Moskal: For us, the only thing that matters now is Polonia Warsaw

Before the league clash with Polonia Warszawa, coach Kazimierz Moskal met with journalists. Watch the press conference.

The coach will still be without the injured Kacper Duda, Dawid Szot, Igor Łasicki, Bartosz Talar, Jakub Stępak, Jesus Alfaro and Enis Fazlagić, as well as Marc Carbó, who is suspended due to a red card.

"There will definitely be some changes. One is Marek Carbó's red card. I don't know how many changes someone considers a lot, but I think there will be more than one change in the lineup. As for the youth player, Duda is out, and that means we have to look for another option. We have several youth players to choose from, including Mariusz Kutwa, Dziedzic, Starzyński, and Krzyżanowski. I think there was some difficulty because you have to choose someone, but it's not like it's a big deal which of these young guys to choose? I've already made that decision, of course, but I'll keep it to myself," Kazimierz Moskal began.

Is Kacper Duda, currently sidelined due to injury, still the number one among the youth players? "I think that if Kacper Duda were here, he would definitely be the number one, because he's already a player with a lot of experience at this level, so his presence in the squad wasn't due to him being a youth player, but simply because he earned a permanent spot. However, depending on who we're playing, what opponent we're playing, we'll look for a solution that will be most beneficial for us," he said.

The Black Shirts have undergone a transformation. Is this still the same team as last season? "I think so on paper, for sure. However, you have to remember that this is a team still under construction, just like us, so anything can happen. I think they're a rather difficult opponent, even though they lost their first home match against Znicz. I wouldn't draw too many conclusions here, because from what I remember from last season, they also had a very poor start at home. They lost their home matches, but they managed to win, I think, in Katowice, if I'm not mistaken, so they're a tough opponent. If we look at the last two matches between Wisła and Polonia, they weren't easy either. The goals were falling late in the game, and the matches were close. We know they're playing with three central defenders, so their defense will definitely be very strong in their own half, and I don't think they'll be calculating going forward either. They know we're in European competition after the match, so they'll probably want to try to play aggressively and high up the pitch," he added.

When asked if Wisła's coaching staff used only footage from the match against Znicz in preparation for the match, the coach replied: "The coach hasn't changed there. Many players have changed, but it's the same coach, so in the first match the idea was also that they played with three players all last season, and they operated that way before, so I don't think anything will change in that regard. However, there are always surprises, they can always appear."

Last season showed "White Star's mental problems during matches in the first division. In turn, the Kraków team fared much better in the Polish Cup. How can this be avoided? "It was certainly noticeable last season that the Polish Cup matches looked completely different. We would like to present ourselves mentally in every match this season. Right after the match against Rapid, I told the team that Sunday's match was the most important. No one has the right to think about what will happen on Thursday, because the only thing that matters to us now is Polonia Warsaw. I don't know, but I'm curious to see what it will be like. I hope we approach this with at least the same attitude as we did against Rapid," he noted. So, were there similar problems when Kazimierz Moskal was a player and had to deal with a similar transition? "In my opinion, the biggest problem was when you were going away after a match like that. I won't name the club, but when the atmosphere, like the atmosphere around the pitch, around the stadium, was so-so, I really think that had some impact, and you really had to work hard on yourself to prepare properly. Sometimes, you know, there's a tendency now to hire mental coaches and work on the mental aspect of individual players, but above all, the person has to want it and know what they want. I'm talking about the players. Because they have to be aware that they're going into a league match and they have to want to win it just as much, they have to play their best," he added.

What was the coach's recipe for properly preparing the team for the match against Polonia after the intense period and the clash with Rapid? "If the match was on Thursday, then there was a recovery session on Friday, a pre-match warm-up on Saturday, and the match on Sunday. In my opinion, that's the problem with playing in European competitions. It's not that you play every three or four days, depending on how it works out. The problem is that there's really no time to train and practice certain things that you want to present to the team. How we want to play, how we want to function – that's the problem, because if you want to do something offensively, you might not have time for something else. I think that's where the role of individual players in approaching each match, how to prepare, is very important," he explained.

Which of the still-absent players is closest to returning to the pitch, and what is the physical condition of the new signings from the R22? "Regarding the injured players, it seemed a few days ago that Igor Łasicki might be the player who would return first. Right now, I think Enis Fazlagić is closest, as he's already joining the team for training, but he's not participating in everything. The next player who could recover relatively quickly is Alfaro, who's already starting to practice with the ball, but I think it will take a while. Regarding the new players, I think Tamas Kiss looks better physically than Duarte. I think Duarte needs a little more time, and that's how they're being prepared. They warm up with the team, then maybe do some drills where we can incorporate them, and then they work individually with the motor skills coach," he analyzed.

Piotr Starzyński was not in the matchday squad against Rapid Vienna. What was the reason for his absence? "It was a matter of selecting players for the match, as the decision was to play Rodado and Zwoliński. We needed someone to replace him in that position if necessary to continue the match in that formation. And then we decided to choose Olejarka. We had other options on the wings, but now Starzyński is in the matchday squad for the match against Polonia," he revealed.

Until now, we've seen Jakub Krzyżanowski play at fullback, but recently he's been playing on the wing. So where does the coach see him? "For me, he's more of a winger. We brought in Giannis Kiakos to be a left-back. We have Mikulec. Of course, Mikulec can also play at right-back, but we also have Jaroch and Szot, and we're hoping he'll join the team in the near future and be ready to play," concluded coach Kazimierz Moskal.