The Monday fixture between Lechia Gdańsk and Stal Mielec will conclude Matchday 28 of the PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa. Ahead of the game, Lechia’s head coach, John Carver, spoke to the media.
Before the press conference, the team held a meeting with the coaching staff. What did the coach tell his players?
We have daily tactical briefings. We analyzed Stal, how they behave in defense and attack, and we discussed the solutions we’ll give our players.
On April 1st, Ivan Djurdjević took over as head coach of Stal Mielec. Could that influence the visitors’ performance?
We analyzed their last match under coach Djurdjević, but we’ll be ready even if he introduces some changes. We had a similar situation against Widzew, where the coach adjusted his team based on how we play. We’ll be prepared for that again.
Facing the team from Mielec looks to be a crucial match for Lechia this season:
Since I arrived, every game has been the most important for us, but this one definitely comes with a bit more pressure because of the league positions of both teams. We have to stay patient, we’re playing at home – that’s our advantage if we shift our approach. We need to take full advantage of the support from our fans. The season is coming to an end, and we have to start collecting points.
Does the word ‘relegation’ cross the coach’s mind, and does it create pressure:
You always have to keep the risk of relegation in the back of your mind. We’re looking at the table and we know we’re in the red zone. I’m actually looking forward to the challenge. I’ve been in the Premier League, where we played a final match of the season against West Ham to stay up, and that game was worth millions of pounds. There was pressure back then, and there’s pressure now. I want to rise to that challenge. I have to stay calm, and if I remain calm, it will positively affect the team.
Pressure is part of the process, and part of what players have to learn. I want to encourage our players to be brave and not to fear it. As a professional footballer, you do everything to be able to play under pressure. This game is just as important as a match against a top team. We need to get into the mindset that we must play as if we’re facing a team from the top of the table. As long as we give our all and make the right decisions, the chance to win will come. We don’t have a crystal ball to answer why we beat the top teams — that’s something we simply have to deal with.
Rifet Kapić has returned to fitness, while Bujar Pllana will miss the match due to suspension:
We’ve got good news — Riki Kapić is back to full fitness. On the other hand, Bujar’s absence is another challenge for us. It feels like we face these issues every match. Only in the game against Jagiellonia did we have the comfort of having almost everyone available. Now we’re missing a player due to suspension, and we also have a few injury problems — and to preempt your question, I won’t be going into those details.
