Kazimierz Moskal in front of #CHRWIS

Głogów is the next city where Wisła Kraków will compete. On Sunday, the Chrobry team will host the R22 team in the 10th round of the Betclic 1 League.

Still absent are: Kacper Duda, Giannis Kiakos, Dawid Szot, Bartosz Talar, Jakub Stępak, Kamil Broda and Joseph Colley.

Journalists asked the Moskal coach about his diagnosis of the problem at the press conference. "I thought a lot after this match and came to some conclusions. Of course, I won't reveal them now, but we want to change something. I think that in terms of the game strategy itself, we have to adapt to certain things. We know how the teams against us play, especially how they defend, so that's also important. We'll see, because you can have many ideas, but it all happens on the pitch later, and the final result is what matters most," he said. "I wouldn't want to use trophies as an excuse, but we can't kid ourselves that it didn't have an impact or doesn't have an impact, because we have to look at it from a broader perspective. If we have a few players in the team who are heavily used - I'm thinking here about players like Jaroch, Uryga, Mikulec, Carbo, Rodado, or we have a few players who have just returned from injury, like Łasicki and Alfaro. And we have players who joined the team at different times, everyone is somehow in a different place, and it's hard to say that we're at the same level of preparation. Either someone is more tired, or someone has hit a low point after not being in the pre-season and it's only now that it's affected them. Or they're recovering from an injury - there are also times when we can't feel comfortable. I think all of this has an impact on it. When it comes to psychological issues, hiring a psychologist - although we certainly thought about it and I talked to the team about it right at the beginning after one of the first rounds. I think everything is "For the people, each player should be aware of what they need. It can't be like I'm going to take the whole team and force them to sit in on some session with a psychologist or a mental trainer. I had that experience here at Wisła, when we took on a mental trainer and the whole team was in the locker room, and as is typical in a football locker room, it was more of a joke than a commitment to full engagement. I believe that individual work is absolutely necessary if someone feels they need it. However, some individual, short sessions with the team are also highly recommended for some kind of integration and collaboration, but you also have to be very timely. In my opinion, it's best to start such things either before the season or during the break between rounds. These are definitely important issues, because we know where the sport is heading, the demands are, and not everyone can cope with it the same way," he added.

On Thursday, the team attended a team-building dinner. How does the coach feel about such outings? "In the situation we're in, everyone sees the downside of such meetings, because everyone somewhere looks for some second-day low or some subtext, meaning they went – ​​to put it colloquially – to the ballet. I remember back in my first days at Wisła, when there were many Poles here, we would meet not only after training, but between training sessions. When there were two training sessions, we would sit together, hang out together, and there was nothing strange about it. The second time, I also remember there was a group of many Poles and we would meet after training in a café on Lea Street. I don't see anything wrong with a group of players in the situation we're in now wanting to meet together outside the club, because what could be wrong with that? The fact that they met together? The fact that they met in a restaurant, or the fact that it was late? Nobody left drunk, and nobody took road signs with them, so I think there's nothing wrong with having a meal or dinner together, even with just one beer. "Just because it's a difficult time, and we all have different expectations when it comes to results, doesn't mean we should sit at home, lock ourselves in the basement, and beat ourselves up. Probably not. I think it's absolutely acceptable, and to be honest, I'm glad the players organized this meeting themselves," he announced.

White Star also has a problem with set pieces, which do not pose a threat to the opponent. "We're aware of this and we're constantly working on it, but we also know that we have a relatively small team, and that doesn't help either defending from set pieces or attacking. The coaches have started analyzing and reviewing the matches because the quality of these crosses is poor, and it's not entirely true that we don't have enough players. Sure, there are moments when they're lacking, but watching matches at the highest level, they don't always have as many players in the penalty area as needed. But the quality of these crosses really isn't what we'd like. Sometimes, too, our performance from set pieces or heading the ball isn't determined solely by physical condition, but by the timing, the moment when I have to go to the ball. We're aware of this, and that's our problem. As I said, we work on it every week and every period between matches. We want to improve it, but it's not like it's just going to happen," he explained.

Chrobry Głogów recently achieved a breakthrough in the league, with Mateusz Lewandowski scoring three goals. Does the coach intend to take a closer look at this player? "Mateusz Lewandowski definitely caught my eye when I was at ŁKS and we played a friendly against Wisła Płock. They were in the Ekstraklasa back then, and Mateusz scored two goals against us. I think they beat us 5-0. I was surprised that such a player wasn't getting a chance because he was on the bench. Later, I think he had some health issues there, and now he's at Chrobry. Certainly, if someone scores three goals in a match that wins, they'll feel strong. As for Chrobry, I think they're a team that will focus on defense, especially when the result is in their favor. That's how they played in Pruszków, too. They dropped back and waited. They gave the ball to Znicz and waited for their moments. They're dangerous with crosses and attack the penalty area well. We'll definitely have to be vigilant. We worked on this in training and we've already analyzed Chrobry's game. The players know how this team tries to play," he continued.

