Mariusz Jop before the semi-final of the #WISMIE play-offs: We are happy that we can fight for the Ekstraklasa

Mariusz Jop's team faces the most important moment of the season – the play-offs for promotion to the Ekstraklasa! On Thursday evening, May 29th, at 9:00 PM, the play-off semifinals will begin, pitting White Star against Miedź Legnica. Before the match, Mariusz Jop met with journalists at a press conference.

The opening question of the conference before Wisła Kraków's play-off clash was who would be in charge. In the last league match against Stal Rzeszów, Patryk Letkiewicz started between the posts, but there are also two other players competing for a place in the starting eleven. Kamil Broda. Who will we see in goal for the White Star during tomorrow's crucial match? Coach Mariusz Jop commented on this decision, explaining: "Going back to the last match, there were actually these reasons. Firstly, to give this position to the youth player "Fill in. Secondly, let Letkiewicz get back to feeling like he's an important player for us, because he is. And since Kacper was on the books, it was a natural solution for us and the team."

One of the challenges a coach faces Mariusz Jop is in charge of the midfield ahead of the playoff match. The Wisła Kraków coach has a wide range of players at his disposal – Marc Carbó, Marek Poletanović, Kacper Duda, and James Igbekeme. Each of them is in top form, which translates into There's healthy competition for a place in the starting eleven. "I'm very happy that there's good competition here, that there are players in good form. And we actually have a wealth of options in midfield at the moment. I'm very happy about that." I think each of these players will have time to show themselves," commented coach Jop during the press conference.

Miedź Legnica won't be an easy opponent for Wisła Kraków in tomorrow's playoff match. In the regular season, Wisła Kraków will face They drew with Miedź at Reymonta Street, but in the away leg they had to concede their opponent's superiority. Will previous results have an impact on the upcoming clash? "We know that what happened in the regular season is a thick line. Of course, We want to maintain this good form from recent matches. We won, scored goals, and kept clean sheets," emphasized the White Star coach. "However, it absolutely doesn't matter that Miedź lost their last three matches. You could say that this is the beginning of a different phase, and these matches have completely different stakes. There are no calculations here. Here, it's a single match that decides whether to continue playing or not. So, we absolutely won't be overly reassured by the fact that Miedź hasn't won lately, nor will we feel insecure about winning our last three matches. We know that each of these teams has their strengths. I'm talking about all four teams in the playoffs. But we also know our worth. We are very happy that thanks to all the work we have done, we can play this match at home tomorrow and continue fighting for the Ekstraklasa," said coach Jop.

Tomorrow's match at Reymonta aroused great interest and the stands will be packed. In the past, the pressure of a home stadium hasn't always worked to the Wisła Kraków players' advantage. Does coach Mariusz Jop and his staff have to do extra work in this regard? "I think it's impossible to cut yourself off. This is an element football. I think the players are experienced and know what awaits us here. This start is certainly more difficult for the visiting opponent. We know what to expect. We know these fans. The fans are with us and they showed it in recent games. matches very strongly. Where they cheered us on regardless of the result," Jop emphasized. "I'll recall the match against Płock, which I think was a good performance by us. However, the story turned out that we lost that match. Tomorrow, however, is a separate stage. We're counting on the fans' support. We know it will be there. We'll try to give everything we can to win this match," he said.

It was stated from the conference room that Matches of this rank "are won, not played." However, Wisła Kraków has been very multi-dimensional in recent matches. So what can we expect in tomorrow's match – a tough fight or tactical chess? "I think there will be different There will be moments in this match. There will be moments when we're high, when we're low, when we're in mid-defense. When we build our attacks patiently, in positional attack. When the opponent, depending on the situation, can move higher and press us. I think that, like in every match, there will be many of these moments, and they will be different. However, I'm happy that the team is making progress, that the team has different ways of playing. It's developing as a whole. For me, this is very optimistic about our future. game" – replied the Wisła coach.

