Before the “Kraków derby” against Wieczysta Kraków, Wisła Kraków coach Mariusz Jop discussed the squad situation, tactical preparations for an opponent who recently appointed a new coach, and the form of individual players.

Squad situation
“We still have some problems, but I wouldn’t like to go into details. Who will return when, whether they will join us or not. The army, so to speak, is not at full strength, but I think we have many players at a good level, so it isn’t a problem for us.”

Analysis of the opponent and the coaching change at Wieczysta Kraków
Asked about the difficulties of preparing the team for the match in the context of the opponent’s coaching change, Mariusz Jop explained: “It’s much more difficult to prepare for such a match because we know that the information came quite late. You could say that we had already analyzed Wieczysta based on their previous matches. Of course, we had to look at the history of what style of play this coach prefers, and we did that. However, it is always a question mark which option he will choose, how he will want to defend, and what he will want to focus on in attack. It is certainly an added difficulty.”

Referring to the lack of balance in the opponent’s play—great attacking strength combined with defensive problems—the coach said: “What we have observed and what we know is that when Wieczysta sign players, they are certainly footballers of great value and with considerable individual ability. However, they are often players with a strongly attacking profile. You can see it in their play: they certainly prefer to have possession and control the match through possession. They do not particularly like defending as a team. Of course, there was a certain defensive approach under coach Moskal. We still do not know exactly what adjustments Wieczysta’s new coach will make. One thing that certainly stood out was Wieczysta’s performances at the end of matches, when they conceded quite a lot of goals. It was clear that they had problems in the final quarter of an hour.”

Assessment of Wisła Kraków’s new player
“He is certainly a footballer who can even cover three positions: six, eight and ten. Technically advanced, a player who I think is well suited to our attacking style, but also someone who can provide a lot of running in terms of the number of kilometers covered during a match. He can defend as well. He is quite tall for a midfield player and is decent in the air. I think he will be someone who can help the team.”

Asked who the player would compete with in midfield, the coach added: “I won’t name just one, because there is already competition in midfield. There is Kacper Duda, James, Marc Carbó, Ervin Omić and Julius Ertlthaler, so there are potentially six players for two positions. Of course, we sometimes make adjustments and move players around, looking at who is in the best form. The competition will certainly be strong, and we will decide on and select those who are in the best form at a given moment.”

Match plan and tactical approach
Asked whether he preferred to play an open game or wait for the opponent to make the first move, the coach replied: “I think what I want does not matter at all. Wieczysta will have its strategy for this match. We have ours, and of course it depends on who takes the initiative and who imposes their conditions. My wishes do not matter much here.”
Asked further about the key elements of the upcoming clash, including patience in play, Mariusz Jop noted: “That is always valuable, but of course it will be very important in the match against Wieczysta, and it will also be very important for the players who come on from the bench.”

The club situation and the match atmosphere
Asked to comment on the atmosphere around the club and the support from the fans, the coach explained: “I think the club has already issued a statement on that matter, and I would not like to comment on the situation at all. I can only speak about what we have experienced so far. We have always had fantastic support from our fans; they have always been our ally. In the last matches, both at the end of the 1 Liga season and now in the PKO BP Ekstraklasa, the stadium was full and the support was fantastic. We are certainly counting heavily on the fans to be with us in every situation, including in the upcoming match.”

Asked what they had managed to establish about the new opposing coach’s style of play, he added: “We know what style of play he prefers and more or less how he defends. However, we also know that the coach has not had much time, and we know how these situations usually work. Of course, it provides an additional impulse for the players, but often, in situations of fatigue, when the match is underway, players return to certain habits they had before. I think that even if the coach imposes some of his own principles, at some point in the match those habits from the latter part of coach Moskal’s tenure will return, because I think that is how players often react.”

Individual player form – Ángela Rodado and Ellie Youan
Asked about Ángela Rodado’s physical condition and form after his recent appearances, the coach replied: “Angel certainly looks better in training this week, but the decision regarding the starting eleven is still ahead of us.”
Asked in turn to assess Ellie Youan’s performances and potential, Mariusz Jop said: “We need to give him a little more time. I remember that after the first match, when he came on and made one good play, everyone praised him, while after the match against Piast everyone criticized him very strongly. Let’s give him some time to settle into the team and show what he can do over a longer period. He certainly has enormous potential, and we are counting heavily on him, just as we are on everyone in the extended squad. I think the time will come to assess the players who joined us this season.”

Analysis of the goals conceded in the previous match
Responding to a detailed analysis of the situation surrounding the second goal conceded against Pogoń Szczecin and questions about the defense and goalkeeper, the coach explained: “It is often the case that when you concede a goal, there are several smaller mistakes made by several players. That was the case here too: three, four or even five players could have behaved better. I absolutely do not want to blame anyone personally, because we always function as a team. When we win, we win together; when we score a goal, we score it together, because that is how it works. When we concede a goal, it is the same. Of course, we analyze things individually within the team, but I am not going to say or point fingers here: this player should have done this or that.”

Mindset ahead of the derby
Asked about the pressure resulting from the fact that this is a small derby in the PKO BP Ekstraklasa, Mariusz Jop replied: “I don’t feel that kind of pressure. I think it is a match like any other, worth three points. We are the home team and will play in front of our supporters. We want to win; we have won our last two matches and want to build the strength of this stadium. We want to play entertaining football and score goals, and it will be the same in the upcoming match.”

Condition of the newly laid pitch
Asked about the condition of the newly laid pitch at the stadium, Mariusz Jop explained: “Tomorrow we will have a light activation session in the morning, and that will be a chance to get familiar with the grass and the pitch. We will see how it looks. Today the question is how firm the grass will already be and how well it will have settled. It is probably too soon to talk about rooting, because there has not been enough time, so I hope the people who handled it knew what they were doing and that the pitch will allow us to play football.”

Finally, when asked about the threat posed by the opponents’ new striker, the coach concluded: “Purely theoretically, certainly yes, because he is a well-known footballer and a PKO BP Ekstraklasa top scorer. He later went to Arabia, where he also had very good statistics. The question is how much he trained, for how long, and how quickly he integrated into the team. There are many question marks, but potentially he is certainly a player who can be an important figure not only at Wieczysta, but in the PKO BP Ekstraklasa as well.”

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.