Players to watch out of Poland in 2022 FIFA World Cup
Poland's performance in their FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, led by Paulo Sousa, was respectable with twenty points in 10 games. They placed in the UEFA play-offs after finishing second in Group I, behind a formidable England team, and Sousa left to join Flamengo of Brazil, making room for Czeslaw Michniewicz to take over as manager.
Poland advanced directly to the final round when their first opponents, Russia, were eliminated from the playoffs, earning them a trip to Qatar for the duration of one 90-minute match. Michniewicz and his team advanced with a 2-0 victory over Sweden, giving them the chance to move past their elimination from the tournament's group stage in 2018.
Michniewicz will be attempting to achieve the optimum balance between defense and attack, as well as between veteran players and up-and-coming young stars, with the help of veteran players like Robert Lewandowski in his squad. If he succeeds in doing that, Poland will be in a better position than they were four years ago to handle the situation.
Here, we take a look at five players that will be essential for Poland in their quest to advance to the knockout round of a World Cup for the first time since 1986 as they face Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Argentina in Qatar.
Wojciech Szczesny
Position: Goalkeeper
Age: 32
The senior goalkeeper has spent the majority of his career at Arsenal and Juventus, stuffing his trophy cabinet with honors like the Italian league championship (three times) and two English and Italian cup victories. He played in the Premier League 150 times before making over 200 Serie A matches. Additionally, he has participated in almost 70 UEFA Champions League matches, as if that weren't enough.
That caliber of big-match performance will be priceless for Poland, where he made his debut in 2009 and has since won 64 caps. The 32-year-old, who is unquestionably his nation's top player, has recently struggled with several injuries, the most recent of which is an ankle issue.
Although Lukasz Skorupski, Bartlomiej Drgowski, and Kamil Grabara are all capable goal scorers who have recently competed in Nations League games, Polish supporters will be hopeful that Szczesny returns to a full condition in time for the World Cup in Qatar.
Szczesny, however, has demonstrated his international pedigree by consistently forming a human wall for his nation and displaying incredible reflexes, particularly on the goal line - abilities that his understudies lack. This makes the Juve goalkeeper's return from injury crucial to the Polish defense once the World Cup arrives.
Jan Bednarek
Position: Center-back
Age: 26
The back line of Poland is led by Jan Bednarek. The 26-year-old middle defender has played more than 150 times for Southampton, but he is currently on loan at Aston Villa where he hopes to feature more frequently than he anticipated while on the south coast of England. He made 30 Premier League starts last season, as well as one from the bench, and he scored four goals while playing for the Saints. He was also one of the first names on the team sheet.
He has also essentially become a mainstay in the Poland national team, and it is anticipated that he will partner up with veteran defender Kamil Glik as the central defensive pair in Qatar. They are both familiar with one another, and they worked effectively together to stop Sweden's forward line, which included Isak, Quaison, Forsberg, and Ibrahimovic, and prevent goals during their World Cup play-off encounter.
Glik is known to never back down from a tackle, leaving 42-time international Bednarek to handle the ball-playing side of the game because he is quick and shrewd enough. He is well recognized for his vision on the field, which makes him the Polish defense's quarterback and an important player in build-up play.
Grzegorz Krychowiak
Position: Defensive midfielder
Age: 32
Krychowiak has had a fascinating career so far in which he has worked for a variety of clubs. He won the Coupe de France with Paris St. Germain in 2017 before going on to win the Russian equivalent twice at Lokomotiv Moscow (in 2019 and 2021). He was a member of the 2015 and 2016 Europa League champion Sevilla squad.
The 32-year-old has consistently been classified as a defensive midfielder wherever he has played. He is currently under contract with FK Krasnodar and has joined Al-Shabab on loan. He has had a successful start to the season in Saudi Arabia.
Krychowiak has 91 caps for his country so far, which puts him close to the century mark and shows how important he is to the team. He earned the nickname "the lumberjack" during his time in Ligue 1, which is a fair description of his playing approach, especially when he goes in for a tackle, which he never backs down from.
It would be unfair to him to limit his powers to relentless play, though. He may be tough in one-on-one battles, but as a No. 6, he also consistently finds a teammate and moves forward to join the attack. He puts his body on the line to stop anything and everyone who tries to go past him, so it's not like he ever neglects his defensive responsibilities.
Krychowiak is a genuine team player who always puts in a good effort. He is the kind of footballer who everyone enjoys playing with and who no opponent wants to face because of his combative nature. And it is precisely these traits that elevate him to a crucial position on Michniewicz's team as they attempt to advance past a challenging first-round group.
Piotr Zielinski
Position: Attacking midfielder
Age: 28
On the other side, Piotr Zielinski has played for a lot fewer clubs than his teammate Krychowiak. He transferred from Zaglebie Lubin to Udinese in Italy when he was still a young player, and nearly immediately after that, he made his Serie A debut.
He went to Napoli in 2016 and has since made a home there after spending two seasons on loan at Empoli. Zielinski hardly misses a game on the local and European levels for Maradona's former club as the 2020 Italian Cup champions are now regulars in the Champions League or Europa League. His 300 appearances across all leagues and events, along with the 40+ goals he has scored during that time, tell us a lot.
It should come as no surprise that Zielinski, who has 72 caps and nine goals, has also established himself as a leader of his country's team. His primary responsibility is to manipulate the Polish midfield and create opportunities for Robert Lewandowski. He controls play and uses his exceptional football IQ to read the game and find open teammates with deft passes.
He is the driving force behind the team. He also understands the position of the goal, as proven by the opportune goal he scored to make it 2-0 against Sweden in the playoff.
Robert Lewandowski
Position: Striker
Age: 34
Two-time winner of the FIFA Club World Cup and the UEFA Champions League, the Best FIFA Men's Player, the footballer of the year in Poland and Germany a combined 12 times, and seven times the top scorer in the Bundesliga... The list continues and tells you everything you need to know about the impressive career of the Poland captain.
Before joining Barcelona ahead of this season, Lewandowski scored an astonishing 312 goals in 384 Bundesliga games for Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund. He has already adapted well to La Liga and is continuing his German form.
He has made 132 appearances and scored 76 goals for Poland, both of which are records. However, there is one thing that is missing from his résumé: Bednarek and Krychowiak scored Poland's two goals at the 2018 World Cup in Russia, which was his only World Cup to date. As a result, Poland was eliminated in the group stage.
Therefore, the 34-year-old will have all the drive he requires in Qatar to add his name to the World Cup goalscoring chart and lead Poland once more to the knockout round. Not that his contribution to the squad is solely measured by how frequently he scores goals. Off the field, Lewandowski plays a significant role and is frequently seen interacting with younger team members to assist them to fit in.
Coach
Czesław Michniewicz
Position: Manager
Age: 52
After being chosen as a manager in January 2022, Czesaw Michniewicz guided Poland's 2-0 victory over Sweden in the World Cup qualification play-off final on March 29, 2022.
He managed Poland U-21 and Legia Warsaw in the five years before being appointed national team coach, and his background as a former Polish player will be beneficial to his team.
Despite managing one of the underdog teams at the World Cup, Michniewicz will benefit if he advances from the group. And his rate will likely rise if Poland advances through the round of 16.
Check out FIFA World Cup 2022 teams predictions and key players
