Pre-#WISRAP Conference | Part 1

In line with the tradition of European competitions, a press conference was held the day before the match, preceding the official training session, at which coach Kazimierz Moskal and new Wisła Kraków striker Łukasz Zwoliński answered journalists' questions.

The following players will not play in the match against Rapid:
- Kacper Duda - who is struggling with a kidney injury;
- Dawid Szot, Igor Łasicki, Bartosz Talar, Jakub Stępak, who are undergoing rehabilitation;
- Jesus Alfaro, who trains individually;
- Enis Fazlagić, who is being introduced to training with the team.

Kazimierz Moskal - coach of Wisła Kraków

"Of course, we'll want to bring our best to Thursday, because we haven't played many matches in these games so far. However, as coaches, we have to look at what's next. The players have to focus on the next match, but we're planning for what comes next. For a simple reason, Marc Carbo will not play in the next league match, as he'll be suspended for a red card from last season," the coach began.

When asked what Wisła knows about their opponent, the coach replied: "Not from our side, but we have a lot of information from various sources. We know a lot about them. I think we know more than we did before the first match against KF Llapi. Well, just like I said two weeks ago before the first match – everything will become clear and everything will be revealed on the pitch. The coaches have their own ideas, they're also analyzing us and probably preparing their tactics accordingly," he said.

The R22 team took an attacking approach to the match against KF Llapi, wanting to impose their style of play. Will they continue to do so on Thursday against Rapid? "We'd like to play our own game, but we're fully aware that Rapid is a much more demanding team, and it will probably be more difficult to achieve. But you have to try. That's the heart of the matter. If you don't try, you won't know if you can stand up to a stronger opponent," he explained.

Three new players joined the White Star this week. How does the coach assess them? "Regarding the last two players, who have only just been announced, they will be training for the first time today. They definitely won't be in the matchday squad. We need to see and implement them properly. I absolutely understand that any player of this type, from abroad, who was without a club, had minimal training with the team, if any at all. They trained individually, and that was the case here as well. This is also a problem for us, because even if we were looking ahead and hoping for more players to join us, the period without training with the team would be even longer. However, the situation with Wiktor is different, because he trained with the team, prepared normally, and was at the camp. Besides, we had the opportunity to pass each other in Wola Chorzelowska, and he is definitely being considered," he continued. "I wanted a striker, a left-back, a center-back, and a central midfielder, so I'm missing a central midfielder. But one who would be a significant addition to this team, meaning someone experienced and already somewhat seasoned, and that's it. We also need to consider a player with a profile similar to a number nine. Firstly, to provide competition, and secondly – ​​to preempt the question – is it possible for Rodado to play with Łukasz? It is possible, and then a third player with that profile would be useful, so he could play in case of any changes," he said.

Giannis Kiakos provided a good substitution in Kosovo. Will he be in the starting lineup against Rapid? "If someone scores, it means they've excelled. I don't know... Everyone who's in the squad is considered, and everyone can play. As for Kiakos, he's in a better situation than Duarte and Kiss, who have only just arrived, because he's been with us longer, training, and each passing week has a positive impact on him. I'm talking about physical preparation for the match and also the fact that he's been around in this locker room for some time," he replied.

"Their opponents are very offensive, they want to press high, they have a lot of quality, and I think they're a team with real character. One that knows what they want. More focused on pressing, attacking the opponent," he described the opponent, adding: "Rapid is definitely the favorite. We have to remember that we're in the second tier of the league. Rapid is a well-regarded team, but I think this is also a good time for us to play against such a team, because I won't have to put in any special effort to mobilize the team or prepare for tomorrow's match. The opponent's name and the importance of the match play their part, and I think so – sometimes it's better to be a 'Cinderella' and try to fight from that position. If you come out with too much respect for the opponent, as Łukasz said about Lechia, then there's basically nothing to be gained. Only the courage we have inside us can make us able to stand up to this opponent, because they are certainly ranked higher than us." This is the most important thing and I think they have much greater potential than we do," he added.

