Rudé before #ZNIWIS: This could be a good match for both sides

On Wednesday evening, coach Albert Rudé met with journalists at a press conference ahead of the #ZNIWIS match. The match kicks off on Friday at 8:30 p.m.

Medical report before Friday's match:

- Kamil Broda and Jakub Stępak - train individually;
- Goku and Bartosz Talar - are rehabilitating.

Bartosz Jaroch is still suspended for a red card, and Anton Chickhan is waiting for the formalities to be finalized.

The match in Płock was competitive, but lacked scoring opportunities, resulting in a goal advantage over the opponent. "I think we competed very well, and that was very important for us. Today, for example, we dedicated an hour during training to improving our efficiency in the penalty area to score points," he began. "This is a situation we encounter quite often when we attack with a large number of players. Then we are exposed to counterattacks, and we have to pay great attention to securing the ball in attack. We analyzed this situation very carefully. Three players were pressing the ball, and three were coming back. That's how we understand it – one has to attack the ball, and the rest have to secure the situation. We discussed this with the players. During the attack, we could have won the ball from three of them, but in this situation, it was too risky. Of course, it happens. We try to remedy such situations through our analysis, but we also remember that in this match, the opponent had one shot on target and we conceded a goal. We have to accept that," he added.

Against the Oilers, Ángel Rodado played in the number ten position. With Jesus Alfaro back, will the coach find room for both of them? "This is a very positive problem. I need more like this... Alfaro is back in the team, but so is Patryk Gogół!" he announced.

David Junca came on after recovering from an injury against Wisła Płock. Is he ready to start? "Junca is a very high-quality, experienced player. He played at a very high level. We're also talking about a situation where it was important for Krzyżanowski to get his minutes when we couldn't use David. But now, as a coach, I have to understand that there are times in the season, especially in the final part, when the demands are even greater and you need experienced players like Junca. That's why it's likely we'll use him," he explained.

Znicz Pruszków likes to play open football, which the R22 team, which likes to play attacking football, can take advantage of. "They try to play very boldly. If they press, they try to go one-on-one. They attack with a lot of players in the penalty area. I like the way they play. I think we could have an open game because they attack with a lot of players, which will open up spaces that we can exploit. They play very similarly to us. It could be a good match for both sides, which the fans will enjoy," he added.
The Pruszków coach has Spanish experience. Did coach Aleber Rude know Mariusz Misiura before? "I haven't met him in the past, but I know where he worked. I also know his philosophy, because it shows in his team's play. We know the pitch isn't in the best condition in Pruszków, but both teams prefer open football, so it could be an interesting match," he replied.

The return of Patryk Gogół gives Wisła options in terms of set pieces. "You know Patryk better than I do, since you analyzed it so well... I have to agree, though. He had a very good preseason. I saw him have a lot of energy, great mobility, attacking spaces, and coming back from losses. Unfortunately, he got injured and couldn't play. Now he's coming back from injury, and we have to introduce him very safely to get him to a high level," he replied.

The Spanish coach has 10 matches under his belt as manager of the White Star. When he arrived at Wawel Castle, did he expect the First League to be a difficult journey? "I have to say that certain things in this league surprised me. There's a certain intensity that's unheard of in Spain. It's about duels in every area of ​​the pitch, killing time so the opponent can't play the ball. There are a lot of counterattacks, which the opponent uses against you. What surprised me most was probably how the opponents defend the penalty area. In the first matches, they blocked about six or seven shots. It's amazing how they can defend the penalty area," he said. Does the coach think about surprising the opponents as often as possible, for example by working them out? "Yes, that's my job. We work on it every week. For example, Tychy had six or seven counterattacks against us. After the match, I said it was incredible and that we had to improve it as soon as possible, and we did improve it in the next matches. We're learning every week to get better. It's a process, but during that process we also have to get good results," he noted.

The Kraków team is currently outside the relegation zone. Is he preparing his players for the prospect of fighting for promotion to the Ekstraklasa in the playoffs? "We know that direct promotion will be very difficult for us, but it's not the end. We still believe, we continue to work hard. That's our mentality. We're trying to improve all the aspects we're talking about at this press conference to be ready for the playoffs. Details are crucial in the playoffs, and during the process we're going through now, we're doing everything we can to be ready. We have to stay calm and take it one match at a time, and then we'll see what the outcome will be," he urged.

Jakub Krzyżanowski's recent poor form has been a constant source of reassurance. Albert Rudé, however, points to the characteristics of a player his age. "In Krzyżanowski's case, we're dealing with a process that every young player experiences. I think offensively, he gives us a lot of options. He gives us a lot of movement, a lot of passes, a lot of crosses into the penalty area. His biggest area of ​​improvement is his defensive work. As coaches, we have to help him with that. When we see that a player has room for improvement in some area, we have to strive to do so. We hope he will improve these aspects every day and continue to improve," he said.

Dawid Szot returns from suspension, but Igor Łasicki has replaced him well at right-back. So, is there a chance the latter will be in the squad for the match against Znicz? "It's possible, there's a chance. For us, a player's performance is important. If you play very well, you have a good chance of playing again," he noted.