Before the match against Jagiellonia Białystok, coach Mariusz Jop assessed the squad situation, Jordi Sánchez’s departure, the opponent’s strengths, and Wisła Kraków’s mindset.

Asked about the squad situation for the match against Jagiellonia, including the players’ fitness after the game in Kielce and Frederico Duarte’s return, the coach replied:

“We have some health issues in the squad, but we will use the players who are available. Of course, the injured players are continuing to make progress and are getting closer to being ready to play for the first team.”

Pressed later in the press conference about Patryk Letkiewicz’s fitness after the Polish Cup match, the coach declined to provide specific names:

“I don’t want to discuss individual players. I used the match against Korona as an example: we didn’t know until the end that the left-back would not even be in the squad of twenty. I see no reason to make things easier for our opponent by saying who is injured, how long they have been injured, when they will return, or when they will not. Let’s simply not make the opponent’s job easier, because there is no need to. Let the coaching staffs do their work and look for information. So I absolutely don’t want to discuss individual players or who is in what state of health, whether they have recovered or not. Once the matchday squad and starting eleven are announced, we will see what the situation looks like.”

Asked when he learned about the striker’s departure, the coach explained:

“I received that information on Sunday evening—that such a situation might occur.”

Asked to assess the overall situation and its circumstances, Mariusz Jop admitted:

"Jordi faced a very difficult dilemma when making this decision, because on the one hand he was at a club where he felt very comfortable, a club that had also helped him, but on the other hand he had helped the club too, repaying it with his good performances and the goals he scored at the PKO BP Ekstraklasa level. We should also remember that Jordi came to us after what you could call a six-month break from playing, having arrived from Japan. It took us a long time to integrate him into the team, and in the meantime he also suffered a serious injury resulting from his uncompromising approach to defensive actions and the commitment he always showed to the team. I also want to remind you that before the season, it was not at all obvious that Jordi would stay with us, hence the clauses in the contract, which on the one hand were beneficial to the club, but on the other also gave Jordi an opening. We know that the position he plays can mean that five or six weeks have a major impact on how a footballer is perceived. I think a goalkeeper or center-back never has a chance to change opinions about himself in such a short time—he can change them, but only in a negative direction, by making mistakes, whereas a striker or attacking player has that opportunity because simply by scoring goals, he attracts attention. And that was the moment that, as I said, made this a very difficult decision for Jordi to make. He made that decision with himself, his family, his loved ones, his career, and the fleeting nature of that moment—the prime time he was experiencing at that point—in mind. So I understand him on a human level, but it is certainly an uncomfortable situation for the club and the team, because we know that there is very little time to make any move, firstly, and secondly, Jordi was a profile of player we do not have in our squad, so the lack of this type of striker certainly reduces our attacking options."

Commenting on his conversation with the player after he had signed a contract with his new club, he added:

"Jordi came in, behaved courteously, and thanked the entire team and the entire staff. He came before us, said what he felt, and I believe that was absolutely the right way to act. That is how it should be done when leaving a club, even in circumstances like these, because we have to look at the perspective of the player and the person, and the situation he was in."

Asked whether the player's effectiveness at the start of the season and his departure had come as a surprise to him, he replied:

"Jordi's effectiveness was certainly a kind of surprise, because when we look at his goalscoring record in previous seasons, he had essentially never had a season like the start of this one, so it was certainly a kind of surprise—but a positive one."

When asked about the potential negative impact of this transfer on the team's morale, he replied:

"Absolutely not. I think every footballer understands his decision, but it is more of a motivating factor than a demoralizing one."

Asked whether emergency efforts to find a new striker had been undertaken after receiving information about Sánchez’s departure, the coach replied:

“It’s not that the sporting department is closing its doors because we have a complete squad and nothing is happening there. There is still a hierarchy of players who could potentially join Wisła Kraków, and there has probably been some activity regarding the striker position. However, let’s remember that even under normal circumstances it is very difficult to find a specific type of number-nine striker for a certain amount of money, and it is even more difficult to do so in two days. It would really be something exceptional if, in such a short time, a player were found who could genuinely help the team.”

