Coaching duo: #WISODR

Mariusz Jop and Radosław Sobolewski, who manages Odra Opole, were on the bench for the #WISODR match. Jop emerged victorious, defeating the visiting team 5-0. Watch the press conference.

Radosław Sobolewski - Oder Opole

"Unfortunately, it was a terrible loss and hard to explain. While we were really consistent in executing our game plan in the first half, and especially defensively, we looked very decent... Maybe we were less threatening offensively, but defensively, we actually looked pretty good. We came out of the locker room after halftime and lost the match within ten minutes, and it was over ten minutes after we left the locker room. This is unacceptable and incomprehensible from my perspective. We deserved to lose. We have to pick ourselves up as quickly as possible. We have to pick ourselves up as a team, because we have two more important matches coming up, before the international break, and we have to start picking up points, because the table is really looking bleak," he said.

The Opole team had only one chance to score. What was their plan? "That's right. Even after the interceptions, in the first half, when we defended really well, we lost the ball quickly and weren't able to threaten Wisła Kraków today. However, we faced an opponent who somehow took away all our strengths, and it certainly looked that way. However, the plan was to defend, work, even suffer at times in that low defense, in this phase, and whenever the opportunity for a counterattack arose, we were supposed to take advantage of it. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to capitalize on it at all, which is certainly a shame," he replied.

When asked how Radosław Sobolewski felt returning to the R22, he replied: "This isn't the first time I've returned in a different role, because I was like a coach here in the Ekstraklasa with Wisła Płock, when we won 3-0. So it's not the first time, and I'm a bit older now, I perceive certain things differently."

Why is Adrian Łyszczarz not in the matchday squad? "As you can see, I'm not even touching on such unfortunate events, the whole bad luck that has also gathered around this team. Adrian Łyszczarz will most likely be out of our squad for a long time. He injured himself during a cup match we played against the second team of Podbeskidzie Bielsko-Biała on artificial turf. I hope it's not too bad, but he's undergoing evaluation and may be out of our squad for quite some time," he announced.

How does the coach approach the changes on the White Star's bench? "I think there was a surprise at the beginning of the week. However, when it comes to Mariusz and tactical matters, we know each other and we know roughly how it works. However, the great courage when it comes to the goalkeeper and choosing young Letkiewicz as a youth player, I really commend him for that move. It was a slight surprise, but later, when we read the lineup, we knew more or less what it would look like," he concluded.

Mariusz Jop - Wisla Kraków

"I think we can be happy with this match, with this result, with the patience we had as a team. And I think this kind of victory has been hanging in the air for a long time. I'm glad we achieved this result. We approach it with humility because we know it's just the beginning," he began.

Was Wisła's main problem in previous matches their mental attitude? "I think so, because the tactics of the team we played were definitely evident. Very similar to what Kotwica and the last few teams used. A low 5-4-1 defense, and they wait, try to throw us off our rhythm, drag out set pieces. It was clear that that was the plan, and they rely on set pieces in attack. In situations like these, it's a matter of time to be patient, to be calm in the buildup, but do it quickly. And the question is to score a goal, because then these teams often have no idea what to do in such a situation, when they're conceding, when they have to chase, they open up, there are more spaces. And we want to continue playing the same way in such a situation. We absolutely don't want to fall back; we just want to continue with what we planned in those moments," he explained.

Łukasz Zwoliński's two goals against Odra brought relief to the player himself. "I'm especially happy with how the whole team performed, and the fact that other players scored goals, like Tamas and Jesus, is something this team needed. And I'm glad that more and more players are showing their numbers," he announced. According to one journalist, Łukasz Zwoliński was in the form of his life on Friday, to which the coach commented: "I don't know how the editor calculated it so quickly. I don't have GPS data yet on what distances he covered and whether they are realistically within his capabilities. He certainly looked much better in training than when he first joined us, hence his place in the starting eleven. I'm glad he also proved he can score goals, because he, like every player, like every striker, needs those goals to boost his confidence."

In attack, we saw the duo of Rodado and Zwoliński. How did the coach assess their partnership? "Looking at the numbers, it seems very good. However, there are still a few nuances that need to be refined. We'll definitely be working on that in the near future. I don't want to rush into judgment and analysis right now, because I also need to watch the footage calmly. However, they showed they can play together, they showed they can score goals together, and I think that's probably the most important thing today," he continued.

The first half was reminiscent of previous matches, with the White Star attacking, unable to tip the scales in their favor. What did the coach say at halftime? "We continued with our first-half plan, with small adjustments to the buildup, which spaces to exploit, and we changed Zwolak's positioning a bit to speed up play through the middle. There were supposed to be fewer touches, we were supposed to play faster. We were supposed to use progressive passes, so those were nuances in attack, but we scored the first goal from a set piece, so that was also important, because we don't score many goals from set pieces in the league. And that was the beginning of opening up those spaces so we could continue working," he analyzed. "My job is to make the team believe in what they're doing and do it consistently. That was the goal, and the result was a strong win," he announced.

The Kraków goalkeeper found a place for debuting Patryk Letkiewicz: "The idea with Patryk was already there for the previous match in Głogów. The decision was that he was going to play. The match didn't take place, so we were in agreement then, and it was upheld. Patryk looked good in training, he looked good in the reserve team. He's a young man with great potential, so he got his chance and played well today, but it must be said that the team helped him a lot because he had very few chances to defend." Will the youngster stay in Wisła's goal for the long term? "We'll see, we won by a large margin, so at first glance, there's no point in messing with the lineup. It's likely that this lineup will be retained, but it's not certain yet," he added.

When asked if James Igbekeme was supposed to be positioned a bit lower, the coach replied: "No, the idea was to play higher up. Sometimes he dropped too low, and that was the reason for the adjustments, because we don't need three players in our buildup. Because we built it that way, plus two six-man, there's no need for so many people under the ball. On the contrary, we wanted James to be higher up. However, he often dropped down for the ball because he couldn't find the space there. Maybe that was the impression, but the idea was to be a bit higher up."

According to the coach, Jesus Alfaro's goal was the most important factor in the outcome. Mariusz Jop replied: "In matches like this, the first goal is very important, and it's crucial when we score it, so I confirm – this is also the space we wanted to use, specifically shots in this direction. So I'm glad that the elements we practiced during training paid off here."

Kacper Duda was still not in the matchday squad. When can we expect his return? "We're also waiting to see how he feels and when he'll let us know he's ready to play and help the team. He's a conscious guy, and if he feels he's not yet physically ready, he's also a responsible person, so we're waiting for information from him. We absolutely don't want to rush him in any way. He had a very long layoff, a serious injury, so we're patient and, of course, we're waiting for Kacper, but not only for Kacper, but also for other players who have struggled with injuries," he said.

For the first 20 minutes at the stadium near R22, there was no support from the fans gathered in the stands, to which the coach commented: "I definitely prefer it when the fans support us."