Jop: Stay Concentrated

Saturday, October 12th, marks Wisła Kraków's match against Siarka Tarnobrzeg in the Polish Cup Round of 32. Coach Mariusz Jop met with journalists before the away match.

The following injured players are excluded from the cup match:
- Bartosz Talar, Kacper Duda, Jakub Stępak, Joseph Colley, Enis Fazlagić, Igor Sapała and Igor Łasicki.

When asked if any changes to the lineup for the #SIAWIS match could be expected, the coach replied: "There will be minor changes, but they won't be major," also referring to a possible change in the White Star's goalkeeping position: "I wouldn't want to go into specifics here, because the players don't know the starting eleven yet. That would also make things a bit easier for the opponent, because if "Letki" wasn't in goal, then we know the youngster is in a different position. I don't want to reveal specifics here."

Angel Rodado is a heavily used player. Will he also be in the starting lineup? "He's definitely being considered for a starting role," the coach announced.

The Polish Cup is a competition that can surprise. Every edition throws up surprises, so it's important to stay focused. "There's certainly been a lot of information on this topic this week. We've given examples where several teams—you could say contenders for the Polish Cup—are no longer in the running. We've discussed why they were likely eliminated. There were many such conversations about maintaining focus during training and being optimally prepared for the match, because, as I said recently, we have no reason to relax just yet," he noted.

What kind of team is Siarka Tarnobrzeg? "First of all, every opponent treats the match against Wisła Kraków as a priority, and I think that for Siarka and some of their players, this will also be the match of the season, because everyone wants to test themselves against Wisła Kraków. They want to show their quality, prove that they could be in a team like Wisła Kraków. And that's natural, we have to face this in almost every match, and it will be similar this time away in Tarnobrzeg. As for how Siarka plays, we have analyzed every phase of the game, and the players have also received this information. This is a team that generally looks for a 4-3-3 formation. They try to play from their own goal, play in a positional attack. They are often the favorites in this role at the third league level, and it must be admitted that they do it quite well. However, we also have experience in analyzing, and often it happens that the opponent plays much more defensively, pragmatically, and tries to defend low, relying on set pieces. I don't know what strategy the opposing coach will choose, but we also take into account "We're taking into account that they'll want to show off, play openly, and play boldly. We're prepared for any scenario, but above all, we're focused on what we want to do ourselves," he analyzed.

Recently, Giannis Kiakos was playing for the reserve team after an injury. Will it be the same this time? "Kiakos is in his twenties and is traveling with us to the match. As for Dawid Szot, we don't want to rush things. He's had a very long break, four months. He won't play a match this weekend. We're planning on him playing for the reserve team next week, just like Mateusz Młyński," he said.

There will also be no Wisła Kraków fans in Tarnobrzeg, which is a significant setback for the R22 team. "I think that playing home games makes us feel much better, we feel stronger, we feel the support of the fans. This is something that is taken away from us in every away game. I think we don't play on equal terms with other teams. The reasons are absurd. Very often, various legal loopholes are sought, regulations are invoked, or other situations are cited that provide an argument for our fans not to travel to the game and support us. I fully sympathize with the team and the fans, and I think we need to do everything possible to change this situation as quickly as possible," he appealed. A question was also asked whether the topic of the White Star fans' absence comes up in conversations with other coaches: "When it comes to the opposing coach, there's not really time to discuss such matters. These are more of a courtesy call, a greeting before the match and a few words afterward. Besides, coaches are often emotional and there's little time to discuss the fans."

