Pietuszewski amid Poland’s revolution: “Strong and very quick” | OneFootball

Jan Urban, Poland’s head coach, is under heavy pressure after the recent 0-2 defeat to Ukraine in the first match since the play-off loss to Sweden, which knocked the Poles out of the 2026 World Cup. On the eve of another game, this time against Nigeria, the coach is being criticized for calling up players who were on holiday and who allegedly will not be motivated, but the manager stresses the opportunity to try out new systems and integrate younger players, such as Porto’s Oskar Pietuszewski.

“The team is being accused of lacking commitment, but that is unacceptable, since we brought many players back from their holidays. They are at different stages, but we will never disregard the fans. We thank the fans for the welcome and support, because we feel it at every moment,” Urban began by saying at a press conference.

The head coach admits it is natural for teams preparing for the final stage to take the field with greater motivation than Poland, but adds that the players were not the only ones to have their holidays interrupted for these friendlies. “If you want, I can prove that you [journalists] are on holiday too. If we had lost 2-0 to Ukraine at the World Cup, you would have lynched the referee for not awarding a penalty for a foul on Tomasz Kędzior. It is impossible not to give such an obvious penalty. It was a clear foul. The result could have been different, the energy could have been different and the match could have been different. Just look at the Ukrainians, how much energy they had after the goal,” he pointed out.

Even so, Urban guarantees changes to the starting eleven. “There were many changes in the match against Ukraine and there will be many against Nigeria too. I was surprised by how surprised people were by so many changes. These are friendly matches, so when are we going to have the chance to test new things and new players? We made nine changes, but Carlo Ancelotti, the Americans and the Canadians made eleven each. It is normal for players to return to the national team after a difficult season, in which they fought for their objectives, with problems. That is how it works, and I am not willing to risk the players’ health. It is enough for Kuba Piotrowski to be limited by a muscle strain,” he added.

Oskar Pietuszewski started against Ukraine [he was taken off at half-time] and left a good impression on the head coach. “Young players such as Kacper Potulski or Oskar Pietuszewski need to have something extra to do well in professional football at that age. Filip Rózga is a slight player, but technically very good, quick, and very good at carrying the ball. Pietuszewski is strong, has very good pace, and is very attack-minded. Kacper Potulski has excellent qualities. However, for each of them, this is the start of their career,” he said.

The one who still has a guaranteed place in this team is Robert Lewandowski. “Replacing Robert Lewandowski will be impossible. Players like that are born once every who-knows-how-many years. I would like the Polish national team to always play as it did against Sweden [in the World Cup play-off], but defend better,” Urban also said.

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