Poland’s dependence on Robert Lewandowski is the crew’s largest concern for the European Championship.
The 32-year-old Lewandowski is already the nation’s main scorer with 66 targets in a document 118 appearances, and he simply broke the Bundesliga’s 49-year-old document for targets in a season with 41 in 29 appearances for Bayern Munich.
Just over his final 10 video games, Lewandowski has scored 17 targets.
Poland coach Paulo Sousa, who was surprisingly appointed to lead the crew in January, wants to arrange his gamers to get the very best from Lewandowski, whereas additionally contemplating his backup choices in case his captain is absent.
Sousa is a former Portugal midfielder going into his first main event as a nationwide crew coach, and he has already seen what can occur if Lewandowski is lacking from the lineup.
The skillful striker injured his knee in Poland’s 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Andorra on March 28. Without him within the lineup, Poland then misplaced its subsequent recreation to England 2-1.
Lewandowski’s absence over the next 4 weeks arguably harm Bayern within the Champions League — the No. 9 virtually definitely would have transformed a few of the many probabilities within the quarterfinal loss to Paris Saint-Germain.
Sousa’s predecessor, Jerzy Brzęczek, was fired after failing to get the very best from Poland’s biggest asset. Poland completed with two losses and two attracts in a Nations League group with Portugal and Italy, and Brzęczek’s cautious crew fashion was slammed as “frightened” by Polish soccer federation president Zbigniew Boniek.
Adam Nawałka, who had been answerable for the crew for 5 years earlier than stepping down after the 2018 World Cup, had fared higher with a system arrange to profit Lewandowski.
Sousa seems to do the identical and has already drastically altered Brzęczek’s arrange for a extra attacking focus, beginning with three on the again.
Lewandowski will likely be supported up entrance by Arkadiusz Milik, who spent final season at Marseille on mortgage from Napoli, however Hertha Berlin ahead Krzysztof Piątek is out of the event with an ankle damage.
Other choices in assault embody Dawid Kownacki of Fortuna Düsseldorf, Karol Świderski of PAOK Thessaloniki and Jakub Świerczok of Piast Gliwice — a shock inclusion regardless of a positive season for the Polish membership. None come shut to the caliber of Lewandowski, nonetheless.
Poland will open in opposition to Slovakia in St. Petersburg on June 14 after which tackle Spain in Seville on June 19 earlier than returning to Russia to face Sweden 4 days later. It’s a spherical journey of greater than 7,000 kilometers (practically 4,500 miles).
Poland has different mainstays within the squad, notably defensive lynchpin Kamil Glik of Benevento and driving midfield pressure Grzegorz Krychowiak of Lokomotiv Moscow. Glik, now 33, makes up for a scarcity of tempo with anticipation, whereas Krychowiak — who beforehand performed for Reims, Sevilla and PSG — helps together with his expertise and positional play.
In objective, nonetheless, Sousa faces a dilemma. Regular starter Wojciech Szczęsny is in poor kind so West Ham goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański might take his place.
Regardless of who begins in objective, the majority of the eye will likely be on the opposite finish.
EURO 2020: Poland Factfile
Honours: None
Previous Euro efficiency: Three participations, finest efficiency quarter-finals in 2016
FIFA rating: 21
Nickname: Bialo-czerwoni
Coach: Paulo Sousa
Star gamers: Robert Lewandowski, Piotr Zielinski, Wojciech Szczesny
Main golf equipment: Legia Warsaw, Wisla Krakow, Lech Poznan
How did they qualify: Top of Group G
Euro 2020 Fixtures
vs Slovakia – 14 June, 9:30 pm
vs Spain – 20 June, 12:30 am
vs Sweden – 23 June, 9:30 pm
26-man squad:
Goalkeepers: Lukasz Fabianski (West Ham/ENG), Wojciech Szczesny (Juventus/ITA) Lukasz Skorupski (Bologna/ITA)
Defenders: Kamil Glik (Benevento/ITA) Maciej Rybus (Lokomotiv Moscow/RUS), Bartosz Bereszynski (Sampdoria/ITA), Jan Bednarek (Southampton/ENG), Pawel Dawidowicz (Hellas Verona/ITA), Michal Helik (Barnsley/ENG), Kamil Piatkowski (Rakow Czestochowa), Tomasz Kedziora (Dynamo Kiev/UKR), Tymoteusz Puchacz (Lech Poznan)
Midfielders: Przemysław Frankowski (Chicago Fire/USA), Grzegorz Krychowiak (Lokomotiv Moscow/RUS), Piotr Zielinski (Napoli/ITA), Mateusz Klich (Leeds/ENG). Kamil Jozwiak (Derby/ENG), Jakub Moder (Brighton/ENG), Przemyslaw Placheta (Norwich/ENG), Kacper Kozlowski (Pogon Szczecin), Karol Linetty (Torino/ITA)
Forwards: Dawid Kownacki (Fortuna Düsseldorf/GER), Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich/GER), Arkadiusz Milik (Marseille/FRA), Karol Swiderski (PAOK/GRE), Jakub Swierczok (Piast Gliwice)
Read all of the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News right here
