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Post by athenempadu on Mar 25, 2024 14:39:14 GMT
I think I'd start the same line up as last week. There's a decent chance the game will go to extra time, and I think it'd be much better to have a fresh Kieffer and DJ against a tired Polish defence towards the end than in the early, cagey stages of the match. It's a risk obviously since the game could be over by the time we bring them on, but I think the pros outweigh the cons - especially, as mentioned by others, if you consider the proclivity of continental refs for dishing out cards to Kieffer for merely existing and being tall. It's not a risk it's a choice. We either start with Moore-ball or we don't, and that is up to the manager. Personally, I like what I saw in the last game, but the football data might show that Moore could be more effective against Poland. That's why being a football manager is a crap job. They get fired for their opinions, while we live to see another day  |
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Post by morg on Mar 25, 2024 14:46:02 GMT
I think I'd start the same line up as last week. There's a decent chance the game will go to extra time, and I think it'd be much better to have a fresh Kieffer and DJ against a tired Polish defence towards the end than in the early, cagey stages of the match. It's a risk obviously since the game could be over by the time we bring them on, but I think the pros outweigh the cons - especially, as mentioned by others, if you consider the proclivity of continental refs for dishing out cards to Kieffer for merely existing and being tall. It's not a risk it's a choice. We either start with Moore-Ball or we don't, and that is up to the manager. Personally, I like what I saw in the last game, but the football data might show that Moore could be more effective against Poland. Personally think that a well organised back 3 who are not chasing the game cope better with Kieffer than they do with the speed and movement of Wilson, Brooks and Johnson especially if the ref sees KM as the aggressor. The contrast he offers from the bench though is invaluable. |
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Post by winsumluzsum on Mar 25, 2024 16:33:58 GMT
I think I'd start the same line up as last week. There's a decent chance the game will go to extra time, and I think it'd be much better to have a fresh Kieffer and DJ against a tired Polish defence towards the end than in the early, cagey stages of the match. It's a risk obviously since the game could be over by the time we bring them on, but I think the pros outweigh the cons - especially, as mentioned by others, if you consider the proclivity of continental refs for dishing out cards to Kieffer for merely existing and being tall. It's not a risk it's a choice. We either start with Moore-ball or we don't, and that is up to the manager. Personally, I like what I saw in the last game, but the football data might show that Moore could be more effective against Poland. That's why being a football manager is a crap job. They get fired for their opinions, while we live to see another day I agree that there's no compelling argument to start with Moore. Perhaps not enough recognition, myself included, has been given to the excellent interplay between Johnson and Wilson that was key to the opening goal. That was a bit of a one off, but invaluable nevertheless. If we play a little bit more on the front foot, as against Croatia and Turkiye, then hopefully more such intricate passages of play can unfold between Johnson, Wilson and Brooks. |
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Post by winsumluzsum on Mar 25, 2024 16:48:48 GMT
Poland tend to go with a 3-5-2 formation. The consensus appears to be that the best counter to this formation is either a 4-3-3 or a 4-2-3-1, both offering the potential of overloads in wide areas, and pinning the opposition wingbacks back. Could Page throw a curveball and go with 4 at the back? Unlikely and a very brave decision, but not inconceivable.
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Post by winsumluzsum on Mar 25, 2024 18:24:53 GMT
Trying to get a sense of how Poland may approach the game is a bit confusing. In the buildup to the World Cup Poland thet were considered to be a bit of a long ball, low possession, low block side. But they averaged 62.45% during recent qualifying and 84% pass completion. So they seem to be more of a possession-led side. Another factor is their change of manager mid way through the campaign. It's not clear what changes, if any, he's made.
Watching the highlights of their games and they conceded a fair few goals and good chances from set pieces, including one long throw. Also there seems to be occasions where they have big spaces in front of the back 3/5. Long range efforts from JJ could be rewarding. Attacking wise they seem to get lots of players forwards, especially when the ball is played wide.
I don't expect us to a majority of the possession, but I would like to see more of a front foot performance and at least 45% possession. I don't think the Polish defence is that good and we need to ask questions of them.
