After the international break, PKO Bank Polski Ekstraklasa is back in action. On Sunday at noon, Lechia Gdańsk will face Piast Gliwice away from home. Ahead of the match, head coach John Carver met with the media.
On how the international break was used:
I went back to the Scotland national team for a short while to say goodbye to the players and staff, so that was very nice. It wasn’t an easy decision for me, but it was a deliberate one – I wanted to spend more time with Lechia and be fully involved, 100 percent committed.
On Lechia’s squad situation after the break:
We had a 14-day break, which was really good for us. It gave players like Ivan the chance to get back into proper shape. I believe the squad is in good condition and almost everyone is healthy now. I’d also like to mention the players who were away on international duty. Recently, Tomek Bobček picked up a knock, but thankfully he’s fine. We also watched Alex during the break – he played two games, and some of our staff attended Poland’s match against New Zealand to see him live. He was absolutely outstanding in the game against Norway.
On the importance of the match against Piast Gliwice:
Every match is important for us. We’re playing a team that’s very close to us in the table.
We know they’re a side that enjoys playing football — they like to keep possession and build from the back. Their league position is deceptive because they still have two games in hand.
They play through the middle, use their goalkeeper to start attacks, and have two very fast wingers.
We know what they’re good at, but we must focus on ourselves. These upcoming matches are crucial before the winter break. We’ve set ourselves a points target, but I’ll keep that to myself.
Above all, I just want to win. Of course, the probability of winning increases when you don’t concede goals. We’ve spent a lot of time working on improving that area. The priority will obviously be to score one more goal.
The most important thing is that we focus on ourselves and stay aware of what the opponent can offer. As I said at the start of the press conference — they might not score many goals, but they also don’t concede many. That’s because they keep possession of the ball for long periods.
Normally, they have a higher percentage of possession than their opponents. I’m not entirely sure, but I think they’ve drawn four matches so far. Games against Piast are always very tight.
On the legendary match at Wembley (England vs Poland, October 17, 1973):
I remember it well, because your goalkeeper, Jan Tomaszewski, was unbelievable. We had 20 or 30 chances, and everything that went on target, he saved. If I remember correctly, before the game he was called a clown — believe me, he was incredible and your hero that night. He broke many English hearts — players and fans alike.
He was a Superhero!”
On Piast’s build-up play starting from goalkeeper František Plach:
Plach starts every attacking phase and has a huge influence on how Piast play. We’ve been training how to deal with that and how to neutralize it. Obviously, I won’t tell you exactly how, but we know what to expect, and the players know how to react. We’re ready for it.
