Will the history repeat itself? Poland-USA 0-3

Spring 2002, Poland loses the games against Japan and Romania and then fails to qualify from the World Cup group stage. Spring 2006, Poland loses against the USA, Lithuania and Colombia and then fails to qualify from the World Cup group stage. Spring 2008, Poland loses against the USA…..

I remembered about 2002 and 2006 before this game and that’s why I felt uneasy about it. I remembered than in our previous big tournament years everything went well until spring. I didn’t want this to happen again. Unfortunately, once again in case of the Polish team, the closer the tournament the less resemblance there is to the style of play from the qualifying campaign. Here are the unfortunate participants of this tragi-comedy:

Artur Boruc – Marcin Wasilewski, Jacek Bak, Arkadiusz Radomski (63. Michal Golinski), Grzegorz Bronowicki – Lukasz Piszczek (46. Wojciech Lobodzinski), Dariusz Dudka, Mariusz Lewandowski, Jacek Krzynowek (46. Ebi Smolarek) – Maciej Zurawski (46. Lukasz Gargula), Pawel Brozek (46. Radoslaw Matusiak)
Goals: Bocanegra (12., header from a free kick), Onyewu (35., header from a corner), Lewis (73., a free kick)

Anything stands out? Yep, we managed to lose all three goals from dead ball situations. This is just an unbelievable lack of organisation. But, first things first. There were two big surprises in our starting eleven: Piszczek on the right wing and Brozek as the lone striker. Both failed miserably. We tried to get hold of possession, but there was no pace or change of tempo in our play. Both full-backs (Wasyl and Bronowicki) were nowhere to be found in the offence. Piszczek didn’t feel comfortable on the right wing. Both defensive midfielders exchanged many passes, but only Lewandowski managed, from time to time, to switch the play to the wings. There were no clear, opening passes for the strikers. Zurawski had to come back for the ball, but he usually gave it back to the closest teammate. As a result, he posed no threat for the Howard’s goal. Krzynowek tried some individual dribbles but he received no support from Bronowicki on the left wing. The only thing that Brozek managed to do was to ruin one of our counter-attacks. The central defenders looked rather confident, it was the full-backs that disorganized our defensive play (Wasyl managed even to give the ball away to Brian Ching in our own penalty area). The second half was a bit better. Matusiak has the skills to hold onto the ball and the confidence to try an unconventional play. Not everything went his way, but he still managed to get two shots on goal (two more than Brozek). Gargula also looked a bit better positioned than Zuraw in the first half, but he too couldn’t come up with a play that would surprise the US defence. Lobodzinski had much possession but I don’t remember him dribbling past any of the American defenders. Ebi looked like a fish out of water on the left wing. The third goal was conceded after a beautiful free kick; Boruc could have been better positioned in my opinion. The Polish team wasn’t good enough to create any clear chances. The US team was stronger physically, more dynamic and better organised. We didn’t look like a team capable of playing on the top, international level.

Now, this isn’t very pleasant. Here are my individual notes for the game (1-10):
Boruc 3: didn’t save us in this game, made no match-changing intervention and is partly to blame for the third goal.
Wasilewski 1: his worst game I’ve ever seen. He was to guard Onyewu during corners. Gave away the ball cheaply, made unnecessary fouls, didn’t give enough support in the offence.
Bak 3,5: not many mistakes, tried to pass the ball to defensive midfielders instead of playing a long ball.
Radomski 3,5: can hold onto possession, but is capable of passing only to the closest teammate. Also tried as defensive midfielder, but didn’t show enough creativity needed when you’re down 2-0.
Bronowicki 2: the times of the Portugal game are long gone. No support in the offense, lost the ball with every attempt of an individual action, politely left the ball for Donovan for one-on-one situation.
Krzynowek 3: had good spells in the game, tried to play individually. Always a threat with his powerful shot.
Lewandowski 4,5: tried to be a leader. The only player that attempted to change the tempo of our play and involve the wingers in the game.
Dudka 3,5: not enough physicality and attitude to threaten to Americans. And that’s what we should expect from our defensively oriented midfielder. Nice shot in the first half.
Piszczek 2: didn’t pass the test as a striker, didn’t impress as a right winger. Not good enough.
Zurawski 2,5: quite good in the first 15-20 minutes, but then started to lose the ball in the simplest of situations. Not able to come close to the penalty area when he drops back near the middle of the pitch.
Brozek 1,5: finally proved that he’s not there on the international level.
Lobodzinski 3: had lots of possession but didn’t manage to convert it into goalscoring opportunities.
Gargula 3: asked for the ball, tried some unconventional play with Radomatu, knows how to position himself as an AMC. Wasn’t able to change the course of play.
Smolarek 3: the left wing was non-existent in the second half. Feels better as a striker.
Matusiak 3,5: able to win and hold the ball. Had two shots after individual runs. Doesn’t look too dynamic.
Golinski 2: didn’t use his chance to make a claim for his place in the Euro squad.

So, what exactly went wrong? I don’t have a slightest idea. Apart from Blaszczykowski, these are all the best players we have. Was it just a bad day? Were the players not motivated enough? Do they have some physical problems? Is the poor condition of the pitch to blame? All I know is that we can compete on this level, we’ve already beaten the Czechs this year. Leo didn’t seem much affected by the result. I hope it’s not just the image he wants to maintain for the press and that he really knows what he’s doing. The players will next meet in the middle of May for the Euro preparation. Hopefully, they’ll be in a much better shape.

For the masochists among us, the highlights.