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Post by winsumluzsum on Mar 25, 2024 18:42:48 GMT
It looks likely that Przemysław Frankowski, the Lens right wingback, will play the full match as he trained with the team today. So they should be strong at wingback.
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Post by athenempadu on Mar 25, 2024 19:18:14 GMT
It looks likely that Przemysław Frankowski, the Lens right wingback, will play the full match as he trained with the team today. So they should be strong at wingback. I found a video of their last game, so I will check out their No. 19. |
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Post by iot on Mar 25, 2024 19:29:17 GMT
It looks likely that Przemysław Frankowski, the Lens right wingback, will play the full match as he trained with the team today. So they should be strong at wingback. Think he was their first choice ahead of Matty Cash, so that’s unfortunate. Responding to your previous point, it looks like they do have a very good defence with really good players in Kiwior and Frankowski, and Bednarek is a more than decent defender too, so I can’t see how that’s an aspect we will have an upperhand in. They’ll also have by far the best keeper (Schezney), midfielder (Zielinski), and forward (Lewandowski). So on paper, I’d say they’re a fair bit ahead of us. We can only hope that they continue to underwhelm as they’ve done over the last year. On the other hand, we’ve shown we can beat better sides in Croatia, so while I do think they will be fairly strong favourites, I know we’re also more than capable of doing something special. |
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Post by morg on Mar 25, 2024 19:47:21 GMT
Whether Frankowski will be 100% is a big question. Some kind of muscle injury? The bookies seem to have us as clear favourites for what's that worth |
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Post by winsumluzsum on Mar 25, 2024 20:22:41 GMT
It looks likely that Przemysław Frankowski, the Lens right wingback, will play the full match as he trained with the team today. So they should be strong at wingback. Think he was their first choice ahead of Matty Cash, so that’s unfortunate. Responding to your previous point, it looks like they do have a very good defence with really good players in Kiwior and Frankowski, and Bednarek is a more than decent defender too, so I can’t see how that’s an aspect we will have an upperhand in. They’ll also have by far the best keeper (Schezney), midfielder (Zielinski), and forward (Lewandowski). So on paper, I’d say they’re a fair bit ahead of us. We can only hope that they continue to underwhelm as they’ve done over the last year. On the other hand, we’ve shown we can beat better sides in Croatia, so while I do think they will be fairly strong favourites, I know we’re also more than capable of doing something special. I'm going by the poor goals I've seen them concede in the qualifiers. They may be good on paper, but I've seen enough to suggest they can be got at. Yes, they have a stronger team on paper, but not by that much. Their DMs play for Atlanta in the MLS and Ludogorets in Bulgaria, perhaps weaker on paper than our duo. The Polish media are confident, no surprises there. |
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Post by winsumluzsum on Mar 25, 2024 20:29:34 GMT
With the Estonian sending off, it probably was a second booking but the Polish player fouled rolled over 3 times before having a sneaky look to see if the Estonian player had been carded before getting to his feet and being high fired by a teammate. I'm sure we'll be ready for their antics.
