Coaching duo: #WISTSP

Wisła Kraków secured three points on Friday evening, dispatching Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała 3-1 in front of their own fans. Coaches Albert Rudé and Jarosław Skrobacz met with journalists after the final whistle.

Jarosław Skrobacz – Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała

"Congratulations to the hosts, a well-deserved victory. However, we came here with a plan for this match. I was aware, and not only I was, that we weren't favorites in this match. I was aware of the potential Wisła had, and that's why we adapted our tactics to our current possessions. I think the plan wasn't bad, but the thing about plans is that they have to be executed, and we didn't. I told the players right after the match that the carelessness with which we concede goals, the way we behave in defense, means that a team like Wisła, because it's our next opponent, doesn't have to do much, doesn't have to work hard to score. Wisła did have a significant advantage, had many other chances, but they didn't score from those. And it was again from a set piece. The goal for 3-1 at the very end... I don't know what to call it. It's a bit odd, if we're actually still trying and have a better moment, that we can Wisła is confined to their own half, and we're closing this match at this point and clearing up any doubts anyone might have. It certainly hurts, because you have to work really hard in a match like this, fight so hard, only to lose it at the end – as I said – and not even give ourselves hope for any excitement in the final minutes," began Podbeskidzie coach Jarosław Skrobacz.

Amid the confusion surrounding the penalty kick awarded and then cancelled for the White Star, the Górale players pressured the referee. How did the visiting coach respond to his players' behavior? "I don't know. I also watched it from afar. I don't know... What happened there. As a result, there was no penalty. As you all surely saw, because I didn't see it, but you saw on the replays, that the handball wasn't there. So the fact that the players were frustrated, the fact that the players were somehow resisting, is probably a normal situation. They were supposed to lower their heads and say yes, yes, we're here. Similarly, in the other direction, the Wisła players also applied pressure, also positioned the ball, pushed each other. Please look at this objectively," he added.

Albert Rudé – Wisla Kraków

"In my opinion, the team competed very well today from the first to the last minute. It wasn't easy, as you saw. These kinds of matches are very difficult, and you have to keep trying to achieve a good result. It's a shame we didn't manage to capitalize on three or four very clear opportunities to change the course of the match. This would have allowed us to manage it differently, but I'm personally proud because the players showed character until the final whistle. These were very well-deserved three points today for Wisła Kraków," he concluded.

Joseph Colley was missing from the starting 20, and Jesus Alfaro was substituted. When asked for comment, the coach replied: "Joe Colley rested. That was my decision because there are times when you have to rotate players to avoid injuries. Alfaro had a problem. I think we'll fix it, but he couldn't come on in the second half, so it was a forced change."
Anton Chichkan made his debut in goal for Wisła Kraków. Why this decision? "As you know, there's a lot of competition in every position. I have to make decisions about which player I think will help the team the most in each match. At that point, we thought Anton was ready for his debut. He deserved it. He was struggling with all the paperwork issues. In the end, he managed to resolve it. Despite this, he trained very hard and I think he deserved a chance. As for the next match, we'll be making decisions about the goalkeeping lineup again," he replied.

Continuing on the subject of substitutions: why didn't Eneko Satrustegui play the entire match? "No, it was purely physical. The substitution was forced because Eneko hadn't been getting many minutes lately. At one point, he said very frankly, 'Coach, it's over for me. A teammate has to take my place,'" he explained.

The White Star coach was overcome with emotion, taking off his jacket after one of the goals and throwing it on the pitch. "My emotions stemmed from the fact that we asked the team to present themselves in a certain way, to have passion, courage, to be together at all times. A coach must reflect this attitude. If I could help my team even just a little bit with my actions, then I'm satisfied," he noted.

Now the Kraków team can focus on the Polish Cup. How will the R22 team prepare for the final of this competition? "Yes, that day is finally upon us. The moment has finally arrived. It's a beautiful moment for the entire Wisła community. Today we won at home. We've ended a very difficult week. We're now in the play-off zone, and the Cup final awaits us. This is a moment we must celebrate very well. We, the entire Wisła community, I think it's our duty to celebrate this well. As for preparations... The first part will be full recovery. And then we'll work on every detail, because it's the final and every detail counts. We'll try to give the players every tool we have to help them," he announced. "This is not the time to worry. This is the time to just enjoy ourselves, to connect as a team, to be together. To deliver what the team needs and to prepare very, very well for the match because we know the opponent has a lot of quality. It's a final, and I'm sure we'll have our chances if we're ready. We'll work on that," he concluded.