Stylish Poles look to make their mark
GROUP LEADERS: Lewandowski, Krychowiak expected to lead the way in clash against favourite Germany
In the noon contest Thursday, Poland takes on powerful neighbours Germany in a clash of the two Group C leaders.
Germany is the favourite, but Poland is a very solid squad. The team is looking to make amends for a bitterly disappointing Euro 2012 campaign in which they finished last in their group despite co-hosting the tournament.
It doesn’t look as if the Poles will finish last this time, having knocked off a clearly outmatched Northern Ireland team 1-0 Sunday.
The Irish didn’t even get a touch of the ball inside the Polish end in the first half. With three points already under their belts, and a very winnable game to come against Ukraine, Poland is under no great pressure against the world champions. Any kind of result against the Germans would put them in great shape.
The key man for Poland is striker Robert Lewandowski, who led all players in qualifying with 13 goals.
In a tournament that seems lacking in world-class centre forwards, Lewandowski is a notable exception. He will be looking to lead the way for Poland against a German side that features a number of his Bayern Munich teammates. Chief among them is goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, who was outstanding in Germany’s 2-0 win over Ukraine.
Northern Ireland did a good job shutting down Lewandowski, but that created space for his striking partner, 22-year-old Ajax star Arkadiusz Milik, who netted the game’s only goal. Milik has good movement off the ball and can both score and set up goals.
Another key figure on this Poland team is stylish holding midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak. (You’d probably hear his name more often if people weren’t so unsure how to pronounce it!) Krychowiak plays for Spanish side Sevilla and is known for his ability to read the game, win the ball and spray passes about intelligently.
After winning its opening match, Germany is in good position, but I’m sure coach Joachim Löw is not resting on his laurels and will be looking to improve. Against Ukraine, Germany was guilty of overplaying, so Löw may opt for a more direct style by putting in big centre forward Mario Gomez.
Another talking point in the game Wednesday could be veteran German attacker Lukas Podolski, who was born in Poland and scored twice in a 2-0 German win over his homeland at Euro 2008. Podolski, however, failed to impress during qualifying and is unlikely to start this game.