Kamil is keen for an instant impact when Poland start
DERBY County’s Kamil Jozwiak is looking to make an immediate impact on the European Championships as Poland start their campaign against Slovakia in St Petersburg today (5pm).
The 23-year-old winger came off the bench for the Poles’ final warm-up match on Tuesday to win his 14th cap.
He was sent on just before the hour in a 2-2 draw against Iceland and is hoping he did enough to stay in the front of coach Paulo Sousa’s thoughts for today’s game in Russia.
This will be his first taste of a major tournament, with Poland also facing Spain (June 19) and Sweden (June 23) in Group E.
“This is the first big event before me. It’s a dream come true,” he told a press conference in the build-up to the match.
“I would like to be the driving force behind the team. I am not an experienced player but I can give a lot to the Polish national team.
“I am a player who wants to play in the starting line-up. This is my objective.”
He added: “The atmosphere is good and I hope this will translate into results.”
Jozwiak joined Derby from Polish top-flight side Lech Poznan in September 2020 for an undisclosed fee.
He made 41 appearances in the Championship in his first season with the Rams and found the back of the net once, in a 2-0 home win over Swansea City in December.
It was not a smooth-running or easy first season in English football for the young player – or for the rest of Wayne Rooney’s squad – but he believes the challenges the Rams faced will stand him in good stead.
“It was a difficult season,” he said. “I have many games in my legs, because the Championship is played almost every three days.
“The preparations for the tournament were strong, but we will be optimally prepared because we are slowly getting off the burden.”