Image via @LaczyNasPilka on Twitter
Poland’s 29-man provisional squad for Euro 2024 was announced this morning by Selekcjoner Michał Probierz, with the biggest headline being the omission of Matty Cash.
We’ll explore that, and some of the other storylines that these call-ups have provided, but first I’d like to express my thoughts on the squad as a whole. We know that three players will be cut from this list, but I have to say I think Probierz has got this spot on. Cash aside there are all the players you would feasibly want to be there at this moment in time, and as I pointed out on Twitter when the squad was announced, you need a certain balance between a level of inherent talent and those who bring the right personality to a tournament squad.
Cash’s absence is really the one cloud, and his father Stuart has already stated that he believes his son would be fit for the tournament itself if not the upcoming friendly games against Ukraine and Turkey. Frankly, Cash has had injury problems dating back before the World Cup 18 months ago and in that time has been fairly inconsistent for Poland. Some are keen to question his desire to play for the national side and that he’s only out for himself, but I certainly don’t see it that way. Rather, he’s been fairly unlucky with injuries for a while and we all know he isn’t able to play in the same way for Poland as he does for Aston Villa. This doesn’t make him a bad player, or one that shouldn’t still be representing Poland, but it is fair to say that Przemysław Frankowski has been great at both club and international level in the recent past. Indeed, many of us thought Frankowski was the best player of both of Poland’s qualifying play-off games, and even if Cash is fit and selected I don’t see him starting ahead of Frankowski.
One of the other notable inclusions is 19 year-old Kacper Urbański, fresh off a cracking season with Bologna. Almost certain to earn his first cap in one of the upcoming friendlies, his role in the squad might well be similar to that of Kacper Kozłowski in the last Euros. However, the marked difference is that Urbański already has more experience at a higher level and is three years older than Kozłowski was when he debuted in 2021. Urbański is undoubtedly a great talent, but despite that I didn’t expect Probierz to give him a chance just yet, until recent comments from Probierz indicated Urbański’s likely inclusion. Thus it has come to pass, and Poland’s squad is stronger for it.
The only downside is that tough decisions will have to be made on which three players are getting cut from this list. Young goalkeeper Oliwier Zych is going to be part of this group only for senior experience, so will naturally be cut for the final tournament squad. As for where the other two omissions are coming from, there is less certainty. Almost certainly one striker from this list will miss out, and I predict it’ll be one of Adam Buksa or Arek Milik. Buksa has been great in Turkey this season and has great numbers, but Milik was a great cup player for Juventus this year and has finished the season well. It really could be either one missing out, but I think Milik’s experience of being part of Poland’s squad at past tournaments might make Probierz favour him.
Some pundits are suggesting the unlucky third cut will be one of the Ekstraklasa players in the squad, namely either Taras Romanczuk or Kamil Grosicki. To even hear Grosicki’s name mentioned as a potential absentee surprised me, not least because even if his ability is not what it once was he clearly is a personality that resonates with the rest of the players and staff, an aforementioned important part of building a squad for a tournament. We also shouldn’t forget that Romanczuk did not look out of his depth in the albeit brief time he got on the pitch against Wales in the play-off in March.
Perhaps this is a bold prediction, but I personally think the player getting cut could well be Sebastian Walukiewicz. There are enough central defenders in the squad, and the other names have played a lot more football for their clubs this season or are better defenders at this point in time. Age is on Walukiewicz’s side here, but I just don’t see him beating out the competition for his position right now. Again there are those people nay-saying about the defence being weak already, clearly forgetting that for all the ball-playing more slight centre backs like Jan Bednarek there are also the sturdier sights of Bartosz Salamon.
A better look at this squad will be coming next Friday night, in the first of those two friendly matches in Warszawa. Not that my opinion is important, but I really like the make-up of this squad and have found it refreshing that there aren’t the same kind of major gripes like there were just 18 months ago when the World Cup squad was announced.
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