Coaching duet: Wisła - Polonia

Wisła Kraków ended the previous football year successfully, defeating Polonia Warszawa 2-1 at R22 in Round 19. Here's a summary of the match, with coaches Rafał Smalec and Mariusz Jop participating.

Rafał Smalec - Polonia Warsaw

"I think this match was the perfect summary of our season. A mix of weak and very good moments. An average first half, when we allowed Wisła too much. They moved the ball too freely, the plan was a bit different. In the second half, we believed we could take the points from here, and the team gained momentum. We really had some very good moments when we took the ball high and didn't let Wisła spread its wings. We scored a goal, and in the end, we showed our worst side, that is, a moment we would like to forget quickly, or a moment we wouldn't want to have on the pitch at all. It must be said that Wisła is a team of mega quality, and there's no denying that it's one of the strongest in this league, but I think that, across the board, we were able to take the points. Unfortunately, we're left with nothing and we need to analyze this season very carefully and do a great job in the winter to be able to function calmly on first-division pitches. It's a shame, because situations like the one in which we conceded a goal to make it 2-1 are unheard of at this level." "It can happen," he concluded.

Mariusz Jop - Wisla Kraków

"It was a difficult match for us. Polonia showed that they are a team that is well-organized defensively and offensively. We certainly played poorly in the second half, in which the opposing team had several good chances. We lacked intensity, we lacked good defensive play in one-on-one situations, which we created, and that's where the problems arose. But I think the most important thing is how it ended and that those positive emotions stayed with us until the end, that we believed we would win this match. I think that today is probably the most important thing, that we have three points and that they stayed in Krakow and are a positive message for the future, for the spring round," began coach Jop.

The Krakow team had a weaker second half. How did the coach assess it? "The visiting team is definitely changing their tactics a bit because they see where they've had problems. And even though the message is the same, that we have to continue playing our game, sometimes we simply lose it. It was similar this time. It's definitely something we need to work on, something we need to pay attention to, because against Łęczna it might not have been as obvious, because there was a moment when we were defending low, but here it was more or less a result of our poor pressing. And in that phase of the match, we lost too many one-on-one situations. The gaps were too great, we lacked a bit of intensity, and that's why the opponent had the advantage for a long period of the second half," he analyzed. "Polonia is definitely a team that isn't afraid to play. The players are brave in midfield, they don't panic, and sometimes they can turn with the ball, with the opponent on their backs, and that's how they released our pressing. And as I said, we simply lacked intensity." "I can't describe it any other way. That's how I saw it. Of course, I'll watch the match and probably draw some different conclusions, but in the heat of the moment, that was the biggest problem for me. The distance between us, the one-on-one situations, and the intensity in transition," he continued.

Dawid Szot suffered a head injury during the match. However, the coach reassured him: "He played until the end of the match, so everything is fine, please don't worry."