Coaching duo: #WISWAR

It wasn't a successful evening for Wisła Kraków, who lost 1-0 to Warta Poznań in front of their home fans. Coaches from both teams, Piotr Klepczarek and Kazimierz Moskal, shared their opinions after the match.

Piotr Klepczarek - Warta Poznań

"We are very happy with the result because the goal was to get three points. In our current situation, we have to approach every match with the aim of getting three points. We are at the bottom of the table and only victories can lift us up, so it doesn't matter whether we play Wisła Kraków away or against another team, the goal will be the same, so we are very happy with the victory. We knew it would be a difficult match, we knew Wisła would dominate the game, that they would have more possession. We had our plan for this match and we executed it. The first minutes of the match were important to get through the difficult moments, which we were convinced would come, because Wisła were rested after the international break. And they definitely wanted to get three points in today's match. Also in the first half, we were very focused on defense, which doesn't mean we couldn't score a goal. One of the counterattacks resulted in a penalty, which we converted into a goal, so we went into the second half with the lead after the break. In the second half, the pattern of the game didn't change much, although the chances opened up. "There was more space for quick attacks. We also attempted two or three very interesting counterattacks. Wisła continued to dominate, but our organization, our commitment, and the players' work for our team, for our club, earned us a very valuable three points today," he said.

When asked if the rain helped Warta achieve their goal, the coach replied: "It may be a cliché, but it still holds true that the weather is the same for both teams. The pitch was certainly well-prepared in the first phase of the match because the rain wasn't as heavy and we could move the ball quickly, so Wisła capitalized on this in the opening minutes. As the match progressed, as the rain intensified and the pitch became increasingly waterlogged, it became much more difficult to create chances. This was one of the reasons we didn't score the goal that could have ended the match, as the ball landed in a puddle. The conditions were also difficult, so kudos to the players for the work they put in on the pitch, but as I said, the conditions were the same for both teams."

Kazimierz Moskal - Wisla Krakow

"What can you say after a match like this? If the team doesn't perform up to expectations, then all the responsibility falls on me, and I absolutely take that responsibility. As for the match... I blame the players for the missed chances in the first half, because it was definitely under our control. However, I have more of a complaint about the second half, where, in my opinion, we played nervously. We were looking for unusual solutions, but as I said, if the team doesn't perform as expected, the blame lies with me, and I'm fully aware of that. This defeat certainly hurts everyone – because it wasn't how we imagined it – and I think the first half showed that determination and our good play. I can say that, but in football, goals count, points count, what counts is what happens at the end of the match after 90 minutes," the White Star coach concluded.

Angel Rodado was a bit more recessed against Warta Poznań. Why? "I think it was because of how Warta wanted to play. They played deep, that was their tactic, and it was tight, so Angel had to look for space lower down the pitch because of that, but I think we really played well in the first half, and there were so many chances that we could have easily scored a few goals. In games like this, when you dominate, when you're playing in the opponent's half, you have to be alert, you have to be careful, and avoid situations where they might launch a counterattack, but we prevented that many times. The goal we conceded can happen because, of course, in these days of VAR, a handball in the penalty area is sometimes hard to avoid. But even if you concede a goal, you have to keep playing your game, just like you did in the first half, and try to change the result, because we definitely could have turned the game around in the second half if we had played the same way we did in the first half," he replied.

There were questions about the efficiency that prevented Wisła from scoring. "We worked hard, as I mentioned at the pre-match press conference, when it came to finishing the game in this period. Apparently, as I said, we probably didn't do enough to translate that into goals, and once again, I can only say that's my fault," he emphasized. According to journalists, other factors also failed: "As I said, in the second half, it wasn't just a lack of efficiency, but simply that we played nervously. And that's why the second half looked different for us."

The fans gathered at R22 made their dissatisfaction with the players' attitude clear. "There's definitely pressure, but when you don't win games like this, it's hard to blame the fans for reacting this way. Let the pressure be on me, though, because I think that, looking objectively at the match, at how we wanted to play in the first half, what more could we have done playing like that? Probably score a few goals. If the fans want to point the finger at someone, then I'm sitting here and I'm responsible," he noted.