All images via @LaczyNasPilka on Twitter
This afternoon, Czesław Michniewicz named his 40-man shortlist for the World Cup, which kicks off exactly a month from today. The squad, which will be trimmed to 26 players, was announced at a ceremony in Zakopane at 2pm local time.
Here, I’ll break down some of the names we can expect to see in that final 26, as well as some of the other 14 that will probably come very close, or are otherwise of note.
Goalkeepers
We can expect that Wojciech Szczęsny will be starting in goal at the World Cup, with Bartłomiej Drągowski as the number two. Given it is a tournament, three goalkeepers are likely to be included in the final 26-man squad, and personally I think the competition is very tight between Łukasz Skorupski and Kamil Grabara. On current form, I’d plump for Grabara, but Michniewicz is known to favour more senior personnel.
Defenders
A couple of choices that would’ve come as more of a surprise were they not slightly expected. As I predicted the other day, a call-up to this shortlist for veteran Artur Jędrzejczyk, but also his Legia team-mate Maik Nawrocki. Michniewicz was key to emphasise that players from the Ekstraklasa will be included in the final squad for the World Cup, and whether we take that to mean one of these two is down to personal interpretation. Michniewicz said that were it not for injury he would’ve included them in prior call-ups, so we can expect at least one of Jędrzejczyk and Nawrocki to be at the tournament.
It’s nice to see Michał Karbownik in the list, and based on his recent form he’s actually quite likely to be included in the final 26, something that would’ve been quite unexpected even a few weeks ago. Personally I think he’s got a better chance than Arkadiusz Reca or Tymoteusz Puchacz at being included as back-up to Nicola Zalewski in that left wing-back role, not least because Karbownik can also play midfield.
Certain players are almost guaranteed to make this final 26 regardless of form; Jan Bednarek, Kamil Glik and Jakub Kiwior will probably be the back three, with Matty Cash and Zalewski the wing-backs. The more interesting discussions are surrounding who Michniewicz will take as the back-up in those positions. I think Robert Gumny is in with a good shout given his great form for Augsburg, and Bartosz Bereszyński was decent last time out for Poland against Wales. The other back-ups might be a little harder to call, but I think Karbownik, Michał Helik, Jędrzejczyk and Mateusz Wieteska stand the best chance.
Midfielders
Pleasantly surprising was the inclusion of Patryk Dziczek, who has had to return to playing in the Ekstraklasa after the 24 year-old suffered a serious seizure whilst on loan at Salernitana from Lazio. Given that midfield is a problem area for Poland thanks to Jakub Moder’s injury, it is nice to see Dziczek in this shortlist, even if it is unlikely he’s going to be in the final 26.
From this shortlist, Krystian Bielik, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Sebastian Szymański and Piotr Zieliński will all be certainties to make the squad. I’d expect Jakub Kamiński, Jacek Góralski, Mateusz Klich and Michał Skóraś might be included as well.
Personally, I’d love to see Kacper Kozłowski included, perhaps at the expense of Góralski. Góralski has had a difficult autumn at Bochum in Germany, not least as he nearly lost his sight in one eye. This is no fault of his own, but in my opinion I think Poland have enough defensive midfielders without also taking Góralski. Kozłowski on the other hand has started getting goals and assists at Vitesse, where he’s on loan from Brighton. Given he is the youngest ever player to play at the Euros and a player of real talent, he could provide a different dimension and a bit of spark to a midfield that can look stale at times without Zieliński.
You have to wonder where Przemysław Frankowski fits into all this. He’s playing decently for Lens, who are doing very well in Ligue 1, and he had flashes against Holland in the Nations League game, putting in a great ball for Arek Milik. He can play either left or right wing-back, and play well in those positions. I think he’s on the edge of being taken instead of Bereszyński, in my opinion.
Strikers
Robert Lewandowski is arguably Poland’s best ever player, their captain and will hopefully be the main source of goals in this team. Milik and Krzysztof Piątek will be deputising, and Karol Świderski always seems to score for Poland. Given how defensive Poland tend to be, I wouldn’t be opposed to taking a fifth striker instead of more cover at the centre-back position. This would make a lot of sense given the great form of Dawid Kownacki, who is also capable of playing slightly wider as well. However, Michniewicz is a more defensive-minded coach and will probably stick with the four of Lewandowski, Milik, Piątek and Świderski.
If you’re at all interested in what I would do if I were Selekcjoner, see below:
Goalkeepers: Szczęsny, Drągowski, Grabara
Defenders: Bednarek, Glik, Kiwior, Cash, Zalewski, Gumny, Karbownik, Helik, Wieteska
Midfielders: Bielik, Krychowiak, S. Szymański, Zieliński, Kamiński, Klich, Skóraś, Kozłowski, Frankowski
Strikers: Lewandowski, Milik, Piątek, Świderski, Kownacki
The final 26-man squad for Qatar is set to be announced on the 10th of November.
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