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Squad Watch: Week 1. Wichniarek And Brozek Try To Prove Leo Wrong.

August 19th, 2008 | By: tomasz | 8 Comments »

Welcome to season’s first Squad Watch. As you may already now, we check here how Polish players around Europe are doing. This weekend two players who are outside our squad for the Ukraine friendly, Artur Wichniarek and Pawel Brozek, impressed most and reignited the discussion about their inclusion in the national team.

First of all, sorry for not posting anything for almost two weeks. I had to take some time off from any kind of regular activity, but now I hope I’m back to regular posting. This, of course, didn’t prevent me from watching Polish clubs’ European games (I don’t know what would have to happen for me to stop watching football). Barcelona-Wisla Krakow: this was an easy tryout for the Catalan giants. Wisla never looked threatening throughout the game and Pawel Brozek looked like the only player who can do any damage to Barca. Hard to call it a disappointing performance, but I expeceted something more from the Polish champions, especially offensively. Legia-FC Moscow: this can easily be called a disappointing performance. Legia’s form at the beginning of the season is just scandalous. Roger shows some sparks of what he’s capable of, but he’s unable to play on a high level for the full 90 minutes. Lech Poznan-Grasshoppers: that was a superb match to watch. I already stressed after Lech’s previous games that they’re trying to develop their own, distinctive style. Fast, one touch attacking football that we rarely see in Poland. Murawski proved his quality, whereas Bandrowski, Lewandowski and Peszko showed that they can be the future of our national team. At last, it was a Polish team that executed their opponents.

Ok, now let’s see how Polish ’stars’ did this weekend:

Goalkeepers:

Artur Boruc (Celtic Glasgow)- 90 minutes against Dundee
Lukasz Fabianski (Arsenal London)- on the bench against West Bromwich
Wojciech Kowalewski (Iraklis Thessaloniki)- season not yet started
Tomasz Kuszczak (ManUtd)- on the bench against Newcastle
Mariusz Pawelek (Wisla Krakow)- 90 minutes against Polonia Warsaw, note 5
Sebastian Przyrowski (Polonia Warsaw)- not in the squad against Wisla Krakow, injury

Defenders:

Grzegorz Bronowicki (Red Star Belgrade)- not in the squad against Vojvodina Novi Sad, injury
Pawel Golanski (Steaua Bucharest)- 90 minutes against FC Arges Pitesti
Mariusz Jop (FC Moscow)- 90 minutes against Khimki
Adam Kokoszka (Empoli F.C.)- not in the squad against Ancona in Italian Cup
Marcin Kowalczyk (Dinamo Moscow)- not in the squad against Spartak Nalchik
Tomasz Jodlowiec (Polonia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Wisla Krakow, note 4
Piotr Polczak (Cracovia Krakow)- 90 minutes against LKS Lodz, note 6
Marcin Wasilewski (Anderlecht)- 90 minutes against Cercle Bruges
Jakub Wawrzyniak (Legia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Odra, note 4
Grzegorz Wojtkowiak (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes and an assist against Jagiellonia, note 7
Michal Zewlakow (Olympiakos Pireus)- season not yet started

Midfielders:

Tomasz Bandrowski (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes against Jagiellonia, note 6
Rafal Boguski (Wisla Krakow)- 79 minutes and an assist against Polonia Warsaw, note 5
Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund)- 90 minutes and an assist against Leverkusen
Dariusz Dudka (AJ Auxerre)- 90 minutes against Marseille
Lukasz Gargula (GKS Belchatow)- not in the squad against Piast, injury
Kamil Grosicki (FC Sion)- not in the squad against Vaduz
Roger Guerreiro (Legia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Odra, note 4
Przemysław Kazmierczak (Derby County)- on the bench against Bristol City
Jacek Krzynowek (VFL Wolfsburg)- on the bench against FC Koln
Mariusz Lewandowski (Shakhtar Donetsk)- 71 minutes against Metalist Kharkiv
Wojciech Lobodzinski (Wisla Krakow)- 65 minutes against Polonia Warsaw, note 5
Radoslaw Majewski (Polonia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Wisla Krakow, note 4
Rafal Murawski (Lech Poznan)- on the bench against Jagiellonia
Szymon Pawlowski (Zaglebie Lubin)- 90 minutes against Stal Stalowa Wola, note 6
Michal Pazdan (Gornik Zabrze)- 90 minutes against Arka, note 6
Sławomir Peszko (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes against Jagiellonia, note 5

