Mariusz Jop after #WISRCZ: We always want to win
Damian Urbaniec
Wisła Kraków beat Raków Częstochowa 2-1, recording their sixth consecutive home win. After the match, coach Mariusz Jop spoke about the team’s character, finishing, and areas for improvement.
Match assessment and sixth win at Reymonta
“It was certainly a very difficult match today at Reymonta. The team that came to play us sat very deep, in a flat shape. It’s certainly not easy to create chances in that situation. In the first half, during the first 30 minutes, I think we created quite a lot of danger. Of course, there weren’t any really clear-cut chances, apart from Ángelo’s shot, which went straight at Trelowski and was saved. So it was a very difficult match. It was clear that our opponents came here intending to defend, waiting for set pieces, and they almost pulled it off. I’m very pleased that Wisła Kraków always plays to the end and always plays to win. That’s very important, and we want to keep that going. We’ve won another home match. It’s no small feat to win six out of six. W light of what you saw in the closing moments, I’m very pleased, and I also congratulate Kacper on scoring his first goal in the PKO BP Ekstraklasa. That said, there are definitely a few areas we need to keep working hard on, because this wasn’t a perfect performance from us. Still, we value the three points, because in the end that’s what matters most,” began the White Star coach.
Problems in positional attack
“I agree that our problem in positional attack today, against such passive defending, was that they weren’t pressing us actively, but instead waited in their own half in a flat 5-4-1. In that situation, you simply have to move the ball faster, with one or two touches, look to switch play, and then make runs into the channels behind the defense to pull their defensive line apart. We were a little too static, for one thing. Secondly, as the reporter also pointed out, we took too many touches and switched play too slowly. Those are things we absolutely have to correct against an opponent that plays like that,” the coach said.
Risks of playing out from the back
The coach also addressed Marcel Łubik’s performance and the risks involved in building play from the back.
“I think sometimes it’s because Marcel wants to restart play very quickly, and when you’re in a hurry, you sometimes make mistakes, so I accept that mistakes of this kind will happen from time to time. But I think that, one way or another, Marcel’s way of building up and playing pays off in the end, because many of the moves we start through him later create chances for us in the final third, as we’re able to beat more players by using Marcel. So you could say it’s built into our style of play. We have to accept it. Of course, we want to minimize those turnovers and that risk, but we always take some risk when we try to play out from the back,” he explained.
Substitutions and expectations for the substitutes
“We expect more of ourselves, and we certainly expect more from the players who come on, because they have the potential to give the team a positive boost in moments like that, when the team was defending deep and we weren’t creating many chances. That’s what I was counting on. But sometimes that’s how it goes. We talked about it in the dressing room right after the match: we definitely want more. No matter how long you’re on the pitch, we’re all in this together, and at moments like that you simply have to give more to the team,” Jop said.
Julius Ertlthaler and his contract extension
One of the topics discussed was the performance of Julius Ertlthaler, who recently extended his contract with Wisła Kraków.
“I think this absolutely wasn’t something that held Julius back or stopped him from giving everything he could at the time, because he’s a fantastic footballer in terms of commitment, footballing intelligence, and interpersonal skills too. It’s a real pleasure to work with a player like him. Julius has had, and continues to have, certain health problems, and sometimes his form is linked to that. He sacrifices a lot of his health to be ready for a match. I really appreciate that about him, because he’s a player who does everything with the team in mind. He works very hard defensively and in transition. He gives his heart and everything he can in training and in matches,” he stressed.
“So the new contract absolutely wasn’t something that was holding him back in any way, and I definitely wouldn’t look for any improvement or decline in form related to the new deal. W my opinion, he’s a very important player for us, one of the team’s leaders. I think it’s great that the contract has been signed. Julius will be with us for longer. I’m very happy about that because he’s a great player and a great person,” the coach added.
How to break down a deep defense
“I think the first rule is that when you’re up against a team defending deep in a 5-4-1 formation with five defenders, it would be a mistake to look for long switches. First of all, the ball takes a long time to travel, giving the opposition time to shift across in a five-man formation. It’s not a good solution. You need to switch play, but along the ground. That works against a back four, especially when the defensive line is a little higher. But in my opinion, that’s not how you break down an opponent’s defense when they’re playing a deep, compact 5-4-1,” the Wisła coach explained.
Goals late in matches
Once again, the White Star tipped the balance in its favor in the closing minutes.
“I think there were already a lot of matches like that last season, where we scored goals right at the end. It’s a matter of attitude, and the players have one thing in mind: we always play to win. Whether we’re playing at home or away, we always want to win, which is why we score these late goals. We create chances, and there was a free kick in that match too, from which we scored that goal. So, as I say, we need to nurture and value this, because it’s not the first time. It’s something we’ve seen not only this season, but also last season,” he stressed.
Raków Częstochowa's situation
Asked about the difficult situation facing their rivals and whether he had any advice for their coach, Jop replied:
“I don’t intend to, and I don’t feel qualified to give anyone advice. I think the coach is in a difficult situation. First and foremost, the players need to be rebuilt mentally, because that’s very, very difficult. When you go a long time without winning, it’s hard to show your abilities, so the team definitely needs a breakthrough and to believe in the vision the coach wants to present. But I think the coach, the staff, and everyone at Raków will do everything they can to achieve that goal. Still, it’s not really my place to delve deeply into these matters,” he said.
Tactical analysis of the opponent
“I didn’t watch all of Raków’s matches. Every coach has certainly tried to put their own stamp on the team. They played with a back four in each of their last two matches, so we expected they’d probably return to their default formations from the days of coach Papszun and later coach Szwarga: a 3-4-3, and a 5-4-1 in a low defensive block. So, broadly speaking, it didn’t surprise me. Before that, they were certainly a team that pressed higher and took a bit more risk,” he admitted.
“I also understand now why they used that strategy: they wanted to keep more players back to feel more secure. That gave us a few more options when trying to play through their press. One of our holding midfielders was always free, and the only question was whether we took advantage of it. We did a few times, and a few times we didn’t. Those were moments when we could have looked for more options, because there was more space behind them and more opportunities to build an attack. As I said, it’s very difficult against a low block, especially when a team has a lot of players who are very good in the air. Raków are a very tall team, and that’s definitely one of their strengths,” he continued.
“We also knew that they had conceded two goals from set pieces, specifically from wide free kicks. That was an opportunity for us, too. We scored the goal to make it 2-1 from a set piece as well, from a wide free kick. So they still have certain problems they need to deal with, but those aren’t our problems,” Mariusz Jop concluded.
The full press conference recording is available on Wisła Kraków’s official YouTube channel . We encourage you to watch the video and subscribe to the channel to keep up with what’s happening at the White Star.
Mariusz Jop after #WISRCZ: We always want to win