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Post by hooky on Mar 25, 2024 20:29:45 GMT
It looks likely that Przemysław Frankowski, the Lens right wingback, will play the full match as he trained with the team today. So they should be strong at wingback. Think he was their first choice ahead of Matty Cash, so that’s unfortunate. Responding to your previous point, it looks like they do have a very good defence with really good players in Kiwior and Frankowski, and Bednarek is a more than decent defender too, so I can’t see how that’s an aspect we will have an upperhand in. They’ll also have by far the best keeper (Schezney), midfielder (Zielinski), and forward (Lewandowski). So on paper, I’d say they’re a fair bit ahead of us. We can only hope that they continue to underwhelm as they’ve done over the last year. On the other hand, we’ve shown we can beat better sides in Croatia, so while I do think they will be fairly strong favourites, I know we’re also more than capable of doing something special. mmmmm Amazing they are all better than our players. Ranking can be deceptive but they are not irrelevant. Poland have fallen a lot over the past 18 months. We are ranked similarly and we are at home, while our players seem to be in form. Sure they can beat us but its not like those players, with the exceptional of the aging star and the goalkeeper are materially better than our players. Dan James is on fire, Wilson is showing great link up play, Neco is in the grove and our 2 central midfielders are extremely disciplined and doing a great job We will see. |
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Post by hooky on Mar 25, 2024 20:32:32 GMT
Think he was their first choice ahead of Matty Cash, so that’s unfortunate. Responding to your previous point, it looks like they do have a very good defence with really good players in Kiwior and Frankowski, and Bednarek is a more than decent defender too, so I can’t see how that’s an aspect we will have an upperhand in. They’ll also have by far the best keeper (Schezney), midfielder (Zielinski), and forward (Lewandowski). So on paper, I’d say they’re a fair bit ahead of us. We can only hope that they continue to underwhelm as they’ve done over the last year. On the other hand, we’ve shown we can beat better sides in Croatia, so while I do think they will be fairly strong favourites, I know we’re also more than capable of doing something special. I'm going by the poor goals I've seen them concede in the qualifiers. They may be good on paper, but I've seen enough to suggest they can be got at. Yes, they have a stronger team on paper, but not by that much. Their DMs play for Atlanta in the MLS and Ludogorets in Bulgaria, perhaps weaker on paper than our duo. The Polish media are confident, no surprises there. The Polish media see no Bale and remember their last 2 results against us They don't see that Bale was on the decline when he played against them, that our team is much stronger in terms of personnel and match fitness and that our younger players have developed significantly. I hope the Polish team and management are as complacent! |
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Post by winsumluzsum on Mar 25, 2024 20:39:33 GMT
From the Polish media:
The coach of the Polish national football team, Michał Probierz, admitted before Tuesday's play-off final against Wales in Cardiff to qualify for Euro 2024 that the most important thing was for his team to impose its playing style. "We want to dominate from the beginning. It is also important to endure physically and mentally," he added.
We analyzed Wales, also earlier, before the play-offs. This is a team based on running, good at counter-attacks. Their swing players play offensively. We are aware of this and want to eliminate the advantages of the Welsh - admitted Probierz during a press conference in Cardiff on Monday.
However, the most important thing for us will be to impose our own style. We want us to play the way we want from the beginning and dominate in this match. And let us endure this match physically from the beginning, because we know there will be a lot of fighting. Mental preparation will also be important. We will leave from the beginning with the attitude and awareness that we came here to win, he added.
As he emphasized, the Polish national team approaches this match "with self-confidence and without any fears."
We analyzed the Welsh team's game and we know their strengths and weaknesses. We have to keep the opponent far from the goal, because his strong point is playing on the counterattack. At the front, our rivals have a lot of speed and quality at the front, so we have to stop the action already in their half. However, we focus on ourselves. If we do our job as we should, we will win , said Polish national team defender Jan Bednarek.
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Post by athenempadu on Mar 25, 2024 20:50:03 GMT
Whether Frankowski will be 100% is a big question. Some kind of muscle injury? The bookies seem to have us as clear favourites for what's that worth The Roma lad on the left looks handy too. The Poland formation is similar to ours and I don't think we can sit back too much, cos Poland look good when their wing-backs are sitting high, and they will pin back Neco and Connor. I don't think it's a game for Moore either, as 2 minutes in their CCB Bednarek went down like he'd been shot by a firing squad ... a split second after the challenge and it looked quite blatant on the replay. Hopefully J.James & Ampadu can dominate the midfield battle, and thread some balls through to the pacey lads up front. It should be a good game whatever the outcome. |
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Post by iot on Mar 25, 2024 20:54:04 GMT
