Carver: Our approach to this match will be crucial

Ahead of Saturday’s Lechia – Bruk-Bet Termalica Nieciecza match, head coach John Carver met with the media. Here’s what the Biało-Zieloni manager had to say.

What the mood is like in the dressing room after the game against Legia:

It was a very good match from our side. We found ourselves in a situation where we were leading 2:1 at Legia’s stadium, and conceding the second goal was obviously disappointing. After the match there was a lot of frustration in the dressing room because of the final result, but if someone had asked me before the game whether a point away at Legia would be a good outcome, I would have taken it straight away. What we need to do now is deal with the fact that we conceded in the last minute. The next match is ahead of us, and that is always the most important one.

Whether the Termalica match can be called a six-pointer:

Yes. We’re going through a very good period in terms of our performances. If we keep playing this way in the near future, we will be collecting points. Right now, we need points, and instead of good football I would gladly take three points against Termalica.

Journalists asked about Maksym Dyachuk’s performance at the end of the Legia match:

I don’t agree that he played poorly in Warsaw. Several things happened before we conceded that goal. You know the way I manage my teams — I won’t openly criticise my players. If anyone has to take responsibility for mistakes, it will be me.

What kind of opponent he expects on Saturday:

When you look at how Termalica play, they actually do better away from home. This season they’ve managed to beat some big teams, so we’re facing a tough match. Our approach to this game will be crucial, and we need to start the match very well.

We know that there are no easy games in the Ekstraklasa — and there won’t be. We expect a similar type of match from them. They have three strong central defenders and they’re very good at set pieces. We’ve had plenty of time to prepare properly.

The team’s health situation:

Bartek Kłudka has been training with us for three days now. Overall, the health situation in the squad has improved. We do have one or two minor injuries to deal with, but things look a bit better in that regard, and most importantly, we’ve got more options. Alex Paulsen came back to us at the start of the week and he is currently on an individual programme. His situation will be assessed day by day.