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Countdown to World Cup 2022: 23 days till the big kick off

Yet another injury of a midfielder is giving the Polish national team coach a headache, whereas the German injury-marred star will try to cheat destiny. As part of TVP World’s World Cup countdown daily series we will also mention the World Cup referee who shed some light on the ins and outs of their Qatar mission.

Injury report: Poland

Poland’s coach Czesław Michniewicz has one less option when it comes to central midfielders as Jacek Góralski will be sidelined for a couple of weeks due to the prolonged muscle injury. The health issues are the reasons the 30-year-old Pole has played only three times for VFL Bochum in the German Bundesliga.

Góralski knows the taste of a World Cup match, as he was an important part of the team that got eliminated in the group stage four years ago in Russia. The defensive midfielder played against Colombia (0:3) and Japan (1:0).

Health problems seem to be already past Nicola Zalewski, who came back to the starting lineup of AS Roma against the Finnish champions HJK Helsinki in Europa League (Roma won 2:1). The gifted Pole was ruled out of the high-stake clash with Napoli last Sunday due to the stomach infection. Should he hold his spot as a left wing-back, he will be a solid point of the national team in Qatar.

Nightmare returns for Reus

Meanwhile, the demons of the past are tormenting Dortmund’s Marco Reus once again, as he ruptured an ankle ligament just a couple of weeks ahead of the grand tournament. Although the talented yet marred by constant health issues player returned to the pitch against Union Berlin on October 16, he reportedly felt acute pain in the ankle once again and was subbed at halftime. According to club doctors, he is unlikely to play against Eintracht Frankfurt on Saturday.

Due to injuries, Reus has already missed the Euros in 2016 and 2021, as well as the World Cup in 2014, when his nation took gold.

Final warning for recovering French stars

In an interview with French media Brut., coach Didier Deschamps made it clear that he will not take injured players to Qatar.

“Everything will depend on how long they will have been out, how many games they will have played between getting injured and joining us, and a third factor, which is the squad depth in a given position,” the coach stated.

“I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ve never taken an injured guy to a big game. Bringing unfit players to a major competition takes up too much attention and consumes the time of the medical personnel for those who are fit to play,” Deschamps pointed out.

His words mean that some big names, like Paul Pogba, Lucas Hernandes and Raphael Varane have marginal chances to get on the plane to Qatar.

Off the pitch

In an interview for the Polish private RMF FM radio, Szymon Marciniak, the Polish referee who will officiate matches in Qatar, spilled some beans about the preparations for the event from their perspective.

According to him, just like it was four years ago at the World Cup in Russia, the judges staying at the hotel will not have access to the Internet.

“FIFA believes that this campaign against us, looking for our mistakes, controversies has gone too far and it should not reach us in Qatar,” Marciniak said.

“The most important thing for a judge is to stay calm, self-control and a cold head – and information from the outside sometimes does not help. That is why during the World Cup in Russia, we had restricted access to the Internet, a blockade on a couple of websites and blogs where referees were criticised. I think it will be similar in Qatar,” he concluded.

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