Aston Villa’s Jan Bednarek has been included in Poland’s squad for the 2022 World Cup.
The centre-back joined the Villans on a loan deal from Southampton in the last transfer window.
This decision hasn’t paid off for the 26-year-old as he has been restricted to 90 minutes of action from two Premier League matches with Aston Villa.
Bednarek’s lack of playing time at Aston Villa has had no impact on the Poland manager, Czesław Michniewicz, deciding to include the defender in his squad for the World Cup.
Poland’s best record in the FIFA tournament came in 1974 and 1982, when they finished third in both editions. Antoni Piechniczek was the national team manager during the 1982 World Cup.
Piechniczek has been critical of Michniewicz for including the Aston Villa central defender and Benevento’s Kamil Glik for the upcoming tournament. He is of the belief both Bednarek and the Serie B man have not done enough with their clubs to represent Poland in Qatar.
“Playing zonal is like a socialist economy: ‘I am not responsible for anything’. Everyone is looking at each other, no one intervenes!
“Please look at the Champions League matches, the leaders of the English, Italian, French and Spanish leagues. All clubs are looking for defender with great physical conditions and, above all, fast ones.
“The first thing I taught defenders was the ability to win duels. After that, they were so prepared in terms of fitness, physical and tactics, but also with wisdom, fight and heart, that they did not let themselves be made fun of and won eight/nine out of 10 duals.”
Now it’s down to Bednarek to prove his critics wrong.
