After a goalless draw with Mexico and victory over Saudi Arabia Polish representation He is the leader of Group C in the World Cup in Qatar. The Poles have four points behind them Argentina Saudi Arabia, with three points each. Mexico closes the table with one point.
Before the final round, all teams have a chance to advance to the 1/8 finals. In theory, Poland is in the best position. soccer players Czeslav Michniewich A certain promotion gives a win and a draw, but we can get out of the group even if we lose, if the match goes well for us Mexico – Kingdom Saudi Arabia. The two matches will start on Wednesday at 8 pm Polish time.
We talk about the chances of Poland and the football Poland is playing in this World Cup with Zbigniew Boniek, a prominent former actor, former national team coach and former president. polishing FIFA.
ukasz Jachimiak: After two rounds of the World Cup in Qatar, Poland have a win, a draw and are top of the group table. Is that enough to remind you of the World Cup in the 1980s?
Zbigniew Boniek: I do not think so. It was a different world, a different ball, a different promotion. As for the results themselves, it is unfortunate that Argentina made a mistake by losing to Arabia, because otherwise we would have practically reached the second stage of the tournament. With the planned victory of Argentina in Arabia, the competition was really over, because I don’t think that in the last match between Poland and Argentina, anyone risked it. Unfortunately, it is different. We know that if we want peace, we have to win or draw with Argentina. It is also possible that a low defeat will give us an upgrade, but it is better not to think about the lower bound. Let’s imagine that the Poles lose by one goal, leave the group and lose the 1/8 finals match. Will it be a success?
Those will be discussions.
– surely. It’s about doing it again. In the first two matches, the Poles did their part and now they can too. Our players They have a game they can go down in history because to beat Argentina in the World Cup or draw with them and maybe win the group, that would be very important. For these guys, for the coach and for each of us, it’s a big match. They’ve done well so far – they’ve played smart football, deep defensive ball and counter-attacks. You can agree to this approach or not, but you can see that we had a plan and it worked. We’ll see if she succeeds in the most difficult moments, against a big competitor who is in trouble.
After Poland’s victory over Arabia, I wrote on Twitter that Robert Lewandowski turned water into wine. I think Lewandowski did a good job with an assist and a goal, but it wasn’t miracles yet. This he can do now, in – as you yourself confirm – an exceptional match.
– an agreement. Let’s make a deal – what Lewandowski What he did against Arabia was very important to him and our national team, but to remember history you have to score goals against Argentina, Brazil and other greats. But I am very glad that Robert scored, because he is no longer burdened with zero goals in the World Cup. He sure got a lot out of it.
I asked about the 80s, because as a result, our team only now has a similar start to the World Cup as it did then. It’s nice, but I’m basically not going to exaggerate yet. Poland is scoring points and that’s good, but if we don’t get out of the group, what are we going to say? The first round of the World Championship ends with the final group match. After that, it is checked who is first and second at the finish line. And teams from these places go further. If we are not in the first or second position, the axes will be pulled back. There will be major objections to representation. There is a chance for this team to go down in history, but for now, let’s give the boys a break – let them prepare, let them get the promotion and then we’ll discuss what else they can do.
Perhaps you can see sports analyzes of Poland’s chances. For example, according to bookmakers, up to 70.7 percent. We will advance to the 1/8 finals. And what are your feelings? will you work
– I think our national team has two positive points consequences And she can afford the third one, which gives her a certain upgrade. I hope with all my heart that the boys will succeed in leaving the group. But I don’t know if they have a 70, 60 or 50 percent chance. And it doesn’t matter at all.
What match do you expect? Will we see the “Czestochowa Defense” or will we try to surprise Argentina in some way, playing in a more courageous way than the opponent might assume?
– I don’t expect that from the start we will play very offensively, immediately jumping to the Argentines. It is Argentina’s duty to win the match, because a draw may not give them anything. I think we’ll be a bit of a wait-and-see at first, trying to control the flow of the game. What is the weakness of Argentina? defense. It can be tested with a meter and then it turns out to be weaker. I hope we will try to use it.
In 2019, when you were still the president of PZPN, you watched Czeslav Michniewicz’s youth team win the European Championship with Belgium and Italy, and how in the last round of the group stage a draw with Spain was enough to advance to the tournament. The semi-finals as well as the Olympic Games in Tokyo. It ended in defeat 0: 5. Knowing Michniewicz, do you think he remembers it well before Argentina, that he worked through it and maybe now he will lead everything differently?
“The coach is definitely thinking about it and he is well aware that he is in a similar situation now. But it doesn’t work in such a way that a coach can learn from it and it will definitely work. A coach can come up with a great concept, but on the field the players have to implement it. And it’s not easy. But both the coach and the players know they are about to do something that could have historical value. If it fails, talk of a draw with Mexico and a victory with the Arabs will pass. Then life will make those experiences short-lived. Then things like Lewandowski’s first goal or his great saves Wojtek Szczęsny It will only have a statistical dimension. However, I think that will not be the case.
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