Poland – Ukraine. Notorious problems during the Red and White matches

• The Polish national team defeated Ukraine 2-0 on Wednesday, but the problems with the pitch at the next stadium cast a shadow on the victory
• The selectors Jerzy Brzęczek and Andrij Szewczenko unanimously complained about the condition of the surface
• A month ago, the turf in Gdańsk was criticized by the coach of the Italian national team, Roberto Mancini
• Problems with the proper preparation of the pitch affect other arenas. In this field, we note setback in the national team
• More such stories can be found on the Onet.pl home page

Criticism of the selectors

Despite the defeat with the Poles, Andriy Shevchenko was satisfied with the attitude of his team. Andriy Lunin’s catastrophic mistake that resulted in a conceded goal? – He is a young, talented goalkeeper, and we all make mistakes – said the Ukrainian coach. Lost penalty of Andriy Yarmolenko? – It did not stop us, we had many situations after that – replied the coach of the rivals from behind.

Only in one case, during a press conference, was it possible to notice a grimace on Shevchenko’s face. When asked about the condition of the turf at the Silesian Stadium, he no longer played diplomacy. – It was hard for us to play on this pitch, because it was not of the best quality – said the striker, famous years ago.

Jerzy Brzęczek followed in his footsteps. – I agree with what Shevchenko said about the condition of the turf – noted the coach of the Poles, then went a step further. – It is a constantly repeating history, unfortunately the surfaces of the playing fields are not optimal in our country. I hope that at some point the companies responsible for the quality of the turf will prepare it in the right way.

The Polish coach knows what he is saying, after all, his term in office is marked by constant problems with the surface at subsequent stadiums. Just a month ago, Roberto Mancini was upset about the pitch in Gdańsk. – In the first part it was on a better level, in the second there were many holes, which made the game very difficult for us – assessed the coach of the Italian national team.

Unlucky National

Shevchenko and Mancini could have reacted even more sharply if they visited the National Stadium with their teams. Hundreds of thousands of signs have been written about the problems with the surface there, and many mocking memes have been created.

After the match with Slovenia in the qualifying round of the European Championship, Wojciech Szczęsny eloquently commented on the condition of the pitch at the National Stadium. – It wasn’t a ball, it was figure skating. You can’t play something like that. For two or three games it was funny, but you can’t play football here.

– The only thing missing was a rake and a spatula, echoed Grzegorz Krychowiak.

– Since I have been playing in the national team, it was the worst pitch – assessed Piotr Zieliński. The players were so irritated that they complained to Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki when he visited them in the dressing room after the match against Slovenia. No one then probably thought that a soap opera with a bad pitch in the lead role would last so long.

It was supposed to be different

In 2020, before leaving for the European Championships, the White-Reds were to play only with Russia at the National Stadium. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the tournament was canceled, as well as all matches of the national teams in the first half of this year.

For a moment it might seem that the topic of the compromising state of the turf during the clashes between the teams was closed. However, the problem came back like a boomerang, and the most curious thing about it is that it was supposed to be in Chorzów without a mishap. – I would love to play at the Silesian Stadium to play on a normal pitch – said the Polish goalkeeper a year ago.

Meanwhile, the old sins returned on the legendary site. – Fortunately, no one was injured – Brzęczek ended his speech after the match with Ukraine. People from the Polish Football Association explained in the past that it is not them who are responsible for the state of the grass, but external companies. Of course they are right. It’s just that the months go by and the problem still exists. And it is not known how to solve it.

Which time after the match of the Polish national team are the coaches happy that their players have not been injured on the terrible pitch? Maybe if there was an injury, the problem would finally be taken seriously. Meanwhile, he will probably end up harsh words and spreading his hands again.

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