Eloquent attitude of Fernando Santos. We did not receive such pictures with Lewandowski

Santos became the new coach of the Polish national team on January 24. The Portuguese replaced Czesław Michniewicz in this position. He is an experienced coach, European champion with Portugal (2016) and Nations League winner (2019).

First the team, then the players

Before Santos took over the Portuguese national team, he worked as the coach of Greece. He can get the best out of every player. He is like a father to the team. In terms of tactics, it can take any system. He is an honest coach, he believes that the team counts first, and then the players – says Greek sports journalist Pavlos Sachtouris to Sport.pl.

The Portuguese asked at the first press conference in Warsaw about Lewandowski said: – I want the talent of the players to serve the team and this cannot be limited. We must use all talents. Although different players have different weight for the team and this also needs to be used so that they all make a team. The only stars I know are in the sky. I’ve never seen just one star in the sky. It always has to be a star team.

This management method seems consistent with the information – or rather the lack of it – about the conversation between Santos and Lewandowski. Perhaps the selector has already contacted the striker, but not in the way Paulo Sousa or Czesław Michniewicz did. Those just after the nomination went to visit Lewandowski, and in social media we could see commemorative photos from these formal or less formal meetings. The lack of analogous pictures with Santos is telling.

– Such expeditions immediately put the coach in an awkward position, and the coach must be an absolute dictator. Of course, he has to listen to great advisers, but he makes the decision alone – said coach Jacek Gmoch in “Prawda Futbolu”, explaining why, in his opinion, Santos will not visit Robert Lewandowski in the near future.

Who would Lewandowski choose and who would not?

Lewandowski has been the captain of the team since 2014. The successive presidents of the PZPN – first Zbigniew Boniek, and then Cezary Kulesza – did not hide that they take into account the opinion of the Barcelona striker. However, it is the authorities that have the final say in the most important matters. In an interview with Sport.pl, Robert Lewandowski’s former communication director, Monika Bondarowicz, said: – The selector is chosen by the president of the PZPN, not the captain. If the captain chose them, I think that several selectors would not hold their functions.

And would any of the selectors employed during Lewandowski’s time in the team get a job if the captain decided about it?

Lewandowski did not avoid criticism

We remember the poor relationship between Robert Lewandowski and Jerzy Brzczek (the famous eight seconds of silence of the footballer after the match between Italy and Poland in the League of Nations). During the times of Paulo Sousa, Lewandowski, for reasons still unexplained, did not play in the match against Hungary, important from the point of view of the play-offs for the 2022 World Cup. According to the media, Lewandowski’s cooperation with Czesław Michniewicz also did not go well.

– Robert really appreciated working with Adam Nawałka. We all hoped that he would take the place of the selector again before the World Cup – but it did not happen – Bondarowicz revealed to us

Recently, Jerzy BrzÄ™czek said in an interview for the Matchyki.pl portal: – Robert is a great striker, but after the games, when the result is negative, everyone is waiting for what the captain will say. And that often determines what the narrative is in the media. Robert is a player who is not always balanced in such moments. And being the captain, he does not convey everything in the right way.

Bondarowicz defended Lewandowski with the words: – As a captain, he has a natural right to express his opinion. The level of playing and leading the team has always been of great importance to him, and when he was disappointed, this was how he communicated. Had he not done so, he would certainly have been accused of it. No one should expect him to be a diplomat.

Lewandowski made his debut in the national team in 2008 under Leo Beenhakker. Four years later, he criticized the then coach Franciszek Smuda for the first time, just after the unsuccessful Euro 2012. – We didn’t know what to do after receiving. Everything was based on individual actions. When the rival closed the wings, we had no idea how to play the action in the middle. Because we haven’t practiced it,” he explains.

In recent years, our best player has spoken critically about the style of play of the national team – also after the last World Cup in Qatar. Asked if he will play at the world championships in four years in the USA, Mexico and Canada, he replied: – It’s a long way. When we attack, it’s different, but when we play very defensively, there is no joy.

What will be the relationship between Lewandowski and Santos?

The question is, what will Lewandowski’s relationship with Santos look like against this background? On the one hand, the Portuguese beats Brzczek, Fornalik, Michniewicz or Sousa in terms of CV. On the other hand, he is considered an extremely pragmatic coach.

Portuguese commentators emphasized in an interview with Sport.pl that Santos did not use the full potential of the Portuguese national team, focusing primarily on defense. “He’s mostly worried about the result, and he prioritizes defense,” we heard.

Similarly, the tenure of Fernando Santos (2010-2014) is remembered by the Greeks. “He’s the type of coach whose teams haven’t played very attractively, but he knows how to consistently deliver,” said Konstantinos Lianos, who works in London for The Sun newspaper.