Raków Częstochowa president Wojciech Cygan has explained the reasoning behind the return of Dawid Szwarga as head coach. The club, currently 18th in the Ekstraklasa with just six points from 12 games, needed immediate stabilization. The team has managed only two wins and ten defeats in the league, with their recent form reading loss, win, loss, loss, loss.
The decision to appoint the 36-year-old Szwarga, a former assistant and interim manager, was driven by a crisis situation. Raków lost his first game back 2-1 to Wisła Kraków and were eliminated from the Polish Cup by Motor Lublin. Prior league results include a 1-4 defeat to GKS Katowice and a 4-1 victory over Polonia Bytom. Cygan stresses that the priority is to quickly organize the team's play, especially in defense. "Are we looking for a new Marek Papszun? In a way, yes," the president said.
The immediate objective is to climb out of the relegation zone, which they trail by three points. The team has faced difficult matches against Pogoń Szczecin and Legia Warszawa, and this Wednesday, November 2nd, they host fourth-placed Pogoń. In their last league outing, Raków drew 1-1 with Motor Lublin thanks to a late goal from Lamine Diaby-Fadiga. Previously, on October 24th, they lost 2-1 to Wisła, where Diaby-Fadiga also scored a penalty. The club has a goal difference of -12 (16 scored, 28 conceded) and sits 25 points behind leaders Lech Poznań.
Cygan could not say whether Szwarga is closer to or further from the Papszun model. "I think of him as an independent, prepared and substantive coach," he added. The upcoming matches will be key for assessing progress under his leadership. The team's form in the last five matches reads two wins, a draw and two defeats (DLWLW). The team's top scorer this season is Patryk Makuch with six goals in twelve appearances.
Background and full detail: transfery.info
