Even Michniewicz didn’t do it this way. Touchstone shocks by the Latvian Polish National Team

– The atmosphere in the team is good – said Jakub Kiwior, who the day before the match against Latvia appeared together with Michał Probierz at a press conference. The Arsenal defender has always spoken quietly and very calmly, but the way he spoke perfectly fit the mood around the team.

Things may be fine inside the team, but outside it looks bleak. On Friday, the Polish national team – drawing 1-1 at the National Stadium with the Czech Republic – finally ruined the already slim chances of directly qualifying for next year’s Euro. If she won, she would still have a glimmer of hope. She would be watching closely what would happen on Monday in Olomouc, where the Czech Republic faced Moldova. We needed a draw in this match to advance directly. Ultimately, it ended with a certain victory for the Czechs 3-0. They are going to the Euro, and we have to wait for the play-offs in March.

The touchstone is explained by what happened after the Poland-Czech Republic match

The most overwhelming moment at Narodowy was right after the match against the Czechs. Whistles from the stands, players’ heads down, but also the coach’s nerves, who was still arguing on the pitch with referee Daniele Orsato. This is what the landscape looked like right after Friday’s match at the National Stadium. On Saturday and Sunday, the team distanced themselves from the media. First Touchstone moved the compensatory training for players who did not play or played little against the Czechs to Friday evening immediately after the match. On Saturday, team spokesman Jakub Kwiatkowski announced that Sunday’s classes would be entirely closed to journalists, and the press conference scheduled for that day was also canceled.

– Before you ask any questions, I would like to thank the people managing the National Stadium for the help they offered us. Immediately after the match against the Czech Republic, thanks to this kindness, we were able to conduct compensatory training. We also trained here on Sunday, which was a big help for us considering the current weather conditions. I would also like to clarify the issue of the canceled press conference. It was not possible to conduct it here on Sunday. We didn’t want anyone [ze służb porządkowych] put him in a situation where he had to come to the stadium. We found out very late that we would be able to train at the National Stadium, Probierz admitted on Monday

On Monday, Touchstone also explained that it was the above-mentioned compensatory training that made the players appear in the interview zone so late after the match against the Czech Republic. – It is not true that we ignored journalists. We left the stadium only a quarter after midnight – said the coach.

Michał Probierz surprised before the Poland – Latvia match

At Monday’s conference, without waiting for further questions from the audience, Touchstone continued to refer to the opinions he had heard and read in recent days. Mainly about personnel choices for the match against the Czech Republic. He explained his decisions very carefully, rarely resorting to generalities or platitudes. The best proof of the coach’s surprising openness was that he told journalists the entire squad that will play against Latvia.

– I will dispel any doubts. Łukasz Skorupski and Marcin Bułka will play in goal for 45 minutes each. On the right defense, Przemek Frankowski, in the center Jakub Kiwior, Mateusz Wieteska, Jan Bednarek, on the left Nicola Zalewski. Sebastian Szymański, Damian Szymański and Jakub Piotrowski will play in the midfield, and Robert Lewandowski and Adam Buksa in front – he mentioned the names of the Probierz players.

It is an unprecedented situation in the national team that the coach reveals the entire squad to journalists before the match. The last time Czesław Michniewicz behaved this way. At the very beginning of his career in the national team, before the Nations League match in Wrocław, he gave journalists his starting eleven for the match against Wales. The only difference was that Michniewicz did it not during the pre-match press conference, but right after it, when he did not leave the room immediately, but stood and talked to journalists for a long time, showing them the names of the players written on a piece of paper. Poland then won against Wales 2:1.

Touchstone didn’t use the card on Monday, but today Michniewicz’s victory against Wales takes on special significance. It is largely thanks to him that we stayed in the top division of the Nations League and now our hopes of playing at the Euro next year are still smoldering. However, before we play in the play-offs in March, it would be good to end this unsuccessful year with at least one positive note. An impressive victory against Latvia, the 132nd team in the FIFA ranking, against which we have faced as many as 15 times. We drew two of these matches, lost two and won the remaining 11. The Poland-Latvia match starts on Tuesday at 8:45 p.m. Live coverage on Sport.pl and the Sport.pl LIVE application.

Poland – Latvia. This is what the Polish national team will look like:

• Łukasz Skorupski/Marcin Bułka – Jan Bednarek, Jakub Kiwior, Mateusz Wieteska – Przemysław Frankowski, Sebastian Szymański, Damian Szymański, Jakub Piotrowski, Nicola Zalewski – Robert Lewandowski, Adam Buksa.