Poland vs Moldova preview: A send-off for Grosicki and a chance to bury the hatchet

Image via @LaczyNasPilka on Twitter

onight sees Kamil Grosicki’s 95th and final cap for Poland as they take on Moldova in a friendly at Station Śląski in Chorzów. 

I’ll admit to having gone slightly Grosicki-mad in the past few articles, naming him as one of the best Polish players anywhere in the world last season as well as indirectly by going on about Polish players rebuilding their careers in Turkey, of which Grosicki was arguably the first.

However this evening’s match is a deserved send-off no matter which way you look at it. Going back through the annals of Grosicki’s career you can see exactly the point at which he managed to overcome his issues with a gambling addiction and become the player so cherished in the 2010s for Poland, both in the national team and at clubs such as Rennes and Hull.

Grosicki’s return to Pogoń Szczecin has been exceptional considering many would’ve thought it was him winding down his career slowly, rejoining as he did four summers ago aged 33. It’s been anything but, and you can make a solid case for him being the Ekstraklasa’s best player.

For me the heady days of Euro 2016 evoke the strongest memories of Grosicki. Whilst not fully immersed in the fun of Polish football yet at that point in my life, it was the case that Grosicki was often more eye-catching than some of the bigger names in the Polish side. With his speed and directness, his style of wing-play was something of a throwback even a decade ago.

We knew Grosicki would be playing no further part for Poland after he announced his retirement from international football last summer, but only now that he gets a farewell match does it feel like it’s sinking in for many fans and pundits. In recent years Grosicki was little else than the furniture around the rest of the squad, but what a strong and accomplished player to have in the national team.

Turning our attention to the rest of tonight’s friendly, and you imagine that the Poland will have something of a score to settle given the way the last two ties against Moldova panned out.

The good news is that Poland are a better side than they were in those previous meetings, and in any case tonight is really about saying goodbye to Grosicki. Nevertheless, reports have been circulating as to this evening’s starting line-up.

As we already knew, Grosicki starts his farewell, as does Marcin Bułka in goal and Piotr Zieliński would have made his 100th appearance in a Poland shirt but is not fully fit suffering a calf issue and according to Tomasz Włodarczyk will not play. 

What we didn’t already know was the rest of the team, although some educated guesses may have gotten us there. I’m mildly surprised at the strength of this reported team, but I think it is better to start with a strong team and then make changes than the other way around.

Grosicki may only play the opening half hour, but in that time I fully expect to see what he has always given the national team: desire, pace and above all a stellar attitude.

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