PZPN

Czesław Michniewicz on..:

...the significance of the victory against Wales:

We have two months of preparation ahead of us for the final tournament of the World Cup. We had to concentrate as much as possible in order to win in Cardiff and be able to spend this time in a better mood. It was a good match, although the Welsh took the initiative in the first few minutes but failed to take their opportunities. As time went by, I was calmer and calmer as we followed our plan consistently. We switched from three midfield playmakers to two midfield playmakers, with Jakub Kiwior securing the left side more so that Nicola Zalewski could play higher up. It took the Welsh by surprise and we took advantage of it.

... competition for a place in the World Cup squad:

This match was supposed to give us a lot of answers as to who we could count on. Instead, additional questions arose. Of the players who took part in this training camp, two will not be able to go to the World Cup, but there are still others. The players must now do everything in their power to make this choice a hard one for me. The chances of those players who do not play regularly will certainly diminish. Some will certainly be disappointed in November but that's football. We have a core team but we are not closing the door on anyone.

…Robert Lewandowski:

Recent matches have, to some extent, answered the question as to which system Robert Lewandowski functions best in. There was a lot of sporting anger in him after the match against the Netherlands, but his behaviour, both on and off the pitch, was as it should be. He gave the team a lot in the match against Wales, he scored a beautiful assist. There is no point in discussing whether Robert needs to have a second striker next to him. It's nonsense. After all, at clubs such as Bayern or Barcelona, he can play as the only striker and score hundreds of goals. We simply have to provide proper "service". The key issue is who plays alongside him and how.

…Wojciech Szczęsny:

I am happy that Wojtek is helping us a lot in key moments. That's what he did in the play-off match against Sweden and that's what he did in Cardiff. It is no coincidence that he plays for a club like Juventus FC. He is a world-class goalkeeper. He had his issues, many people hinted at making a change in our goal but we did not succumb to that pressure. Just because he occasionally misses a few matches at the club does not in any way mean that he suddenly cannot defend anymore. Wojtek is always very focused, but he also always gives a lot to the team in terms of atmosphere.