Think he was their first choice ahead of Matty Cash, so that’s unfortunate. Responding to your previous point, it looks like they do have a very good defence with really good players in Kiwior and Frankowski, and Bednarek is a more than decent defender too, so I can’t see how that’s an aspect we will have an upperhand in. They’ll also have by far the best keeper (Schezney), midfielder (Zielinski), and forward (Lewandowski). So on paper, I’d say they’re a fair bit ahead of us. We can only hope that they continue to underwhelm as they’ve done over the last year. On the other hand, we’ve shown we can beat better sides in Croatia, so while I do think they will be fairly strong favourites, I know we’re also more than capable of doing something special. mmmmm Amazing they are all better than our players. Ranking can be deceptive but they are not irrelevant. Poland have fallen a lot over the past 18 months. We are ranked similarly and we are at home, while our players seem to be in form. Sure they can beat us but its not like those players, with the exceptional of the aging star and the goalkeeper are materially better than our players. Dan James is on fire, Wilson is showing great link up play, Neco is in the grove and our 2 central midfielders are extremely disciplined and doing a great job We will see. What do you dispute exactly? Schezney is first choice for an elite club and has been throughout his career, while our keeper fails to make the bench at a Championship club. Kiwior has started every game for Arsenal over the last couple of months and they’re absolutely flying. Frankowski is rated ahead of Cash, who we know is a great Prem standard player. Their other wing back Zalewski, who I didn’t even mention, plays for Roma. Zielinski is another key player for an elite club in Napoli, so is obviously considered a much better player than our advanced midfield options in Brooks and Wilson (and that’s our strong point btw) who haven’t established themselves as premier league starters. And then Lewandowski is still a cut above every other player on the pitch. Holding mid is the only aspect where we have the better players. Not trying to be defeatist, but I think it would be naive not to acknowledge that on paper they’re far better equipped, which shouldn’t be surprising given their 40mn population. That said, their results have been really poor, they weren’t at all impressive in our Nations League matches, and we’ve been the better team over the last year (purely based on the respective set of results). So I am feeling hopeful, but I just hope they don’t suddenly turn it on and produce the type of performance they’re capable of |
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Post by iot on Mar 25, 2024 20:59:44 GMT
From the Polish media: The coach of the Polish national football team, Michał Probierz, admitted before Tuesday's play-off final against Wales in Cardiff to qualify for Euro 2024 that the most important thing was for his team to impose its playing style. "We want to dominate from the beginning. It is also important to endure physically and mentally," he added. We analyzed Wales, also earlier, before the play-offs. This is a team based on running, good at counter-attacks. Their swing players play offensively. We are aware of this and want to eliminate the advantages of the Welsh - admitted Probierz during a press conference in Cardiff on Monday. However, the most important thing for us will be to impose our own style. We want us to play the way we want from the beginning and dominate in this match. And let us endure this match physically from the beginning, because we know there will be a lot of fighting. Mental preparation will also be important. We will leave from the beginning with the attitude and awareness that we came here to win, he added. As he emphasized, the Polish national team approaches this match "with self-confidence and without any fears." We analyzed the Welsh team's game and we know their strengths and weaknesses. We have to keep the opponent far from the goal, because his strong point is playing on the counterattack. At the front, our rivals have a lot of speed and quality at the front, so we have to stop the action already in their half. However, we focus on ourselves. If we do our job as we should, we will win , said Polish national team defender Jan Bednarek. Sounds like they’ll play an aggressive press in order to stop us at source. While I’m nervous about how Rodon and Ward in particular cope with that (potentially Mepham too), it will hopefully be an energy zapper and DJ will reap the rewards when he comes on for the last 30. Moore probably should start if that’s how they approach it, so that we can play it over their press |
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Post by athenempadu on Mar 25, 2024 21:00:55 GMT
It looks likely that Przemysław Frankowski, the Lens right wingback, will play the full match as he trained with the team today. So they should be strong at wingback. Think he was their first choice ahead of Matty Cash, so that’s unfortunate. Responding to your previous point, it looks like they do have a very good defence with really good players in Kiwior and Frankowski, and Bednarek is a more than decent defender too, so I can’t see how that’s an aspect we will have an upperhand in. They’ll also have by far the best keeper (Schezney), midfielder (Zielinski), and forward (Lewandowski). So on paper, I’d say they’re a fair bit ahead of us. We can only hope that they continue to underwhelm as they’ve done over the last year. On the other hand, we’ve shown we can beat better sides in Croatia, so while I do think they will be fairly strong favourites, I know we’re also more than capable of doing something special. Zielinsky plays behind the front two, ahead of two defensive midfielders, and the wing-back are also very close when they are in advance positions. |
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Post by winsumluzsum on Mar 25, 2024 21:01:15 GMT
Poland haven't won in 2 years and 9 games after going behind. Fragile?
