Przemysław Frankowski leaves Poland camp injured; Arkadiusz Pyrka called up

Frankowski out, Pyrka in

The Polish Football Association (PZPN) said Przemysław Frankowski will miss the matches against Romania and Sweden because of a minor muscle injury and will leave the squad. Arkadiusz Pyrka of FC St. Pauli has been called up in his place. Pyrka is 24 and has three appearances for the national team. TVP reported that Frankowski, a player for Rennes, had recently been deployed as a left-back for Poland.

“Due to a minor muscle injury, Przemysław Frankowski will not play against Romania and Sweden and will leave the camp. Arkadiusz Pyrka has been additionally called up.”

The left-back position has long been a problem for the Polish national team. Jakub Wawrzyniak once said he was filling in for a player the squad simply does not have, a remark that resurfaces in coverage of the position.

Table position and fixtures

Poland have four points after four matches in the current Nations League edition and sit third in group B4. Sweden lead the group with 10 points, and Bosnia and Herzegovina have two points fewer than Sweden. Romania are at the bottom, having lost every match so far. In the worst case Poland could face relegation, but the outcome still depends on the results against Romania and Sweden. Poland play Romania away on Saturday, 14 November, with kick-off at 20:45 Polish time, refereed by Austria's Sebastian Gishamer. Three days later, on 17 November, Poland host Sweden in Wrocław, after Sweden have played Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Walemark's injury

Patrik Walemark, a winger with Lech Poznań, has left Sweden's squad after suffering an injury in training, and he will not play against Poland. Lech Poznań said in an official statement that the player will undergo tests in the near future to establish how long a possible break will last.

“Our player will undergo tests in the near future that will determine how long a possible break will last.”

Walemark has two caps for Sweden, both from September, in matches against Romania and Poland, and he recorded an assist in the game against Poland. This is the second camp in a row that ended early for him, as he missed the matches against Bosnia and Herzegovina and Romania in the previous window.

Reprimand in the camp vlog

Wiktor Nowak, a 22-year-old who plays for Slavia Prague, spoke about arriving late to a squad briefing in a vlog posted on the channel Łączy nas piłka. He said coach Jan Urban gave him a short reprimand for it. Nowak said the lesson was enough for him.

“A few words came from the coach. It was a short reprimand, and that is enough, because I know you cannot do that.”

In the same clip Nowak is clearly watching punctuality for his teammates as well as for himself. The vlog was posted as the squad gathered for the November camp, and the first videos from the preparations have now appeared online.