– I have a special fondness for Sebastian Szymański. I count on him a lot. I know that he had a difficult period behind him, because he played great in the Russian league, and he did not receive any appointments. It is frustrating – said who on Monday – after the official conference – was.
Szymański knows Michniewicz from the times of the youth team that Michniewicz led in 2017-2020. And it is the 22-year-old midfielder who is now named in the front row for the players who will gain the most from the presence of the new coach.
But there are also other, less obvious candidates who were in Michniewicz’s team under 21, but did not make their way to the adult team of Jerzy Brzęczek and recently Paulo Sousa.
For more sports content, see also
Like even. Or maybe even first of all Wieteska. The Legia stopwatch, whom Michniewicz knows from working together in the club, and a footballer who is about to receive the most sensational call for the March play-off with Russia.
“They laugh it’s family”
The fact that Wieteska could be called up to the national team was mentioned in August, when Michniewicz was still the coach of Legia. The 24-year-old stopwatch, however, was not called up for the September matches against Albania, San Marino and England. At that time, Legia – which was still not in such a deep hole as it is now – was hoped that it would be different. It was even argued that Wieteska’s name was in the notebook of Paulo Sousa’s staff. And that, if not in September, he will be appointed to the staff in the coming months, still in 2021.
But he did not live to see it, although Michniewicz himself openly said that Wieteska should play in the national team. – There is no center-back playing so well in the system coach Sousa wants to play. Mati is a stopwatch who plays the ball well, feels the distance in a fantastic way, shortens and lengthens the playing field. It has a lot of advantages. I’ve known him for a long time. Some even laugh that it’s family. But it’s good to have a family that helps in difficult times. I believe that he is the best center-back for today when it comes to understanding the game. I am not surprised that two years ago, after the European U-21 championship in Italy, all the major Italian media mentioned him among the best center-backs, they also selected him for various eleven – just after the first match with Slavia Praga in the fourth round of el. The Europa League, when Legia with Wieteska in the squad tied 2: 2.
Later, Michniewicz was asked about Wieteska at conferences, but he answered more evasively there, explaining that it was the coach who made the decision about who he wanted in the team. Now he can make such a decision himself, because on Monday he officially announced that Michniewicz will be the new head of the team.
“I can’t promise him anything”
– First of all, I want the core of this team to be kept – said Michniewicz on Monday, revealing that the first thing he will do is fly to this week. And that in February he will also go to Szymański and to other Poles – Maciej Rybus and Grzegorz Krychowiak – who perform in Russia on a daily basis.
On Monday, Michniewicz also got a question about Wieteska. He replied evasively. He admitted that the players from the Polish league, whom Sousa had notoriously omitted during the appointments, will now be watched. And they can go to the staff. – I’m taking no one’s chances. Especially that I will want to open up to players from the league, because I know them very well. I know how the people with whom I worked in Legia presented themselves – said Michniewicz and mentioned Bartosz Slisz, Artur Jędrzejczyk and Wieteska.
Wieteska has been a basic football player of Legia for several years. Immediately after Michniewicz came to Łazienkowska, he suffered a hip contusion. But when he healed them, he played pretty much every game. And although he sometimes made unforced and costly mistakes in those matches, Michniewicz continued to bet on him. For Wieteski, he appreciated the fact that, as one of the few defenders, he is not afraid to take risks – he plays the ball more often forward than to the side. And although such a game is often profitable for the entire team in attack, in defense it sometimes magnifies mistakes – even a loss of a goal – to which Michniewicz was able to turn a blind eye in the case of Wieteska.
– I can’t promise him anything, but if Mateusz plays the way he played for me in Legia, when we won the Polish championship together and we presented ourselves well in the cups, he has a chance to be called – Michniewicz said after the Monday conference in the program.
Appointments are usually sent two weeks in advance. There is still some time left until the match against Russia, which will be played in Moscow on March 24. And the top league is coming back this weekend. But Wieteska also has something to prove, because in the fall – when Michniewicz was still a Legia coach – he completely lost his good form in the league, which he presented in the cups and in the previous season. Like the whole Legia, which lost 13 out of 18 matches in the league and is only on the penultimate place in the table.
Source: Sport
Tristin is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his in-depth and engaging writing on sports. He currently works as a writer at 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the sports industry.
