Jop: Our disposition was not optimal

Wisła's stay in Warsaw won't be a success. In Friday's match at Konwiktorska 6, the White Star lost 2-0 to Polonia, and coach Mariusz Jop shared his opinion after the match.

"Polonia capitalized on their set pieces, with Zjawiński, who we know is a real threat in the penalty area with his physical condition. You could say we were a bit of a carbon copy of the goals we conceded in the Polish Cup. It's a very similar situation. We certainly didn't create enough scoring opportunities. Of course, there were moments to break through the game and give ourselves a positive boost to fight for points here. We didn't capitalize on those opportunities, but as I said, we definitely need to create more chances. Just like the team won many times before and got points, today the whole team lost. Of course, I take this defeat on my own shoulders and take responsibility for it. Well, that's how it is sometimes in football. We have to swallow this bitter pill from our entire stay in Warsaw, clear our heads as quickly as possible, and prepare for the final match on Thursday," he began. "I don't entirely think Polonia was faster or better in duels. It's definitely easier to defend, it's easier if you stay low and close down spaces. It's much easier to do that than to create chances. That's obvious. Firstly, there's a certain characteristic of the players. Polonia, as I remember it, whether in the junior categories or elsewhere, has always been known for having strong, physical players, and Polonia here also has a lot of strong players with good physical condition. From the defenders to the number nine. They also have good wings. This is definitely a team that, not by accident, has been scoring points in recent matches, and is now in good form. It also has to be said that our form wasn't optimal, neither in the cup match nor today," he continued.

In Friday's match, Wisła played imprecisely, unable to effectively threaten the opponent's goal. "It's partly due to nervousness, partly to the quality of the pitch, although I absolutely don't want to look for an excuse here. It's obvious that the pitch isn't ideal at this time of year. For a team that wants to build on a lot of passes, the risk increases. The more passes on a slightly poorer pitch, the greater the risk of inaccuracy. Sometimes these were poor decisions, sometimes it was a lack of timing on the part of our teammate, who expected a different pass, and the players were looking for another. Sometimes we simply held the ball in the halfway line for too long or switched sides too slowly. This also gave the opponent time to rebuild their positions, to position themselves, to push us from a lower position, to attack us, to engage in duels. There were many factors that weren't working. However, as I say – sometimes these moments come. Our role now is to clear our heads as quickly as possible and, after these two defeats, win the match on Thursday," concluded coach Mariusz Jop.