Jop: Such meetings don't happen often

On February 22nd, the White Star will face Ruch Chorzów at the Silesian Stadium in Chorzów. Ahead of the clash in the 21st round of the Betclic 1 League, coach Mariusz Jop answered journalists' questions.

Missing due to injuries are Igor Łasicki, Marc Carbó, Joseph Colley, Patryk Gogół, Karol Dziedzic, Enis Fazlagić, and Bartosz Talar. Alan Uryga is suspended due to yellow cards.

The first question was who would replace White Star captain Alan Uryga? "This seems like the most obvious change, but we have other options and we'll see what the choice is tomorrow," the coach began. Will Uryga travel to Chorzów with his teammates despite the forced break? "Yes, but he's not the only one. Many of the players on the roster will be with us. I think what awaits us will be a football celebration because of the setting, the number of fans, the atmosphere, so yes – not only Alan, but most of the players beyond the 20-year-old squad will be with us," he added.

When asked if the coach was planning any changes on the wings after the match against Znicz Pruszków, he replied: "Obviously, I won't go into details, but it's not just that the wingers didn't have their ideal day, because there were a few more problems there. A winger has it easier when he's in a one-on-one situation, but when he's in a two-on-three situation and the opponent is low, it's a bit more difficult, so there were a few other factors that contributed to them not being in the ideal situation for this matchup. They also wanted to gain an advantage through a one-on-one, so it's a bit more complicated. There were more of these problems, we talked about them. We did a thorough analysis, and I think that should be evident tomorrow."

The first matches after the winter break brought disappointing results for the favorites. Wisła and Ruch were among them: "Generally speaking, it's hard to see any fluidity in the game, any beautiful combination moves. It's clear that the teams are back from the break and it's clear they haven't quite found that 100% fluidity in their game yet. I think the week we've had is quite a long one, though. Besides, we have to remember that every match is a different story, a different scenario, a different environment, so I wouldn't look for analogies here to what happened last week, because a week in football is a very long time."

#MatchChampions brings huge excitement, with over 50,000 fans cheering on the players. Will this atmosphere motivate the players, or, on the contrary, leave them a bit unsettled? "That's a personal matter. There's certainly no need to do much work before a match like this in terms of external motivation, because I think every player knows that such matches don't happen often. Playing in front of such a crowd... I think the motivation, approach, and focus for the match will be high in both teams," he noted.

"I can tell you from my perspective how I experienced such matches. For me, it was something that motivated me, not paralyzed me. However, everyone is different. Of course, we talked about it, we talked about what awaited us, that there would be a lot of people and it would be loud, because communication between each other is difficult. These are important behaviors that we practice during training so that the players feel good and act automatically in certain situations. It's definitely specific; you have to feel it, you have to experience it. However, I think it will be something that will be a motivating and mobilizing factor, giving the players more energy," he continued.

What kind of opponent should coach Jop expect? "This is a team with a unique attacking style and, above all, flanking play. Kozak is certainly a dangerous player, and he also has his own distinctive style of play with the ball. This is a team that can attack with a large number of players in the penalty area and can change their approach throughout the game. There's a certain repetitiveness to this, but we also need to remember that the opponent often changes their tactics against Wisła, and we need to be prepared for that," he analyzed.

Coach Mariusz Jop had the opportunity to play at the Silesian Stadium with the national team. How does he recall those matches? "I remember... the last match. I think it was the one against Colombia... Famous for a different reason. However, the memories are very positive in terms of the atmosphere. It's loud, you can feel the fans there, even though it's not a typical football stadium, where the distance from the stands to the pitch is quite long. Despite that, you can still feel that there's a lot going on there, and that's something that heightens the emotions, increases the motivation. At least that's how I reacted, but players react differently to such a large number of fans. I think it should be motivating, sometimes it can have a negative impact, but I think we also have players in the team – the vast majority – who already have some experience of this kind. For example, last year, in the Polish Cup final. That was also a match with a lot of fans, and the atmosphere in the stands was fantastic," he said.

Coach Jop was also asked about individual talent. Journalists inquired about the status of Karol Dziedzic, who is struggling with an injury. "Karol will likely be able to train fully with the team starting Sunday – because we have a training session scheduled for Sunday – so the loan option is still viable in my opinion. He's a player who definitely needs match rhythm. He's a talented youngster, but he's struggled to break into the starting eleven; he's had his chances. Sometimes he's better, sometimes he's worse. However, he's definitely someone who has potential, and I think that to unlock and showcase that potential, it's important that he plays regularly. At the highest possible level," he explained.

Ángel Rodado recently became a father, which forced him to change his life a bit. Is this affecting his physical condition? "He looks much better. Life changes certainly require adapting, but Ángel is a complete professional, a hard worker, and I know that his hard work will pay off in the matches. I believe in that and I hope that on Saturday we'll see an improved performance from the entire team, because when the whole team plays better, Ángel has more opportunities," he replied.

Ruch's match against Wisła will be accompanied by a chess tournament. Can we expect Saturday's match to be categorized as "football chess"? "It's hard to say. Whoever scores will definitely have an advantage and a certain handicap. This will allow for some tactical adjustments or team formation. However, matches always start 0-0, and I think Ruch is the favorite because they're playing at home, while we're going there to win and we'll definitely be playing offensively," concluded coach Mariusz Jop.