Jop: We have enough quality to be able to convert it into points

Before the match against Miedź Legnica, coach Mariusz Jop met with journalists at the traditional press conference. Here's the transcript.

Excluded for health reasons are: Joseph Colley, Marc Carbó, Patryk Gogół, Piotr Starzyński and Enis Fazlagić, as well as Kacper Skrobański, who suffered a cruciate ligament rupture and will undergo surgery. Patryk Letkiewicz receives a red card and is sent off.

"It's natural that after such an individual mistake, the first day or two are difficult. However, I think Patryk has already recovered. The fact that we won was also important. It has a different effect when the team drops points. The team has helped him a lot, and from what I see in training, he works very diligently and looks very good. Just like the other goalkeepers. I think he's got it behind him," said coach Mariusz Jop about Patryk Letkiewicz's situation after his red card, adding: "There's no official information yet about how many matches he'll be sidelined. It seems it's one, but we're waiting for the official announcement." So, will Partyk Letkiewicz return to goal after the suspension? "We have a match tomorrow, and a week is a long week in football, and the next league match is in two weeks, so I think the time will come to answer that question," he said.

So who will we see between the posts in Legnica? "I think Kamil, Anton, and Stępak are goalkeepers waiting for their chance. I wouldn't like to talk about personal details, as the players haven't received that information either, but I'm glad we have very good competition here and everyone is ready. Maybe except for Stępak, who had a long break and is returning after it. He needs some more playing time with the U-19 and reserve teams. Anton and Kamil, on the other hand, are ready to play from the start," he added.

There were questions about Marko Poletanović's health. What's his current situation? "Marko is still in the rehabilitation process. It's taking a bit longer than we initially expected. I wouldn't want to reveal whether he'll be traveling with us to Legnica," the coach announced.

Igor Łasicki and Bartosz Talar, who are training with the team, have been removed from the injured list. Kacper Skrobański, however, has reappeared: "The day before yesterday at training, as is typical with these types of injuries, without contact with an opponent, Kacper placed his foot so awkwardly and shifted his weight in the wrong direction that, unfortunately, the injury turned out to be very serious. We're keeping our fingers crossed for his quick return. Returning to the question about Bartek and Igor, they trained with the team as usual all week. They participated in all the training measures, so they're back with us. I think they could be considered soon. I think Bartek's case is a bit longer, due to his very long break. He'll probably need time, getting into the game through the second team, to get back to full fitness. However, Igor is looking very good, and I think we can realistically count on him for the upcoming matches."

The center-back pairing of Uryga and Biedrzycki has had a strong performance. When asked if they would be the ones taking the field in Legnica, the coach replied: "Of course, there's a positive headache, because Mariusz played a very good match against Ruch, scoring an important goal. Later, unfortunately, illness ruled him out of training and the match against Arka. He wasn't fully ready before the last match, but he's been training very diligently all week, so two of these three players will be starting." The Krakow team has been performing well this season against the top teams, which gives hope for a good result on Friday. "I think it depends on the opponent's style of play. If the opponent wants to play more open football, I think we have enough quality to convert it into points. A lot certainly depends on how the opponent wants to play us," he analyzed.

The Legnica team will be heading into the match with a new coach, Wojciech Łobodziński. So how should they prepare for the match with a change on the bench? "We have both options worked out and we know what could potentially change. The players know this too. However, it must be said that the coach hasn't had much time to make adjustments during this time. Of course, this is probably a bit of a boost for the players, but we know that Miedź has its problems. For our part, we're trying, as always, to focus primarily on what we're doing, how we're doing it, and at what level. I think that's always the most important thing in our matches, that we achieve our goals, because then—I'm convinced—we can beat any team, regardless of whether we're playing here or away," he continued.

So, is Coach Jop surprised by Miedź's weaker performance lately? "It's a bit of a surprise, because this is a team that's still very high in the table. They scored a lot of points last round. It's no coincidence, because Miedź played very well in many matches. They have their problems – as I said, but we always try to focus on ourselves, and aside from the fact that there's a new coach and that's a new impetus for the team, some extra energy will probably be used, it's nothing new for us, because everyone is completely focused on us. Ultimately, it doesn't change much," he replied.

Journalists also asked if the team could be further motivated by the fact that a potential win for the White Star would bring them closer to the top of the table. "Regarding determination, I wouldn't say it was only present in the last two matches. You can't deny the players' determination in any match. Sometimes matches don't go the way we want, but I don't see them lacking determination. In fact, I'd say the opposite – the overwhelming desire to win, the will to fight and score points, is sometimes a bit paralyzing for some. That's sometimes a hindrance for us. I don't see anyone missing a match. At least not in the matches where I'm the head coach. We've never lacked determination, and lately, besides that determination, we've been playing well. We're creating chances, we're being effective. That's something we want to cultivate, something we also want to show in Legnica," he noted.

What are Wisła's plans for the international break? "We have a friendly against Banik Ostrava at home on Friday. Then a full week of preparations, a normal micro-cycle before the match against Kotwica Kołobrzeg. The players will have two days off after the match, but then we'll return to training, and we want to dedicate this first week to hard work to further improve certain aspects of our physical fitness, because we know we'll have five matches in a short period. And then there won't be time for training," the coach revealed.