In response to a question about replacing the striker and the suggestion of Ángel Rodado, the coach explained:

“Of course, there are other ideas, but I won’t talk about them at this press conference. Naturally, the most obvious solution is Ángel in the number nine position.”

Asked whether Élie Youan was being considered for that position, he briefly confirmed:

“He may be considered for the number nine position.”

Asked to assess the confusion surrounding the Jagiellonia coach and to comment on his own relations with the refereeing community, Mariusz Jop stated:

“I wouldn’t want to assess this situation directly, because the relevant committees are responsible for such assessments. However, I can say from my own perspective that any attempt to influence a referee, causing their decisions on the pitch to favor one of the teams—meaning that the basic principle that everyone is treated equally no longer applies, or that it affects other teams competing—is absolutely reprehensible and should not happen. My contact with referees generally begins when we meet on the pitch, when the referees are warming up and we go out to see whether they will also inspect the pitch, or when we greet each other before the match itself. That is the extent of my relationship with referees before matches. I think that is how it is for the vast majority of coaches.”

Referring to concerns that this situation might lead fans to speculate and look for a hidden meaning, he added:

“It certainly casts an unfavorable light on the work of the referees, even though I know they have a very difficult job, because someone is always unhappy with them, and a situation like this certainly does not help them. I am convinced there will be plenty of jabs and comments from the stands suggesting that there is some kind of hidden agenda. It is a shame that such a situation occurred, because it certainly does not help football in general.”

Analyzing the opponent’s attacking potential, the Wisła Kraków coach noted:

“When analyzing an opponent, we have to look at all phases of play, not just attacking or defending. However, I agree with the view that Jagiellonia appears to be a team in good form, one that secured a place in the Europa League group stage. It is certainly a team with a great deal of confidence, thanks to the results they have achieved in recent years. There is stability in terms of the coach, and the ideas and style of play have remained the same. Players are rotated in different positions, and it must also be acknowledged that the coach can integrate them into the team quite quickly. Jagiellonia, of course, like to build up short, doing so boldly, and they have the technical quality for it. But they can also be dangerous on the counterattack, because they are a well-rounded team in attack. They do not rely on just one way of playing; their versatility is certainly evident, above all in what I mentioned: their confidence with the ball under pressure and in possession-based attacks. These players know what they are supposed to do, and they also take risks in the final third, which often pays off. However, they are not a flawless team either, and we will also look for attacking solutions to exploit the spaces the opponent creates.”

Asked further about the strength of Jagiellonia’s wings and whether the full-backs might be instructed to focus exclusively on defending, he explained:

“It is true that Jagiellonia’s wingers are strong, and their coach also has various options at his disposal. As for any particular message, I think the primary role of full-backs is defensive play, so there is nothing new here. I think both Gigi and Krzyżu are players who are good in one-on-one duels and have shown that many times this season, so we absolutely do not intend to change our style of play just because we are playing Jagiellonia.”

Asked whether he was drawing on preparations for the Polish Super Cup clash, he added:

“I think that was quite a long time ago, so I absolutely would not focus on that match. However, Jagiellonia's style and philosophy of play are similar to ours. I remember that the match was very even, and an individual effort by Imaz decided it, with Jagiellonia scoring and winning the Polish Super Cup. But it also showed that, at that time, we were capable of playing at a good level against such a team.”

Referring to the fact that Jagiellonia can be pragmatic in matches and conserve energy, the coach replied:

“I also heard the coach make similar comments, saying that if they can win a match while expending less energy, they try to do so, and that is understandable when you play every three days. They happen to have a longer break now and a standard microcycle to prepare. However, I would always focus on ourselves. I think we showed that Wisła Kraków plays to the end in our most recent match against Korona Kielce, where we played with belief, commitment and quality right until the end and scored late. So I think there is absolutely no need to worry that Wisła will lack patience or will not want to play for the win until the very end, because I think that is in this team's DNA, and our absolute aim tomorrow is to play for all three points.”

Asked directly whom he considered the favorite for the upcoming match, Mariusz Jop stated:

“We are playing at home; we are the favorites for the match.”

