Matchday 31 of the PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa will take Lechia Gdańsk to Kraków, where they will face Cracovia. Ahead of Sunday’s match, head coach John Carver answered questions from the media.
The press conference began with an update on the health of Tomáš Bobček:
It’s a big loss for us because he’s our top scorer. We don’t know how long he’ll be out. Hopefully he’ll be back before the end of the season, but only if he’s fully fit. His absence opens the door for other players, and that’s the reality we now face. We need to find a solution to win this match. Whether we change the system or personnel is something we’ll be discussing. Bobček is unique in our squad.
Lechia has not won an away game since February 17. What needs to change:
We have a certain idea. Honestly, our away performances haven’t been that bad — we just need to cut out the errors. Cracovia are a very strong team, but I know they have three players suspended, and that could work in our favor.
On the absence of several Cracovia players:
We have to try to exploit the areas where they’ll have replacements. They have national team-level players, so their absence should be an advantage for us — but we must make it one.
Cracovia’s top scorer Benjamin Källman has scored 17 goals this season:
I told the team today this is going to be the biggest challenge so far — especially for our center-backs. He reminds me of a good old-fashioned English striker. We’ll need to handle his physical presence and his runs behind the line. We must stay very focused when balls are delivered into our box. Alan Shearer was a similar type of player in terms of profile — he loved to make those penetrating runs. I just hope Källman doesn’t play like Shearer on Sunday.
On the club not receiving a license to compete in the Ekstraklasa next season:
The club will appeal the decision, and the people at the top will handle it. My focus is entirely on football. What I can say about the players is that they’ve stayed focused over the past few weeks, and sometimes football is the best distraction from what’s going on around us. Our goals haven’t changed — we want to stay in the Ekstraklasa. That’s my biggest motivation. The only thing we, as a team, can control is what happens on the pitch on Sunday.
On the continued licensing topic:
Football keeps me so occupied that I don’t focus on what’s happening around it. Of course, it’s a difficult and unusual situation, but I’m staying focused on football. Every club has its issues. It’s easier for me to deal with because I’ve been through situations like this before — and I probably will again. My experience helps me — I’ve seen a lot in football. We can’t spend time talking about what might happen. We’ve already spoken to the players about the license issue — it wasn’t a long conversation. My focus is entirely on this match, and that’s the fairest approach to them.
I first found out on Tuesday through the media. Today we spoke about it internally. You could see hope in Paolo Urfer’s reaction, and now we’ll see where this process takes us. I believe the decision will be overturned.
