Conference before #WISARK

Match after match. After the European clash, it's time for a Liga match. On Monday, the Krakow team will host Arka Gdynia at R22. We have a few words for you from coach Kazimierz Moskal before the referee blows the whistle.

Medical report before #WISARK. Excluded are:
Jesus Alfaro, Igor Sapała, Dawid Szot, Bartosz Talar, Enis Fazlagić, Kacper Duda, Jakub Stępak, Joseph Colley and Giannis Kiakos.

The press conference began with a remembrance of Franciszek Smuda, who passed away on Sunday morning after a long illness. "Indeed, today we received the news of Coach Smuda's death. It's certainly a sad day, especially for all those who hold Wisła close. Coach Smuda certainly contributed to the beautiful days at this club during his time, as far as the football team is concerned. That will certainly be remembered," said coach Kazimierz Moskal. "Coach Smuda, at least in my time, relied on his experience, hard work, and discipline. He disliked major changes and searching for different solutions. He had his own approach, which was to attack every opponent aggressively, attack, and press. This brought results, as there were many great matches, both in the league and in the cups. As a player under Coach Smuda, you had to demonstrate great character. Because that hard work and discipline required you to not give up, to cope with those rigors," he continued.

Wisła has 120 minutes of leg-to-leg play and a penalty shootout against Spartak Trnava behind them. Will the team be adequately prepared physically? "We'll see. I think 120 minutes, but with a happy ending, affects the players differently than if those 120 minutes were followed by the bitterness of defeat or failure to advance. That would certainly be more noticeable. Here, however, I think we should be able to cope. The match is on Monday, so it's not a disaster," he said. Asked whether the test results confirm that the White Star players are looking physically better, the coach replied: "The results we have on GPS vary. It depends on many things. How the opponent plays, how we perform with the ball, whether there's more fluidity or jerkiness. However, the latest results show that it's not that bad. I think some players get into shape through matches. I'm referring to those who didn't have a pre-season or whose pre-season was too short. That could be the reason for all this."

After the euphoria of the Conference League, it's time for Arka Gdynia. So does the coach need to remind his players to approach this match the same way they approached, say, Spartak? "We definitely need to remind them, and we all need to be aware of that. One of the first things I said to the players after the Spartak match is that I want to see the same team on Monday against Arka," he announced.

Former White Star players, arriving at the R22, want to put their best foot forward. Will the Kraków team pay particular attention to Szymon Sobczak? "It often happens that players who have left a club are very tense, trying to show their best side. And sometimes they play their best matches. Well, we can't just look at Szymon Sobczak. I think Arka has many other players," he noted.

How much, according to the coach, has the Gdynia team changed? "I don't think they've changed that much. There are a few young players who have stepped up, but overall, I think they're playing pretty much the same way they used to," he explained.

It's impossible not to look ahead and think about the match against Cercle. So will the coaching staff be watching their opponent's next match live? "No, but we'll have footage," he replied, adding: "We'll fly straight to Poznań after the match in Bruges, and from there we'll go to Kołobrzeg."

Giannis Kiakos was sidelined with an injury. Was he the only player injured in the last match? "Nothing major for the others. We still have training today, so we'll see. Friday was a day off. Yesterday was just a light introduction, today we want to do something more. I think it will go smoothly," he expressed hope. Could any of the injured players join the match against Arka Gdynia? "Probably not, but I think Jesus Alfaro and Igor Sapala have a chance to fight for a spot in the squad soon," he added.

Coach Kazimierz Moskal was also asked about the team's captaincy hierarchy: "There were no elections, and it wasn't my decision. I decided to leave the situation as it was last season. I did this because the squad wasn't complete, and I'd like the players to choose their captain, but in a situation where they know each other, will be together longer, and will have closer relationships. I believe that the locker room should definitely choose a captain who their teammates will trust and who will represent them."

Speaking of captaincy, has the goalkeeping hierarchy changed, and will Kamil Broda start in goal against Arka? "We'll see. We'll talk to Łukasz Załuska about it," he concluded curtly.

There's been a lot of talk about the need for reinforcements, especially in the defense, which has been weakened again by Kiakos's injury. So, is a left-back position on the coach's wish list? "I don't want to talk about transfers. If we keep adding players to the wish list every time someone gets injured, we'll soon have 50 players. We're looking. Kiakos's injury, however, isn't such a problem that he'll be sidelined from training or matches for an extended period. Of course, he'll need a bit of rest after the procedure, but he'll be back in training relatively soon," concluded coach Kazimierz Moskal.