Bizarre scenes at the Polish national team conference. “Should I hide in the corner?”

Polish football players do not have an easy life. The national team usually disappoints, and with more spectacular defeats, it is difficult to be optimistic about the future. As if that were not enough, apart from on-field events, representatives often “lean out” off the pitch, which is quickly noticed on social media.

Piotr Zieliński in response to allegations regarding a photo with Cristiano Ronaldo

And that’s exactly what happened with the captain of the national team, Piotr Zieliński, replacing the absent Robert Lewandowski. “Zielek” and Nicola Zalewski were “caught” at the moment when, after the defeat against Portugal (1:5), they asked and then took a photo with… their on-field rival, Cristiano Ronaldo.

This situation sparked a nationwide discussion. How did Zieliński react during Sunday’s press conference? Initially, without much emotion.

– It looked like this: Nicola and I walked up, asked for a photo and took one. Neither Cristiano nor us had a problem with it. So I don’t see any problem here. That’s all on this topic (…) I’m not interested in what’s happening in the media or on social media. For me, Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the best football players in the world, ever. I felt like it, I took a photo and that’s it – he noted.

The captain of the national team, asked by journalists, still did not see any problem with the whole incident. This is a reaction to the statement that after a failure, perhaps it is simply “not appropriate” to pose for a photo with a smile.

– Why isn’t it appropriate? I get it, we lost the game, but what, should I hide in the corner or what? I came up, asked, took a photo and that’s it. I felt like it, said the midfielder of the national team and Inter Milan.

The atmosphere in the squad after the beating in Porto? Looks like it’s not as bad as it seems. The mood before Monday’s clash with Scotland is combative.

– The atmosphere is good. The boys and I know that the results in Portugal were negative. We are aware of the match we are facing and everyone is tight and ready to show their quality tomorrow against Scotland and win the match. And stay in this division in the Nations League – noted Zieliński.

Can the Polish national team really afford to play against the best players like Portugal, or previously the solid Croatia, or at Euro 2024 – the Netherlands, Austria and France?

– I think we can play against the best teams. We show it at times. And to achieve positive results with them, we must use the situations we create. These matches will then look completely different. Because if you create four or five chances against Portugal, you have to open the score. I believe that we have enough quality to be able to compete with such teams – added the captain of the national team.

Michał Probierz in defense of the national team and about team unity

The coach also spoke, summarizing Sunday’s meeting with journalists. He referred to the issue of selecting the representatives who appeared at the conference. On the one hand, the quoted Zieliński, one of those “involved” in the issue of the photo with CR7, and on the other, Bułka, a goalkeeper who plays in Portugal in shorts with the number of… Łukasz Skorupski.

– In difficult moments, we are all together and we all show up. I always tell the players, take a photo if you want. Because it’s before the match, it doesn’t matter much to us or after the match. For us, the most important thing is the pitch and 90 minutes. We have failed more than once as a team, but we know what to do and how to work. That’s why I say once again, each of these people is also a human being. Very often we forget that these are also young people, they are going through life – commented Probierz, setting off a moment later for the team’s training at the PGE National Stadium.

Let us add that Łukasz Gawrjołek, the head of the national team and its team manager, also spoke at the conference. It was his mistake that resulted in Karol Świderski not being included in the match report against Portugal. The person concerned himself apologized for this mistake, guaranteeing that it would never be made again.

Additionally, Gawrjołek received words of support from coach Probierz and captain Zieliński during the conference.

UEFA Nations League: Poland – Scotland, when is the all-time match?

The national team under coach Probierz doesn’t have much time to think. On Monday (November 18), the national team will play the “to be or not to be” match in division A at the PGE National Stadium in Warsaw. The Poland-Scotland match will start at 8:45 p.m. A draw is enough for the Poles to secure a place in the play-offs to stay in the Nations League elite.

If Poland loses the match against Scotland, they will unfortunately say goodbye to the group of the best in Europe. The stakes of the match will be really high.