Jop: We always want to win

On the fifth day of their training camp in Turkey, the White Star players tested their mettle against Zorya Luhansk. The match ended in a 2-1 victory for coach Mariusz Jop's team, who summed up the friendly match against the Ukrainian team in an interview with us.

"We had planned for this first friendly, the Wednesday one at the camp, to be played for a maximum of 45 minutes per player. Almost everyone had the opportunity to play for that amount of time. For me, it was important to test the tactical aspects we were working on against a good opponent, and it has to be said that Zorya was just that. They're a team that's in the middle of the Ukrainian league, so they weren't just any opponent. What matters to me is that we were intense in this match, that we were aggressive, and that we were able to test the elements we were working on, and it turned out quite well. Of course, there were mistakes, but this is something that is a process and we will continue to work on it, but I'm satisfied. The result isn't the most important thing, but we always want to win, because it's something that's in our DNA as a team and in individual players," coach Mariusz Jop concluded. "Because we limited ourselves somewhat in terms of the length of individual players' matches, we had players in some positions who weren't entirely suited to their position. This was a conscious decision, which also showed us other options in terms of formation. The players coped well, and for me, it's also important that they aren't limited to just one position or one way of playing," he added.

Angel Rodado and Łukasz Zwoliński, a well-matched duo in the league, were on the scoresheet, while Filip Baniowski provided an assist. "Bravo to them! Filip Baniowski, on the other hand, played well, scoring a very nice assist in a fast break. 'Zwolak' also performed well in that situation and finished the move beautifully. However, we had more opportunities like that – in the positional attack in the first half, although there were a few more opportunities in the second half because we played more in low defense, so we could rework some of the things we'd been working on and test ourselves against the opponent. Whenever you're working within a group, you can be a little off in your assessment, and the opponent gives you a different perspective," he explained.

The next few days will be dedicated to continued training camp work. What's the plan for that time? "We have a little over three weeks until the first league match, so the workload will definitely be very high by the end of this week. Next week, it will be a little less intense, but the intensity will still be maintained. The workload will be cumulative, and the players will definitely feel tired, so it won't be easy. However, that's why we came here: to train twice a day, to benefit from good recovery, and so the players can focus solely on their work. On being properly prepared for the league," he emphasized.

Kacper Duda, who was recently absent, played in the friendly match, but Patryk Gogół was absent: "Duda has already played, Gogół hasn't yet. He's expected to be back on the pitch on Thursday. We'll see how his rehabilitation progresses. The rest of the players, Marc Carbo, Igor Łasicki, and Kuba Stępak, are making progress, but of course, this process of regeneration or return to full health takes time."