Ahead of the away match against Lech Poznań, coach Mariusz Jop spoke about preparations for the game, the squad situation, Wisła Kraków’s playing philosophy, and the team’s character.

Lech Poznań’s cup defeat

During the press conference, the Wisła Kraków coach was asked whether Lech Poznań’s unexpected defeat to Siarka Tarnobrzeg in the STS Polish Cup could further strengthen the White Star’s belief in getting a positive result.

“We know that it makes no difference, and I don’t think there’s much point in looking for parallels here. Every match is different. Unfortunately, we also have some bitter experiences in cup competitions. These are certainly difficult matches mentally for a team like Lech, which plays in European competitions. One particularly difficult challenge for everyone is finding the energy needed to show what you can do. Matches like these are very difficult,” Mariusz Jop said.

Trip to Poznań and a battle for all three points

Lech Poznań have been performing very well in front of their home fans, while Wisła are still waiting for their first away win of the season. However, the coach stressed that facing the reigning Polish champions is an opportunity for his team to test what they can do.

“Lech have undoubtedly been one of the leading teams in Poland in recent years. They have a lot of individual talent, but for us, this is an opportunity to show what we can do and show the team against a very good opponent. We want to test ourselves. One of the reasons we earned promotion to the PKO BP Ekstraklasa was to play matches like this. I think this is a great opportunity for every player, and for us on the coaching staff too, to test ourselves. That doesn’t mean we’re going there just to have a kickabout and not compete for points. We want to cause an upset and play for all three points,” the Wisła Kraków coach stressed.

Staying true to their playing philosophy

Mariusz Jop also discussed how Wisła plans to counter an attack-minded opponent. He emphasized that the team has no plans to make significant changes to its approach to the game.

“We do not intend to significantly change our way of thinking or our way of playing. We are true to our ideas, our philosophy, and what we want to do on the pitch. Of course, we respect our opponents, as I said earlier: they are the leading team in Poland. However, we want to focus on ourselves, on our tasks, on what we can improve, and do that against a good opponent. We know that Lech are definitely a much better team when it comes to attacking. They also have their problems W defense, so we will want to take advantage of that too,” the coach explained.

Takeaways from the match against Raków Częstochowa

One of the topics was an analysis of a passage of the recent match in which Wisła allowed their opponents to take the initiative after scoring the opening goal. The coach pointed out areas that needed improvement.

“I think that when you score a goal, you first and foremost have to maintain your defensive organization, and above all, your aggression and proactiveness. These are generally our strengths, because we’re the best team when it comes to defensive duels. We’re also very high up in terms of pressing intensity, in second place. There are moments when, after a goal, you have to maintain that, and we were a little short of it at that point. We lacked a bit of fluidity in our play and made some poor decisions on the ball. Sometimes we wanted to switch play to the opponent’s half with a single pass too quickly, even though there was time and space to calmly build an attack from the back, as we had in the first half. That would certainly have been more effective for us then, but that’s history now, because I think the match against Lech will be completely different,” he said.

Squad situation and Marko Božić’s return

With regard to the squad situation, questions came up about Marko Božić, who returned to the matchday squad and got some minutes against Raków Częstochowa, as well as about Maciej Kuziemka’s availability.

“I think it’s natural that if a player misses a week of training with the team, or any football training at all, then it’s not as if he can train for three or four days and be in the same shape as before. A player simply needs time, and in every player’s case, time spent training fully with the team works in his favor. The same is true of Božić,” the coach replied.

Kacper Duda and his ability to shoot from distance

Kacper Duda, the hero of the recent match against Raków Częstochowa, was also a topic at the press conference. The coach was asked about the midfielder’s potential to score from distance and how his latest goal had affected his confidence.

“Kacper definitely has the ability to score from distance because he has a powerful, clean strike, with the top of his foot. Sometimes he takes a little too long to make that decision. Sometimes he wants to make it too pretty, to take too much time to line it up, because I’ve seen a lot of goals like that where the player simply made a quick decision and, even without hitting the ball perfectly, it still went into the net. And I think that’s something Kacper needs to work on too. Does it give him energy, make him smile and feel more vigorous? Of course, every goal and every win makes a player feel much better,” said Mariusz Jop.

The team’s character and fighting until the final whistle

Wisła Kraków have decided the outcome of matches in the final minutes several times this season. The coach was asked whether determination and the ability to play until the very end had become some of the team’s most important qualities.

“I think this is a quality of a team that always plays to the end, that never gives up. I think it’s something that’s very important among our team values, because we’ve placed a lot of emphasis on it from the very beginning. We saw this in the first division, too, and these aren’t isolated incidents anymore, because if it’s happened several times in a row, we shouldn’t call it a coincidence. It simply shows that this team has that belief and always plays until the final whistle,” the coach stressed.