The Krakow team, having won the previous edition of the Polish Cup, will be looking to reclaim the trophy. "I said earlier that, above all, we need to maintain the focus and work we put in before league matches. I saw the team continue this, with the appropriate level of commitment in training, and this translates into how we perform in matches. And the examples you mentioned happen every season. There are surprises, unexpected results, and that's, on the one hand, the beauty of football, but on the other hand, there's often a reason. I think that when the level of concentration and physical preparation is similar to that of the opponent, then that quality should prevail. At least in theory. Sometimes teams simply think it's going to be easy, and a moment of lapse in concentration or the thought that I don't have to be 100 percent committed to something creeps in. I'll say it again – we've spent a lot of time trying to distance ourselves from that mindset as much as possible and treat this match as the most important. The same is true for tomorrow's match," he added. "I try to cut off what was and not deliberately go back to it. Of course, it was a beautiful story and I would like to repeat it, but I think the most important thing for a player is to focus on what he has to do and not to think too much about what happened last season. What a great celebration it was, how good it was to win against Pogoń. Because this way of thinking makes us a little further away from what is here and now. And in football, the most important thing is how I train on a given day and whether I give 100 percent. When there's a match, whether I'm 100 percent prepared. You don't think about what happened and what will happen next week, because that's a trap. I would say this, I wouldn't even separate it here whether it's a league match, a cup match, or maybe a friendly. Wisła Kraków should always try to play at 100 percent. Give everything and try to win. And in every training session, you have to have the same approach, because that's the way to to win," he noted.


Last week, the players met with fans at Galeria Bronowice. The event was hugely popular. "I think the fans constantly show their support through their attendance at matches. You can see how many fans were there in the cup competitions, how many come to cheer us on and support us at home matches. And what a great effort it was when the club was in a very difficult situation. I think this group is huge and a fantastic asset to this club. We regret even more that these people can't watch away matches, because they would probably support us in large numbers," he replied.


Journalists were also interested in what Coach Jop learned from the previous edition of the Polish Cup, where he had the opportunity to lead the team as a substitute coach and accompany Albert Rude in subsequent matches. "I don't think you can compare them one-on-one. However, when it comes to the experience of working with Coach Rude, just like with any other coach, you can learn a lot. I don't want to go into detail, but it was fruitful from my perspective. This was due to the fact that we communicated in English throughout our time on the coaching staff. The language aspect is one thing. Two – the organization of classes and certain tactical nuances, which we often discussed. The coach was definitely someone who was open to exchanging these views. This was beneficial for everyone," he explained.

Media representatives returned to the Siedlce clash, asking for an analysis of the match: "I think we started well in the last match because we created a scoring opportunity very quickly, which was blocked. We had a corner, and then after that opportunity in the transition phase there was a free kick, a second free kick, and an accidental penalty. Here, the opposing player was smarter than Jesus. There was a bit of nervousness afterward, but the team quickly returned to the style of play we want to play. We created a lot of chances, so I was confident that the goals would come. It was, of course, only a matter of time before we started doing that."

The Polish Cup often provides opportunities for reserve players. Will this be the case again? "We're generally quite close when it comes to what's happening in the reserve team. I also managed the team, so I know the players. Bartek Bąk, who is an assistant, was also the first coach there recently, and we're in constant contact with coach Aleksander, who has now taken over the reins of the second team. I can say that Kuziemka trained with us this week. He's a player who has been really good in the reserve team recently, so as a reward, he was with us in training this week. The time will definitely come for these guys. However, we also have to look at how many players we have during a given training session - whether we have an injury or not. These young guys have to be ready, show, prove in every match that they deserve such a chance in the first team. The path is open for everyone, and the question is, when the time comes, we should simply take advantage of this opportunity," he said, assessing Maciej Kuziemka during training with the first team: "Kuziemka won't be in the match squad, he went away with the second team. I knew him before, so I know that's it." He's a guy who has good duels when it comes to attacking. He's effective, so I think he's a player who will definitely train with us more often in the future and will get a chance in the first team if he continues to develop like this."

After the Polish Cup, the Kraków team faces matches against Bruk-Bet, Górnik Łęczna, and Wisła Płock. Does the coach see this as a moment of self-examination? "I don't see it that way. Of course, everyone has the right to evaluate a coach based on the last match. They might notice some nuances, some changes, but I wouldn't interpret it as saying that if I win a match, I'm a good coach, and if I don't win a match, I'm a bad coach. I don't see it that way. For me, what matters is whether the team is developing and whether we're following the path we've set. I'd like Wisła Kraków to focus primarily on itself and its way of playing. Of course, the opponent is important, and certain nuances are passed on to the players to make things easier for them, to give them the tools to be more effective. For me, the most important thing is how the team reacts and how it plays in different phases of the game, how it functions, and that's what we focus on," concluded coach Mariusz Jop.