The Nations League group stage match between Croatia and Poland will begin today at 20:45. In the case of the White and Reds, there is a lot of talk about the defensive line setup. One of the candidates to start a “new beginning” in the defensive ranks is Sebastian Walukiewicz.
A well-deserved transfer
Last season he was undoubtedly the main centre-back in the Empoli team. Finally he managed to rebuild and stabilize. At the Serie A level he appeared in as many as 27 matches, which is why he started to be sought after by bigger football brands from the Apennine Peninsula. Specifically, Piedmontese Torino, which paid around five million euros for Walukiewicz. So far he has not managed to settle into the team led by Paolo Vanoli, because before the international break only He came on at the end of the 2-1 win over Venezia.
It can be jokingly said that after Wojciech Szczęsny ended his career, the balance of Poles in Turin is still correct. The goalkeeper played in another team from the capital of Lombardy – Juventus. There is no need to worry about Walukiewicz’s acclimatization in the Torino team. Another player from Poland also plays for “Toro” on a daily basis, namely Karol Linetty, who is somewhat forgotten in the national team. The most famous Pole from Torino was of course Kamil Glik in the past, who even played as captain and read out the names of those who died in the plane crash on the Superga hill on May 4, 1949.
Sebastian Wiktor Walukiewicz
April 5, 2000, Gorzów Wielkopolski
Defender, Torino Football Club pic.twitter.com/qr1tsUrJQU— Torino Football Club (@TorinoFC_1906) August 30, 2024
Walukiewicz gave the impulse?
After the match between the Polish national team and Scotland, there was a lot of talk about – and this must be admitted honestly – the poor form of our defenders. Jakub Kiwior took the brunt of it, as he played one of the worst matches of his senior national team career at Hampden. The Arsenal defender left the pitch after the break, replaced by Walukiewicz. Paweł Dawidowicz, whose turnovers at Billy Gilmour’s goal went viral, also failed to impress.
Sebastian Walukiewicz is collecting a lot of good words after yesterday’s performance.
Me seeing these opinions: pic.twitter.com/bf28zzpmSn
— Tomek Hatta (@Fyordinang) September 6, 2024
The Torino player made a few mistakes (he also messed up on one of the goals conceded), but in the final analysis he looked much better than the aforementioned Kiwior. Just before Gilmour’s goal – in the same action – it was Walukiewicz who saved us from conceding an earlier goal, when Ryan Christie was already lurking at the far post to hit the ball into the “empty box”. Unfortunately, however, this intervention by the defender is not mentioned, because a few seconds later we conceded a goal anyway. In the text about the post-match assessments of the Polish national team, we wrote the following about Walukiewicz:
He replaced Kiwior, so he had an easier task at the start – he stepped into the shoes of an absolute “flop”. He played rather confidently in defense, and in addition to that, at the beginning of the second half he also tried to make offensive moves.
And it was these offensive, uncomplicated journeys that stuck in the fans’ memories the most. They were particularly visible at the beginning of the second half and they could definitely be liked. On the other hand, let’s remember that the defender’s basic task is to defend access to his own goal, and Walukiewicz did not do this very well – after all, during his time on the pitch, the White and Reds conceded two goals. The defender lost possession 11 times and won only two out of four duels.
Or maybe a third option?
In addition to Kiwior and Walukiewicz, it is worth mentioning a possible third option that Michał Probierz may use in the match against the Croatians. More precisely, it is about betting on Kamil Piątkowski, who did not get a chance in Glasgow. The fact that the Nations League is conducive to all kinds of tests – both those related to tactics and personalities – speaks in favor of this turn of events. Piątkowski is currently the main player of the Austrian Red Bull Salzburg and definitely deserves minutes during this training camp.
Kamil Piatkowski. 🇵🇱🛡️ pic.twitter.com/fDHqOXUYJz
— FC Red Bull Salzburg (@RedBullSalzburg) August 24, 2024
What did Michał Probierz wake up to today? We’ll find out soon enough. The Croatia-Poland clash starts at 20:45. The match report and Poles’ ratings will be available on Futbol News right after the match..
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