Coaching duo: #RESWIS

Tuesday evening brought a league match in Rzeszów, where Resovia hosted Wisła Kraków. The 29th round match ended in a 1-1 draw and the points were shared.

Albert Rudé - Wisla Kraków

"We saw a classic final-season match. We played against a team fighting for relegation and in a difficult situation. In the first half, our opponents gave everything. They were always one step ahead of us. They won every duel, every ball. They gave 100 percent. In the second half, they faded, and we took control of the match. We had our chances, created chances. In the end, we scored, but we should have finished better, we should have held on to that lead. You could say we dropped two points," the coach began. "It's true that playing so many matches in such a short time can get tiring. It's very difficult to maintain concentration until the end, especially considering the way we're playing. We tried to give 100 percent, but our opponent was very motivated in the first half. They were playing at home, fighting against relegation. They were a step ahead of us, winning second balls, duels in attack and defense. They made it a very difficult match for us in the first half. We tried, but they stopped our attacks, closed down spaces where we could have passed the ball. I knew it would be impossible for them to sustain that level of commitment and that certain spaces would eventually open up. And we simply had to exploit those spaces. We took advantage of that at the end of the match, but we should have closed it down better," he continued.

Journalists inquired about the match, suggesting the Kraków team played too slowly. What's the coach's opinion on the matter? "Of course, it always depends on what the opponent allows us to do. We usually move the ball around, and we move the opponent as well. We were looking for space, but the opponent was very good at closing down the middle of the pitch, so we were looking for those spaces on the flanks. I think we created the most chances from wide attacks when we won one-on-one situations. We attacked the spaces behind the defenders. The goal we scored came from just such a move," he replied.

In the 67th minute, David Junca left the pitch and was replaced by Jakub Krzyżanowski. Why the lineup change? "It was a preventative change. We said before the match that it could have been 60 minutes, but it was 65. We have to help him calmly rebuild his form," he emphasized. "It's a matter of the player's profile. At that point, it was 0-0. We needed a player with more attacking strengths because we wanted to win. That's why we selected Krzyżanowski," he added.

Rafał Ulatowski - Resovia Rzeszów

"I want to say that GKS Tychy was a breakthrough in our play in the spring round, and if this match had ended 0-1, we would probably have cried like beavers and been very disappointed, because I think we gave everything we had today. Considering the short recovery period after arriving from Tychy, not even 72 hours separated the two matches, as we returned late in the evening, actually at night, and today we had to play another match. The reward for a good performance in Tychy was the same starting eleven that won the match and started from the beginning today. We had our idea, we had our plan, and we implemented it consistently. We may not have created a lot of chances, but at least we stood up to Wisła. We didn't defend too tightly in our own half. We didn't just want to protect the penalty area, we wanted to get higher up. We had Maciek Górski, Adrian Łyszczarz, Bartek Wasiluk, and Marcin Urynowicz, who were delegated to help Wisła get a head start on their own half. And that was very successful in the first half. In addition, the good play of the wingers, Bartek Eizenchart and Keli, meant we held onto the ball for long periods. Practically in Wisła's half as well. In the second half, I think the changes the coach made, especially the right-winger, Baena, really took their toll on us. Until now, he had been playing as a left winger, but today he moved to the right, and Bartek and "Miki" with him had a lot of work to do, but we're glad it was 0-0 until the last minute. I think we also had one chance. If only Keli, with the score at 0-0 in the penalty area, had played a ground pass to Maciek Górski instead of lofting or shooting. Then, a set piece by Bartek Ciepiela, when Mati Bondarenko had the ball on his sole to head it into the net. A hard-fought 1-0 would certainly have been a huge blessing for us, but on the other hand, let's not forget that we conceded a goal to make it 0-1 late in the match, in the 91st minute. It could have gone completely differently, but there was persistence and consistency. We want to talk about the Resovia team's character, so I thank the boys for what they showed today in stoppage time: for not letting their heads drop, for one final move by Keli and the pass to Maciek Górski, who was working behind two, or even three, strikers. He pushed the work forward and, in the final moments, put the finishing touches on the little "i": a draw for us, which I believe gives us a very strong, mental boost for the second time in a row, support for us not to give up, for fighting until the end, for us to be a slightly different team than we were two, three, or four matches ago. Kudos to the players, kudos to the staff, and to everyone who wishes us well. I'm happy because one point is better than zero points," he summed up the match.

When asked if the Rzeszów team had run out of steam in the second half, the coach replied: "As I said earlier, I think Baena really took his toll on us. I think he really fueled Wisła's attacking play. Wisła was more focused, and Wisła meant that "Miki" and "Eizi" had to focus on him. Then we brought on Gracjan Jaroch for Bartek Eizenchart to provide a counterbalance. We also wanted to win this family game. Jaroch versus Jaroch. Wisła's Bartek versus our own Gracek. And we also ran out of steam. As I said, we decided to make few changes because we had mostly youth players. I'm speaking out here why we took off Bartek Wasiluk, the team captain. A yellow card and the second one, which was orange. I think there wasn't a first card, but the referee could have given the second one orange. That's why we made that decision." "Unpopular in the locker room, because Bartek had become such a leader in the locker room, the captain of this team, and it was difficult to tell him at halftime that he had to come off because any further foul would likely result in a second yellow card and weaken the team. And that's what we wanted to avoid, because we went eleven against eleven against Wisła. We blocked the midfield primarily. Wisła could only look for flanking attacks, and until Baena was on the pitch, the match was dictated by us in the first half. And then Baena changed that, he contributed a lot," he said.