Coaching duo: #WISMOT

Coaches Mateusz Stolarski and Albert Rudé met with journalists at the post-match press conference for #WISMOT. However, the outcome of Sunday's match meant that only one of them could be happy after the final whistle.

Mateusz Stolarski - Motor Lublin

"I would like to start with a message for the Motor community, Motor fans, all those for whom Motor is important: if someone is not with us when we lose, they have no right to be with us when we win. Today, this team did something great, because you know very well that I am very emotionally attached to this place, and to win at Reymonta is not an ordinary victory. This team achieved it, there were many people, many speculations that this team was already dead and could not win anything more. Today I do not intend to continue speaking, describing the match. The team spoke for me, the team spoke for itself, and that is probably the best summary. I am very happy with this victory, but I am aware that this is only one of those steps we must take to continue fighting for the highest goals. And as I often say - the league is not a race, it is not a sprint, it is a marathon, and we feel good in this marathon. The team can overcome difficult moments, difficult situations, it faces challenges, it is not afraid of them. I hope "I hope Wisła will be able to continue fighting for promotion, because I think today's defeat doesn't mean anything is off the table. As I said, we still have many matches ahead of us. I wish us luck, and we're happy with the three points and we're glad we brought so much joy to our fans. Of course, there are also people with us who support us very strongly, who believe in this team very strongly, and I can say on behalf of the team – this is for you, thank you," said the visiting coach. "My game plan for this match was quickly revised due to the red card that Wisła Kraków received. Motor's plan is never to give the initiative to the opponent. However, there are situations in which the opponent's footballing quality can simply decide that we have to play a little low defense, we have to defend a little. We didn't manage to survive that moment. The White Star team made up for the deficit and scored a goal against us. However, the plan was perfectly visible in the second half. Of course, we played with the advantage, but something I believe in is the naturalness of the players, and my role as a coach is not to force my game plan and have my own image of the game. I have to look deep into the squad, into the players, and use the naturalness of these players. And the naturalness of the players means to put them in position, to prepare a match environment in which they will act automatically. What does automatic mean? They won't have to think about the coach's strategy, they will be able to push forward naturally. They will do everything automatically, because that way they can act faster, react faster, without thinking, just "Doing something automatically. In my opinion, Wisła leaves a lot of space between the lines in their defense. We positioned the players so that we had an advantage between the lines, both horizontally and vertically in specific sectors. I think this was clearly visible in the opportunities we created, as we created many chances after play in the wide third of the pitch through cut-ins and double cut-ins. We also wanted to isolate our right midfielder Michał Król's one-on-one play. Wisła's team is very narrow to the side. We wanted to quickly change this side and create situations in which Piotrek Ceglarz and Michał Król would have individual duels with the full-backs. I think we managed this successfully, because if the referee hadn't shown that we were continuing the play after which he was fouled for the second time, "Szocik" could have received a second yellow card, which would have reduced Wisła's game by two players. Additionally, we scored two goals after crosses from the side of the pitch, filling the penalty area," he analyzed.

Albert Rudé – Wisla Kraków

"Today was a very good day for a great match. Two good teams were fighting for a similar goal, but in the fifth minute everything changed. We received a red card for trying to play football. And of course, we had to react, but after a few minutes we conceded a goal. This made the situation even worse mentally and emotionally. The opponent was aggressive on our left, attacking there. "Szocik" had already received a yellow card and committed a few fouls, so we decided to protect the team with a change so as not to lose another player. Their game plan was to cross and attack the penalty area, so we introduced a third center-back – Łasicki – alongside Alan and Joe. Miki was in a very attacking position because, of course, we were playing at home and wanted to win the match. So, despite the red card and the goal we conceded, we tried, we pushed forward, we scored, and we finished the first half much better than them." "What we told the players at halftime was to simply be brave and keep pushing forward, just like in the first half. But then we conceded two goals. Everything became increasingly difficult. We wanted to change the situation with substitutions, we wanted to go on the offensive. We definitely had to give more from the heart; the team was struggling because we had an important match in midweek. We tried to attack until the very end. All I can say is that I'm proud of my players. We tried very hard, but we didn't manage to win. Now we have to understand our situation and work even harder, because our goal is to advance," the Kraków coach concluded.

Journalists asked if fielding the same starting eleven as in the Polish Cup match wasn't a mistake, and the coach replied: "I disagree. I think the guys did an incredible job in midweek. I wanted them to play again today. They've recovered well. All the information we received said they were ready, and of course they were, but when you lose a player in the fifth minute and play with ten men from that minute on, it's more difficult."

Alvaro Raton was also blamed for the same mistake as against Widzew, which the coach denied: "I think it's a different situation because against Widzew it was a goal kick, and now it was a goal kick. Players make mistakes. For example, in some of the goals we conceded today, we weren't marking well in the penalty area, and yet we're not talking about that now. We also have to fix that, because if you block a cross, you don't have to defend the penalty area, so you have to be with the player who delivers the cross. What I'm saying is that players make mistakes, every single one of them, and we have to be with them because they're our players. We don't have other players; we have to support them. We want to advance. The goal doesn't change. Of course, from our side – as the coaching staff – we will always be with them and try to help them improve and correct all those mistakes that sometimes, like today, prevent them from scoring important points."

There was also a question about the validity of the red card Bartosz Jaroch received. "My opinion is irrelevant, as I wasn't the referee in this match, but of course I have the right to express my opinion. And for me, when you try to play the ball and when you hit it and get a red card, it's difficult to accept. However, we won't look for any excuses for this," he emphasized.

Wisła Kraków are doing better in the Polish Cup than in the league, and that's precisely the point the last thread touched on. Can we say that the Kraków team is more focused on the Polish Cup? "I don't think so. It's very clear that what will change the club's situation and our careers is promotion. Of course, it's nice to be in the Polish Cup final. We'll celebrate, but we've just lost two in a row in the league. We're drifting away from our goal, and we need to react now. So for now, let's forget about the final, let's forget about everything. It's a long way to go. The final is only a month away, and we have many important matches ahead of us, and that's where we need to focus," concluded coach Albert Rudé.