The trip to Łódź didn’t go as the Lechia Gdańsk players had envisioned. In the 27. round of the Ekstraklasa Biało-Zieloni suffered a 0–2 defeat against Widzew. Both head coaches shared their thoughts on the match.

John Carver – Lechia Gdańsk

The Lechia head coach’s post-match summary:

First of all, congratulations to Widzew and their fans — they created a fantastic spectacle and atmosphere. I think you can see the disappointment on my face. Especially after last week’s result, this defeat hurts even more. It often happens with young teams — they struggle with consistency. I’m not going to speak about individuals, this is about the collective. As a group — including the coaching staff — we simply weren’t good enough to win today. We have to raise the bar and show higher standards. When we lose one or two players, it clearly affects our game. Another disappointment is that Bujar Pllana won’t be able to play next week. It feels like we lose someone every game. It’s blow after blow. We have to regroup — a very important match is ahead of us.

Was the defensive wall placement for Widzew’s first goal part of the tactical plan?

I can’t answer that right now because I haven’t seen the goal or a replay yet. I need to look at it calmly and analyze it.

On conceding goals in this match:

I wouldn’t say it was purely about our defense or individual mistakes. It’s about the whole team. I focus a lot on how our structure works. Today we opened up in certain moments, and that caused us problems. Before the game, we showed the players how often Widzew plays through their striker. Last week we neutralized Jagiellonia’s number nine, but today we had our struggles.

How to mentally lift the team ahead of the crucial game against Stal:

It’s my responsibility as coach to lift this team and these players. We’ve got 10 days to do it. I believe the players are motivated enough to stay in the Ekstraklasa. They know what they’re playing for and understand our goals. If I were a player, I’d want to play against Stal tomorrow. That’s the attitude they need to have.

On the first 40 minutes of the match in Łódź:

Until the first goal, nothing really happened in the game — but we all know that the first goal is one of the most crucial moments. It forces you to fight your way back, and especially in our situation, that’s tough.

Camilo Mena and Rifet Kapić were absent on Friday. Who was missed more?

Both! It’s a massive loss. When you have a player like Mena with his skill and speed, and Kapić who is a leader on the pitch, their absence is definitely felt. One positive note is that Ivan managed to play 40 minutes.

Goalkeeping decisions were another topic at the press conference:

I’m not going to judge individual players — especially after a loss. I’ll watch the match, talk it through with the staff, and then we’ll evaluate the performance.

Lechia fans were present in Łódź and gave strong support:

Thanks to our fans — they created a wonderful atmosphere. Since I’ve been here, they’ve been fantastic. I think this was the shortest trip for them during my time, and it was still a long one. They’re very important to us and are helping us in our fight to stay up.

Zeljko Sopić – Widzew Łódź

“f you’re leading 2–0, there will be another three or four chances, but the opponents will also create theirs. In a few moments, Rafał Gikiewicz really saved us. But that’s football — when you’re 2–0 up, the other side is still going to have their moments. We need to play better and be more clinical in certain situations. Once again, a big thank you to the team and to our fans — they were our twelfth man today.