Moskal: We devoted a lot of attention to finalizing

We kick off the weekend with the #WISWAR match, scheduled for Friday, September 13th at 8:30 PM. Before the match, coach Kazimierz Moskal answered questions from journalists.

Medical report before Friday's clash:
- Kacper Duda - is training with the team on a limited basis, he will be checked next week;
- Giannis Kiakos - trains with the team on a limited basis;
- Dawid Szot - is training with the team on a limited basis, it is planned that he will be introduced to full training in 2-3 weeks;
- Bartosz Talar - trains individually on the pitch;
- Jakub Stępak - in the process of rehabilitation;
- Kamil Broda - has a ligament injury in his fingers, he is in the process of rehabilitation;
- Tamás Kiss - has recovered from an illness and is scheduled to return to training on the weekend of September 14-15;
- Joseph Colley - is undergoing rehabilitation.

"Regarding Bartek Talar and Dawid Szot, they've been training closer to the team for a while now, not so much with the team. They're doing some things on the field, but in my opinion, it's still more of an individual workout. Giannis has started training alongside the team, he's running on the field, but for now we also have to wait for a follow-up examination to see if the bone in his hand is healing, and then he might be able to participate in team training. As for Kacper Duda, we're also waiting for a final examination, which will probably take place on September 23rd. Then we'll decide whether he can fully return to training with the team. Full-load, because we know his break was quite long, and it won't be easy to bring him back into the team," the coach explained of the team's health situation. "I think it's definitely much better than it was for those players who joined later. As for Igor Łasicki, he reported some discomfort in Kołobrzeg, and we didn't want to take any risks. He trained with us, and he's considered a regular player, but we have to be careful because his knee still isn't as good as we'd hoped, and Igor expected, so we're being cautious. He's still being assessed and under medical supervision, but he's fully prepared," he added.

The national team break meant Wisła players could work on a normal training microcycle. "There was time for rest, because after that marathon, we had to give the players some time to catch their breath. So after the match against Kotwica, we had two days off, and then the weekend – not quite the same – but on Sunday we started preparing for the match against Warta. I have to admit, this week looked different than before other matches. We were able to practice a few things with the team," began coach Kazimierz Moskal. "Let me put it this way – if there's a full microcycle, you can work on every element. That was the case here too, but we focused a lot of attention on finalizing it," he added.

Patryk Gogół and Piotr Starzyński returned to the national team after training camp. How are they? "They only returned on Wednesday and attended Wednesday's training session. Patryk Gogół, having played most of the match, only had a recovery session. Piotr Starzyński, on the other hand, participated in training as usual, but Wednesday was generally a more relaxed day. Patryk and Piotrek were more tired from the journey than from the game. Piotrek, in particular, was more tired from the journey than from the match, as he only played briefly. I think everything will be fine for the match against Warta, and they are considered for that match," he noted.

Arkadiusz Ziarko and Maciej Kuziemka are coaching the first team. Does the coach intend to review these players more often? "Arkadiusz Ziarko has already been with us once due to a lack of a left-back. We needed a left-back for tactical training, and that was the case this time, but our idea is to occasionally bring in young players from the second team to train with us if possible. And since we needed some of them to help out this week, we could also take a look at them," he replied.

Igor Sapala recently played for the reserve team. Is playing for the second team one way for players to recover from injury? "I think that those players who have had health issues or are playing less in the first team can seek better form in the second team and compete for a matchday squad in the first league. I think this is natural. That's why the second team exists, among other things, because we know we want young players, young lads, to play there, but those players who need minutes will be able to play there," he continued. "I saw the first half of the reserve team match live. It's definitely not at the level I'm probably expecting, and neither am I. But you know what it's like after an injury. I'm also aware of the conditions in which the match was played, and I wouldn't want to comment on that specifically. However, just like the other players who played for the reserves, they were sent off from the first team; they're there to show their worth. To simply show that they're fighting for a place in the first team," he continued.


What is the status of Enis Fazlagić, who doesn't have a place in the squad? "For now, Enis is out of the squad. That's how it is for now. He's also been struggling with some health issues since the beginning of this season, hence his problems," he added.

The White Star team is currently 14th in the table, and the team from Wawel Castle must start picking up points consistently to catch up with the leaders. "We have to look at this holistically. Don't judge, don't live in dreams or memories, but in the here and now. We all know that our adventure in European competitions is over. Whatever it was, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but we are adults, we are professionals, we know what we do for a living and what is expected of us. I think everyone here is perfectly aware that now there is only the league. We had a longer period to prepare, but soon we will get back into the rhythm of playing every three days, and we must now focus solely and exclusively on the league. There is no margin for error, no excuses that it was a cup match and there was no time to fully recover or prepare," he emphasized.

The Poznań team is among the teams that concede the most goals. Does this mean the Kraków team wants to attack and play an offensive game from the start? "As Wisła – especially when playing at home – I can't imagine us wanting to counterattack or wait for our opponent to make mistakes. We'll want to play an attacking game. It's not like we're going to play five strikers when we play Warta. No, the lineup has to be well-balanced and attack-oriented. Is this a trap game? It's definitely an unknown quantity, because we have to remember that Warta recently changed their coach. He only managed one home game against Znicz. He also didn't have much time to work and implement his concepts. They played a friendly against Lech and now they're coming here. They'll definitely want to perform well and put in a good performance," he replied.

When asked if the coach wasn't concerned that Wisła might – like last season – have trouble getting motivated before matches against weaker opponents, he replied: "I don't know, it's hard for me to compare this team so far with the one from last season. I know that this assessment will always be based on the result, but the situation is a bit different because we played in European cups. A lot of new players came in, they joined us at different times and either lacked some preparation, or some players felt the effects of the matches played through the number of matches, so it was difficult to find stability in form. If you have a team built for some time, with which you have been working for a long time, and if you have the right number and quality of players, it is certainly easier to play in such conditions in cups and the league. However, our situation wasn't easy, so for now I wouldn't want to try and compare the two teams. From last season and this one. There is probably something to the fact that matches in European cups are perceived differently than in the league. I think this applies not only to the players." Wisła Kraków. I think other clubs also struggle with these kinds of problems. You have to be able to deal with it, and sometimes, even when playing a bad match in the league, you have to push through and win. That also speaks volumes about the team's strength. Looking at the last match against Kotwica and analyzing it, it's hard to imagine what more we could have done, and the course of the match itself and the chances that arose should have ended in goals. Unfortunately, that didn't happen." "After the last match in Bruges, I said that the experience of European competitions would help the team function better, and everyone would have the awareness, the feeling of what they're capable of, that they can play intensely at a high level not just every week, but every three or four days," he continued.