Attackers:

Pawel Brozek (Wisla Krakow)- 90 minutes and two goals against Polonia Warsaw, note 7
Dawid Janczyk (CSKA Moscow)- not in the squad against Terek Grozny
Michal Janota (Feyenoord Rotterdam)- season not yet started
Ireneusz Jelen (AJ Auxerre)- 64 minutes against Marseille
Robert Lewandowski (Lech Poznan)- 77 minutes against Jagiellonia, note 6
Radosław Matusiak (SC Heerenveen)- season not yet started
Lukasz Piszczek (Hertha Berlin)- 45 minutes against Eintracht Frankfurt
Grzegorz Rasiak (Watford)- 25 minutes against Charlton
Marek Saganowski (Aalborg)- 90 minutes against Odense
Ebi Smolarek (Racing Santander)- season not yet started
Artur Wichniarek (Arminia Bielefeld)- 90 minutes and two goals against Werder
Tomasz Zahorski (Gornik Zabrze)- 73 minutes against Arka, note 5
Maciej Zurawski (Larissa)- season not yet started

Summary: How often is it a case that players ommited by Leo play their best at the weekend before the national team game? I must say that it’s almost always the case. This time Artur Wichniarek and Pawel Brozek enabled journalists to write their usual ‘they should play in the national team’ articles. And they will probably do it time and time again this season. The question is, does Leo care? Will goals make him change his mind or is it already made about the duo? I feel that King Artur is very far away from the national team and he would really have to score almost every weekend to get any sort of chance. Then he’d play for 45 minutes in a meaningless friendly and fail to score once again. I don’t know, I’m just confident that Leo doesn’t rate him very highly. Brozek’s case is different because he’s still developing as a player. If you saw his games against Beitar you could observe that he no longer loses possession and his positioning improved greatly. He also takes his chances better than he used to. Brozek plays as a lone striker for Wisla, the same strategy that Leo employs in the national team. I think that in the wake of Smolarek’s problems in Spain and Zurawski approaching retirement Brozek must be included in the team and given one more chance.

Kuba Blaszczykowski shines at the beginning of the season proving that he’s ready to make this season his in the Bundesliga. He earned a nice assist in Dortmund’s win against Leverkusen. Grzegorz Rasiak and Marek Saganowski both made league debuts for their new clubs. As expected, their paycheck was too high for Southampton and the Polish duo had to be loaned out. Lukasz Fabianski is currently losing the competition for the nr 1 shirt with Manuel Almunia at Arsenal. Dariusz Dudka, on the other hand, won his place in Auxerre’s first eleven confidently. Ireneusz Jelen will also play a very important role for the French club this season. Unfortunately, Radoslaw Matusiak was told by his manager to look for a new club. Goals against amateur Dutch sides didn’t help him to win a place in the team. It may easily be the end of Radomatu’s international career. Finally, in what may be the stupidest decision of all time Tomasz Jodlowiec opted to stay in Poland rather than play for Napoli. He’s just afraid that he won’t make it at a foreign club. A great example of winner’s mentality from Jodlowiec. The guy is 23 for God’s sake, it’s a perfect time for a transfer abroad. Oh well, if you prefer trips to Wodzislaw rather than Milan….

PS: Tomasz Zahorski was called up for the Ukraine friendly instead of injured Lukasz Piszczek.

Highlights:

A double from Wichniarek

and a double from Pawel Brozek

An assist from Kuba Blaszczykowski

I also can’t help posting a great goal from Robert Lewandowski from previous weekend

Tags: Beenhakker, Blaszczykowski, Brozek, Dudka, Fabianski, Group A, Jelen, Jodlowiec, Matusiak, Poland, rasiak, Saganowski, Wichniarek

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Comments

By peter | August 19th, 2008 at 10:19 am

I think Boguski is such a perfect fit for this team. He would add much needed pace to this team. He also has a motor that never stops running. He definatly wont be the most talented player on the field but he would give the effort every single time out there. He also finishes very poorly but I think most of that has to do with poor luck, but in the end we really don’t need him to finish, just to create opportunities and work his ass off.