What have the last few weeks changed in Kazimierz Moskal's knowledge of his team? "I'm still learning. Honestly, the first few weeks were strange for me. Even though I've been here several times, spent many years here as a player and coach, coming here now I felt a little uneasy at first. I don't know why. I slowly feel like I've become accustomed to the new surroundings and I feel the same here as I did the last time I was there. However, when it comes to the team, it's too early to say what I've learned, how this team functions, because as you can see, new players are coming in, new faces in the locker room. In fact, the road to building this team, to what it will ultimately look like, is just at the very beginning. I wouldn't like to go into detail right now about how fantastic we are already functioning, because it often happens that after one match, or after two matches like against Llapi, when we managed to win both, most people said that Wisła played fantastically and advanced to the second round without any problems. I think there were some problems, because it wasn't that easy. But After a match, it's easy to point out whether someone was brilliant or not, like scoring a goal. Whether the team was better or not, since they won twice and advanced to the second round," concluded coach Kazimierz Moskal.

Łukasz Zwoliński - striker of Wisła Kraków

The first question concerned his early days at Wisła, meaning what attracted the striker to the club from R22? "First and foremost, Wisła is a great club. One of the most successful clubs in Poland, so I don't have to explain to everyone where I ended up, because you know that best. I'm definitely coming to Wisła to help the guys and the team win promotion to the Ekstraklasa. I believe I can help this team with my experience," he announced. "Physically, I feel very good because I worked through the pre-season, I know my body, and I know I can help from the very beginning. When it comes to settling in, I know the guys. We've played against each other many times, and I've played with some of them in the team, so it wasn't a major problem. Besides, I was accepted into the team very quickly. The team is very good," he added.

So what were the first few days at R22 like? "As I said, I know where I'm at, what the expectations are, and what a big club Wisła Kraków is. I won't say I was tempted by playing in European competitions, that that was just one factor. I just think it was the club's overall goal—promotion to the Ekstraklasa, playing in European competitions, plus the entire environment surrounding Wisła Kraków. You can immediately feel that this club has soul. I've also spoken to the guys who played for Wisła Kraków many times. I haven't encountered a single negative opinion. In fact, they spoke only highly of their time at Wisła Kraków, so at the end of the day, when I made that decision, I was confident. I know I'm in the right place," he revealed.

Zwoliński has played against Rapid, even scoring a goal. "Three years ago, we played Rapid in the qualifiers for the Conference League. From that experience, I can confidently say that the team's name isn't as scary as it looked on the pitch. I remember when we went to the first match in Vienna. I think we played there with too much respect. Later, it turned out that they were a truly competitive team. I'm absolutely convinced that tomorrow we'll be able to compete with them on equal terms," ​​he analyzed.

The player played at Reymont Stadium several times, even while playing for other teams. How does he recall those performances? "I mentioned this to the coach at our first meeting, back when I was still playing for Pogoń, and it was a good few years ago. When I came here to Reymont Stadium, the atmosphere... Szczecin didn't have the stadium we have now. Wisła had one of the most beautiful stadiums in the Ekstraklasa. A trip to Wisła Stadium was always electrifying, because it was great to play in front of a full house, you could feel the atmosphere. That's why I mentioned it to the coach when I came here. I didn't have a beard or kids yet, I was young, entering the Ekstraklasa, and there was always that extra thrill of being able to play a match here," he recalled.

When asked how much familiarity with Rapid would make playing against the Austrian team easier for Zwoliński, he replied: "The coaches were very well prepared. We've already had a briefing, but as the coach said, at the end of the day, we're the ones on the pitch and we have to rise to the challenge. I checked the lineup. The goalkeeper is the same, so I hope we'll find a way to score again. There's probably another central midfielder. But as the coach said, whether we take those matches or last season, when we played in the Europa League against Sturm Graz, Austrian teams have had years of unchanged tactics, patterns, and game organization. These teams have been playing the same system, the same football for a long time, and even when coaches change or new players come in, they adapt to the club's philosophy more than the other way around. Rapid will definitely be an organized team. I'm sure that whether it was three years ago or tomorrow, in a week's time, they will be a well-organized team playing pressing. The most important thing is "Let's not get scared. The match starts 0-0, and I believe that, especially here, starting in front of our own fans, we can play a really good match," he said.

Does "Zwolak" prefer to play solo up front, or can he easily form a duo with Angel Rodado? "I think I've had a few seasons in the Ekstraklasa and other competitions. I've played as a number nine on my own, I've played with two number nines. I often played with Flavio Paixao at Lechia Gdańsk, so I can't say which I feel more comfortable with. I've never had a problem sharing the pitch with someone, because the most important thing is the team. If we have to play with two strikers, we'll play with two. If we have to play with one, I have no problem with that either," he replied.