Pietuszewski’s first coach: “Stood out for energy and pace” | OneFootball

Born in May 2008 in Białystok, a Polish city closer to the border with Belarus than to Warsaw, Oskar Pietuszewski began his connection to football in his hometown. His journey, still short, became closely tied to the local club, which at the time was returning to the 1st League after 14 years of absence. His first steps with a badge on his chest took place at the Talent Football Academy, where he received his first technical guidance. After his debut as a starter at Choupana, Pietuszewski still has much to offer his new fans, according to Rafal Muczynski, in statements to the newspaper Portal dos Dragões.

"I met him at the academy, where I was a coach with my friend Andrzej Kurzyna. Oskar was 6 years old and, from the beginning, joined a group a year older than him. We were recruiting players born in 2007 and he was from 2008, but it was his mother, Iwona, who brought him. Some time later, Andrzej and I received an offer to move to the biggest club in the city, Jagiellonia Bialystok, which we ended up accepting, and most of the Talent Academy team moved with us, including Oskar."

The time spent between the academy and Jagiellonia allowed Rafal to follow the player for seven seasons and get to know his technical and psychological traits well. In his view, much of the winger’s performance starts with how he thinks about the game. "I remember when I first saw him on the field. He stood out for his dynamism, speed, and physical strength compared to his teammates. It was immediately clear that he loved dribbling and facing opponents one-on-one. And he loved football, he loved playing, you could feel that training was the most important thing in the world to him," recalls the coach, who also describes Pietuszewski’s emotional evolution, particularly how he overcame excessive reactions to refereeing decisions.

"Yes, it’s true. Oskar was very affected by what happened on the field. Defeats were the worst for him. He had difficulty accepting them. He would get frustrated when something didn’t go well for him. His determination and consistent pursuit of his goals are, in my opinion, what brought him to where he is today. I believe this comes from his character and being a natural winner. At the same time, he always fought until the end, until the last seconds of every game. Only football mattered. But that was quite some time ago. Our paths separated in 2021. I’ve spoken to him several times recently and he’s gone through a great mental transformation. Today he’s different in that respect," he said, adding a detail he considers revealing of the change: "Recently, in the game against Sporting, there was a tense situation near the FC Porto bench in the final minutes, and Oskar was the only one who didn’t get up or take part in the commotion. I think this confirms his transformation. On this topic, I also look at the importance of his mother, who made every effort to take him to every training session, game, or tournament. At a certain point in his childhood, his parents divorced and then practically everything fell on her shoulders. She was the one who provided him with everything he needed. Today you can see they are still very close and Oskar owes her a lot."

Aspect to Improve

Still underage, Pietuszewski continues to need to mature, both on and off the field. Rafal acknowledges improvements, including some defensive progress, but points out priorities for the player’s sporting future. "He needs more consistency and also numbers to back it up. His debut for FC Porto was positive, when he won the penalty that would give the team victory, and in the last game, against Nacional, although he was no longer on the field, it was his action that led to the corner from which another Pole, Bednarek, scored the winning goal. Let’s remember that he is still a young player and needs time. He also recently changed environments, which should be taken into account," he explained, pointing out a shortcoming: "I also have the impression that, at times, the simplest solutions on the field are his biggest trap. In the past, he could surprise in the least expected situations and disappoint in the simplest ones. That still happens occasionally. He clearly needs to work on his decision-making, but I see his evolution with satisfaction and feel that he is on the right path."

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.