POLISH boss Czeslaw Michniewicz has been getting World Cup advice from Jose Mourinho, Max Allegri, Steven Gerrard and Xavi on how to beat the French.
But striker Arkadiusz Milik reckons there’s only one way to stop Kylian Mbappe… with a motorbike.
Michniewicz has been revelling in his ‘Polish Mourinho’ nickname after pulling off a defensive master class to steer his nation through to the last 16 in Qatar.
And he makes absolutely no apologies for his cautious approach ahead of today’s clash with the defending champions at the Al Thumama Stadium.
He says: “When I hear all the criticism, I can only smile.
“Because all the teams who were not defensive and let their opponents score easily in the group stage are already back at home and watching on TV.
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“We were good at defending and our reward is a game against the world champions. If we can win against France, we could become the next champions.
“The comparisons with Mourinho are out of date but I will just tell you that football is all about winning trophies and being successful.
“I have spoken with Mourinho, Allegri, Xavi, Steven Gerrard, Fabio Cannavaro and all the other coaches who have helped to prepare my players so well for this tournament.
“And I hope this is not my last chance to thank them from the bottom of my heart.
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“We always dreamed of leaving the group phase and we don’t care about any opinions of our team.
“The fourth of December in Poland is Barborka, the miner’s national holiday, and we will do our best to celebrate the day with victory against a wonderful opponent.”
But Juventus striker Milik knows just how difficult the task will be against French superstar Mbappe and says: “How do we stop him? With scooters!
“He is one of the best players in the world and he is so fast that it will be difficult to keep up with him without a motorbike.
“So we need to play collectively and have very good co-operation because no-one will be able to stop him on their own.”
But Milik believes that Poland also have an ace up their sleeve in his Juve team-mates Wojciech Szczesny, whose two penalty saves were enough to see them through the group stages on goal difference.
He says: “I am not sure why people are surprised by Wojciech, because it’s not as if he has just started to be a great keeper out here in Qatar.
“He has been showing his value for a very long time and has played for some wonderful clubs.
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“So we all knew what we could expect from him and we’re so happy that he is in such good shape.
“He has helped us a lot to get to this round and I hope he shows his best against France.”
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