Players’ versatility

W The topic of players playing in different positions was also raised during the press conference. Particular attention was given to Julian Lelieveld, who has recently emphasized his readiness to play several roles on the pitch.

“Lelo is an exceptional player in this respect. He has tremendous football intelligence, which allows him to adapt very quickly to different positions, and he’s a player who reads the game very well. We know that he has great quality in building attacks and sees a lot on the pitch, so it depends on the individual player. Miki is also a similar player: he used to play as a winger and has also played at full-back. In general, we have quite a few players who can play in several positions. That’s a great strength of our team,” Jop explained.

Risk of suspension for yellow cards

Ahead of the match against Lech Poznań, players including Kacper Duda and Alan Uryga are at risk of suspension if they receive another yellow card. Journalists asked whether the prospect of another match against Cracovia would affect the players’ approach to Sunday’s game.

“We have three players at risk, because Max also has three cards at the moment. I think the philosophy we’ve followed so far, namely focusing on the next match, still applies. We can’t think now about what’s going to happen in two rounds. Of course, the players should be careful not to pick up any more cards. However, we don’t want to focus on things like that, because the result is usually negative when we focus too much on them,” the coach replied.

Patrik Wålemark and wing duels

One of the biggest attacking threats for Lech Poznań is Patrik Wålemark. Mariusz Jop assessed the Swedish player’s form, also noting the defensive abilities of Jakub Krzyżanowski and Raoul Giger.

“I think Wålemark has been in very good form lately, and he showed that both in the national team match and in the league. He’s a very effective attacking player, with good dribbling, a good shot, a killer pass, and that distinctive ball to the far post. So yes, he’s definitely in good form, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be stopped. I think that, as I said earlier, as a team we’re capable of winning defensive duels, and Kuba and Gigi, our natural full-backs, are effective in that respect. I think there’ll be some interesting duels if those players start on the pitch. We’ll see how they turn out. But so far, Kuba has been doing great. You can’t really say that any winger has caused him many problems,” the coach said.

What is behind Wisła Kraków’s good results?

Journalists also asked about the factors that helped Wisła make a strong start to the season after returning to the PKO BP Ekstraklasa. W response, the coach cited, among other things, squad stability, physical preparation, and fan support.

“I think there’ll be time to sum that up, because today probably isn’t the moment for a broader analysis. But of course, what you said is important: you could say the core of the team has been kept together. We already know each other quite well and know what to expect from one another, and we’re well prepared physically. We also said that the workload would increase, and it did, and the players adapted to it well, so there are a number of factors. It’s never just one thing. Of course, there are home games and fantastic fans. You could find many more factors that have helped Wisła earn 21 points so far,” he said.

Lech’s response to the cup defeat

When asked later in the press conference whether he would rather face Lech buoyed by its earlier successes or motivated to respond after an unexpected defeat in the STS Polish Cup, the coach said:

“I don’t think it matters at this point. We accept things as they are, and there is absolutely nothing we can do about it. We’re focused only on ourselves, because whether Lech won or lost is something they have to resolve internally. But as I said earlier, the most important thing for us is what we do and how we do it,” Jop emphasized.

Refereeing controversies

There was also a question about the debate surrounding refereeing decisions in the PKO BP Ekstraklasa. However, the Wisła Kraków coach did not want to comment further on the matter ahead of the next league match.

“I wouldn't want to focus on this topic right now. We have a match ahead of us. I think everyone should try to do what they can do best. Mistakes will happen; players make them, coaches make them, and referees do too. We should remain optimistic that there will be fewer mistakes, and the issues the reporter mentioned should also be resolved by the referees among themselves. There are appropriate bodies to work on making their actions more effective,” he replied.

First Lech, then the Kraków derby

Although Wisła's next league match is the Kraków derby, Mariusz Jop firmly stressed that his entire focus is currently on the next opponent.

“Right now, I'm focused only on the match against Lech Poznań,” the coach summed up.

Ways to stop the opposition's attacking players

The final question concerned the specific tactical solutions Wisła uses in defense, especially against players with high levels of individual skill.

“It depends on the phase of play. If we're set up in defense, let's say in a mid or low block, there are moments when the winger is double-teamed by the fullback and another winger. There are also moments when it's one-on-one with the fullback or winger, because it depends on the situation. In transition, however, we want to react quickly, and there may be situations where, whoever it is - Wålemark or someone else - the player in possession is double-teamed, sometimes even triple-teamed. Distances and the initial setup determine this. We're talking about what we call rest defense, meaning thinking about defensive actions while in possession of the ball,” Mariusz Jop concluded.

The full press conference recording is available on Wisła Kraków's official YouTube channel. We encourage you to watch the video and subscribe to the channel to stay up to date with the latest news from the Club.