DOHA, Dec. 3 (dpa/EP) –
The Poland coach, Czeslaw Michniewicz, has assured that he has not yet found “any weak point” in the France team, which they will face this Sunday in the round of 16 of the World Cup in Qatar, and has responded to criticism for his defensive approach stating that those who have not defended well in the group stage “are already at home watching the World Cup on television”.
“The teams that have not defended well are already at home and watch the World Cup matches on television. That was our strategy to get through the group stage and now we want to play in a completely different way,” he declared at a press conference.
In this sense, he insisted that defending is one of the most important facets of the game. “Football is about winning trophies, you can’t let your opponent score easily. Those who do are no longer here. We defended well and that’s why we have the chance to play against France,” he warned.
In a different vein, Michniewicz highlighted the level of Didier Deschamps’ team, current world champion. “I’ve been looking, but I haven’t found any weak points yet. We have to put pressure on them to make mistakes. We have analyzed them and focused on their style of play. They have a wonderful team, a great coach and a good mix of experienced players and young people,” he said.
In addition, he recognized that they have had difficulties in attack and that this has made it impossible for Barca striker Robert Lewandowski to find a goal easily. “We have had offensive problems. We have not been precise enough in our passes, and we have not created enough chances for Robert. We have to get the ball closer to the box,” he said.