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Post by winsumluzsum on Mar 25, 2024 21:08:46 GMT
"Far better equipped"? I'd say they have a slight edge in quality, but not all their players are playing regularly. For instance Zalewski has been benched in 4 out of the past 5 games for Roma and has only played 27% of minutes. 1 assist no goals in 18 games.
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Post by athenempadu on Mar 25, 2024 21:09:41 GMT
What do you dispute exactly? Schezney is first choice for an elite club and has been throughout his career, while our keeper fails to make the bench at a Championship club. Kiwior has started every game for Arsenal over the last couple of months and they’re absolutely flying. Frankowski is rated ahead of Cash, who we know is a great Prem standard player. Their other wing back Zalewski, who I didn’t even mention, plays for Roma. Zielinski is another key player for an elite club in Napoli, so is obviously considered a much better player than our advanced midfield options in Brooks and Wilson (and that’s our strong point btw) who haven’t established themselves as premier league starters. And then Lewandowski is still a cut above every other player on the pitch. Holding mid is the only aspect where we have the better players. Not trying to be defeatist, but I think it would be naive not to acknowledge that on paper they’re far better equipped, which shouldn’t be surprising given their 40mn population. That said, their results have been really poor, they weren’t at all impressive in our Nations League matches, and we’ve been the better team over the last year (purely based on the respective set of results). So I am feeling hopeful, but I just hope they don’t suddenly turn it on and produce the type of performance they’re capable of I think we can take them if our lads show up on the night, and J.James/Ampadu will be key players for us if we can control the midfield area. |
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Post by hooky on Mar 25, 2024 21:13:22 GMT
Reminder again of their team and squad for the Estonia match:
Their central defence and back 4 do not have many caps do they?
Their team in several positions do not have many caps and it is not as if they are spring chickens?
That guy we thought might be injured does not seem to be a defence minded full back more like and attacking full back - they play a back 4 right? Surely we can get at that?
Judging by their clubs and loan player - 3 of those players that started do not seem to be top class but rather fill ins?
The bench does not look great / game changing - albeit one striker there could be useful given his goal ratio
They have a great goalkeeper and a great but aging striker - they are so lucky they don't have the injury issues with him we have had with Bale and Ramsey since their mid 20s! They will always be good technically, tall and physical but are they a team we should feel second class too - no way! Its just really unfortunate they have a keeper who can pull off brilliant saves and a highly intelligent striker. Maybe that will be the difference but our crowd should make a big difference for us! I'd rather have them than Ukraine for sure!
Note to Page - its top down. We want passion but the players need to CONTROL THEIR EMOTIONS - and that comes from the top! Do not give them an opportunity to get us cards or worse please as we know their gamesmanship all too well!
Poland
1 W Szczesny 33 Juventus - Class
5 J Bednarek 27 Southampton - 55 caps
3 P Dawidowicz 28 Verona - 9 caps
14 J Kiwior 24 Arsenal - 20 caps
19 P Frankowski 28 Lens - 29 caps (midfielder)
10 P Zielinski 29 Napoli - 87 caps
18 B Slisz 24 Atlanta (US) - 7 caps
6 J Piotrowski 26 Bulgarian team - 4 caps
21 N Zalewski 22 Roma - 15 caps - 18 starts this season - has he been injured or in and out of the team?
7 K Swiderski 29 Verona - on loan from a US team and just 7 starts
9 R Lewandowski (c) 35 Barcelona - Class but aging
Bench does not look great? Are they going to be able to change a game?
