Nation: Poland Manager: Broncos218 PSN Contact: Broncos218 Stadium: National Stadium Home & Away Kits
Poland Roster Preferred Formation: 4-2-3-1 Poland Most Recent Roster (WCQ vs. Germany) Starting XI: GK - Wojciech Szczęsny RB - Łukasz Piszczek RCB - Kamil Glik LCB - Damien Perquis LB - Mariusz Magiera RDM - Grzegorz Krychowiak LDM - Eugen Polanski RM - Jakub Błaszczykowski LM - Maciej Rybus CAM - Ludovic Obraniak ST - Robert Lewandowski Substitutes: GK Artur Boruc GK Przemysław Tytoń LB Sebastian Boenisch LB Jakub Wawrzyniak CB Marcin Wasilewski CDM Adam Matuszczyk LM Sławomir Peszko LM Jakub Kosecki CAM Radosław Majewski RW Waldemar Sobota CF Kamil Grosicki ST Artur Sobiech Player Roles: Captain: Jakub Błaszczykowski Penalties: Eugen Polanski Short Free Kick: Ludovic Obraniak Long Free Kick: Ludovic Obraniak Left Corner: Jakub Błaszczykowski Right Corner: Ludovic Obraniak Poland Players "On The Radar" Goalkeepers GK Wojciech Szczęsny GK Przemysław Tytoń GK Artur Boruc GK Łukasz Fabiański GK Tomasz Kuszczak Defenders LB Sebastian Boenisch LB Jakub Wawrzyniak LB Tomasz Brzyski LB Mariusz Magiera CB Kamil Glik CB Damien Perquis CB Marcin Wasilewski CB Arkadiusz Głowacki CB Bartosz Salamon CB Tomasz Jodłowiec RB Łukasz Piszczek RB Paweł Olkowski RB Bartosz Bereszyński RB Jakub Rzeźniczak Midfielders CDM Grzegorz Krychowiak CDM Eugen Polanski CDM Adam Matuszczyk CDM Ariel Borysiuk CDM Przemysław Kaźmierczak LM Adrian Mierzejewski LM Sławomir Peszko LM Maciej Rybus LM Jakub Kosecki LM Tomasz Kupisz RM Jakub Błaszczykowski RM Ludovic Obraniak RM Paweł Wszołek RM Szymon Pawłowski CAM Mateusz Klich CAM Radosław Majewski CAM Sebastian Mila CAM Piotr Zieliński CAM Rafał Wolski Forwards RW Waldemar Sobota CF Kamil Grosicki CF Bartłomiej Pawłowski ST Robert Lewandowski ST Artur Sobiech ST Arkadiusz Piech ST Paweł Brożek ST Arkadiusz Milik ST Łukasz Teodorczyk
With three friendlies complete, the Poland team is beginning to take shape Poland Finish Off First Week Of Friendlies With Win, Draw, Loss In the first international friendly window of the current World Cup cycle, Poland managed to get in three friendlies against three formidable foes- Argentina, Ghana, and Italy. Things started off well with a win against Argentina, and even a draw against Ghana was seen as a positive. However, even despite trying out some new players on the pitch against Italy, it can clearly be seen that Poland still has plenty of work ahead of them, as Poland fell to the Italians 3-0. "While the results are certainly important, I think these friendlies weren't necessarily results-driven," said Coach Bronc. "This period allowed the coaching staff to familiarize themselves with the players, and we certainly learned a lot about this team over these three matches. Some players performed well and solidified their spot for now, while we quickly realized areas of weakness that we'll need to concentrate on going forward." The Dortmund trio of Lewandowksi, Kuba, and Piszczek showed why they were locks with impressive play in all 3 matches, but among the rest of the players, who's stock went up or down? Let's find out!... HEATING UP CB Damien Perquis Perquis played well against both Argentina and Ghana, partnering with Kamil Glik. Perquis' absence in the Italy was noticeable, as Balotelli ripped apart the center of Poland's defense. And after Wasilewski (who filled in for Perquis), there aren't many desirable options at CB. You also can't discount Perquis' goal in the game against Ghana, proving his value on set pieces. RM Ludovic Obraniak With Kuba locking down the right side, Obraniak was moved into more of a central role, similar to the one he played in under Coach Bronc at Bordeaux back in Season 7. Obraniak's spot seemed fairly secure coming in, and his performance in the games against Argentina and Ghana further solidifed his spot in the starting XI. Obraniak played well in both setting up teammates and finishing opportunites, which included a late game-winning goal against Argentina. Obraniak sat out the Italy game as Coach Bronc looked to give others some playing time. The group of LM Sławomir Peszko, LM Maciej Rybus, RW Waldemar Sobota, & CF Kamil Grosicki Over the course of the 3 games and in camp just before the friendly matches, 6 different players manned the left mid position at one point or another. LM is by far the most up-for-grabs position on the team, as Poland lacks a world-class talent, yet has plenty of players close to each other in terms of overall ability. Each of the 4 players here had flashes of promise and all bring unique play to the position, and they'll all continue to get looks by the staff if they manage to continue their high form. But if one player had to be picked today to start against the Netherlands, Maciej Rybus would likely barely be the front-runner. COOLING DOWN LM Adrian Mierzejewski Noticeably missing from the group of left mids above is Mierzejewski. Mierzejewski actually entered camp as first choice at LM, but with underwhelming performances, has quickly fallen down the pecking order. With a large group of left mids looking to get more playing time, it could be a while before Mierzejewski gets a second chance. LB Sebastian Boenisch Boenisch looked set to claim the starting LB, but was mostly to blame for the goal against Argentina and the goal against Ghana. Boenisch has a tendency to drift forward and displayed poor positioning throughout his two games, a faux pas under Coach Bronc's style of play. Jakub Wawrzyniak and Mariusz Magiera each played a half against Italy and each held their own, so expect both to see even more playing time down the road. CAM Mateusz Klich Klich's spot on the roster looked like a backup at best behind Obraniak, but the attacking mid looked severely out of place in his start against Italy. Pulled at the half, Klich failed to string together passes in the midfield and couldn't manage to ever break free from the stifling Italian defense. With a group of other center attacking mids rated similarly to him, Klich may be on the outside looking in once the 23-man roster versus the Dutch is revealed.
