Jop: We primarily strive for the development of players

The reserve team has completed a very successful autumn season and can now prepare for the spring league matches with peace of mind during the break, taking the lead in the JAKO IV League table. To summarize the first half of the season, we spoke with coach Mariusz Jop about the goals achieved, the approach to player development, the work of the staff, and plans for the future.

A week ago, you played your final match in the first half of the season, and after the autumn round, you've taken over the lead. Can we say that your goal for the first half of the season has been achieved? Was that your main goal for this round?

We didn't have a specific goal regarding our final position or the number of points we'd earn. As a White Star team, we want to fight for victory in every match, so we want to instill that attitude in our players. I realize it's a cliché, but that was the true intention, and it resulted in our leading position. It's also important to remember that this team was formed just a few months ago, and there were many uncertainties. Initially, we trained with a small number of players, not knowing who would ultimately remain with us. I'm pleased that we've managed to build a cohesive group, and looking ahead, I hope this lineup will continue into the spring. Of course, I'd also like to recruit some reinforcements, as our rivals remain vigilant and will undoubtedly bring out their biggest guns in the spring competition, aiming to fight for promotion. Looking ahead to next season and a potential higher league, such reinforcements will be necessary to further improve the team's athleticism.

In previous years, you've had the opportunity to work with players who already have some background and experience in the game. So how do you assess the reserve players? These are boys who only emerged from the youth teams a few months ago and are just taking their first steps in senior football.

My role as a coach is primarily to guide the players and highlight the areas that impact their athletic performance. If they want to play football seriously in the future—doing what I assume they love, developing it, and earning a living through it—they need to change their behavior in certain aspects. As a coach, I should show them how to do this and inspire them to do so. The teams I previously worked with had more experienced players who were aware of these developmental issues. As for the reserve team, made up of very young players, a bit more inspiration for progress and change is needed. However, this doesn't change the fact that the opportunity to work with these guys brings a lot of pleasure and satisfaction. I'm pleased that we've managed to create a team with a great atmosphere. We all respect and like each other, which also influences the effectiveness of our efforts.

How is your cooperation with the other members of the reserve staff?

I greatly value this collaboration and am delighted that we have managed to assemble such a well-coordinated team. Thanks go primarily to director Krzysztof Kołaczyk. He came up with a specific proposal, recommending the people who now work with me on the reserve team. I knew some of the coaches before, such as Bartosz Bąk, who participated in my coaching courses and also completed an internship when I managed the team in the Central Junior League. During my time at Wisła, I also observed the work of Sergei Mikhailov, the goalkeeping coach, and Karol Baran, the physical conditioning coach, so I knew they were fully professional and committed. Before the start of training, we also spoke with Sasha (Aleksandr Mikhailov), who, as it turned out, has considerable experience, bringing a lot of quality to the table. I think we are not only a professional squad but also a great group of people with whom you can have a laugh or simply have a good time. What is important to me is that these are people who are motivated to work, develop and are ready to pass on their knowledge to the players.

Can you point out a specific team that proved particularly strong in the fall round and that you will have serious concerns about competing with in the spring?

To generalize, I think away matches pose the greatest challenge. Various factors influence this, such as the varying quality of pitches, but also, for example, fan support, where players' volitional qualities are more emphasized. Another aspect is the rule in the fourth league, which imposes a rule of only three balls per team. For most teams, even a draw against Wisła is a good achievement, so the players cleverly exploit this rule, clearing the ball and dragging out the game. As home teams, we use more possession to quickly restart set pieces. Much is said in Polish football about intensity, referring more to younger competitions, such as the Central Junior League, but I believe this should also apply to the fourth league, where young players also play. They are constantly striving to develop, and this cannot be achieved without playing football. So I wouldn't single out any one team for standing out, as our league is typically very competitive, which is also reflected in our results. There are many strong teams, so we pay close attention to proper mental preparation for matches. Sometimes, things go well most of the time, and then a bucket of cold water is thrown at us, which immediately knocks us back on our feet. In our case, it was the match against Beskid Andrychów, which we lost 5-1. However, we appreciate this defeat, as it provided a valuable lesson that ultimately allowed us to get back on track.

The team is performing very well, as evidenced by its results and its leading position in the JAKO IV League table. So what is the coaching staff's approach to individual player development and its role in shaping the team?

The most important reason for establishing a reserve team is player development, while the sporting goal of promotion to a higher league remains secondary. In my opinion, the factors that stimulate development are the way we propose to players, the quality of training, and individualization. Practically every training session includes measures that allow the boys to improve in their respective positions through individual and group positional training. We also strive to take the boys' opinions into account in this regard, so we created sheets containing approximately 30 questions that allow them to express their opinions and respond to the work they have done in recent months. I see that the individual analyses and subsequent conversations with each player are very well received by them. They facilitate the transfer of information and help the players understand it. I can honestly say that in this regard, we perform work comparable to that of the coaching staffs of teams playing in the top league. The players receive a lot of information and have the opportunity to develop, but the key role remains with them, because they must show the desire to progress.

