Poland's Urban targets Lewandowski return as World Cup qualifiers loom
Urban was named on Wednesday to replace Michal Probierz, who resigned in June following a row over his decision to replace Lewandowski as captain.
Poland sit third in their World Cup qualifying group behind Finland and the Netherlands and the Barcelona forward is widely seen as vital to their hopes of reaching next year's tournament.
"I'll do everything... so that Robert comes back, because we know what situation Polish football is in," Urban told reporters on Thursday.
Lewandowski, 36, is Poland's all-time top scorer with 85 goals in 158 appearances.
"As of today, we can't afford not to have Robert in this team," the new manager added.
Urban acknowledged the challenges faced by Poland, following a 2-1 loss to Finland in June and amid uncertainty surrounding Lewandowski's role.
"Above all, we're talking about this difficult moment not because of the defeat to Finland. We have several problems to solve, including the matter of Robert Lewandowski's resignation," Urban said.
"All of this needs to be properly sorted out to build a good atmosphere for this team to function.
"We're aiming for a situation where every player wants to come to the national team and feels good being part of it."
Poland's next World Cup qualifier is against the Netherlands away on September 4 before they host Finland three days later.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Ex-New York Giants player retires from the NFL four years after being drafted
Defensive end Elerson Smith has announced his retirement from the NFL four years after being drafted by the Giants. Smith, a fourth-round pick by New York in 2021, began his career with Big Blue as he appeared in 13 games for the franchise over two seasons. He was waived by the team in July 2023 before spending time with the Jets and Raiders, though he didn't play in the regular season for either of them. The former Northern Iowa player was a practice squad player for the Jets in 2023 before moving to the Raiders in the same capacity and playing for them in the following preseason. He was released by Las Vegas last August before being scooped up by the Browns and playing two games for the team last year. And despite signing a fresh one-year, $1million deal with the Browns in January (per Spotrac), he announced on Sunday that he was hanging up his cleats ahead of training camp beginning this week. 'What this game has given to me cannot be measured. So many of the best relationships in my life are connected to this sport. It allowed me to be a part of so many great teams and organizations,' he wrote on Instagram. 'It's put me in rooms with some of the most dedicated individuals I've ever met. It gave me space to push the limits of what I thought I was capable of. Though I never reached all of my goals, I am happy walking away from the game. The chase of greatness was intoxicating. It will be truly missed.' Smith went on to say that he was 'fortunate enough to have played this game as long as I wanted.' 'That would not have been possible without the work my family, teammates, and coaches put into helping me achieve my dreams,' he concluded. In 15 career regular season games, Smith totaled 13 combined tackles and one forced fumble. He finished his career with $2.348million in earnings.
Daily Mail
15 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
David Beckham attempts to fix unmissable bald patch on his head after DIY buzz-cut goes horribly wrong
attempted to fix his bald patch on his head after doing his own DIY buzz-cut on Sunday. The football legend, 50, who is famous for changing up his hairstyles, was visibly fuming after almost scalping himself while using a pair of clippers to cut his own hair. David decided to ditch his conventional short-beck-and-sides in favour of the shaved look he famously debuted at the height of his footballing glory in 2000. And as he chopped his own locks, the head fell from his clippers mid-shave - leaving him with a glaring bald patch on the top of his head. Now, David has shared a new selfie showing off an even shorter buzz cut as he tried to cover up the blunder. He wrote: 'UPDATE The best I can do with the situation. @victoriabeckham still awful???' Earlier in the day, the father-of-four was given little sympathy from wife Victoria, who appeared to revel in her husband's misfortune by sharing a video of his uneven buzz-cut with Instagram followers. 'It does not look good,' she admits as a crestfallen Beckham reluctantly shows her the bald patch. 'I'm going to always be honest with you - it looks terrible.' However after David showed off his new look, Victoria added: 'I'm into it!!!' Beckham has opted for the buzz-cut on numerous occasions since debuting the look during a Premier League match against Leicester City more than 20-years ago. During a recent interview with former teammate and best friend Gary Neville for the Overlap podcast, the retired footballer even admitted it was his favourite hairstyle. 'I always like the skinhead,' he said. 'I always loved the skinhead, because it was easy and you didn't have to do anything with it.' Ahead of his milestone 50th birthday in May, Beckham launched a new fundraising appeal for UNICEF's work to support vulnerable children. The former footballer has worked with UNICEF for 20 years as a Goodwill Ambassador – a role that has seen him raise awareness on issues such as education, health, immunization, and protection. The new appeal will help to improve the lives of girls and adolescent girls globally who are impacted by child marriage, female genital mutilation, violence and abuse. In a video posted to his Instagram as the appeal launched, Beckham said: 'We are witnessing a global funding crisis where the most vulnerable children are suffering the most and urgently need our help. Please support my birthday fundraiser. 'Next month, I turn 50. It's a major milestone that has made me think about the opportunities I've had and the experiences that have shaped me. In a video posted to his Instagram as the appeal launched, Beckham said: 'We are witnessing a global funding crisis where the most vulnerable children are suffering the most and urgently need our help. Please support my birthday fundraiser. 'As I look back, some of the moments that have had the most impact on me have come through my work with @UNICEF. As a father of four amazing children, I know how lucky my family is to be safe and have access to education and healthcare. 'I've met children living in the toughest situations all over the world and I've seen what can happen when they are given the support they need to take control of their lives. 'Today, 25 years since my first visit to a women's centre in Thailand, the world is a very difficult place for children - especially girls. 'That's why I'm launching a fundraising appeal for my birthday. I want the children who need us to believe that their voice will be heard. 'So if you, like me, believe that every child should have the chance to achieve their full potential, please click the link in my bio to donate. Whatever you can give will make a difference to children's lives. 'Every child deserves the chance to dream. Together, we can help to make those dreams a reality. Thank you @UNICEF. #ForEveryChild.'