I think he fits on either wing in the midfield, but with kuba firmly in place on the right side, he should be given a good hard long look on the left.

He obviously isnt playing in the Ukraine game but if he continues to play like he has, he should get an opportunity soon.

By zaraza | August 19th, 2008 at 12:31 pm

We don’t really know Jodlowiec’s exact reasons for turning down the offer. Perhaps he simply doesn’t believe in himself. But perhaps he’d prefer to go to another club where he would get into the starting eleven immediately and not have to wait?

If it’s the second, I think that’s a smart decision. Too many Polish players have been wasted by going to a club they’re not quite ready for and then they end up vegetating on the bench which pretty much never improves them, they usually go backwards. It may be better to get experience at a smaller club and then move on to a bigger one.

Posted from Canada

By tomasz | August 19th, 2008 at 2:35 pm

@peter
One of Boguski’s biggest advantages is his versatility. He can play on both flanks and as a supporting striker. He improved greatly last season. He’s not in the same league as Kuba, but he can easily compete with Lobo for a place in the team. Both in Wisla and national team. He’ll surely get a call up in the near future.
@zaraza
I based my comment from what I read in the paper. Apparently Jodlowiec had a plane ticket booked but changed his mind at the last moment. He’s not confident that he’ll succeed abroad. Today I read that there’s only an interest from Napoli, not a fully serious offer. Moreover, Wisla is also reported to be in the running. As for transfers abroad; I think it’s hard to judge when a player is fully ready. For every Matusiak or Grosicki there’s Blaszczykowski or Jelen. The point is that if you’re a professional footballer you should be confident of your skills and aim high. Moreover, we’re not talking about the likes of Barcelona or Milan but Napoli. If a Polish player gets an offer from a top league he should always try. Polish league stops players progressing. Just look at Zurawski, he definetely stayed 2-3 seasons too long in Poland.

Posted from Poland

By zaraza | August 19th, 2008 at 5:11 pm

Did he really say he’s not confident in his ability to succeed abroad? That’s worrying if it’s true, but I take everything I read in the Polish media with a grain of salt. I know some players have been misquoted in the past or had entire quotes completely made up. Blaszczykowski complained about this recently.

Napoli are offering Jodlowiec 300,000 euros per season, which may indicate they seem him as backup, not a starter. It may be better to wait for other offers, if he’s as good as everyone says Napoli won’t be his only chance to play abroad.

Posted from Canada

By MarcinO | August 19th, 2008 at 5:25 pm

Speaking of national team futures. Napoli are trying to sign Bolton’s Jaroslav Fojut. Grenoble are apparently tracking striker Dawid Jarka of Gornik Zabrze.

Łukasz Kominiak of Wisła Kraków, is currently being tested at Newcastle United, after spending a week of testing at Liverpool, the young defender will learn his fate within the next few days.

U21: Poland lost 3-0 to Kazakhstan. This is a disappointing loss but should light a fire under the squad. This type of result is simply unacceptable against what was believed to be much weaker opposition.

By tomasz | August 19th, 2008 at 5:26 pm

You’re right about the media, it’s hard to trust them nowadays. At the same time, I’m not a professional journalist so I have to take my info from somewhere. Jodlowiec is not exactly quoted saying this, but it is reported that he doesn’t know what to do and is tired with the whole situation. Can he get a better offer than Napoli? It will be hard; Polonia doesn’t play in Europe and Jodlowiec is not a starter for the national team. For me it’s a great opportunity, even though it’s a potential failure.

Posted from Poland

By tomasz | August 19th, 2008 at 5:30 pm

@MarcinO
The rumours about Jarka and Fojut have already died out. I’ve heard something about Kominiak (mainly that he went abroad to be tested), but I never saw him play. Results as those against the Kazachs show that we can’t expect miracles from our senior national team.

Posted from Poland

By bedros | August 19th, 2008 at 6:05 pm

http://www.goal.com/en/Articolo.aspx?ContenutoId=825989
i think the deal is still on
expect him in napoli in a few days

Comments are closed