Before Saturday’s match against Korona Kielce, coach Szymon Grabowski answered journalists’ questions.
– I can only repeat what I’ve said in previous weeks – despite not earning points as we would like, the attitude, commitment, and effort of the players in training remain at the same high level. We still believe that this breakthrough and points will come this weekend – said coach Grabowski.
On the squad situation:
– The squad situation hasn’t worsened, which is very encouraging for us. As for health matters, everything is as it has been. However, two players are out due to yellow cards: Zhelizko and Conrado, so they won’t be available for the match against Korona.
On the points scored by rivals:
– This is a time when we can’t focus on our opponents. We have to start focusing solely on ourselves. What’s the point in tracking how our rivals are scoring if we’re not accumulating points ourselves? Until we start earning points, the standings shouldn’t concern us. If we start scoring on Saturday and add three points, then we can look at what the others are doing.
On the decline in form:
– Obviously, we’re judged by our results. That’s why I won’t tell you stories here that we should have earned points in those last two matches, because that doesn’t matter. We didn’t score.
A single point from the last two games certainly doesn’t bring us any pride, especially given what happened on the field. In a different situation, if we had scored with the kind of play we presented, there probably wouldn’t be questions about weak form, and we would feel more optimistic. We are aware that results are what matter most. Without results, there’s talk of a slump. We need to score as soon as possible and try to get back on track.
On the president’s visit after the last match:
– In conversations with the president, there’s no raised tone or ultimatums. I understand that each passing day brings me closer to the end of my tenure at Lechia, however long that may be. That’s life.
My contract is still in effect for a while. Whether I fulfill it or not doesn’t bother me at all, and I think what’s most important in this case is Lechia and the upcoming match on Saturday.
On Korona Kielce
– I think Korona plays a direct style of football, probably even more so than Cracovia. They’re a very tricky opponent, especially with their three forwards, as they play a 3-4-3 formation with two attacking midfielders and a forward.
They have very dynamic players who handle the ball well, especially Fornalczyk. We will definitely need to watch their front line. However, I believe that our analyst, Maciej Majdowski, has studied the opponent well enough that we’ll be able to exploit the gaps we see in their defense.
Why junior players were not brought into training when the main team was short on players:
– If someone was closely following not only the first team but all Lechia Gdańsk teams, they would know that the junior team players who usually train with us were playing their own league match at that time. There was no opportunity to call them up.
On conversations with players who received yellow cards:
– I wouldn’t say Conrado’s yellow card was for a simple foul. It was a foolish foul, and such an experienced player shouldn’t commit it in that area of the field, especially when we had possession and he was already on a yellow. Conrado and Zhelizko know they made serious mistakes that weakened the team and prevent them from playing in a crucial match. Of course, there are internal regulations, so all procedures have been followed.