Substitutes
2 M Cash - came on got injured
11 K Grosicki 35 - a Polish team I have never heard of - 93 caps
13 T Romanchuk 32 - a Polish team I have never heard of - 1 caps
16 P Bochniewicz 28 - a Hungarian team I have never heard of - 4 caps
20 S Szymanski - came on - 28 - AEK Athens - 17 caps
8 J Moder - came on - 24 - Brighton -21 caps - I know little about him
4 T Puchacz came on - 25 - Kaiserleuton - 13 caps
17 B Salamon - 32 - a Polish side - 11 caps
23 K Piatek - 28 - some Turkish team - 27 caps and a decent 11 goals
15 A Buksa - came on - some Turkish team
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Post by athenempadu on Mar 25, 2024 21:18:05 GMT
Reminder again of their team and squad for the Estonia match: Their central defence and back 4 do not have many caps do they? Their team in several positions do not have many caps and it is not as if they are spring chickens? That guy we thought might be injured does not seem to be a defence minded full back more like and attacking full back - they play a back 4 right? Surely we can get at that? Judging by their clubs and loan player - 3 of those players that started do not seem to be top class but rather fill ins? The bench does not look great / game changing - albeit one striker there could be useful given his goal ratio They have a great goalkeeper and a great but aging striker - they are so lucky they don't have the injury issues with him we have had with Bale and Ramsey since their mid 20s! They will always be good technically, tall and physical but are they a team we should feel second class too - no way! Its just really unfortunate they have a keeper who can pull off brilliant saves and a highly intelligent striker. Maybe that will be the difference but our crowd should make a big difference for us! I'd rather have them than Ukraine for sure! Note to Page - its top down. We want passion but the players need to CONTROL THEIR EMOTIONS - and that comes from the top! Do not give them an opportunity to get us cards or worse please as we know their gamesmanship all too well! Poland 1 W Szczesny 33 Juventus - Class 5 J Bednarek 27 Southampton - 55 caps 3 P Dawidowicz 28 Verona - 9 caps 14 J Kiwior 24 Arsenal - 20 caps 19 P Frankowski 28 Lens - 29 caps (midfielder) 10 P Zielinski 29 Napoli - 87 caps 18 B Slisz 24 Atlanta (US) - 7 caps 6 J Piotrowski 26 Bulgarian team - 4 caps 21 N Zalewski 22 Roma - 15 caps - 18 starts this season - has he been injured or in and out of the team? 7 K Swiderski 29 Verona - on loan from a US team and just 7 starts 9 R Lewandowski (c) 35 Barcelona - Class but aging Bench does not look great? Are they going to be able to change a game? Substitutes 2 M Cash - came on got injured 11 K Grosicki 35 - a Polish team I have never heard of - 93 caps 13 T Romanchuk 32 - a Polish team I have never heard of - 1 caps 16 P Bochniewicz 28 - a Hungarian team I have never heard of - 4 caps 20 S Szymanski - came on - 28 - AEK Athens - 17 caps 8 J Moder - came on - 24 - Brighton -21 caps - I know little about him 4 T Puchacz came on - 25 - Kaiserleuton - 13 caps 17 B Salamon - 32 - a Polish side - 11 caps 23 K Piatek - 28 - some Turkish team - 27 caps and a decent 11 goals 15 A Buksa - came on - some Turkish team They played with a back 3 of Bednarek, Dawidowicz and Kiwior, two sitting DM's, and the wing-backs way up the pitch. |
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Post by winsumluzsum on Mar 25, 2024 21:21:37 GMT
One Polish vlogger thinks Frankowski will be a key player for Poland. It's worth noting that one Polish pundit expressed skepticism about his involvement tomorrow.
