Mariusz Jop after #WARWIS: My team showed character

Wisła Kraków finished Saturday with three points in Gorzów Wielkopolski thanks to a goal by Rafał Mikulec. Mariusz Jop assessed the #WARWIS clash at the post-match press conference.

"I congratulate my players on this well-earned victory on a difficult pitch. Against a team that also showed good play in many moments. I'm glad my team showed character, great commitment, and a lot of fight after—what can I say—three days after the Super Cup. It wasn't easy either, but it was clear that this team knew why they were on the pitch. It was clear there was good energy in the team, and we definitely need to nurture that. The match was evenly matched. We had our chances. The hosts had theirs as well. "Leta" made some very good saves. I'm very happy with the victory. I know that matches against teams fighting to stay in the relegation zone are very difficult. This makes this result all the more valuable for us," he concluded.

You made six changes to the starting lineup for Warta. Why this decision? "The first reason was the short break from the Super Cup match. Second, there was also travel, and all these factors contributed to the fatigue being exacerbated. The players who started today, and I mean those who don't usually play in the starting lineup or for such a limited amount of time, I think showed a very good performance. This also shows that they are ready. They waited for their chance, and I think they delivered. Many played very well, so I'm even more pleased that we're functioning well as a team," he replied.

According to the pre-match press conference, the fans were in for a surprise. Angel Rodado returned to the squad, but for now, he's on the bench. So what's his health situation like? "He looks optimistic. He was on the bench with us. He had a week's break from training, so he wasn't ready to play yet to avoid the risk of another injury, unrelated to the shoulder. However, it looks optimistic, and I think we might see him in the next match at some point," he assessed. "If the shoulder dislocates again, the risk of injury is increased. Of course, he could undergo surgery now, but after such a procedure, there's a very long break, so I think Angel will be with us, he will try to help us, because it's also possible that this injury won't recur for several years. It's a kind of lottery here," he added.

The match was full of tense moments, especially when the ball refused to enter Warta's goal. What caused these problems? "Firstly, Warta was very aggressive, and two conditions made it difficult to play today. There was a strong wind, and it must be said that the pitch didn't facilitate such multi-pass attacking. I think those were the main factors, but it must be admitted that Warta defended well; they were aggressive. We had our chances in the first half, but lacked a bit of effectiveness. The goalkeeper also performed brilliantly, and one of the defenders cleared the ball. We certainly had plenty of those moments in the first half," he said.

On several occasions, the White Star had trouble playing long balls behind the defenders' backs. How can these errors be eliminated? "There was one situation where Drzazga tried to lob Letkiewicz. There was a mistake there. We were playing against the wind in the second half. A pass went in that was a bit unexpected for the defenders. They dropped their defense too slowly, and that's where the problem came from. However, I don't recall Warta creating any more chances after playing behind the back. Of course, we had some problems in the transition phase after set pieces. There were two instances of slack play in the first half, but I don't see that as a major problem for us." - concluded Mariusz Jop.