NewsNational Team A
Michal Probierz: This is another step towards building the team
From the first minute of the match, we wanted to play aggressively and set a high pace. It was important that we scored a goal quickly. There was also a bit of indecision creeping into our game, we stopped the pressing for some moments, but it's normal that when playing high-press, things can happen in defence, said Poland's national team manager Michał Probierz after the friendly against Latvia.
We definitely still need to work on the set pieces both concerning offence and defence. In my opinion, we also take too few shots and there is a lack of effectiveness. What worries me a little is the lack of attempted shots from distance. We have players capable of doing that, but during a game they don't decide to take those shots. However, we have certainly taken another step towards building the team. We will do everything to win again in the next match, he added.
Throughout the whole match we tried to attack our opponent. The Latvian team was actually limited to counter-attacks only. We still had a few chances that could have ended in scoring a goal. Nicola Zalewski had the best opportunity but lacked the finish. In football, however, it is difficult to play the whole match in the same way, at the same pace. There are different stages. We also tried playing in different set-ups, substitutes made an appearance. I congratulate the debutants and the whole team on their victory, said the national team manager.
It's difficult to say how many players from today's match can play in the play-offs, because I can't predict the future. We don't know who will be fit and in good condition. Football is a very unstable sport. We have a wide group of players that we will observe, emphasised Michał Probierz.
Regarding the upcoming play-offs, I notice that we often have a pessimistic attitude, we don't see the positives. I watched the match between Ukraine and Italy, but I didn't get too excited about it because the result was not up to us. Now we know that we will play the first match against Estonia at home. We will do everything to win this game. We are aware of the type of team they are. We have four months to prepare, and if we win, we will focus on the next task. I believe we will be up it, concluded the Polish national team manager.
