Coach Szymon Grabowski answered journalists’ questions ahead of Friday’s match against Legia Warszawa.
On the rivalry with Legia’s coach, Goncalo Feio:
– I don’t approach this match as a rematch at all, but rather as a confrontation with a very good coach leading a very good team. It will definitely be very satisfying if we are the ones celebrating after the final whistle, and that’s the mindset we have. We don’t see this in the context of a coach-versus-coach rivalry or individual players. We have our specific goal and plan, and now executing our tasks will help us, hopefully, to all celebrate together after the final whistle.
On Legia Warszawa:
– On paper, that’s probably true—Legia has the advantage, and in terms of the standings, that’s how it would look. We respect the footballing quality not only of their starting eleven but also the depth of their entire squad, which Legia Warsaw possesses. Obviously, it’s one of the biggest, if not the biggest, clubs in Poland. Legia has its goals, which don’t change from year to year—fighting for the Polish championship and European competitions, and we are well aware of that. But we also know the quality we have, and despite the fact that we are currently third from the bottom and we’re not consistently performing throughout the entire match, we are aware that we will have our chances. If we capitalize on them, in the eyes of the fans and most commentators, it will be seen as a surprise. We understand that we’re not the favorites and that most of the arguments are in our opponent’s favor. However, looking at these past two weeks, or even just the last few days, when I see that the squad is more complete and the players are truly focused on the next opponent, I am optimistic.
On the atmosphere before the match against Legia:
– I’ll be honest— in this job, you have to be ready for anything. You have to be prepared for moments when you’re being lifted up, and others when they might forget to catch you. You need to be ready for times like these, but it’s these moments that reveal who you’re working with and the people you have around you. I try to focus on my work as best as I can, and it doesn’t bother me at all. I don’t try to externalize my internal emotions into the locker room. On the contrary— I think that anyone who watches our training sessions or our locker room life wouldn’t get the impression that something is wrong or bothering me. I’m focused on my work, I know my value, the value of this club, and this team, and my thoughts are solely focused on Legia Warszawa.
On the squad situation:
– Tomasz Wójtowicz will be available. Bobcek, Conrado, and Mena are training to varying extents, and their training looks different, but as I mentioned, the squad is already stronger than it was in Mielec. Last week certainly didn’t look as good as this one—now it’s definitely better. Not all the players who will be available are ready for 90 minutes, but there will come a moment in the match when we will need them.
On Maksym Khlan’s form after returning from the U21 national team:
– Maks was training normally today, so everything is fine. He returned with a promotion, so he is happy and focused on helping us.
On the large attendance at the match against Legia:
– We approach every home match with a very positive mentality. It’s incredible to play in front of our Gdańsk fans. When we hear that there will be 25,000 people, it only motivates us more. We sincerely thank those who come out to support us. We will do everything we can to encourage them with our performance and attitude to buy tickets for the matches against Cracovia or our other upcoming opponents right after the game with Legia. We know we will have that twelfth or even thirteenth player behind us, and we warmly appeal for sporting support to carry Lechia to three points.
On the defense’s performance in the match against Stal:
– We allowed Stal too many shots in the last match. We are definitely still working on our defense. However, I want to commend my team for saving most of those shots. Many of them missed the target, we either blocked well, or Szymek rose to the occasion. I believe that the shot that gave our opponents the three points should not have been counted at all. It’s clear that we are judged by the result, but I also know that some decisions were wrong, which has led us to be in the relegation zone today and certainly hasn’t helped us build our mentality. But we’re trying to turn the situation around by being focused, engaged, and performing our tasks well. Even though it may look poor visually or statistically, we can still defend ourselves effectively.
On Legia’s form:
– Legia Warszawa is Legia Warszawa, and we can’t just look for our chances based on the fact that they might be in some sort of crisis or that things aren’t going well for them. We’re not looking at that at all—we’re focusing on Legia in terms of their best solutions and plays, considering what they do best. We will need to eliminate those aspects because we also have our strengths in attack. We will definitely be looking for our opportunities. Legia Warszawa, as I mentioned at the beginning, is the best club in Poland and one of the most dangerous teams in this league. Therefore, we have a tough task ahead of us, but a victory in such a match would certainly help us grow significantly.
Listen to the full conference here:
