Post-match press conference #WISRCH

Wisła entered the new week in good spirits, defeating Ruch Chorzów 3-1 on Monday. White Star coach Kazimierz Moskal also expressed his relief after the victory.

Janusz Niedźwiedź - Ruch Chorzów

"First of all, I'd like to congratulate Wisła on their victory. I think we witnessed a good match – a good football match. The atmosphere was also fantastic. We wanted more than what we got. However, I have to point out a few important things about our team. Despite the fact that around the 60th minute, when we were still down to eleven men and the match was quite even, I'm not satisfied with this part of the match. I think the team was better in terms of intensity and aggressiveness, and I liked them more as a coach than when we lost a player and played with ten men. And this will definitely be the topic of our analysis and discussion when it comes to post-match analysis, because we train differently, we want to play differently, and I believe that, above all, this team and these players are capable of even better performance. Especially when it comes to these 60 minutes. We hoped that what we did in training would work. We wanted to go higher, we wanted to press the opponent, we wanted to dominate, and that also involves intensity. That also involves "With showing up to play. We lacked that, especially in the first minutes and in the first half, and therefore, if we don't implement it and the players don't repeat what they do and what they can do in training, I will always be dissatisfied with that as a coach. I believe that by improving these elements, we can play against any opponent, even on such a difficult pitch as here, and fight evenly. Today we are scoreless, and I believe the team will get more out of this for the next match, and we will be better in a few days in Nieciecza," said the Blues' manager.

"If someone defends deep, one of the elements is, for example, long-range shots. The second is crosses, for example, from the half-space. Very often somewhere towards the far post. The third is crosses to the side, and the fourth – even in this crowded situation – you can also look for through passes, so there are plenty of tools that can be used then. But it's not the only way. Today, of course, Szymański's beautiful goal. Probably the shot of a lifetime. However, there was a moment at 2-1 when we could have done something more – even though we were down to ten men – to equalize the game. It was clear we were completely outplayed in the final stages, and even Andrej Lukić – our center-back – played in attack with Soma Novothny, so that, in addition to shots, was also the idea for the final stages: to get as high as possible to the opponent. We also needed to look for those longer passes. It's about how you can score a goal, how you can use certain tools to create that goal," he explained.

Filip Starzyński's red card weakened Ruch. Does the coach blame his player for the foul? "I think he was late in that situation and attacked too aggressively. We want to be closer to the opponent, we want to press, we want to be in contact. However, here he was indeed late and hit... I haven't seen it on the replay yet, but from the pitch it looked quite dangerous and we also suspected it might end in a red card. However, there are other players. I'm talking about Nono, who has also been waiting for his minutes. He's getting better and better. Even though two weeks ago I would have said he wasn't ready yet. Today I can say that if he works another micro-cycle, I believe he'll be ready and will also contribute, because I'm counting on him a lot," he said.

Do the 5 points won by Chorzów since the beginning of the season satisfy the coach? "I always assume that if we have so many points, it means we have earned it. I don't like to speculate on what would have happened. We could have gotten more points somewhere, but if we didn't get them, it means we have to do what we do even better. With even greater commitment and even greater awareness. With an even stronger attitude that what we are doing is right and we are on the right path. However, I am not satisfied with the result. Similarly, in the last 60 minutes of the match, my team was very good. In the first fifteen minutes it could have been two or three to zero. It could have ended differently for us. I didn't like the last 30 minutes. We allowed ourselves to be dominated, which resulted in the goal conceded. Today it was the opposite. 60 minutes, even though the match was relatively even, but we have such standards that we know what we want to do and why we want to do it. And I already said that I think we are capable of much more than what we showed. And in the last 30 minutes, it was clear that the team He fought until the end, didn't give up, and despite being down one player, we were able to get high up the pitch, create a threat, and defend one-on-one. And even stay with a three-man defense, with two fullbacks and one center-back forming the defensive block. That's how I saw it," he concluded.

