Mariusz Jop ahead of #WISRAK: Defense will always be the foundation
Ahead of the match against Raków Częstochowa, Wisła Kraków coach Mariusz Jop discussed the squad situation, finishing, injuries, and the opposition.
Squad situation and Marko Bozić’s return
Asked about Marko Bozić’s absence from the previous match and his readiness to play, the coach replied: “Marko has returned to training, so he is in contention for tomorrow’s match,” said the Wisła Kraków coach. “He trained all week, so he is in contention for the starting eleven,” the coach added.
The team’s finishing and attacking play
Regarding the lack of goals in recent matches and finishing chances, Mariusz Jop explained: “Finishing is something we work on in every training microcycle. It’s not as if we only start working on it when something isn’t functioning. However, if we look at the main metric, xG, which reflects the chances created, it is still an indicator of what we’ve managed to create. You could say we simply lacked finishing, especially in the match in Łódź, because we had fewer opportunities against Legia, although we had our chances too. We’re back at home, so I think the energy we’ll feel from the stands will always be an added factor and should help us be more clinical,” noted the Wisła coach.
The issue of injuries and workload in the team
Asked about the many injuries to attacking players this season and how they compare with previous campaigns, the coach replied: “What we’re experiencing this season is pretty standard for the league. There are mechanical injuries, as well as minor muscle injuries. For example, if we look at why Lelo was out, we remember Josema’s aggressive foul in Zabrze, which left Lelo with a problem with his medial ligament. It’s a somewhat similar situation with Jeremy. The club announced that it was a knee problem, so I can now say that after the match against Odra, it was a very similar situation: a mechanical injury, plus a few minor muscle injuries. At this point, it’s nothing outside the league average. But if we compare it with last season, when we had practically no muscle injuries at all, just one case over the entire season, that was exceptional. Here, though, first of all, autumn weather increases the risk somewhat; second, the workload is a little higher. I don’t see this as anything unusual, anything above the norm, or anything that doesn’t typically happen in football teams,” the coach commented.
Penalty assessment
Responding to a question about the penalties missed this season and any concerns related to them, the coach said: “I don’t see this as a problem. Looking at it, Rodado has converted a lot of penalties. Every now and then, one simply doesn’t go in, so at this point I don’t see any problem with the missed penalties, nor would I look for one. We know Mr. Grzesiu drew attention to it, but let’s look at the league matches, because that’s a completely different matter. There’s different pressure and a different workload. I wouldn’t include friendly matches in the statistics. Obviously, with a penalty, it’s mainly a matter of mindset. In Ángel’s case, he was off by a few millimeters, because the idea itself was good - to shoot higher. Even if the goalkeeper had dived to that corner, he probably wouldn’t have reached the ball. He was only slightly off; it happens, so I don’t see any problem with it at this point,” said the Kraków coach.
Form and support for Ángel Rodado
Asked about Angel Rodado’s form and how to help the striker, Mariusz Jop stressed: “The first and most important thing for a striker is whether he is getting into scoring positions or not. Angel is getting into them, so that’s very good news. How can we help? By supporting him and working on it in training; there’s no other way. I’ll say again that we’re playing at home, because that does matter, and the fans’ support matters too. The players feel it very strongly, and I think it should have a positive effect on Angel as well. I hope he’ll be clinical and, above all, that he’ll get into scoring positions,” the Wisła coach noted.
Analysis of Raków Częstochowa and a return to their former style
Referring to the opponent’s situation, their potential, and the change in the coaching staff, the coach said: “I agree that Raków’s potential is definitely greater than their current position suggests. I think it’s probably obvious that when there’s no stability and there are a lot of changes, especially in the coaching position, unfortunately, this is what happens. As for the coaching change, I think it’s an attempt to go back to the basics, in a way, because the new coach is actually an old one who knows these players very well and is associated with the good times when he was assistant to coach Papszun. I think the coach will want to use some of the old patterns that worked in the past. We also remember coach Szwarga from his time at Arka Gdynia. We know what style he prefers and what to expect. I think we have quite a lot of information. I watched Raków’s last match against Wieczysta. It seemed like something had started to move in the right direction and that they played quite well. But then again, I suspect there’ll be some slight reshuffling in terms of their style of play. I’m curious to see how it affects their performance, but they have a lot of potential. The team is particularly, very dangerous from set pieces. They’re very tall and physically strong, so I think we can expect a fairly simple style of play focused on that aspect,” the coach outlined the opponent’s situation.
The importance of defensive play
Asked whether a solid defense would be the key to success, the coach replied: “The foundation will always be defense, because in the matches we’ve won here, the duels were also very important, as was staying close together and defending as a team. That has always been very important and a priority for us, and it will be in tomorrow’s match too, because we know we’re in for a tough physical battle against an opponent that can do that and used to be known for it. In that respect, we absolutely have to be at least on the same level as our opponents,” the coach said.
Transition play and attack
Asked about the team’s attacking play and problems with fluidity in recent matches, Mariusz Jop replied: “I would separate those two matches, because if we look at the game against Widzew, I think there were a lot of very good moves in terms of building out from the back, where several things we’ve been working on were working. I think the problem in the match in Łódź was the transition phase. We won the ball back on the opposition’s half a lot, but didn’t turn enough of those recoveries into scoring chances. Sometimes it comes down to a decision, sometimes a technical error: someone lets the ball get away from them, someone passes to the wrong teammate, when another is in a better position. There are a number of things like that; it’s more about reading those situations, because you have a split second to do so. I was pleased with how many transition phases we had, although of course we didn’t make the most of them. We also had a few decent spells of possession. I think we were much better in Łódź than in Warsaw in that respect, and I hope we’ll do even better in the next match,” the coach concluded.
Expected opposition formation
Asked about Raków’s tactics for this match, the coach said: “I think Raków will probably play in a 3-4-3 formation, dropping into a low defensive block, a 5-4-1, perhaps a 5-2-3 when they try to push us back. Those are characteristic traits of this coach and the old Raków style of play,” predicts Mariusz Jop.
Stopping Patryk Makuch and the rival’s leaders
Referring to the threat posed by Patryk Makuch and the opponent’s other key players, the coach summed up: “We never focus on just one player, because I think that, apart from Makuch, several other players have similar characteristics. Fadiga too - a similar profile, perhaps a little less disciplined, but also a dangerous attacking player. The center-backs are very tall, and Repka is very tall too, so there are many physically strong players here. Of course, we know what to watch out for and what these players don’t like. However, we always have to focus on what we want to do, because we know what we’re looking for in each phase of defending, and we simply have to do our job well. Even though the opponent is a tough one, that’s what matters most,” said the White Star’s coach.
Stability at the club compared with the PKO BP Ekstraklasa
Asked about his tenure with the team compared to other coaches in the PKO BP Ekstraklasa, Mariusz Jop explained: “Ultimately, it always comes down to the team’s results, because you could say that the simplest solution is to change the coach when there is a crisis. I think that so far - I know the word crisis has sometimes been brought up here - but in my view, there hasn’t been such a crisis in the last two years in terms of results, because I can’t recall a time when we lost two league matches in a row. That shows there is a certain stability, and it goes hand in hand with what we see on the pitch, namely that the team is picking up points reasonably well. I think the two are connected. Of course, I’m in favor of coaches being given longer to work, because then they can show the philosophy and style of play they expect from the team, as these are not easy processes. You can’t do it in a week or two; it takes time, because these things simply take time,” the coach concluded.
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