Coaching Duo #WISSPA

It was a wild evening at R22! Wisła Kraków scripted a fantastic second leg in the third qualifying round of the Conference League, advancing to the next stage, where Cercle Brugge awaits.

Michal Gasparik - FC Spartak Trnava

"This match looked completely different from how we had planned it. In fact, we spent the entire week preparing for it and starting it with full concentration. However, it was clear that the pitch proved a negative test. We saw a lack of movement, poor combination play, and many individual mistakes, especially in the first half. Then came the loss of the ball and a senseless penalty. Of course, it must be emphasized that Wisła played brilliantly, played a great match. And secondly, they took full advantage of their home stadium. Just like we took advantage of our home stadium advantage a week ago. The second half was unfortunately a continuation of what we saw in the first half, despite the changes. The changes we made did not bring anything to our game. In extra time, when we finally caught our breath, we conceded a goal from a corner, but despite everything, we managed to recover. We scored a goal and it went to penalties. In the penalties, everything that happened in the match could have been forgotten, because we could have erased it all and written a different story. We had in those "We had the first 'match point' in the penalty shootout, but we didn't convert it. We had another one, but the referee called it off, but I must emphasize above all that Wisła definitely deserved to advance," he began.

What does the Spartak coach see as the reasons for the insufficient performance of his players in the match against Wisła? "It's hard for me to find an answer to this question now. I think the older, experienced players, key players, let us down first and foremost; they weren't themselves in this match. On the other hand, our young centre-back pair didn't live up to their excellent performance at home a week ago. In the first half, I saw a lot of nervousness and uncertainty in their play. Every play was a threat. In the second half, we made some personnel adjustments, but they didn't really help. It was clear that Wisła was stronger in terms of the dynamics of the game. When the ball was moving faster, it was clear in the second half that our older players couldn't quite keep up, and the centre-backs lacked experience. Despite everything, we entered this match with a two-goal lead, with an advantage from the first leg. And we managed to survive that start. We knew it would be tough, and then we lost the ball, which was really typical of this first half. A penalty, a goal. After that, I have the impression that the team lost spirit. It was difficult to get something out of ourselves. We managed to do it." in extra time, although it must also be emphasized that throughout the entire extra time, Wisła was the better team," he said. "It doesn't really matter that we were eliminated by a team from the second or first tier of the league. Wisła didn't get into this competition by accident. They won the Polish Cup, eliminating several top-flight teams. They have many excellent players, mostly foreign, but also domestic, and if we look at individual formations, they were better than us. Both in defense and in midfield, they were able to neutralize our players. There's no point in assessing the potential of this club today by looking at the table, because I'm sure it will change for Wisła after a few rounds. You also have to consider that they didn't postpone the match, that they play two matches a week. The truth is, in Europe, if you have a bad day and play a worse match, you have a problem. I would emphasize that our players showed half of their potential compared to what they showed at home last week. Of course, we could have been luckier and it would have been penalties, but based on today's match, we simply didn't deserve to win," he continued.

"I agree that Wisła were faster and showed more confidence. I also think that, on the one hand, the pressing they applied caused us to lose a lot of possession, but there were also a lot of unforced errors on our part. In some cases, we were amazed how such experienced players could make such simple mistakes and lose the ball so easily. It's also worth emphasizing that the high tempo and intensity of Wisła's play deserve even more recognition, because on Monday – unlike us – they played a very intense match. However, if we were surprised by the intensity overall, it didn't surprise us in Wisła's case, because we know Polish football and know that the game is generally faster and more intense here than in Slovak football," he explained.

