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Polish Football Online's Christmas Wish List

by Piotr Żerek
2010-12-23 10:51 CET  |  PFO

In the spirit of Christmas, PFO presents their Xmas Wish List for the Polish NT heading into 2011.

Well, it’s that time of year again… the stockings are full, the Christmas trees are decorated and our Mamas and Babcias are preparing a Wigilia feast filled with perogies, kapusta, kluski z makiem and barszczyk z uszkami.

Now that I’ve got all my presents ready for my family and friends, my thoughts turned to the Polish National Team. What would Franciszek Smuda, Jacek Zieliński and the rest of the Poland coaching staff want for Christmas? What should we wish for them in the coming year? Have they been naughty or nice?

With that in mind, Polish Football Online presents Polish Football’s Christmas Wish List 2010!! The wishes are not listed in any particular order, though, realistically speaking, some may be more attainable than others. If you agree or disagree with any of the proposed presents, please feel free to discuss further in our forums.

Above all, have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from the PFO team! 2010 wasn’t the best year for the Polish NT but I’m not a Scrooge around this time of year, so the optimist in me sees some reasons for hope in 2011 and beyond.

1. A Solid CB pairing for Smuda

With 24 goals allowed in 14 games in 2010, the position of centre back has become the most evident place where improvement is drastically needed. While Lukasz Piszczek and Sebastian Boenisch have ostensibly solidified their holds on the RB and LB positions, CB has been a non-stop carousel for Smuda. Kamil Glik, Michał Żewłakow, Tomasz Jodłowiec, Maciej Sadlok and Grzegorz Wojtkowiak are among the names tried out by Smuda. Wojtkowiak and Jodlowiec seem to be the CB pairing of choice right now, even though Wojtkowiak is a RB for Lech. Meanwhile, Michał Żewłakow has been kicked off the team with Artur Boruc for allegedly drinking too much wine on the plane ride back from Montreal.

Whether it’s through the development of an existing kadra member, the return of Arkadiusz Głowacki to the NT or through the capping of potential players like Manuel Arboleda and Damian Perquis (both of whom would need to get Polish citizenship first), Smuda has to fix the back of the defense fast. It’s a problem and by far the most important position Smuda & co. have to figure out in 2011.

2. A Healthy & Fit 2011

Injuries have seen some of our better players miss small to large portions of 2010 both for their clubs and for the Polish NT. Ireneusz Jeleń is the most obvious name to mention; he’s been out due to injury since September and has only featured in 3 NT games in 2010 (Australia, Ukraine, Finland). If Poland is to have any chance of success at Euro 2012, Jeleń will have to play a major part in this, even if he is coming off the bench. He’s one of our most highly skilled players, and with his speed and finishing ability is one of the few true game-breakers we boast.

Speaking of game-breakers, we would have to hope for a very healthy 2011 for our best player, Kuba Błaszczykowski. Our new captain is not as injury prone as in years past but the fact remains that he is “good” for a missed game or two. Any sort of serious injury to Kuba would essentially equal disaster for our kadra.

From a defensive standpoint, we have to hope for a quick return to health for Sebastian Boenisch. The Werder Bremen LB made a quick impact on the Polish NT and was a surefire starter for Smuda until his injury. Poland does not boast many LBs of international class, so a fit and strong Boenisch will be important. One last name we have to mention (again) is Arkadiusz Głowacki. Though he’s never shone through on the international stage and seemingly has always had bad luck (in the form of own goals), he could be a solution to our CB problems. Since moving to Trabzonspor, Głowacki has apparently shown some good form and was garnering serious consideration for a NT call-up… of course, he then injured himself. Once he's fit again and back in form, Głowacki should expect a call-up from Smuda.

3. No more alcohol-related scandals

Through two separate alcohol-fueled incidents, Sławomir Peszko, Maciej Iwański, Artur Boruc and Michał Żewłakow have all been banned from the NT by Franciszek Smuda. Though details on the two events are sketchy and inconsistent at best, Smuda has decided to rule with an iron fist. While losing someone like Iwański is no big deal, the absence of Peszko, Boruc and Żewłakow are felt much more. We are simply not a good enough team to lose players of this ilk to stupid incidents such as those that took place in 2010.

If healthy, in form and playing regularly, it’s hard to argue against the fact that Żewłakow and/or Boruc would be in or near the starting XI most of the time. Peszko may not be good enough to win a starting spot, but he would at least garner consideration for the 23-man squad, especially if he is able to show some form in the Bundesliga for 1. FC Köln, assuming he moves. So in addition to no more scandals like this in 2011, I hope that Smuda can patch things up with Żewłakow and Boruc, at the very least.

4. The continued development of our younger players

Two of the bigger revelations in 2010 (for me) were Adam Matuszczyk and Adrian Mierzejewski. Both have come out of nowhere to become strong fixtures in Smuda’s match squad, if not starting XI. The great thing is that these two are still young and relatively speaking, are just about to hit their peaks. Assuming Smuda continues to employ a 4-2-3-1 (probably our best formation that manages to have all our best players on the field), we will most likely see Matuszczyk (21 years old) and Mierzejewski (24) included.

Hopefully, 2011 brings us another handful of players that we can count on to make the 23-man Euro squad. Maybe Tomasz Jodłowiec will step up and take hold of one of the CB spots? In the midfield, maybe Ariel Borysiuk, Jacek Kiełb, Grzegorz Krychowiak or perhaps untested Tomasz Cywka will get a shot and impress? Up front, we have to hope that someone steps up and stakes a claim on the 3rd striker spot (after Robert Lewandowski and a healthy Irek Jeleń)? As discussed recently in a PFO feature, it looks like Paweł Brożek has a strong hold on that spot for now, after his 2-goal game versus Bosnia. That’s a worrying prospect for many of us (including die-hard Wisła Kraków fans) who just don’t see Brożek as a player of international class. So with any luck, we’ll see someone like Artur Sobiech, Kamil Grosicki or even a longshot like Legia’s Michał Kucharczyk find their scoring touches and force themselves into Smuda’s striker plans.

Hopefully, some of the above wishes come true in 2011 and we'll see our team improve and develop into a team that will be able to compete and make all Poles proud at Euro 2012.

Wesołych Świąt Bożego Narodzenia i Wszystkiego Najlepszego w Nowym Roku!! Merry Christmas to You and Yours!!

posted by Piotr Żerek top

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