Coaching duo: #WISŁKS

The White Star secured three points in a landslide against ŁKS Łódź. Coaches Jakub Dziółka and Mariusz Jop shared their comments after Saturday's match.

Jakub Dziółka - ŁKS Łódź

"We were good today for the first fifteen minutes, until we scored our first – and only – goal, but then unfortunately we weren't. We knew what this match would be like, that there would be a lot of duels, that Wisła had great individual quality, and we weren't able to control the match by possessing the ball in Wisła's half. That's what my team lacked. Because of this, Wisła gained the upper hand and won the match in the final action. As I said, Wisła was qualitative in their actions, and we weren't what we want to be. This is also an example for us of how intense it is to be, how effective it is to be, how qualitative it is to be in both on- and off-the-ball actions, so I congratulate Wisła on their victory," concluded the Łódź coach.

ŁKS made only one change against Wisła, and the coach was asked about it by journalists: "Yes, I made one change because we made two changes in Pruszków, and they simply weren't good, and that was my decision. And that start? We wanted to play intensely and with high defense throughout the match, and as I said, Duda's individual actions, for example in the second half, his good maneuvers and getting out from under our pressure, meant we had to constantly drop to a low defense, and we weren't able to gain possession after receiving the ball."

The visitors struggled to finish off counterattacks that could have posed a real threat. "Yes, I deliberately didn't mention that detail, because for me, it's also simply quality, and we need to be much better in those actions. We're devoting a lot of time to this, as I've said many times that we want to use these high tackles. This time, we had those low tackles, and we were definitely dangerous a few times, but only up to sixteen meters in that transition phase, and it didn't result in a goal. We also had opportunities to do that in the first half, and if it had been 2-0, we probably would have played differently. So, as if the beginning of my statement were about everything, our level of play in the opponent's half with the ball and under pressure needs to be significantly higher," he continued.

Mariusz Jop - Wisla Kraków

"We definitely started the match poorly. We didn't start well, and we defended poorly from set pieces. We can't afford such simple moments of lapses in concentration, as we've talked about it extensively and practiced, so we definitely need to improve on that. However, the team's reaction was very good later on. With each passing minute, we gained momentum, were patient, and posed a real threat in front of goal. I think it was only a matter of time before those goals would come. I'm very happy that we had enough time," began the White Star coach.

Kacper Duda, who was introduced after halftime, had a significant impact on Wisła's game: "I can say that in the next match, 'Dudi' will start. But maybe James will start too..."

The first phase of the match wasn't a success for the Kraków team, who struggled to break away from ŁKS's pressure. "We didn't quite achieve what we had planned, because with a large number of opposing players involved, we were supposed to lower our winger and look for space behind us, which was there. There were three-on-three situations, but sometimes we overcomplicated things unnecessarily and tried to play through the middle, where we moved the ball a bit too slowly, which caused problems. We also struggled to collect the second ball. Marc's job was to stay close to the player receiving the pass, but we lacked him a bit later in the middle. We corrected this during the first half, and it was clear we had greater opportunities to collect the second ball," he analyzed. "Of course, we always want to build from the back. We want to use central midfielders for this, but there are moments where you have to be pragmatic. If there's a two-on-two or three-on-three situation across the entire opponent's half, there's space for it, and you have to be able to capitalize on it. And there weren't enough of those moments – simply playing behind the opponent's back to exploit the speed of "Baenka" Kiss and "Zwolak," so there were some opportunities to use that style of play as well," he continued.

When asked if the coach tried to improve the team's volitional qualities during halftime, he replied: "Yes, we talked about it, and the players felt that the start of the first half wasn't good. It seemed in the locker room and during the warm-up that everything was fine, that the attitude was right, but it wasn't quite like that in practice. Of course, I motivated them, and the players motivated themselves as well, because they also felt that certain things in the first half weren't good. Also in the second half, there was a definite improvement, dominance, and I think it's like I said before – it was only a matter of time before we scored those goals. However, in moments like these, you also have to be very vigilant and attentive when it comes to securing the attack, because ŁKS also had a few dangerous counterattacks."

Angel Rodado, who is complemented brilliantly by Łukasz Zwoliński, didn't score in the match against Łódź. "Angel has scored a lot of goals this season. He always works very hard for the team, and it's natural that at some point there will be a slump, especially physically, because Angel is a player who works very hard. On the one hand, I'd like Angel to come back, and I know he'll be back for the next three matches – in terms of his form and scoring goals. But on the other hand, it's also important that 'Zwolo' is able to shoulder the responsibility of scoring goals, and I'm glad these players complement each other," he noted. 'Zwolo' is in good physical condition, and also in good shooting condition, where the ball looks for him. He has opportunities and knows how to capitalize on them, but he's also a player who feels tired. Just like the whole team, because we have to remember that we've played eight more matches. However, we try, above all, to give the players a rest and then a good boost during the week so they're in good form for the match. "I think today there was absolutely no sign of us looking worse physically. I'd even say we looked better. Apart from that start, of course, where we lacked a bit of aggression and lost some duels. What I mentioned earlier was also partly due to our tactical behavior, where we gave our opponent too much space to play," he added.

When asked how to ensure the ball goes into the net after long-range shots, Mariusz Jop replied: "You have to remember that there's also a goalkeeper in goal, who also defended well in several situations. Of course, if the opposing team defends low and flat—even against ŁKS, there were moments when they defend 6-4 in the penalty area and there's that space around the 20-meter line—then yes, we emphasize that players with good shots, like Marc, Rodado, Jaroch, or Duda, look for that shot. This will probably create space next time, because someone from the opposing team will have to block that shot. Of course, there are still some things to improve, but there will always be room for improvement, because sport and the training process are about continuity and repetition, so we have to perfect the things we do—especially the positional attack, because we see that Wisła Kraków is very often faced with this task, to play in the positional attack. Quick action is important there, winning is important there." duels, good movement in the penalty area is important. There are many elements involved, it's not easy, and the opponent sometimes defends with a very large number of players in the penalty area."

Next week is going to be intense with two matches in Warsaw against Polonia. What will this time be like? "I think the most important thing is that we leave on Monday and stay there until Friday, because it will save us time on travel. The matches are very late, and returning after such a match, where the players would stay up all night, wouldn't be a good solution, so that's the first thing. And here I also want to thank the club for giving us this opportunity, because obviously, these things aren't cheap, as they say. That's why I'm glad we have this opportunity. Of course, there will also be time for the players who played a little less to play on Tuesday. This rotation and utilizing our potential will definitely be very important here. I'm a little worried about the weather and the availability of a grass pitch, because if it's frosty, we'll probably have a problem and we'll have to play on an artificial pitch in Warsaw. We don't have the comfort there like in Myślenice, the pitch is heated, so that's one element I'm a little worried about. However, if that happens, we also have an alternative and a backup option on an artificial pitch - outdoors or even under a balloon, so We have it all sorted out organizationally, it seems. We have the pitches booked, so I don't think it will be a problem for us," concluded Mariusz Jop.