Some players are absolutely loved by their countries, and then others can’t earn love, like Mateusz Klich.
The Leeds United man made his Poland debut back in 2011 and has since racked up 20 appearances for his country in the intervening years, scoring twice.
He’s yet to head to a tournament with Poland but has featured in UEFA Euro Qualifying, World Cup Qualification and the Nations League.
In fact, he’s started all five of their qualification games for the European Championships since March.
He’s a key player in the squad but is not well-liked in his homeland, something we’ve covered on several occasions in the past.
That dislike was back this week following a 2-0 defeat to Slovenia, in which he played 70 minutes and failed to make much of an impact.
He would have hoped his performance had gone unnoticed, but that was not the case, with Klich once more receiving plenty of criticism from his nation’s journalists.
Dariusz Dziekanowsk writes in Przeglad Sportowy writes Klich was “once again a passive participant” and his presence “only makes sense if he plays to one hundred per cent of his abilities”, which feels like a roundabout way of saying he thinks Klich isn’t very good.
He adds the Leeds man goes out on to the field “as if playing for his homeland is a punishment”, which in fairness it is if he knows a bad performance will earn him this kind of response.
Dariusz Szpakowski and Mateusz Borek of Onet Sport were equally unimpressed by Klich, with the latter simply questioning his ability outright.
“It seems to me that with each subsequent performance for the national team, he records a slight downward movement. He lacks a defined role on the pitch,” Szpakowski commented.
“He is not a bad footballer,” added Borek.
“However, remember that with Leeds we watch him competing with Brentford or Hull. In a moment you will have to compete with (David) Alaba and players who play at a much higher level.
“I remember Mateusz in the Bundesliga. He tried twice and failed to break through there.”
