Poland's new boss Jan Urban is determined to rectify the mistakes committed by his predecessor and vows to restore Robert Lewandowski's place in the team.
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Urban was presented as the new Poland national team head coach on Thursday at the National Stadium in Warsaw, and he was quick to put out all the fires surrounding Lewandowski's future with the White-Reds. Urban admitted that the way his predecessor, Michal Probierz, treated the all-time great was a "mistake", vowing to restore the striker's place back in the team as the captain.
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After a demanding season with Barcelona, where he netted 42 goals, Lewandowski opted out of Poland’s fixtures in June, including a crucial World Cup qualifier against Finland. The 36-year-old informed head coach Probierz that he was "mentally tired," later elaborating on social media that physical and emotional fatigue had taken its toll. In response, Probierz made the bold decision to strip Lewandowski of the armband, naming Piotr Zielinski as the captain — a move that left the veteran striker deeply hurt. In the aftermath of Probierz's decision, Lewandowski vowed not to play for the national team. However, the coach resigned following Poland's shock 2-1 loss to Finland, putting an end to the tensions revolving around Lewandowski and the Poland team.
WHAT JAN URBAN SAID
"For me, Lewandowski is a striker who, if you create a chance for him, will do his job perfectly. In my opinion, Probierz, the former manager, made a mistake by taking away the captain's armband," Urban admitted.
"Robert is a very important figure for our national team. Age? Sorry, but the numbers he's putting up are excellent, and he's doing it in the Spanish league, not in Saudi Arabia."
GettyWHAT NEXT FOR ROBERT LEWANDOWSKI?
The striker is currently doing pre-season training with his Barcelona team-mates at the Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper. He will likely return in Polish colours in September, when they take on the Netherlands and Finland in their next set of World Cup qualifying games.