Coaching duet: Wisła - GKS Katowice

Coaches Rafał Górak and Radosław Sobolewski were met with contrasting emotions at the post-match #WISKAT press conference. Here's a transcript of the proceedings.

Rafał Górak - GKS Katowice

"It's undoubtedly a difficult moment. It seemed like we should have left here with three points, but unfortunately, that's not the case. We started the match very poorly, and those first ten minutes were certainly not good. The eleven minutes of added time were also, unfortunately, a period in which my players somehow lost their way, and unfortunately, we didn't get those points. However, the remaining time was definitely a period of good play, a lot of high quality. We took the lead. It seemed the game was completely under control, and we had a perfect chance to increase the score even further. That didn't happen. Oh well. Sometimes, the less said, the better. It's a huge shame and certainly a huge sense of dissatisfaction, but we simply have to beat ourselves on the chest, because it's our fault. Nobody did it for us," began coach Górak. "It seems that individual issues could be blamed more, because defending the penalty area is a clear and straightforward matter for us. We should tackle it as a team. Sometimes, unfortunately, someone is missing that proverbial meter, or sometimes a fingernail, and the opponent takes a shot. It's a shame it unfortunately finds the back of the net," he added.

When asked how much the forced break in the game affected the performance of the Katowice team, the coach replied: "It's hard to say, but we played poorly in that stoppage time and the eleven minutes that were added. Like the first ten, but did the break actually hinder my team? I'll put it another way – it shouldn't have."

What did the coach tell his players after the first 45 minutes? "Those first ten minutes were perhaps average, but then we saw some very good moments. And that we were definitely capable of fighting for the full points in the second half. That was the narrative at halftime. We knew what we had done wrong in the first few moments of the match, and then it was different, very solid. We believed, we were convinced, that we could turn this result around. At that moment, that was already happening; we had the ball in the second half to finish the match," he analyzed.

After the match, the coach exchanged views with referee Wojciech Myć. "There were two rather controversial decisions. I still need to watch it. The players were very convinced that the throw-in was for us, that it was our ball. I didn't see it that way; it was a very dynamic situation. We'll definitely watch it again and I'll be able to relate to those emotions. The players were very convinced that the ball should have been for us," he concluded.

Radosław Sobolewski - Wisla Kraków

"I'll simply comment on this match, what emotions were present throughout the entire match. And this will be a very short summary. At the beginning, there were good emotions. Then there were very bad emotions, and then the end, well, it was really very, very positive emotions and a victory. And I'd like to thank the guys for this victory and for these very positive emotions," he began. "We made some mistakes, both in the formation and individually, in terms of our defense, but the most important thing was the result. I know the boys really wanted this victory and fought incredibly hard for it," he added.

The question about the condition of the pitch at R22 was asked again. The coach's comment was brief: "We've actually commented on the pitch issue many times, and I have nothing to add. Even though we're entering the winter season, I hope the pitch will look better from week to week."

The midfield consisted of three players: Igor Sapała, Kacper Duda, and Marc Carbó. Did this plan work? "I'm very happy. It worked, as we won the match," he replied.

Goku walked off the field with a grimace of pain. Has anyone figured out what's wrong with him yet? "Goku reported during the break that he 'felt' his hamstring during the first half, but he really wanted to try again. But I didn't want to risk it, as we still have a few matches ahead of us. Hence the change," he announced.

The victory over GKS came in stoppage time. When asked when Wisła would win after a fluid game, the coach replied: "I believe that hard work will pay off and that there will be matches where we play the entire 90 minutes plus injury time very smoothly. We'll be very good in defense and offense, as well as in both attacking and defensive set pieces. We're striving for that, but we know how difficult it is in football. But as I said, this time the most important thing was the result and winning the match."

Saturday's match was extended by a whopping 11 minutes. What did the coach tell his players during that extra time? "I focus solely on sporting matters. I react during the match, when there's a moment to breathe, for example, I try to give the players as much energy as possible, but also send as many tips as possible to simply improve their game," he said. "What did I say? That they definitely don't lose faith in themselves, that they fight until the very end. The most important thing is that they are the ones on the pitch. They decide their fate, and they decide what they do and what happens in the end. I wanted to inspire confidence, but I also included some small tactical tips. It was really more about direct play, and that paid off," he continued.

When asked to analyze the beginning of the second half of the match, he said: "Let me remind you that before conceding the goal, we had two clear-cut chances. That should also be remembered and emphasized. However, later on, an individual error occurred, and the team's confidence after that moment isn't at its highest. But I'm glad the boys finally got it right and won against a really tough opponent who played very hard. Statistically, they also looked pretty good, despite their position."

Moments after coming on, Patryk Gogół scored a goal for his team. How did the coach assess his performance? "That's why I made this change, to bring some life to the team. "Dudi" also showed his incredible mobility. He worked hard, toiled at a higher position, and then his position was lowered, and he worked incredibly hard in this match. I wanted to give the team strength, and that makes me happy, because I've said it time and again that Patryk Gogół didn't end up at Wisła by accident. We analyzed this guy very carefully. We believe in him very strongly. We know his potential. We want to shorten his time at Wisła Kraków as much as possible, but obviously, the young guy needs him, but a goal like that definitely helps a lot. Firstly, he's building himself up, but secondly, in the locker room, it will be easier for him to handle certain things, and he'll also have more trust from his teammates. I hope he comes on and scores goals more often," he concluded.