POLAND NETHERLANDS World Cup Qualification Match 1 Poland Set To Open Qualification Cycle Versus Dutch With the international window now open, Poland looks to kick off its WC qualification with a match against the Netherlands this week. The Dutch originally was the favorite in the group with IJGator at the helm, but a manager change brought danwin into the fold and now it's anyone's guess as to how the Netherlands will perform. Coach Bronc won't take any games lightly though, saying, "When you only have 5 games to determine whether or not you qualify for the World Cup, there's no room for error. The Netherlands is loaded with talent and will surely make it a tough match for us, but I'm confident that if we stick to our gameplan and play the way we're capable of playing, we can walk away victorious." The match against the Netherlands will kick off a 3-game stretch against 5-star caliber teams for Poland, as Germany and Spain await the Poles in the next few qualifiers. Team Selection As for team selection, the biggest name missing is LM Adrian Mierzejewski. Mierzejewski wasn't able to impress Coach Bronc in friendlies during the last international window, and with a plethora of wing options, it appears that Mierzejewski is the odd man out this time around. LBs Wawrzyniak and Magiera each earned a spot and rumors are circulating that one of them could bump Boenisch out of the starting XI. Goalkeepers (3): GK Wojciech Szczęsny, GK Artur Boruc, GK Przemysław Tytoń Defenders (8): LB Sebastian Boenisch, LB Jakub Wawrzyniak, LB Mariusz Magiera, CB Kamil Glik, CB Damien Perquis, CB Marcin Wasilewski, CB Tomasz Jodłowiec, RB Łukasz Piszczek Midfielders (8): CDM Grzegorz Krychowiak, CDM Eugen Polanski, CDM Adam Matuszczyk, LM Sławomir Peszko, LM Maciej Rybus, LM Jakub Kosecki, RM Jakub Błaszczykowski, RM Ludovic Obraniak Forwards (4): RW Waldemar Sobota, CF Kamil Grosicki, ST Robert Lewandowski, ST Artur Sobiech
POLAND GERMANY World Cup Qualification Match 2 Poland Hosts Germany Looking To Extend Euro Group A Lead After taking 3 points from the Dutch in their first qualifier, Poland was the only team in Euro's Group A to earn a win. Now with Frenchie1916 and Germany coming to town, Poland will have a chance to keep their 2-point lead over the rest of the group. Coach Bronc opted to field some more defensive-minded players in Poland's match against the Netherlands to help prevent their star forwards from defeating them, and Coach Bronc appears to be rolling with a similar lineup against Germany. Coach Bronc said, "We played well against the Netherlands, and while Germany isn't the same team, both teams have a plethora of attacking talent. I think it's imperative that we concentrate our efforts toward the defensive end of the pitch against these 5-star teams, otherwise we'll be overwhelmed for the majority of the match." LB Mariusz Magiera earned MOTM honors against the Netherlands, and with his defensive superiority, he appears set to earn his second consecutive start over the higher-rated LB Sebastian Boenisch. Team Selection The team selection for this match is almost identical to the one used for the Netherlands match, with just one change. CB Tomasz Jodłowiec has lost his spot on the final 23 for now, while CAM Radosław Majewski has been added to the team. LM Adrian Mierzejewski's time Coach Bronc's doghouse appears to be ongoing, while some of the wingers in camp have gotten a few more looks, putting Maciej Rybus' starting spot at LM in question. Goalkeepers (3): GK Wojciech Szczęsny, GK Artur Boruc, GK Przemysław Tytoń Defenders (7): LB Sebastian Boenisch, LB Jakub Wawrzyniak, LB Mariusz Magiera, CB Kamil Glik, CB Damien Perquis, CB Marcin Wasilewski, RB Łukasz Piszczek Midfielders (9): CDM Grzegorz Krychowiak, CDM Eugen Polanski, CDM Adam Matuszczyk, LM Sławomir Peszko, LM Maciej Rybus, LM Jakub Kosecki, RM Jakub Błaszczykowski, RM Ludovic Obraniak, CAM Radosław Majewski Forwards (4): RW Waldemar Sobota, CF Kamil Grosicki, ST Robert Lewandowski, ST Artur Sobiech