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Post by hooky on Mar 25, 2024 21:22:20 GMT
Reminder again of their team and squad for the Estonia match: Their central defence and back 4 do not have many caps do they? Their team in several positions do not have many caps and it is not as if they are spring chickens? That guy we thought might be injured does not seem to be a defence minded full back more like and attacking full back - they play a back 4 right? Surely we can get at that? Judging by their clubs and loan player - 3 of those players that started do not seem to be top class but rather fill ins? The bench does not look great / game changing - albeit one striker there could be useful given his goal ratio They have a great goalkeeper and a great but aging striker - they are so lucky they don't have the injury issues with him we have had with Bale and Ramsey since their mid 20s! They will always be good technically, tall and physical but are they a team we should feel second class too - no way! Its just really unfortunate they have a keeper who can pull off brilliant saves and a highly intelligent striker. Maybe that will be the difference but our crowd should make a big difference for us! I'd rather have them than Ukraine for sure! Note to Page - its top down. We want passion but the players need to CONTROL THEIR EMOTIONS - and that comes from the top! Do not give them an opportunity to get us cards or worse please as we know their gamesmanship all too well! Poland 1 W Szczesny 33 Juventus - Class 5 J Bednarek 27 Southampton - 55 caps 3 P Dawidowicz 28 Verona - 9 caps 14 J Kiwior 24 Arsenal - 20 caps 19 P Frankowski 28 Lens - 29 caps (midfielder) 10 P Zielinski 29 Napoli - 87 caps 18 B Slisz 24 Atlanta (US) - 7 caps 6 J Piotrowski 26 Bulgarian team - 4 caps 21 N Zalewski 22 Roma - 15 caps - 18 starts this season - has he been injured or in and out of the team? 7 K Swiderski 29 Verona - on loan from a US team and just 7 starts 9 R Lewandowski (c) 35 Barcelona - Class but aging Bench does not look great? Are they going to be able to change a game? Substitutes 2 M Cash - came on got injured 11 K Grosicki 35 - a Polish team I have never heard of - 93 caps 13 T Romanchuk 32 - a Polish team I have never heard of - 1 caps 16 P Bochniewicz 28 - a Hungarian team I have never heard of - 4 caps 20 S Szymanski - came on - 28 - AEK Athens - 17 caps 8 J Moder - came on - 24 - Brighton -21 caps - I know little about him 4 T Puchacz came on - 25 - Kaiserleuton - 13 caps 17 B Salamon - 32 - a Polish side - 11 caps 23 K Piatek - 28 - some Turkish team - 27 caps and a decent 11 goals 15 A Buksa - came on - some Turkish team They played with a back 3 of Bednarek, Dawidowicz and Kiwior, two sitting DM's, and the wing-backs way up the pitch. Ok - makes sense - 2 of then play full back or centre back but all are tall. How mobile are they as I assume the wing backs will bomb forward a lot? |
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Post by winsumluzsum on Mar 25, 2024 21:28:22 GMT
Judging by the comments from the coach I expect a high and aggressive press on our wingbacks, similar to Armenia's approach away. I'd like to see us fight fire with fire, and push their wingbacks back with an aggressive press. If we don't we may be over-reliant on JJ and Ampadu's creativity, which may be expecting too much.
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Post by athenempadu on Mar 25, 2024 21:29:55 GMT
They played with a back 3 of Bednarek, Dawidowicz and Kiwior, two sitting DM's, and the wing-backs way up the pitch. Ok - makes sense - 2 of then play full back or centre back but all are tall. How mobile are they as I assume the wing backs will bomb forward a lot? They weren't bothered too much by Estonia, but I don't think they will like our lads swarming around them if they play like they did last time. As I mentioned above midfield will be key. We can't sit back and let them come onto us too much, as they have a few players who like to have a pop at goal. |
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Post by gwernybwch on Mar 25, 2024 21:38:25 GMT
Poland haven't won in 2 years and 9 games after going behind. Fragile? They are a dog shite footballing nation. They play well when they have their spirits up, when they think that they are stealing something, but otherwise they have a brittle spirit. I don't think that it will be just them going behind that will break their spirits, just the fact that their theatrics and unsporting behaviour isn't working will be enough to break them. Trouble is that we do have some hot-heads in our team which will play right into their unsporting behaviour and give them even more incentive to piss about. I just hope that we have a decent ref on Tuesday that puts a stop to it all and just lets the best team win. |
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Post by iot on Mar 25, 2024 21:48:38 GMT
Yeah I agree with other posters, we should have a really aggressive press ourselves and instruct Wilson, Brooks and Johnson (or whoever starts) to empty their tanks for the first hour, and then we can up the intensity again when our subs come on at that point, so they'll have no rest. Think we need to be brave here, but it obviously comes with the risk that they're capable of playing around our press + we might leave large gaps between the forwards and midfield like we saw at the world cup.
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Post by winsumluzsum on Mar 25, 2024 21:54:52 GMT
I really think the Croatia game is the template, a really good mid-press, with small distances between the lines, and a highish defensive line.
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