assessment, physically he was already finding it difficult to occupy the spaces he needed to.”

Refereeing incident involving Marcel Łubik and Frederico Duarte

Asked to explain the second-half incident when the referee stopped play after Marcel Łubik took a quick restart, Mariusz Jop revealed:

“The fourth official explained it to me, because I was somewhat outraged when he changed the decision after receiving information from VAR that it wasn’t a corner but a goal kick. Marcel took great advantage of it, Duarte made a run, and we would have been in a one-on-one situation. The fourth official explained that it had been a refereeing error and that we could not benefit from it.”

The full recording of the post-match press conference is available on Wisła Kraków’s official YouTube channel—we encourage you to watch it and subscribe to stay up to date with the club’s content.