During the press conference, a question arose about the play-offs from two years ago, where Wisła Kraków suffered a painful defeat. Does that experience still have an impact on the team? Mariusz Jop replied: "Completely There's no such topic in the locker room or among the players, as many of them are no longer with us. For those who were, I think it's a good lesson and we can definitely draw conclusions from it. That meeting was very specific, but I wouldn't look for any analogy here. Because there's a different opponent, with a different set of skills. There's a different Wisła team. There are different people, with different experiences. People who have already established themselves in the first league and know that certain elements are very important here, and we've also worked hard on that, so I absolutely don't see any analogy."

Referring to the question about the play-offs from two years ago, Mariusz Jop was asked to comment on those events. "I have absolutely no intention of commenting on what happened two years ago; it makes no sense."

In the medical report Alan Uryga, Mariusz Kutwa and Patryk Gogół are among the players who will not be seen in tomorrow's match against Miedź Legnica. What are Wiktor Biedrzycki and Joseph Colley's current form? "As far as Wiktor is concerned, every day is working in his favor. After this After a long break, where he was away from training with the entire team, he returned to training, and every day is valuable for him and the team. He is a real alternative to playing in center back. As for Joseph, we know he had a long "It's a break, and it's not easy to return to top form after such a break. However, time is also on his side. Every training session, every match, helps him get back to his optimal form," said coach Jop.

In connection In addition to the question about the injured players, coach Jop also heard a question from the conference room regarding Alan Uryga's return to the pitch. He replied succinctly: "Yes, but it's a forecast of several months before he returns to the pitch."

In many pre-match analyses Regarding Miedź Legnica, the emphasis is on their long-range shots. Are our players sensitive to this element of their opponent's game? "Of course, analyzing the opponent, we know that this is their strong point. We even conceded two goals against them in the match in Legnica. We know we have to be careful about this; the players are sensitive to it. Yes, this is one of the areas where Miedź is dangerous," replied coach Jop.

In reference to the coach's words about separating the regular season from the play-offs, question about the last three defeats of Miedź, which may influence the perception of the opponent. "As I said, Miedź actually had a weaker end of the regular season in terms of results. However, I wouldn't see a greater chance for us from this because they hadn't won those matches recently. The Miedź coach had his own philosophy, he spoke about it openly, that he wanted to work on physical preparation, and he also gave some players rest. It was clear that for them, the main match would be Tomorrow, just like for us. I absolutely don't see any problems for our opponent here. I think the chances are very similar for both teams in these playoff matches," replied coach Jop.

Wisła lost away to Miedź in March, is this a matter became a field for analysis, or are these completely different teams? Mariusz Jop said: "Of course, this is a field for analysis. It was coach Łobodziński's first match, so it was difficult to implement all the changes in just a few days, which the coach It depends. We also refer to this match in our opponent's analysis."

Tomorrow's match is scheduled for 9:00 PM. Could this time affect the players' preparation? The first semi-final of the play-offs is being played in Płock between the local team Wisła and Polonia Warszawa, so Wisła Kraków can already know their opponent in the final before the match. What does the coach say about this? "We've played here at 8:30 p.m. a few times on Friday nights, so I don't think it matters for us. Of course, theoretically it's three an hour less time for regeneration, but for me it's not that important," said coach Jop.

During the conference, a question was also asked not about the team, but about the feeling of coach Mariusz Jop. In his coaching career, the coach of Wisła Kraków, This is the first match of this high profile. The White Star coach admitted that: "For me, every upcoming match is the most important, and this one also perfectly fits the scenario I often talk about. I'm doing just as well as before the previous one." meeting, so thank you for your concern."

The last question during the conference concerned the health of Mariusz Kutwa, who is struggling with an injury. What is the nature of this injury and what are the prospects for his return? "There is a problem with his biceps and it is It was such an unpleasant injury that calcifications and scars had formed there, requiring a longer rehabilitation process. So, after Alan's injury, I was also wondering whether to try to speed up the process a bit. However, it was too a big risk in Mariusz's case and we came to the conclusion that it would be better to solve the whole problem perfectly, cure him completely, so that next season he could compete for a place in the starting lineup. However, in the case of, as As I said, Wiktor managed to accelerate this without risking the player, and here he is with us, as I said earlier, an alternative to starting in center back. Thank you very much, and see you tomorrow," concluded coach Mariusz Jop.