Mariusz Jop before #ODRWIS: It's always all up to us

The victory against Miedź was very important from a mental point of view.

“We know how tough this league is. First and foremost, these volitional qualities, commitment, this is the absolute foundation and basis for showcasing your skills. We know that if there's a team that theoretically has slightly lesser skills, they will compensate with these elements. The whole difficulty lies in ensuring that these volitional qualities are at least on the same level as the opponent's, and then we are able to show our quality. Of course, sometimes matches unfold differently. Sometimes the opponent scores a goal in an unconventional way, and then it's certainly harder. However, we know that most depends on us. I think that on these positive emotions after the last match, we will go up as a team,” coach Mariusz Jop began.

You don't change a winning lineup?

“For me, the most important element is what is most crucial for the team at a given moment. If such a configuration works and this cooperation looks good, then I will choose it. However, if I see that a different setup is more beneficial, I will look for a solution that is best for the team. But indeed, Jordi is understanding Angel better and better, and I think Jordi himself, in terms of his form, is improving. We know his history, that he had a long break, didn't play league matches, and needed time here, both physically and in terms of understanding, feeling space, establishing this cooperation not only with Angel but also with other players. It just takes time, and it's clear that this time is working in his favor, and also in favor of the entire team. I think these premises, which I already mentioned in the match against Znicz, which were still few, but there were definitely more of them in the last match against Miedź. I mean the fluidity of play, fewer turnovers. This is something that looks better and better, and I think we will be able to show it in the next match as well,” said the White Star coach.

Sometimes Wisła conceded midfield to the team from Legnica, can this be linked to Angel Rodado's shift to the number 10 position?

“I don't think it was that significant that Angel was at the number 10 position. It was more about individual actions in the midfield. We lost a few duels there and collected fewer second balls than in the first 30 minutes of the first half. This resulted in a situation where the opponent took over some initiative,” said the coach.

In the previous round, the match against Odra was not easy.

“Half a year is a very long time in football. There is a new coach, the squad has also changed a bit, as has the opponent. Of course, we remember the circumstances, we know that the goals conceded were situations in which we shouldn't necessarily have conceded those goals. We know the strengths of this team, what we need to watch out for. We have analyzed, practiced certain variants during this week, and as I say, everything always depends on us,” Mariusz Jop argued.

This year, Wisła has not yet finished a match with a clean sheet.

“Of course, we would like not to concede goals. However, victory is still the most important thing. We certainly wouldn't want it to be with a conceded goal, but if it happens and we win, we accept such a solution,” he replied.

There has been a change of coach at Odra Opole, what kind of team can be expected?

“I think Odra plays more safely. It's a team that, when it comes to attacking, a statistical curiosity, is that after this winter break, four out of six goals came from set pieces. This means it's an opponent who may not score many goals, but this statistic shows what they put a lot of emphasis on. It's an opponent who statistically wins more aerial duels than the league average. It's clear that this style of play, with many long passes to a tall number nine, waiting for set pieces, is consistent with the statistics,” coach Jop described.

The Odra coach himself mentioned that his team is not consistent.

“We focus mainly on ourselves; those are Odra's problems. For us, what matters most is how we function, and we think more about our tasks, what we need to do and when during the match, rather than relying on the opponent having a weaker or better half. Instead, we reverse this statistic by focusing mainly on ourselves,” he argued.

The pitch is well prepared, the stadium full of fans, including White Star supporters. A football feast is brewing in Opole.

“I think so, I think our fans have shown many times in previous seasons that when they are away, either in the stadium or outside the stadium, because sometimes such situations also occurred. There have never been any incidents during this time that would be unfavorable in the assessment of their behavior, so I don't think anything alarming will happen in the match. I am very happy that they will support us in such large numbers. We will try our best to give them positive emotions,” said the Wisła coach.

The main referee is Mr. Sylwestrzak from Wrocław. Is this not additional pressure on the referee?

“It's true that there's some additional pressure here. However, he is a professional, he is a referee who also officiates in the Ekstraklasa, so I expect him to be impartial and to officiate what happens on the pitch,” he stated.

Odra defends deep. Are there any concerns about this style of play?

“It's not a concern, because it's a probable scenario. We have our solutions, we have certain schemes that are more or less effective. This also depends, of course, on defensive actions. Everything depends on us. There is a range of solutions, a range of behaviors that are effective against such a compact defense. Of course, Odra will be a team that will look for quick attacks, that will look for set pieces. This is a very probable scenario for the upcoming match,” said the Wisła Kraków coach.

Did the emotions from the match against Miedź overshadow the issues from the previous match against Śląsk?

“We try to put aside all this, let's call it, media buzz that often accompanies Wisła Kraków, not only in connection with the match against Śląsk Wrocław. We focus on what we have control over, which is daily work and the upcoming matches,” coach Mariusz Jop concluded.