A 2-0 win over the Faroe Islands slightly improved Poland’s position in the fight for promotion to Euro 2024, but it is still not ideal. In this context, the first leg against Albania in Tirana will be of great importance. Let us remember that the Poles won the first match against this competitor in Warsaw 1-0 after a goal by Karol Swiderski.
– I think that every player who plays 70 or 80 matches wants to reach this unique and special number. Tomorrow’s match will be the final match for us. We realize its importance. You have to win, it won’t be easy. We played a tough game here a few years ago. “We know what to expect and we want to return to Poland with three points,” Grzegorz Krychowiak said at the beginning of the conference.
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Albania – Poland. Grzegorz Krychowiak: This match is the final match for us
– I do not have the impression that there is a bad atmosphere in the team, on the contrary. It’s very good that we came here, it’s a great honor to play for the national team. We realize that a lot is happening around us, but these are things we have no control over. We focus on football. I don’t want to talk about these matters, they are union matters, and everyone can say what they want to the press today. You have to respect that, I always think some things should stay in the dressing room. “Every one of us came here wanting to go to the Euros,” the midfielder added.
He told reporters that it was very important for him to get the three points, even if it came at the cost of a worse performance.
– Given our position in the group, the most important thing for me is to win tomorrow’s match. I’d rather win badly than play great and lose. This would complicate our situation. The basis is three points. “We have had some defeats, and winning is our priority,” Krychowiak said.
-You have to approach this match with a calm head and a warm heart. The environment is unique, and we know what it’s like here. At the end of the day, it’s just football, eleven against eleven and the best will win. We are focusing on the tactical and mental aspects. There are many factors that will affect this match, but we are ready. We will go out on the field with great commitment and the goal of winning the three points – announced the Abha Club player.
There were also references to popular recordings on the Internet. They showed the nervous reactions of Krychowiak who was angry after his teammates’ bad choices.
– I have no problem with online recordings. I’m 33 years old and the most important thing for me is the coach’s opinion. His opinion is decisive. Everyone has the right to evaluate and criticize, but also praise, that’s part of football. Of course, such jokes and quotes from the match can be funny, you have to accept them. I have no problem with that,” the player replied, referring to recordings showing his reaction to his teammates’ actions.
— Of course, it is difficult to analyze the match immediately after the match. There are elements that we must address and try to improve. After the unsuccessful match in June, the most important thing was to get the three points and focus on the next match. “We succeeded,” Krychowiak said.
– The atmosphere and morale are very good. We came here focused, we know what we are here for, three points. We are playing against a demanding opponent who has great quality and will be playing in front of their own fans. It will be a difficult match, but we will do everything in our power to win it.
Fernando Santos: Both teams will fight to win
Moments later, reporters directed questions to Fernando Santos.
– I’m sure no one is thinking of a draw here. We and our opponents will come out to win the match. We will be playing against a team that has great quality and has been improving for years. I coached Portugal against Albania in 2016 and I know how much the team has improved since then. It’s a well organized team. I know the opponent’s coach very well, I like this team very much. She plays great tactically and is well organized on the pitch. On the field, both teams will fight for victory – began the coach of the Polish national team.
– In football, someone must always win and someone must always lose. One depends on the other. It’s normal. In fact, each team can win, but they will be completely dependent on each other. The coach added that whoever does not win will watch until the end what will happen in the other matches.
Journalists asked Santos about Grzegorz Krychowiak’s recall. The midfielder had been absent from the national team since the beginning of the year, but he returned and participated in the match against the Faroe Islands.
– It’s something that happens in football. There were many players in my career that I didn’t call up, and then we won the European Championship together. It all really depends on where the player is located. The most important thing is that all this is done according to the coach’s idea. I saw that Krychowiak was a ready player at this stage and that’s why I called him up. “It all happens in my head through analysis,” Santos said.
— In fact, the atmosphere within the team has always been very good. I’ve said it many times and I’ll say it again. Now the most important thing is to talk about what awaits us in tomorrow’s match. I want the players not to remember what happened in the match against the Faroe Islands and to realize how important this match is. We know and understand how our opponents play, we know how they attack and defend, and the players realize that too. We know their individual quality, we also know how strong they are, how they can fight and how determined they are. In Warsaw they played in a 1-4-1-4-1 formation, and more recently they played in a 1-4-2-3-1 formation. The experienced Portuguese said: “This is my job, to understand the opponent’s playing style and transfer it to the team so that we can win.”
— When I became coach of the Polish national team, the match against Albania two years ago was one of the first matches I watched. That match has nothing to do with what tomorrow will be like. It will be completely different. What we are actually analyzing and preparing for are the next two matches. It’s the same thing now. Every meeting is different. “We don’t think about what happened two years ago, we focus on what will happen tomorrow,” Santos said.
— Arkadiusz Milik is not a born counter-attacking player, I don’t know why he thinks we can feel better when we play counter-attacking. I think he meant that it is easier to play against an opponent who is losing and opens up than against an opponent who is defending with the entire team. I agree with that. The match against the Faroe Islands was a match in which the opponent was supported towards the goal. Then the game becomes more difficult. A Polish national team with players with these characteristics cannot be a team that waits for counterattacks, such a thing is unthinkable for me. The coach stressed that there is a completely different problem, which is that when we face a counter-attack situation, we are not afraid of it and we can do it.
– There are always 11 players against us and they also have their own goals. See for yourself how many teams have won games by scoring goals in the 80th or 90th minute. I think we are too impatient. Sometimes it seems to me that a lot of people think that you have to run to the goal as quickly as possible, shoot, and score a goal, but that’s not the case. I spoke about it after the match against the Faroe Islands. There were a lot of things wrong, but we also have to respect our opponents because they defended very well. What is important for me is that this match has nothing to do with the match against Albania. In fact, we have to play in a completely different way to score goals and make sure we don’t lose them, said the coach of the Polish national team.
After finishing speaking with journalists, the Portuguese issued a short appeal in which he asked the fans to support the team.
– Finally, I would like to ask one thing. I want everyone to be with the team tomorrow and keep wishing them well. If you want to criticize someone, criticize me, I’m used to that. The players work hard and want the best for this team. I realize that everyone was deeply affected by the defeat in Chisinau. “I wanted to ask you to support the players and contribute to this promotion,” concluded Fernando Santos.
The match between Albania and Poland will be held on Sunday, September 10, at 8:45 pm. Please visit Przegląd Sportowy Onet for live coverage.
source:Onet Sports Review
author:baby
Date of creation: Today at 17:15
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