What is the collaboration like with the U-19 team regarding transferring players to the reserves? What are the rules for this?

Some U-19 players remain permanently with the reserve team, but on certain days we invite additional players to training sessions, primarily based on the opinion of coach Nędza, who monitors them daily. However, when it comes to the matchday squad, we leave most of them at the coach's disposal because we realize that the U-19 team's points situation is not satisfactory and we want to improve it. I always try to ensure that players of these age groups selected by our staff for a given match have the opportunity to start or come off the bench during the match. We constantly monitor the number of minutes played, and if a player has fewer minutes played in a given month, we assign them to the U-19 team so they can make up for that time and, above all, contribute some quality and contribute to the victory. As a reserve team, we can utilize the first team's recovery facilities, which is why we try to bring as many U-19 players as possible to their Monday recovery training sessions. On Tuesdays, we have smaller training sessions and focus on strength training, utilizing the facilities at the base. On Wednesdays, we implement larger training sessions, so we want to have 20 outfield players available. Therefore, many more players from the U-19 team train with us on those days. On Thursdays and Fridays, we focus on training methods that no longer require as many players, so they are moved to the younger team so that Coach Nędza can prepare them for the upcoming match.

Given the low average age of reserve team players, do you think there are moments where there's a lack of experience? Do you see these moments during matches, but also during teamwork during training?

Of course, but that's completely normal. The reserve team was also created to allow players to gain experience. Fourth-division teams sometimes have players with a Premier League background, so these matches are very valuable for players just starting out in senior football. On the one hand, they provide valuable lessons learned from competing against these players, but they also provide a developmental element related to acclimating to the team's style of play.

What positives, apart from the result, do you see after the first part of the season?

It's definitely the feedback we receive from the players. What's important is that they feel these months have been a time of real development for them. For me, this is undoubtedly the best and most important information, that from their perspective, this is a time when they have developed as players, and have been given opportunities from us, which they are trying to implement in their lives. Their sense of development is a key element. It's also important that we, as the coaching staff, also recognize this development. Of course, it gives us great satisfaction that selected players are invited to training with the first team, and some, like Kuba Wiśniewski, have already had the opportunity to make their debuts.

What's a typical workflow for the coaching staff and team? You train significantly more than other teams in the league, and after matches, some players go on recovery runs. What drives your approach to work?

Our primary goal is player development, which can't be achieved with just two or three training sessions a week. Speaking of a classic training microcycle, we typically train twice on Tuesday, and once on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. We play a match on Saturday, with Sunday being a day off. As a team, we always meet two hours before training, discussing and preparing for the sessions. We also receive information from the physiotherapist and the players about their health. For most of this season, we used an app where the players provided information on fatigue and muscle soreness, which was crucial for optimizing training. After the sessions, we typically have a debriefing session, focusing on various aspects, including analyzing the motor skills the players achieved during training. We use a system that shows us the distances the players cover during sessions, which is crucial for controlling training load and reducing the risk of injuries. Fortunately, we have very few mechanical injuries, thanks to the excellent work of our motor preparation coach. Athletes often work with him after training, receiving information on how to address their deficits in this area. My assistants also put in a lot of effort, often performing very time-consuming tasks, but all of this impacts the players' development, which is why we focus on this and are moving in this direction.

How do you assess the players who have moved from the first team to the reserves? Have they proven to be a significant improvement?

In this case, two groups of players should be distinguished. The first group includes Wiktor Szywacz, Jakub Niewiadomski, and Dorian Frątczak – players who were practically at our disposal throughout the entire game. From my perspective, they contributed greatly, both in terms of pure athleticism and in building the team's atmosphere and motivation. They fulfilled their role flawlessly, providing high-quality football and fully engaging in team life. Dorian had fewer opportunities to showcase his skills, but his attitude was also very good, both in training and even when he was on the bench, his complete support for his teammates was evident. The second group, in turn, consists of players who only occasionally joined us for matches. Among them were Bartosz Talar, Patryk Gogół, Dawid Olejarka, Kamil Broda, and Mikołaj Biegański. They also settled into their roles very well within the team and fulfilled their roles flawlessly. Their approach was very positive, they always tried to help, knowing that such a match was preparation for their matches in the first team.

The fall semester has ended, but your break doesn't begin until mid-December. What's your plan for the coming weeks? What will classes look like?

This week, we'll be reducing our training load, and in the coming weeks, we'll focus on maintaining our motor skills to ensure the upcoming break doesn't significantly impact the boys' performance. We'll also focus on individual development. We have more time now, so we want to dedicate it to the areas the players themselves want to work on.