Michał Białoński, Interia: How do you assess the situation after the promotion of the Polish national team, from looking at the game that hurts the teeth, but the wave of criticism seems to be exaggerated?
Kazimierz Fjrzyn, representative of Poland in 1990-1999: The promotion itself is a huge success for this team. However, in fact, I am not surprised by these complainants either. We’ve had a lot of luck along the way. In the match against Argentina, our players clearly had the idea that a low defeat would give them promotion, so perhaps that was the reason for such a bad picture of the game. The stress may also have paralyzed their legs. On Sunday against France we will see if we play bad football or if we can do better.
Don’t you have the impression that our players’ strength against Argentina has lost its strength? We don’t rotate the team much, it was stifling on the pitch.
– I don’t know if it’s a problem with physical preparation. It seems to me that Argentina were superior to us primarily in technique, in the way they handled the ball. On home grounds, the grass is cut very short, thanks to which the ball flies quickly. For a team with a technical advantage, it is much easier to dominate the opponent.
On the other hand, our team focused on the same thing as in the match against Mexico – above all, not to miss a goal and not to lose. The coach’s message to the midfielders: “Help and protect the defenders” remains in their heads. However, there was no attack, nothing to be intimidating about, and the fans certainly didn’t like it, but I didn’t like it either. It was time for a more courageous game against France as the pressure eased from our side.
Do you think that after eight months of honing defensive tactics, you will be able to turn the lever to offense?
– The mental attitude is also important, the message from the coach. This time the tie gives us nothing.
There are still penalties and Wojtek Szczeciny defends them as if in a trance.
– I have nothing against defensive strategy and smart defense with the whole team. However, after receiving it, you need to do something with the ball and it is better to counterattack the opponent, and this is what I missed the most.
The World Cup is full of surprises, and several favorites have been mobilized after the group stage: Denmark, Germany, Belgium, Ecuador, Uruguay.
– Taking into account some teams, such as Germany, which could have won the match against Japan already in the first half, played well against Spain, and still got eliminated. Football is unfair. Sometimes the worst stays in the 1/8 finals and the best goes home. Of all team games, pika is the most random. In basketball and handball, if you accidentally miss points or a goal, it’s easy to make up for it. This is the hardest thing in football.
You can sympathize with these losers. The German team appears to be in good shape, and yet they are heading home. On the one hand, I am very glad that the Poles left the group, and on the other hand, I understand our fans. Immediately after the match, I was happy with the promotion, but it was not a spontaneous joy, but the technical values did not disappoint me.
How do you like the tournament in general?
The matches are very tight and the teams are impressive with their preparation. In one of the games, the USA team ran more than 127 km. This is a very good result. The stadiums are beautiful, the transport, the metro, the logistics – everything is great. There is nothing to hold on to.
If you found a logical argument that Poland could make a big splash on Sunday, what would it be, except for Wojtek Szczęsny in Lifeform?
“Out of 10 games against such an opponent, you can lose eight and draw one, but win one and who knows, maybe that day. I also hope that the nerves pass and that our players take things easy, thanks to which they will play skillfully and not be afraid, and this is the basis !
Interviewed in Doha by Michal Piański, Intria
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