Kazimierz Moskal - Wisla Krakow

"This is a win we desperately needed. We managed to win this match. Congratulations to the team and thanks to the fans, because the atmosphere was fantastic and I think it largely contributed to the fact that in that difficult moment, when Ruch scored to make it 1-1, we kept pushing forward and strived for victory. So the win is definitely satisfying. I think the match was close – that's how I would describe it, but from my perspective, with a slight advantage on our part," began the Wisła coach.
Ruch's red card didn't translate into an advantage for the White Star. What was the reason for the hosts' weaker moment? "Yes, of course I can hold some grudge against the team for that, but I can understand it, because we desperately needed this victory. And in a situation where you're leading 1-0 and your opponent is playing one man down and has nothing to lose, I think we subconsciously let our opponent get away with too much or backed off too much. Ruch took the initiative. There was a moment when you didn't feel like you were ahead," he said.

Olivier Sukiennicki scored his first goal for Wisła. Asked if the player hadn't been overused lately, the coach replied: "I think we need to take care of Olivier in the sense that he should approach it all a bit more calmly, because I think it's a bit too early for there to be too much hype around him... And as for his exploitation, unfortunately, we have a squad at the moment where many players are being exploited more. And the players who have joined aren't fully ready to be substituted, so we have to manage that way. I think Rafał Mikulec has also played everything so far, hence the substitution at the end. We'll reflect and see how individual players look tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, and we'll make decisions. We know it's difficult for the players to play at this pace. It's quite a challenge for us coaches too, but we're playing in Europe and in the league, and we have to manage it somehow."

The goalkeeping rivalry is looking interesting. Anton Chichkan is defending in the league, and Kamil Broda recently played in the Europa League. "Both are in good form, but to be honest, the goalkeeping coach also needs to shoulder some responsibility, and he's the one who decides who starts. Right after I joined the club, I told Łukasz that your opinion is the most important, because you know your job and you make the decisions, so I absolutely trust Łukasz here, and he knows the relationships best from the goalkeeping perspective. He was a goalkeeper himself, and he knows how difficult it is sometimes to be the second or third goalkeeper. And I think the relationships within this group, and I'm talking about the goalkeepers and their coach, need to be in order for everything to work," he continued. So who will be defending on Thursday? "Either Broda or Chichkan," he joked.

Angel Rodado is doing a great job in front of goal, scoring twice against Ruch. Another striker, Łukasz Zwoliński, is waiting for goals. "As for Angel, the club didn't go to such lengths to keep him just to avoid benefiting from him now. We're counting on that, and I don't think this is the end of Angel's performances. And as for Łukasz Zwoliński, of course, as I said after the last match – expectations are very high for him, but he also came later, he also needs to fit into this team, and for that he needs time and performances. Someone was very critical of Łukasz after the last match, one of the journalists... I don't remember, but there's no other way than to give him chances in matches, because that's the only way he'll be able to get fit. Training is a completely different job, a different pressure, and eventually he has to break through. I believe that the moment will come and he will break through," he emphasized. "I don't like to 'just say what if.' We never know, we'll never know, what would have happened if Angel hadn't played today, or if, for example, he'd started the match on the bench? Because Angel is also heavily exploited, and we have to think about maintaining his form. I don't think there's any need to cite any numbers here, because what he brings to the team is so clear that everyone can clearly assess it," he added.

Angel and Isabel's family will soon be expanding, to which the coach briefly commented: "Regarding the information he provided, I was also surprised."
Injuries are hampering the Kraków team, especially in defense. "The search is currently underway, but it's encouraging that Igor Łasicki has returned to training. I think that if nothing happens, we'll want to use him as soon as possible. I can't name a specific new player at this time," he said.

On Thursday, Wisła will play the rematch against Spartak Trnava, which means that the Krakow team's training micro-cycle will be significantly shortened again. "Sometimes a day off or a lack of a match doesn't necessarily benefit the team that made that decision. Of course, I personally would prefer to have a micro-cycle and play matches every week, because it really makes a huge difference when it comes to preparing the team for the next match. It's not even about preparing the team physically, but tactically and how we want to play against a given opponent. But we'll go out on Thursday with our best lineup again and we'll try. I don't want to make any bold statements here, but we're playing at home. For me, walking out onto the pitch today before kick-off and seeing how packed the stadium is makes you want to play. And I think it will be the same on Thursday. It's valuable precisely in moments like these, when, let's be honest, we were in a difficult situation after three defeats in these last matches and wanted to play well today and win the match... We'll also want to do everything we can to play well on Thursday. Of course, we invite even more fans to this Thursday match, because you can really feel like you're in Europe when you play in front of such a crowd," concluded Kazimierz Moskal.