World Cup. Arkadiusz Milik, Poland’s other attacking card

It’s not easy being in the shadow of Poland’s all-time top goalscorer Robert Lewandowski, but the White Eagles may also need goals from Arkadiusz Milik to reach their world opener against Mexico on Tuesday (5pm).

For Polish coach Czeslaw Michniewicz, who was appointed just before the crucial qualifying play-off against Sweden in January 2022 (2-0), the primary goal is clearly to put Lewandowski in the best conditions. Barcelona’s 34-year-old striker, who is both top scorer and most capped player (76 goals in 134 games), is still looking for a goal at the World Cup. In 2018, he was silent and Poland failed in the 1st round.

Round of 16 for the first time since 1986?

On paper, the Polish side look to be in with a chance of securing one of the two places in Group C, where they face Saudi Arabia and Argentina next. If they qualify, the White Eagles will advance to the round of 16 for the first time since 1986, following three first-round defeats in their three World Cup appearances (2002, 2006 and 2018). While he probably offers less mobility than attacking midfielder Sebastian Szymanski (Feyenoord), 23 years old and 18 games under his belt, “Arek“Milik (64 games, 16 goals) can contribute with his experience and undeniable feel for the goal.

Successful adaptation at Juventus

At Juventus in Turin, where he arrived on loan this summer with the option to buy Marseille as Dusan Vlahovic’s tutor, the 28-year-old Pole has made “workwith six goals in seventeen games in all competitions. In a context weighed down by Juve’s disastrous C1 run, the man who replaced Alvaro Morata was outnumbered.He is a great player who knows football, who knows how to control the ball, how to stand out… That means he is a smart player.noticed his coach Massimiliano Allegri in early October, who was not unhappy to find the quick-acting Milik, while Vlahovic no longer had the same attacking impact.

“I played in Naples for four years (2016-2020) and it helped me in my first steps here. I speak Italian well and that is an important advantage, I have no problem understanding the coachMilik recently explained to French sports daily L’Équipe. Tempted by Juve.big club“Leh had left Marseille without regret, where he thought he belonged.”well“In a season and a half in France (30 goals in 55 games), while admitting he would have”could have done better“.

With Sampaoli, I was often alone in an area marked by two defenders.

Arkadiush Milik

Milik, in particular, believes that he has found a pattern more suitable to his strength characteristics among the Bianconeri.I think it’s easier for any forward to play two (credits, editor’s note), you have more areas, more situations. It was different in Marseille. With Sampaoli, I was often alone in an area marked by two defenders“, he explained. The speech could also influence the selection the Polish coach will make before the World Cup kicks off against Mexico in an attempt to convince him he can play alongside mainstay Robert Lewandowski.

If he started the team that reached the quarter-finals of Euro 2016, “Arek“lost his place after the first game of the 2018 World Cup, losing against Senegal. And since Euro 2021, which he missed due to a knee injury, Milik has played little in the qualifiers (five in sixteen games) mainly due to physical impairments. It’s a great opportunity to get back into the selection alongside Lewandowski to restore a duo that haven’t played in a start against Andorra (4-1) for a year in November 2021.

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