Coaching duo: #PGSWIS

On Saturday evening, Wisła Kraków achieved their goal of defeating Pogoń Siedlce. Following the match, coaches Mariusz Jop and Adam Nocoń met with the media to debrief the match.

Mariusz Jop - Wisla Kraków

"It certainly wasn't an easy match for us. The opponent tried to defend low, waiting for counterattacks and set pieces. It's always difficult to play against a team that tries to counter you in this way. The team deserves a lot of credit for being consistent in their actions, for being calm, patient, and believing in our philosophy until the end. We followed what we want to do on the pitch, and that's what matters most to us," he began.

The R22 team conceded a goal early in the match and had to chase the score again. Was this not a result of the players' distraction? "I have absolutely no complaints and I don't see it as distraction. These situations simply happen in matches, and it just so happened that it was the start of the match. However, I absolutely don't see it as a moment of disrespect or distraction," he appealed.

Wiktor Biedrzycki started in the center of defense instead of Alan Uryga. What prompted this change? "As for Wiktor Biedrzycki, he worked well on the pitch and in training. Like Alan, he had three yellow cards, and besides, he won't be able to play against Termalica anyway. Therefore, we wanted to avoid a situation where we wouldn't have two center-backs available for this match, hence the decision regarding the lineup," he said.

When asked why Wisła looked better after the break, the coach replied: "I think coach Nocoń partially answered that question. If the opposing team has a lot of strength and is defensive, it's simply harder for us to build attacks because the opponent is working very hard defensively, and that's not an easy task for any team when the opponent defends low, with a large number of players. In the second half, there are simply more spaces. We want to impose a high intensity of play and then take advantage of the fact that the opponent is weakening a bit. Then it's a little easier for us to exploit those spaces that are created, and as a result, we have more scoring opportunities."

Adam Nocoń - Pogoń Siedlce

"I think our first half was decent, but we had to be careful in the first half, because you could see Wisła's high quality. That's why I was a little worried about the second half, that Wisła would increase the pace, speed up the game, and that's what happened. We lost too many duels in the side sectors of the pitch. It was clear that when the players had the strength, they were protecting themselves in those side sectors, but then they weren't. This is where the opponent's skills came into play, when it comes to one-on-one play in the side sectors of the pitch. This is where we had a problem, and I think that was the biggest problem, that we lost those duels. The second half was weaker in our performance. Wisła was absolutely better, and we lost the match. It's a shame that we debuted with such a defeat, but it must also be admitted that Wisła is truly a top-class team in the First League, so against such an opponent, you also need a bit of luck. You have to find their weaker moment, so that they are in a weaker form, and this time we found them at a fast pace." Wisła, who played really well," said the hosts' manager.