“The coach trusts me”

Maciej Gajos took over the role of the captain this season after Tomasz Kedziora left Lech Poznan. “We talked about it before the first European away match. However, we hadn’t yet known whether Tomasz would leave, therefore, the decision about the new captain was put on hold. I was one of the players that the coach perceived as a candidate for the role. When Tomasz left, the coach chose me, Aziz and Majewski as the new captains,” said the 26-year-old midfielder. “The fact that I have the captain armband means that the coach trusts me. I captained youth teams before, but it’s incomparable with senior football,” added Gajos.

The midfielder admitted that the role did not change his behavior on the pitch. “I try to prove my worth on the pitch. I am not the type who shouts just for the sake of shouting. Some players release negative emotions by being loud or perceive it as an additional motivation. I try to give advice to my teammates on the pitch. I communicate with them more on the field than off it. Most of all, whenever I play, I try to complete all the tasks given to me by the coach. His opinion is the most important to me, therefore, I try to play according to his instructions,” explained Gajos.

Lech has a league match scheduled for Sunday – first one after over a week. Following the clash with Zaglebie Lubin, the players were given 2 days off to recover after a difficult beginning of the season. “It’s the first time this season that we have a couple of days to prepare peacefully for a match. We will no longer have a training session before games. A new chapter has just begun. We might not have wanted it to look this way, but it is what it is,” said the midfielder.

The first team Lech will face in this new chapter is Bruk-Bet Termalica who drew 1:1 against Slask on Tuesday. The final score was determined in the extra time added to the game. “We had a training session and, therefore, I couldn’t watch the whole match. However, I did see the last minutes of the clash and the goal. Termalica plays well and even though they might not have a lot of points, we need to watch out. 2 weeks ago they won at home against Legia. It’s a tough rival,” said Gajos.