‘I’d be ****** off too’: New Poland manager offers Lewandowski return… and says team can be inspired by Barcelona

New Poland manager Jan Urban expects Robert Lewandowski to end his international exile and says he sympathises with the country’s record scorer over his disgruntlement with predecessor Michal Probierz.

Talisman Lewandowski announced in June that he would not play for his country because of a “loss of trust” in Probierz, telling WP SportoweFakty that the doomed coach had informed him he would no longer be captain in a brief surprise call while the Barcelona striker was putting his children to bed.

“If it was true that he had called me in the evening while I was putting the baby to sleep… I’d be ****** off too,” Urban said at his first press conference, via Przegląd Sportowy.

Probierz’s reign of less than two years ended days after the incident, with Lewandowski absent from a squad who lost 2-1 in World Cup qualifying in Finland on June 10 in the former Poland Coach of the Year’s final game in charge.

Women’s Euros Free Bets – Best Betting Sites For Sweden vs England

Robert Lewandowski: Poland boss makes Barca comparisons

Writing before Urban was offered the job, hugely followed Polish football reporter Roman Kolton said Lewandowski shared “mutual respect” with the former Legia Warsaw and Lech Poznan manager and would view his appointment as “great”.

While two-time Best Fifa Men’s Player Lewandowski remains one of the greatest strikers in modern football, Poland have exited in the group stage at two successive Euro final tournaments and won one of their four games at the 2022 World Cup, going out with a 3-1 defeat to France in the last 16.

“It’s not a matter of whether he scores or not under this manager,” said Urban. “He’s always scored. If you create chances for him, he’ll take them.

“Everything is connected; the team is functioning, there are opportunities, and Robert feels great when [that happens].

“After joining from Bayern, he was the top scorer in his first season at Barcelona [in 2022/23], but his second was a downer because the whole team played worse.

“What does that mean? We have to create as many chances as possible. Of course we won’t create as many as Barcelona, but let’s create them for him.

“We know that if the team helps, Robert will score more goals — there’s no doubt about it.”

The Open Free Bets – Get £50 In Free Bets When You Stake £10 With Betfred

What did Lewandowski say about Poland?

“I have decided to resign from playing for [Poland] while [Probierz] is coach,” Lewandowski said in his public announcement.

“I hope I will be able to play for the best fans in the world again.”

Lewandowski told the outlet he had not had time to tell his family about Probierz’s decision to give the armband to Piotr Zielinski after their call because the news was released minutes later on the Polish Football Association’s website.

“I haven’t been captain for a year or two,” he reflected. “I’ve worn the armband for 11 years and I’ve been playing for the national team for 17.

“I felt like these things should be handled differently… we’re [approaching] an important match and everything was communicated over the phone.

“This really shouldn’t be the case. The manager betrayed my trust. It’s not like I’m suddenly offended by the national team. I’ve always given them everything.

“At the same time, I’m very hurt by what happened. It’s not just about taking away my armband, but about how it was communicated to me.”

Why was Lewandowski removed as Poland captain?

Probierz had made the change after seeing his star player say he needed a rest during a TV appearance, Lewandowski claimed.

“The decision not to attend training camp was made jointly with the coach,” he said. “Before [Barcelona’s] last league match against Athletic Bilbao [on May 25], I called the manager.

“I wanted to talk to him and ask him what he thought about me getting some rest. He said he supported it and even considered calling me about it.

“However, I had planned to be in Chorzow [for Poland’s win over Moldova on June 6] to surprise [retiring teammate] Kamil Grosicki. Only coach Probierz knew about this. Despite this, everything leaked to the media.”

Will Lewandowski captain Poland again?

Lewandowski’s remarks suggest he will return for Poland but Urban did not confirm who his skipper will be. “This is an issue that needs to be resolved,” acknowledged the 63-year-old.

“I definitely want to talk to one, two or three players to get their opinion on the matter. But I first have to hear from those involved, what they think about it, how it happened, what happened and why.

“If any talks are to take place, they won’t happen during the first training camp [in September]. I have to do it in advance, which means I have to meet with them in different places, and then we’ll make the appropriate decision.

“There are situations where there are three or four leaders at a similar level. The team knows that too. Then there’s no problem for the team to decide who will be captain.

“However, if you see someone who is truly such a leader or has such an advantage, the coach decides. He says, ‘This guy is the captain and that’s it.'”

Grosicki, who has 95 caps and is 37, could return. “I’ve heard he’s ready to play,” said Urban, calling the winger “the best player” in the Polish top flight last season with Pogon Szczecin.

“I don’t know why he wanted to leave the national team so soon. It’s not an easy situation. I wouldn’t hesitate to say, ‘Kamil, are you ready?'”

“If a player doesn’t deserve it, he won’t go. Sometimes I prefer to have 20 [players] than to take others [temporarily]. Maybe the situation will force me to choose someone not obvious.”

Robert Lewandowski Poland stats: Will he retire?

With 85 goals in 158 internationals, Lewandowski is the third-highest men’s international scorer in Europe behind Portugal’s Cristiano Ronaldo (138) and Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku (89).

“We are not ready for the national team to function without Robert,” PFA vice president Adam Kazmierczak told journalist Janusz Basalaj earlier this month.

“Will it be a matter of one, two, three years? It’s hard to say. It could end after six months, because I assume that failing to qualify – touch wood – for the World Cup could mean that Robert Lewandowski will no longer have the motivation to represent Poland.”

Poland World Cup qualifying fixtures

Poland have played three matches in Group K, winning their easiest-looking fixtures of the campaign at home to Lithuania and Malta.

They are a point behind leaders Finland with a game in hand and level on points with the Netherlands, who have only played twice.

Lewandowski’s involvement looks potentially crucial for their trip to Rotterdam on September 4 and home game against Finland three days later (both 19:45 BST).

The group winners will advance automatically and the runners-up will enter play-offs to reach the finals, which begin on June 11, 2026 and will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.

Adblock test (Why?)