“We expected more” – Leeds United player seems to be Marmite for his country

Mateusz Klich goes on a rollercoaster every time he leaves Leeds United for international duty.

Some of the media talk him up and how well he’s doing in the Championship this season, praising the way the midfielder has turned his career around.

Then when it comes to analysing his performances for Poland, there’s always a very mixed response, with some feeling the Leeds player did well and others somewhat let down.

In September, there was disappointment with his performance against Italy, although he was defended by former Poland international Sławomir Chałaśkiewicz: “First of all, he had a good game. He does not always go to play spectacular balls, because it was not his role on Friday. Sometimes you have to fill gaps in the middle of the field when the defenders are lacking. Mateusz Klich did it very well.”

A few days later, Klich was a national hero after a late goal against Republic of Ireland secured a 1-1 draw.

During the next international break, and following a 3-2 defeat to Portugal, former Poland manager Tomasz Hajto took aim at the Leeds player and demanded Karol Linetti be chosen instead: “He did not break through at Wolfsburg, but when he was loaned, he rebuilt a little. He returned to Wolfsburg and gave an interview, regretting that he could not adapt to Magath’s training.

“He went to Kaiserslautern for two matches and could not make it again, he went to the Netherlands, he played a bit again, but at Zwolle. It’s such a club that if I lost five kilos, I would be able to fit in now.”

Today’s edition of Przeglad Sportowy has some criticism of Klich, who played an hour as Poland beat Latvia 2-0 on Sunday: ‘We expected more from Mateusz Klich, who plays a great season in Leeds (eight goals and seven assists). The midfielder cannot, however, translate the form from the club to the national team. Against the Latvians, Klich was active, showed up to teammates for the ball, but too rarely accelerated the game.’

To be fair to the Leeds United player, slow play appears to be a general problem with Poland and perhaps Klich’s detractors are simply expecting what can’t realistically be delivered.