Ahead of Friday’s clash #LGDWPŁ, head coach John Carver answered journalists’ questions. Here’s a summary of the press conference.
On the squad situation:
I won’t go into details about individual players, but we do have some injury issues and others returning from setbacks. Ivan Zhelizko? He’s in better shape than last week, but if he’s not 100% ready, we won’t take any risks. He trained yesterday and will train again today, but if he’s not fully fit, he won’t even be on the bench.
On assessing the opponent:
Our opponents are a good team, even though they’ve lost a few players to injuries. If they had won their last match, they would be top of the table. I know they’re currently fifth, but they’re still a very strong side. They have some excellent individuals we have to be wary of.”
On suspensions of Miłosz Kałahur and Camilo Mena due to yellow cards:
Losing a player like Camilo is disappointing because of what he brings to the team. But it’s also an opportunity for someone else. I believe in this team, in this squad, and in the players we have. I’ve spoken with Camilo about the bookings; he definitely needs to improve his discipline. Remember, he’s still young, and I hope he learns from this. He’s an important part of the team. We need him.”
On defensive struggles in the recent match in Kielce:
I’m concerned about how we conceded the goals in Kielce. We’re desperate to keep a clean sheet in the next match. When I look calmly at the stats, we actually had more possession than the opponent — even though we played the last 15 minutes with one man down. We talk a lot about possession, but above all, we want to win the match against Wisła Płock and find a way to do it.
We have to do more than the opposition.”
On missed chances against Korona:
That might have been just bad luck. We hit the post twice and the ball just wouldn’t go in.
Still, we created those chances, and I’d be more worried if we weren’t creating them at all.
On the Polish Cup draw:
I’ve learned it’s going to be a very long trip. I wasn’t fully aware of the Polish Cup draw rules.
Once again, we’re facing a stretch with more away games ahead of us.
