[Prewitt]

The squad is almost known!

Here are 24 players, of which just one won't go to Asia:

Goalkeepers: Dudek (Liverpool), Majdan (Izmir), Matysek (Radomsko)

Defenders: Michal Zewlakow (Excelsior), Kozminski (Ancona), Waldoch (Schalke), Zielinski (Legia), Jacek Bak (Lens), Hajto (Schalke), Klos (Kaiserlsautern), Glowacki (Wisla)

Midfielders: Rzasa (Feyenoord), Krzynowek (Nuernberg), Kaluzny (Cottbus), Arkadiusz Bak (Widzew), Swierczerwski (Marsylia), Karwan (Legia), Murawski (Legia), Sibik (Odra)
Strikers: Olisadebe (Panathinaikos), Kryszalowicz (Eintracht), Zurawski (Wisla), Marcin Zewlakow (Excelsior), Kucharski (Legia)

A lot of surprises... Iwan out! Murawski, Kucharski and Sibik in!

 

[Prewitt]

And there are 5 players who must be ready to join the squad if neccessary:

Kowalewski, Kaczorowski, Dawidowski, Smolarek, Wichniarek

I guess Smolarek will be in if he happens to be fit.

 

[Smoga]

A shocker

I am shocked at seeing Sibik and Kucharski; I anticipated that Murawski would be chosen, as Engel seems to like him, but, when we are talking about personal favorites, why Murawski and not, say, Zdebel?. Iwan of course is the most notable absence, as well as lack any mention of Juskowiak, even in the five man "reserves". I agree with Prewitt, that if Smolarek is healthy he will go, probably replacing Sibik. I am surprised that Klos is in; I thought that when Engel threatened not to take some players who played in the qualifiers and in the friendlies, that it was Klos whom he was referring to, but its obvious now that it was Iwan.

I think that it's a good move by Engel, to name 24 players plus 5 reserves. This way no one is really sure of their place on the plane, and the coach can start working on the tactics concentrating on the team that he will actually take with him.
Good job.

 

[daddy_4_eyes]

I'm surprised at the amount of locally based players Engel chose, I always thought he wasn't too fond of the Polish league in terms of International call-ups.

I suppose it shows how little depth the polish NT has, when players who wouldn't get a spot on the bench at clubs in the better European leagues, yet are going to the WC. Compare our team to that of Italy, England, Argentina, Spain, etc and you quickly realise that Dudek would be the only Polish player who would make it onto those teams WC squads (though Italy has Toldo, Buffon, Abiatti, etc so Dudek might not even have made it there).

Poland has a long way to go before they are considered strong, and at the moment would be in the 2nd tier of teams in europe (teams that play-off for a WC spot, rather than win their group).

 

[Barlinek]

But the one thing everyone fails to mention is team play. Romania had by far the better talent, but Slovenia had the will. Talent will only get you so far.

You can take an average player, and with his heart he equals the effectiveness of a player with more skill.