Images via @MijnVitesse on Twitter
As many of you reading this may know by now, Polish duo Bartosz Białek of Wolfsburg and Kacper Kozłowski of Brighton have joined Dutch side Vitesse on loan for the rest of the season.
Białek signed for Wolfsburg from Zagłębie Lubin, having scored nine goals in nineteen Ekstraklasa appearances. In his two seasons at Wolfsburg however, he has scored two goals in 31 appearances. The fact he was only ever coming off the bench late in games meant he needed a loan for regular football, something he will be getting in the Eredivisie with Vitesse. At only 20 years old, he still shows a lot of promise at becoming a striker with the quality to play in a top league and the full Polish national team, as he is currently still with the U-21 set-up.
Kozłowski is a slightly different story. Probably the biggest Polish talent in football, the now 18 year-old became the youngest ever player to feature at the European Championships for Poland last year. Kozłowski was signed for Brighton in January from Pogoń Szczecin and immediately loaned out to affiliate club Royal Union Saint-Gilloise in Belgium, and has now been loaned out to a slightly higher level of competition in the Eredivisie. Kozłowski is hoping this move gets him the time on the pitch he needs to stand a chance of making the World Cup squad.
Yesterday both players were in the starting line-up for the first time (Kozłowski has already made one appearance off the bench, but we’re counting this as his full debut) away against Groningen. Białek in particular started well, striking a curling shot from the left side of the penalty area that didn’t miss by much at the far post. He also fired the ball over from inside the six yard box, but considering the pace the ball was fired into him with at chest height, he did well to even direct it towards the goal.
Kozłowski didn’t start quite as brightly as his countryman. He seemed a little rushed, rushing his touch and rushing his passes. However, he settled into the game and began to look assured on the ball, picking better passes and weighting them better too.
Just over ten minutes into the game, the two linked up. Kozłowski picked up a loose ball near the by-line and played a nice pass into the feet of Białek to shoot first-time about three yards out, who had a certain goal blocked by the slide of a Groningen defender.
Białek kept causing the Groningen defence problems throughout the first half, and despite an attempt at a half-volley which he comically sliced and then fell over, he had a good first half. Kozlowski was a bit more absent, as he could never demand the ball from his teammates in midfield. Nonetheless, his first half showing was also okay.
In the second half, Białek missed a free header from a corner, which was the kind of attempt you would have expected him to at least put on target. He also nearly got an assist with a lovely pass over to team-mate Vidovic, who hit it straight at the keeper. Kozłowski also had another good moment, picking up a loose ball and outmuscling a defender to dribble into the box and cut the ball back to a team-mate, whose shot was blocked.
Vitesse’s goal, which arrived in the 77th minute, did not have either Białek or Kozłowski play any part in it, but such is football. Kozłowski was substituted with ten minutes to go, in order to bring on a more defensively-minded midfielder.
Białek again nearly grabbed an assist towards the end with a lovely through ball, but his team-mate again hit the ball at the keeper. Białek again had a shot at goal, this time after the ball sat up nicely and he carried it to have a strike from distance with his left foot, resulting in a fairly comfortable save for the goalkeeper.
So, what can we take from these full debuts? Białek looks like he will get plenty of chances to score goals, which is essentially what a striker is judged upon. It’s unlikely his performances for Vitesse will see him break into the full national team just yet, given the wealth of striking options ahead of him, but his debut was promising.
Despite the shaky start, the same can be said of Kozłowski. He has a good eye for a pass and is perhaps a lot physically stronger than many of his opponents thought, and is the same powerful dribbler he was in the Ekstraklasa. Given Poland’s injury problems in midfield, any good form he shows for Vitesse will surely result in a chance to go to the World Cup.
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