The Głogów team has tall players in their ranks. So how should Wisła set up for this clash? "We want to play our own game, and of course, we always have a dilemma later on during set pieces, how to set it up, but as I said, sometimes situations arise where, for example, James has to fight for the opposition against a much taller player, but that's not necessarily doomed to failure, because let's face it... At this level, the balls don't always land where the opponent would want them to. Besides, even if I'm smaller, but at the right moment I jump up and lightly block the opponent or prevent them from getting in through the block, it will be more difficult for them to position their bodies properly for a shot. Otherwise... I'd rather have players who look very good at football, who are fast, strong, and are 190 cm tall, but sorry..." he added.

According to one media representative, Wisła players are trying to shoot from inappropriate positions. "I mean, what positions are these, I don't know, from the halfway line or from the corner? I don't know for whom it's an awkward situation. I remember the first match, for example, at the opening two years ago, when I was coaching ŁKS. GKS arrived, they were leading 1-0, and they scored the second goal in such a way that a player from the corner of the penalty area shot with his left foot, the ball went to the outside of his foot, hit his teammate in the knee, and went in. So what are the awkward situations for taking a shot? I think that every shot is based on the player considering that he can gain something. Of course, there are issues of choice and decision, but I think we're going a bit from one extreme to the other in this question. So we'll either say that we don't have long-range shots or we don't shoot, or that we shoot from awkward situations. I agree that we're ineffective, because even taking into account that maybe there weren't that many perfect chances, the sheer number of attacks and shots, entering the penalty area was, in my opinion, enough that we should have scored a few goals," he replied.

When asked what thoughts the coach had in mind at the press conference after the match against ŁKS: "I definitely took this defeat more hard than the previous ones, probably for two reasons. The fact that I've been to this club twice is one thing, but I think it's more that we're dropping points again. And that was more painful for me. I had many different thoughts, but well... Even as a player, I took failures very hard. In the sense that I had to 'get over it'. When I was a player, I only let go after the next training session. I went to training, did what I had to do, and then I came back – I could say – as if I were alive. It's similar here. Sometimes I prefer to say less in these emotional moments. I think things through before I say what I have to say. That was the case this time too. The fact that some thoughts were swirling around doesn't change the fact that the next day, after analyzing the match, after the debriefing, everything fell into place," he said.

Doesn't the coach think the match in Łódź showed Wisła is heading in the wrong direction? "I'll go back to that match against Warta. Especially the first half, where it looked really good, and I think we all hoped the match against ŁKS would be similar. But let's also consider that the result, that is, the players' form, is influenced by various factors. ŁKS played very aggressively in the first half, which is why we had some problems, and I think that goal, conceded so quickly after that corner, also took some of our confidence away," he replied.

Are there any positives to be found in the R22 team's performance? "When it comes to Kotwica and Warta, I'd like us to play matches like that. Complete dominance and lots of chances that we just have to convert into goals. Against ŁKS, we definitely played worse. Because it's like this: two teams take the field wanting to win, fielding the same eleven healthy players, training the same way, signing professional contracts, and aiming to reach the highest possible position in the table. We played worse, they played better, were more effective, but it's also what I said at the press conference – it's good that we played until the end, fighting for that goal. Sure, if we had managed to score earlier, maybe there would have been more excitement, but for me, the positive thing was that we played until the end," he said.


Journalists pored over Angel Rodado, asking if the striker had caught the proverbial breathless spot or if he wasn't demanding too much of himself. "I think it's both. Angel is a player who is deeply committed, which is evident in his emotions, his facial expressions, how he handles everything. I said this without being Wisła's coach, but watching the matches last season, when it was clear he would have done anything to turn the tables. He was heavily exploited. Certainly, in his normal form, Angel Rodado would have scored at least three goals against Warta, because he had such opportunities. I think matches like this are bound to happen, because it's hard to find a player who scores goals in every match. I think it will be short-lived, because Angel is one of those players who takes everything very hard and works hard on himself," he said, adding: "The plan was for him to rest in Brugge. Those were the changes we made, and that's my fault, because I wanted to play to the end to advance."

The team's health situation is improving, as the coach announced: "Kacper Duda has been given the green light and can train normally, but the problem will be how long it will take him to get back in shape enough to handle the demands of matches. So there's no ban on participating in training games or in combat. Sure, he might still have some psychological trauma, but only through training and regular work can he return to full fitness. Giannis Kiakos is also expected to be back in training as normal starting Monday. He's been training with us for a few days, but only in the non-contact phase, but the doctor has already informed me that he'll be back in full training starting Monday."

What role does Igor Spała have in the team? "Igor is training, but for now he's in the team at the disposal of the second team coach. Today he trained with Skrobański, Wiśniewski, and Młyński, and they'll be playing tomorrow," he continued.

Due to the flood situation, a question was asked whether the match in Głogów would go ahead without any problems. "We are in contact, of course. Our spokeswoman is up to date, but we don't discuss this matter in the locker room at all. We are preparing for the match as usual," the coach emphasized. Karolina Kawula, the club's spokesperson, added: "At this time, the match is not at risk. We are preparing as usual, as the coach said."