Roman Kosecki backs Urban calls and Lewandowski role

Roman Kosecki has given a largely positive verdict on Jan Urban’s latest Poland squad for the upcoming Nations League fixtures, arguing that the national team cannot afford to move on from Robert Lewandowski and welcoming Kacper Urbański’s return.

Urban’s selections draw attention

Urban announced a 26-man squad on Friday for Poland’s next matches in the competition, with two debutants included: Wiktor Nowak and Wojciech Mońka. As is often the case with national-team selections, the list quickly prompted debate.

Among the talking points were the omissions of Łukasz Skorupski and Karol Czubak, but Kosecki did not take a strongly critical view of the coach’s decisions. The former Poland international said he had no major objections to the overall shape of the squad.

Kosecki pleased by Urbański recall

The call-up that stood out most for Kosecki was the return of Kacper Urbański. He described the midfielder as a young, creative and technically strong player who had already shown flashes at international level before dropping out of the picture.

Urbański’s return follows encouraging form after his move to Górnik Zabrze, and Kosecki made clear that he sees the recall as deserved. In his view, bringing back a player with that profile gives Poland another option capable of adding invention.

Ekstraklasa representation seen as a positive sign

Kosecki also highlighted the strong presence of Ekstraklasa-based players in the squad. He pointed to the fact that six players from Poland’s domestic league have been selected, something he suggested has not happened for some time.

• Wojciech Mońka (Lech Poznań)
• Mateusz Kochalski (Wieczysta Kraków)
• Norbert Wojtuszek (Jagiellonia Białystok)
• Przemysław Wiśniewski (Widzew Łódź)
• Karol Świderski (Widzew Łódź)
• Kacper Urbański (Górnik Zabrze)

For Kosecki, that trend matters. He argued that Poland should not turn away from the domestic league as a source of international players, especially at a time when there are signs of progress in club football. He also suggested that giving league-based players opportunities at international level could encourage others across the Ekstraklasa.

Lewandowski still central to Poland

On the more controversial omissions, Kosecki struck a measured tone. He said he would not make too much of Skorupski’s absence, and he took a similar line when discussing the attacking options available to Urban.

That is because, in Kosecki’s view, Lewandowski remains the key figure in Poland’s forward line. He was emphatic that the national team cannot afford to lose a player of Lewandowski’s standing, stressing that there is no like-for-like alternative close to his level.

Poland are due to play four Nations League matches during the upcoming camp in Division B, facing Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Romania and Bosnia and Herzegovina again. Before those games, Kosecki’s comments have added another layer to the discussion around Urban’s first major selection calls.