"We want to return with high spirits"

Lech has just one more match to go before the season 2016/17 is officially over. On Sunday Bjelica’s players will face Jagiellonia in Bialystok. The team from Poznan still has a theoretical chance to win the Championship, but it isn’t solely up to them. Nevertheless, Bednarek emphasizes that he and his teammates won’t give up.

“I believe we can do it. If we thought it was impossible, we would stay in Poznan instead of travelling to Bialystok. We are preparing for the match in the best way we can, giving it all during the training sessions. We are still working on the last details, but I hope we will return to Poznan with high spirits.”

This season Jagiellonia turned out to be a tough rival for Lech. Twice the club from Poznan lost to their opponent from Bialystok – in July Jagiellonia triumphed 2:0 in Poznan, while in December, at home, they won 2:1. Lech wants revenge in this crucial phase of the season. “We lost points when playing against Jagiellonia this season, but that is not what we focus on. We concentrate on the match itself only and we want to do our best. There is no point in thinking about the two recent losses. Instead, we should focus on the fact that we have to win on Sunday,” explained Bednarek.

For the defender himself, the key focus are the forwards from Bialystok – Fedor Cernych and Cillian Sheridan. The Lithuanian scored 12 goals this season, but the last time he placed the ball in the net was in March. The Irish footballer became the most efficient player in the spring round after he joined Jagiellonia in the winter transfer window. He has already got 8 goals on his account. Bednarek recognizes the talent and skills of the forwards, but he also reassures that he knows how to stop them. “I know Cernych well from when we played together in Leczna. We are still observing Sheridan carefully. I believe that both of them are good, class forwards. However, if we come up with a meticulous plan, they won’t hurt us,” said the young defender.

The 21-year-old centre-back also referred to the speculations about an internal conflict in Lech’s dressing room. Bednarek reassured confidently that the atmosphere within the team is great. “Our dressing room is sealed and the information published by the media were very far from the truth, which proves my point. The only part of it which is a fact is that Tralka is no longer the captain, but none of us pay any attention to that. Lukasz remains a leader of the team, he just doesn’t have the armband anymore. Personally, I owe him a lot – he’s been a great friend on and off the pitch, always happy to help. When it comes to the atmosphere in the dressing room, it is good. We have sorted out all the issues that arose,” explained Jan Bednarek.

The defender was also asked about the line-up for the upcoming league clash. Bednarek reminded politely that the only person who has a say in who plays and who doesn’t is the coach. “Bjelica is the coach and he decides about who plays, when and how. We execute his orders. This is our job. We cannot think about the choices he makes because we have to focus on completing the tasks given to us in the best way we can,” commented the defender.