Coach with support from former international. “Probierz has set the right direction”
Although the results of the Poles at Euro 2024 turned out to be a big disappointment, Michał Probierz proved that he has a plan for the development of the national team. The work of the coach was appreciated not only by Cezary Kulesza, but also by a former defender of the national team.
The Polish national team’s previous matches at the ongoing European Championships proved to be very unsuccessful. The Polish national team, encouraged by victories in friendly matches against Ukraine (3:1) and Turkey (2:1), went to Germany with the intention of causing a positive surprise. Although this did not happen, Michał Probierz sent a clear signal that he was ready to change the national team’s game. The coach’s influence on the players was appreciated not only by Cezary Kulesza, who decided to continue working with him, but also by the participant of the 2006 World Championships.
Bartosz Bosacki: Probierz’s work is heading in the right direction
During the 2006 World Cup in Germany, the national team was in a similar situation to the one they are in now. The Poles sensationally lost the opening match to the Ecuadorians (0:2), and then narrowly lost to the tournament hosts (0:1), which meant that their participation in the World Cup ended very quickly. However, in the match for honour, the Polish national team won against Costa Rica (2:0), with both goals scored by Bartosz Bosacki.
Ahead of the match against France, which will conclude Poland’s Euro 2024 campaign, the former Lech Poznań defender assessed Michał Probierz’s work to date in Interia. The coach was praised for improving the atmosphere in the team and introducing young players. Bosacki also appealed for patience with the coach.
– I don’t know the coach’s entire concept. However, looking at what has been achieved in such a short period, how the players speak and behave, this is a good direction (…) It is worth withstanding the pressure and not making changes in the team staff (…) We can take comfort from the young players who are entering the team more and more boldly. It is worth betting on them, but they need support – admitted the former defender of the Polish national team.
The best start in history
Let us recall that Michał Probierz took over the national team in September 2023, replacing the Portuguese Fernando Santos. The former Cracovia coach was hired when the team was in disarray after losses to the national teams of Moldova and Albania. Ultimately, the 51-year-old managed to stabilize the situation and advance to the European Championships after play-off victories against Estonia and Wales.
By winning against Ukraine in early June, Probierz had the best start of all the national team coaches. In total, he did not lose the first eight matches in a row and broke the record of Wojciech Łazarek. The defeats against Holland and Austria were the first under the leadership of the coach from Bytom.
At Euro 2024, the Poles will play one more match – on June 25, they will face the French in Dortmund. Then, they will return to Poland together, and in September, they will begin competing in the Nations League. The coach announced that the clash with the team led by Didier Deschamps will be the first stage of preparations for the next European competition.