Kazimierz Moskal - Wisla Krakow

"I think we played a very good match. We were definitely the better team. We should have secured promotion after ninety minutes. Nevertheless, I would like to thank and congratulate the players, because today they showed good football and showed that you can compete in cup competitions even if you play every three days. So, once again, huge congratulations to the team, especially, and I think there was so much emotion that several matches could have been separated," began the White Star coach. "I think it's also the magic of the cups and this stadium. In terms of the atmosphere that accompanied the match. Wasn't there pressure? I think there was pressure, because it wasn't a result that couldn't be overcome. At the beginning of the match, I thought we were in control, but we had a lot of our own, unforced—I'd say—losses. It kind of showed that, or that three-day rhythm, we needed a little, so to speak, like a diesel engine, and then it only got better. However, I think the situation after the second goal also gave us much more confidence and belief. When I was on the pitch—going back to Zaragoza—I also felt a moment like after the third goal against Zaragoza that they were beatable. Now, after the second goal, it seemed to me that this was the moment when everyone felt it was realistic to advance," he continued.

Piotr Starzyński had a good game, also scoring an important goal. "I think it was primarily because he scored a goal – a very important goal – because the 2-0 goal gave us more confidence and at least secured extra time. However, I think that not only the goal but Piotr's performance today was very good, and we should be happy. I know we have a lot of players in the squad, and everyone wants to play. I think our role, also as the coaching staff, is to sense the right moment to bring a player into the starting eleven. We need to rest someone and focus on someone else. I think Piotr really showed his strength today. I'm very happy about that, especially since he's still a junior," he said.

Giannis Kiakos suffered an injury during the match. How is he feeling? "The doctor said he'd let me know when he left, he's going for an X-ray, and we'll see. The problem is with his wrist, from what we've managed to find out," he replied.

Wisła needed extra time and then penalties to beat FC Spartak Trnava. "Let me put it this way – I was relatively calm before this match. I didn't tell the players this, but I wanted to say that I felt we were going to win, but I didn't know by what margin. After that second goal, I believed we would score even in the 90th minute and advance after 90 minutes," he explained. "Like I said, we were definitely the better team, and honestly, I expected Spartak to play a bit more boldly, to want to play football. For long stretches, it looked like they weren't in the mood, and as if they were here to defend their result, in my opinion. Sometimes it's like this... There's a saying - perfect is the enemy of good. If you try to mess around, postpone matches, and I don't know... you come here to defend the result, then it backfires. We're happy with that. I expected a different Spartak, but I'm more pleased with the performance of my players," he said. "I already said before extra time that I asked them at the briefing to bring excitement to everyone in the stadium. If there's excitement, there'll be confidence that we'll advance. Before extra time, I said they'd done a great job, and now we just need to finish on a positive note. We didn't talk much before the penalties; we only agreed on the starting five, who would shoot in what order, and then the decisions were made on the pitch," he revealed.

Kamil Broda was in goal for Wisła and performed well, including in the penalty shootout: "As I said, the decision was mainly Łukasz Załuska's. It was agreed that Kamil Broda would defend in these two cup matches."

Marc Carbó was praised by journalists for his performance against the Slovak team: "Yes, I agree. Marc did a great job, but I think we could say the same about all the players. For me, Alan Uryga played a very good game today; in my opinion, he didn't make a single mistake. Overall, we were quite solid in defense, except for that one situation where they scored against us, but again, I think we performed very well as a team, and that's what it's all about: being a team, not just individuals."

The match against Spartak brought back memories from years ago, when Wisła was waiting to see what would happen in the Fulham-Odense match. "Generally, it's a pleasure to walk into a press conference after a match against Twente, and today against Spartak, and hear the applause. It's very nice. But when was I more nervous? I was calm during the penalties. I wasn't nervous, although the penalties also had mixed results, and we were close at times, then there was a decisive penalty that could have knocked us out of the cup. Against Twente, it was a completely different situation, because it wasn't entirely up to us. We were waiting for news of what happened in the Fulham-Odense match and had no influence on it. Here, we had direct influence; it was entirely up to us," he recalled.

At the end, they joked and asked if, when Wisła beat Cercle Brugge, the coach would sing a song with the fans: "Wisła in the cups", he replied: "I don't want to make promises, because I'm not very good at it... In Łódź, I once promised that if more than 10,000 people came to the match, I would arrange a 10-kilometer run with the fans, and now my hip is really feeling it."