Mikhailov: In many matches we played better than our opponents

Wisła Kraków's reserve team began preparations for the upcoming second half of the season at the beginning of January. The autumn season presented a challenging time for the young players, and team coach Aleksandr Mikhailov was asked to evaluate it.

The reserve team has completed the first part of the season in the third league, where you are playing as rookies. The autumn season wasn't without its complications, injuries, and difficult matches. What was that period like from your perspective?

"It is obvious that we would like to have many more points after the autumn round, and we could have achieved that. However, during the first part of the season we had a lot of problems that we had to overcome, and they also affected our current position in the table. Both before the start of the season and during it, we were faced with injuries. Not only did we lose our main players, but also from every line. Michał Bierzało was removed from defense, then Sławomir Chmiel, Michał Zimon from midfield, and Mateusz Stanek and Kamil Kaczówka in attack. Our squad did not look as we had planned. It is also worth noting that in many matches we played better than our opponents, but we usually lacked luck or simply experience to get three points. Good examples are the matches against Świdniczanka, Lewart, Sandecja and Podlasie. I hope that in the second half of the season we will return to balance in terms of the squad's condition, and this will be reflected in the points gained. Apart from the negatives, we need to Of course, there were also positives, and one of them was our attacking play. We can boast that we have one of the best attacks in the league, and in 18 matches we scored 40 goals. We could have scored even more because we had opportunities, but sometimes we lacked the finishing touch. On the other hand, we also conceded a lot of goals, which shows we need to work harder defensively."

Competing in the third league proved to be a difficult challenge for you. Is there anything that surprised Wisła's second team about this level of competition? How does the third league differ from the fourth, and to what extent?

"First of all, the level of both the teams and the individual players is higher. The third division is very evenly matched in terms of game organization. This can be easily demonstrated by our example, where we played well against teams at the top of the table, but had major problems against many teams at the bottom of the table. In the fourth division, we didn't experience such situations. Of course, we had some more difficult matches, but we usually emerged victorious."

During the season, significant changes occurred in the coaching staff, with then-head coach Bartosz Bąk joining Mariusz Jop's staff and you taking over the reins. How did this impact your work with the team?

"This change has had a significant impact on the organization of our work in the coaching staff. We had to divide responsibilities completely differently between Krystian Żakowicz and me, and it's undeniable that it was a very difficult time for us in this respect. I personally believe that every change has its impact on the team. However, when it comes to the organization of our game, we haven't changed much. We're still maintaining the system we developed with coach Mariusz Jop. We just want to improve it and score more goals in the spring round."

Before the start of the season, Krystian Żakowicz joined the coaching staff, giving him his first experience coaching a senior team. Previously, he coached the White Star's youth teams for many years. How do you assess this coach's work in recent months and his adaptation to the coaching staff?

"Krystian Żakowicz quickly adapted to our coaching staff and has been very conscientious in his duties from the start. He is a very good coach and a man who approaches his work professionally and responsibly. He also has a good rapport with the players and other members of the coaching staff. He shows great potential. He is a very young coach, but he already has a lot of experience in this profession."

The reserve team's roster underwent significant changes before the start of the season. The team included both new players and younger players who had represented the White Star in the U-19 Central Junior League last season. Of course, players like Yehor Khromykh and Radosław Skała had the opportunity to make their reserve team debuts last season, but they weren't often selected for the starting lineup. What was the transition like for these players from youth to senior football?

"Yehor played the most of the players who joined us from the U-19 team before the season. Radek didn't get many minutes in the first few rounds, but in the second half of the season, he got more opportunities. The transition between youth and senior football was certainly easier for those who got more opportunities. All the boys who joined us from the U-19 team worked very well in training and were committed to their work. They are fully aware that they need to demonstrate their footballing qualities if they want to become an important part of the reserve team."

Before the start of the season, the team was reinforced with players who have a Wisła past and gained experience in the third and second divisions in previous seasons. Did they meet the coaching staff's expectations and truly provide significant support to their younger colleagues?

"Ultimately, of these players, Patryk Moskiewicz was the one we saw most often on the pitch. His influence on the team is very good, and he was captain in many matches, which also shows his role in this team. However, I must admit that he didn't quite play in his position. I would rather see him as a full-back or a center-back, but in a three-man center-back position. Returning to the question, more experienced players like Michał Bierzało and Wiktor Szywacz and their presence in the team certainly have a positive impact on younger teammates, who have the opportunity to gain knowledge and motivation from them."

Michał Bierzało couldn't compete on the pitch due to health issues, but he was often present during league matches and closely watched your struggles. Did you feel his support?

"Michał Bierzało was with us throughout the entire season. He showed up at our games, both home and away. If he had any observations, he was happy to share them with the coaches and the players themselves. He constantly gave us his support, which was very important to us."

What are the team's plans for the upcoming preparation period?

"We started training on Tuesday, January 7th. During the preparations, we have several friendly matches planned against strong teams, which will be an important test of our progress. During the preparation period, from Monday to Saturday, we have one training unit per day. We also have two days off planned in two micro-cycles. At the beginning, we wanted to slowly introduce the players to training, which is why we did not play a friendly match in the first week. We are slowly increasing the load and this is how we plan to work until March."