Jop: I wanted to congratulate my players for their good attitude

On Wednesday evening, Wisła Kraków lost to the Polish Champions in the 2024 Polish Super Cup. Mariusz Jop and Adrian Siemieniec summed up the clash at the post-match press conference.

Mariusz Jop - Wisla Kraków

"I think the first word that comes to mind is dissatisfaction. There were moments when we were an equal team, there were moments when we were the better team. Of course, there were also moments when Jagiellonia moved the ball well and broke through our pressing. We had a very good start in the first half, when the opposition were in a tizzy. There was one attack from them, which, as it turned out, resulted in the winning goal. I wanted to congratulate my players on their good performance, although I'm still very dissatisfied. I also want to congratulate our opponents, who won, and I wish them good luck in European competition," he concluded.

The coaching staff made one change to the starting lineup – Olivier Sukiennicki replaced the injured Angel Rodado. How did you rate his performance? "He had some very good moments, and he handled the ball very well on several occasions. Perhaps he just lacked a bit more decisiveness in his quick attacks. Overall, though, I'd rate his performance as positive," he said.

"We always try to play for victory, and that was no exception today. I think we were close to scoring at least one goal. Yes, the players who were at their best were on the pitch today," he said, assessing the White Star's players' form.

A recurring theme is the lack of effectiveness. What failed this time, or what was missing? "I think it's obvious that in a match like this, when you're playing the Polish champions, there won't be that many chances, and you have to make the most of those that do arise. That's why it's disappointing, because there's a feeling that some situations could have been handled better. Sometimes there was a lack of quality, sometimes a lack of luck, because especially in the first half, the ball kept bouncing off opponents after set pieces. Sometimes it's going to go in the direction of goal, and sometimes it's not, so it's a shame, because we were a dangerous team at many moments," he said.

Mariusz Kutwa is still missing from the matchday squad. Is this due to injury? "During Monday's training session, Mariusz suffered a muscle injury, but it wasn't serious enough to warrant a weeks-long layoff. It's more of a pain that should heal within a few days," he said.

However, Wisła could have turned the tide against the Polish champions. Did their players run out of energy, or did their opponents start to defend more forcefully? "I think it was a bit of both. Jagiellonia, coming out of our pressure, forced us to come back as a team and rebuild our defensive position. This cost us a lot of health. This is a quality team, and it was hard to expect us to create as many chances as in league matches. On the other hand, I think there were enough chances to try to score at least one goal," he said.

Adrian Siemieniec - Jagiellonia Białystok

"Huge congratulations to the team for their victory, for winning another trophy. Of course, we also want to dedicate this trophy to our fans, who weren't supporting us from the stadium today, but supported us in Białystok and are surely waiting there to celebrate this trophy with us. It's a big deal for me as a coach. It's a big deal for my players. It's a big deal for the club, because we know Jagiellonia doesn't have many trophies in their history. That's why we're very happy to have won them today after a difficult match, but as the saying goes, you don't play finals, you win finals. That's why we're very happy to have won. Thanks to Wisła for competing. I wish them luck in the first league and in their pursuit of promotion to the top league," he concluded.