The Polish Football Association (PZPN) is still looking for a successor to Paulo Sousa, but it is already clear that the new Polish football manager will face a difficult task. He will have very little time to prepare for the play-off against Russia.
Paulo Sousa unexpectedly resigned from his job with the Polish national football team just before the play-offs deciding about participation in the World Cup in Qatar. The white-reds will play against Russia on March 24 at the Luzhniki in Moscow. In case of victory, they will face Sweden or Russia at the National Stadium, and in the meantime, it is not known who will be the new national team manager.
The PZPN is still receiving applications from candidates. Some are very interesting. President Cezary Kulesza confirmed that two legends of Italian football – world champions Andrea Pirlo and Fabio Cannavaro, among others – have expressed their desire to replace Sousa. There have also been other surprising names in the media speculation – such as Andriy Shevchenko, who recently led Ukraine and currently has a valid contract with Serie A side Genoa. Kulesza has a lot to choose from, and he will probably decide on the new selector on January 19.
Regardless of who replaces Sousa, the task ahead is very tough and there will be little time before the match against Russia. A spokesman for the Polish Football Association admitted that the new selector with some players before the clash at the Luzhniki might conduct… just one training.
“If most of our players play league games on Sunday, they will arrive at the training camp on Monday, which will practically exclude their participation in the training that day. The only usual training unit will be on Tuesday because of the departure to Moscow on Wednesday…,” Jakub Kwiatkowski tweeted.
Polish players will report to the training camp on Monday – after the league weekend, while the White-Red team will play against Sborn on Thursday. Will a few days be enough for the new selector to prepare the team for this difficult clash?