Arsenal and Poland defender Jakub Kiwior slammed for ‘lost’ display against Czech Republic
- Seb Sternik
- 25 March 2023
Arsenal’s Jakub Kiwior received widespread criticism following Poland’s 3-1 defeat to the Czech Republic.
Former Portugal boss Fernando Santos was in the dugout for his first match as the new Poland manager, though his debut ended with a heavy defeat in the European Championship qualifier.
Czech Republic stunned their neighbours, taking a 2-0 lead inside the opening 140 seconds.
Ladislav Krejci and Tomas Cvancara bagged the early efforts as the hosts took complete control of proceedings in Prague.
Jan Kuchta added a third in the second-half before Damian Szymanski scored a consolation effort for the Poles.
After the match, the Polish media was highly critical of the display - in particular the central-defensive pairing of Arsenal's Jakub Kiwior and Southampton's Jan Bednarek.
Poland's leading sports publication, Przeglad Sportowy, handed Kiwior a 1/10 rating, saying: "Lost, insecure, restless, and the behaviour after conceding the third goal is already a tragedy."
Arsenal splashed over £20m to bring Kiwior from Serie A outfit Spezia during the January transfer window.
The 23-year-old has made two appearances under Mikel Arteta, starting against Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League and coming off the bench during last weekend's 4-1 win over Crystal Palace.
Bednarek was given a slightly better rating of 2/10 as the outlet questioned his charisma and skill.
"Only after a quarter of an hour did he recover from a dramatic beginning," wrote the publication.
"If, in the absence of Kamil Glik, he is to be the 'chief' of the defence, then ... he still has a lot to learn to manage the defence like a colleague over a decade older. Still not the size of the hat, not the charisma and skills."