Asked about the differences in defensive play after promotion from the first division and about the opponents' preparations, the coach assessed:

“Not only in the PKO BP Ekstraklasa, but in the first division, every opponent prepared for us, because it is natural to analyze the opponent and prepare for a given match. This is a standard part of the job not only at the PKO BP Ekstraklasa level, but I think in the first, second and third divisions as well. Whether they sit back—I don't know. Certainly, these matches look different; from our perspective, the defensive phases are definitely longer than in the first division. But we knew that such a situation could occur, and I think we also show that whether we defend in a medium, high or low block, we can be patient and control the match through our play without the ball.”

Asked about the team's adaptation process in the new league after moving from the role of clear favorite, he added:

“This was a challenge set for the team not by me, because we knew that we needed more time to adapt to this league. I think it was clear that in the first two, three, or even four matches, there was a lot of nervousness in our actions with the ball. I think we’ve already toughened up a bit in this league and know what we’re capable of. These matches show that we can play at a good level against Górnik and Korona, and also, for example, in Szczecin. So I think time is working in our favor, and with every match the team is able to show more of its identity, its DNA, and what we want to do on the pitch.”

Asked which aspect of the game would be crucial in the upcoming match, he concluded:

“Once again, I would have to put some emphasis on what we want to pay particular attention to, but football is never just one element. It always consists of many phases of play, and if I had to single out one, I would say: effectiveness in our actions, both offensively and defensively.”

Referring to Alan Uryga’s performance in the match in Kielce and the question of the role experienced players play in building the team, the coach noted:

“I think we have many leaders within the team, and I also don’t think that this is only the case after the match against Korona. Alan is one of the leaders because he has always been one of the leaders. I think age is not all that important here, because younger players can also shoulder this burden to some extent—but I mean the burden of responsibility for themselves, as well as for the team.”

Asked about the details of the tactical plan and whether they might concede the initiative to the opponent, he cut the answer short:

“Well, you’re asking about the strategy for this match; I wouldn’t want to talk about the strategy for the upcoming game.”

Summing up the summer transfer window and commenting on the number of five new players, Wisła Kraków’s coach said:

“I can confirm that I’m satisfied, because I also know what our capabilities are, how difficult this market is, and how much work the entire sporting department has put in. These are not simple matters, even when you have a great deal of money—there are many examples of clubs in the PKO BP Ekstraklasa. It is certainly more difficult when those resources are simply smaller and your financial competitiveness is lower. Of course, Wisła Kraków has other strengths. So yes, I’m satisfied. We also have to understand that when we sign certain players, we simply believe in their potential, but they need time to show it. Jordi is perhaps a very good example of how long you sometimes have to wait for a player to reach the right level and demonstrate his quality.”

Asked about president Jarosław Królewski’s declaration that funds from Sánchez’s transfer would be allocated to winter reinforcements, he added:

“I don’t need to hold the president to his word; I think that if the president says something publicly, that’s how it will be. I think this is good news in that it will create greater opportunities for the sporting department to take action.”

Referring to reports that the club was attempting to sign Szymon Włodarczyk, he replied:

“I wouldn’t want to talk about people who aren’t with us, because there were many more names, so I don’t think there’s any need to comment on it. There were several high-profile names, but as we can see, without a final result, so there’s no need to talk about it.”

Asked to assess the changes to the schedule and the introduction of longer international breaks, the coach admitted:

“From a club coach’s perspective, this is certainly a good situation because, for example, we can focus more on injury-related issues so that the players can recover. We can work on certain elements, and we can also give the players time to rest—which every coach will probably do—because the period since the start of the season has certainly been intense and exhausting in many respects. So the players definitely need to reset a little to reach a good physical and mental level again.”

Referring to the film crew’s constant presence while producing the series about the club, the coach reassured everyone:

“Canal+ is with us; we’ve already grown accustomed to their presence—you could say we absolutely don’t notice them anymore. They don’t get in our way at all; they are professionals, so we are not worried about leaks or anything of that sort. In a sense, they are now part of our team because they are in places where the camera would normally be far away. But I can assure you, they are professionals, as this is not Canal+’s first production to see the light of day. We are also very grateful that Wisła Kraków was chosen for this season’s production.”

The full recording of the 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.