The Guardian
16 minutes ago
- The Guardian
In the crazed transfer trolley dash, the next glossy off-the-shelf solution is all the rage
The transfer window at this stage is essentially fan fiction. What if Dr Frankenstein had turned up at Pemberley and conducted a waspish romance with Elizabeth Bennet? What if Akela was not just a wolf but a werewolf? What if famous and attractive Tennis Player X were having a fling with famous and attractive Tennis Player Y? And what if Arsenal actually signed a centre-forward? There hasn't yet been time for reality to intervene. It's like the day after the World Cup draw when everything exists in a realm of pure perfection and you can imagine the platonic ideal of each country facing off, unsullied by form, injury or disputes over bonuses. Club A needs a left-winger who can cut in on to his right foot, contributing six-to-eight goals a season and opening space for the overlapping full-back. Player B is a left-winger who can cut infield, and therefore this must work, earning Club A imaginary points to contribute towards that absurd modern notion: winning the window. The truth is that football teams are almost infinitely complex organisms, minute imbalances or frictions potentially having enormous consequences elsewhere. And players are human. Sometimes they struggle to deal with change: new teammates, a new manager, a new environment. No transfer is ever without at least some risk; nothing is ever guaranteed. Still, the early moves in the market are revealing, if not necessarily for what they may mean for how the title contenders may play next season, then at least for what they say about the state of those clubs and their perceived priorities. Getting your transfer business done early is one of the supposed markers of a decisive side that knows its own mind, which is good news for the four teams likely to be Premier League contenders – and rather less good news for Manchester United, who have moved to sign Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo, while struggling to offload any of the half dozen players who are surplus to requirements. The best time to build, the ancient wisdom has it, is from a position of strength, and Liverpool have done that, bringing in a pair of full-backs and Florian Wirtz at a total cost of around £165m. With Trent Alexander-Arnold gone and Andy Robertson now 31, the acquisitions of Jeremie Frimpong and Milos Kerkez are straightforward enough replacements and suggest the policy of attacking full-backs will remain. Wirtz is a more complicated case, in part because of his versatility. He could operate as a false 9, or on either flank, but the likelihood is he will be used as a central attacking midfielder as part of a shift to more of a 4-2-3-1 shape than the hybrid 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 Liverpool tended to use last season. That would mean either Dominik Szoboszlai plays less or that he is used deeper at times to add creativity against opponents who sit in a low block. Given Arne Slot's lack of faith in Darwin Núñez, a move for a centre-forward was always likely. Exactly what game of bluff and counter-bluff – if any – was being played around Alexander Isak remains unclear but Hugo Ekitike is now the prime target, a mobile goalscorer who should improve Liverpool's options playing in transition even if concerns remain about his effectiveness when he doesn't have space to run into. While there has been interest in Luis Díaz from Bayern, Liverpool's position on profitability and sustainability rules (PSR) is healthy enough that there is no need to sell the Colombian. Perming three or four from Mohamed Salah, Cody Gakpo, Harvey Elliott, Wirtz, Díaz and Isak or Ekitike marks a significant upgrade on last season. For Arsenal, after becoming the fifth club to finish as runners-up three years running, there is a sense of urgency. If not now, then when? How many more chances will this side have before the rump needs refreshing? That perhaps explains their targets. Christian Nørgaard is not especially eye-catching but adds useful defensive depth. Martín Zubimendi should have the tactical intelligence to protect the back four and so release Declan Rice. There will be those who doubt whether Noni Madueke is worth £48.5m, but a winger who can play on either flank makes sense to ease the burden on Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli. Sign up to Football Daily Kick off your evenings with the Guardian's take on the world of football after newsletter promotion The glaring necessity, then, is for a centre-forward, albeit one who shares the responsibility with Kai Havertz, although he may end up dropping deeper at times to relieve Martin Ødegaard. Benjamin Sesko had been the long-term target before Arsenal turned their attention to the older and slightly cheaper Viktor Gyökeres. Given Arsenal almost certainly do need a high-class centre-forward, saving £10m-£15m for a player five years older about whom doubts remain about his capacity to get shots away in tight spaces seems a questionable economy. Manchester City's transition continues apace, with the arrival of Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Aït-Nouri to go with the four players they signed in January. All played some role in the Club World Cup. City's 4-3 defeat by Al-Hilal in the last 16 does not augur well, but it's far from clear yet how reliable a guide the tournament will prove. After all, Chelsea, fourth in the Premier League, won the thing by hammering Paris Saint-Germain, who beat three English sides on their way to the Champions League last season. Have Enzo Maresca's side really improved so much? João Pedro looks an immediate upgrade on Nicolas Jackson at centre-forward while Jamie Gittens should be a useful addition on the left. Although a functioning team does seem belatedly to have emerged from the churn, it's the sheer traffic through Stamford Bridge that is most eye-catching, less the careful accumulation of ingredients than a crazed trolley dash, with a lot of wastage as Maresca assembled his dish. And that perhaps is the underlying sadness in any discussion of transfers, the way that the game is instinctively viewed through a mercantile lens. It's never about developing a player or tweaking a system, always about buying the next glossy off-the-shelf solution. Will any of it work? Who knows? But the feeling is all a little like 2016 after Leicester won the league and Southampton and West Ham finished in the top seven, when the elite went on a spree to reaffirm their status. Eventually, money always wins.
