“There are certainly more reasons. Even before the qualification, there was talk in Poland that the players are in top European clubs, but they can’t do it together. The union wanted to make a difference and brought in Portuguese coach Santos. But this step was not successful at all,” says Warty Poznań forward Tomáš Přikryl, who has been working in Poland for the fifth year.
“For coaches from the West, Poland or the Czech Republic is a sidekick. Santos was not one to live with it. Polish players are active in big clubs, but they can’t bring them together at the national team level. This requires personality. The Poles haven’t found it yet,” adds coach Josef Csaplár, who led Plock to triumph in the Polish Cup in 2006.
The new coach Michal Probierz won with the team in the Faroe Islands in his debut, but a home draw with Moldova followed soon after and the team came under huge criticism again.
“This was a big blow for the Poles. There were even rumors that Probierz was to resign. He says he has no experience. The pressure in Poland is huge. This is also the reason why the players do not perform as well as in the clubs. Unsuccessful matches from the national team are in their heads. From what I saw of the last game, Lewandowski didn’t do well either. He was nervous, waving his hands,” notes Přikryl, who spent 4 seasons in Jagiellonia.
“The Poles would need a good result to reassure the public. Then maybe it would start working again. In the current nomination, there are more younger players that Probierz knows from the age of twenty-one. He is trying to oxygenate the team, to revive it,” adds the former Spartan.
In any case, the Polish team is not only criticized by fans and the media, but also by local football legends. “When I went to the national team, the eagle on my chest meant something. I have the impression that the players will come today to play the match for the national team only out of obligation,” said one of the best footballers in Polish history, Grzegorz Lato, in an interview with TVP Sport.
“Sometimes I see how some members of the Polish team get off the bus with headphones on and pass by children waiting for an autograph without reacting. It looks ridiculous. And I ask: what did they win with the national team? Nothing. They won a foreign league or a cup, but that is not the success of Polish football,” added Lato.
Poles at top addresses
Wojciech Szczesny (Juventus Turin), Jakub Kiwior (Arsenal), Nicola Zalewski (AS Rome), Piotr Zieliňski (Naples), Robert Lewandowski (FC Barcelona).
2023-11-17 02:24:00
#EURO #Barcelona #Arsenal #Juventus #dont #Polish #stars #Sport.cz
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