Ten Lech homegrown players qualified for World Cup

In the Tuesday qualifier match of group B, Czesław Michniewicz’s squad beat Sweden 2:0. It was Poland’s 11th qualifying game for the 2022 World Cup, and the 7^th in which Jan Bednarek played the whole 90 minutes on the pitch. The 25-year-old has spent the most time on the field in the qualifying phase out of all of Lech’s homegrown players. The defender missed four matches only – against San Marino and Andorra – and it was because he was being rested by coach Paulo Sousa. Bednarek has become one of the key figures in the Polish national team.

In the starting line-up against Sweden, there was another Lech academy product that plays in Premier League – Jakub Moder. The midfielder made 9 appearances throughout the World Cup qualifiers. In clashes with the highest-ranked opponents – England and Sweden – Moder spent the whole 90 minutes on the field and even added a goal to his account. Paolo Sousa has numerous high-quality midfielders to choose from, but it seems that Moder has earned the coach’s trust.

When analysing Lech Poznań academy players’ performance in the white-and-red shirt, it’s impossible not to mention Kamil Jóźwiak. The midfielder spent a bit over 500 minutes on the pitch, scored twice, and got the same number of assists. The 23-year-old missed only two games, with the last absence being caused by an injury. His former teammates Bartosz Bereszyński and Karol Linetty didn’t play as much but they still made an impact – the defender got a total of 477 minutes in the qualifiers, and one assist, whereas Linetty spent 379 minutes on the field, scored twice, and helped Robert Lewandowski scored one of his 9 goals.

Meanwhile, Tymoteusz Puchacz and Tomasz Kędziora made, respectively, 5 and 3 appearances in the World Cup qualifying phase. The two defenders played a key role in the matches against San Marino – Puchacz got an assist, whereas the Dinamo Kyiv player scored a goal. Three other Lech Poznań homegrown footballers also got a chance to show their skills. Robert Gumny, Jakub Kamiński and Krystian Bielik all spent 90 minutes on the pitch. The first one even scored a goal against San Marino. In addition, Marcin Kamiński, Bartosz Salamon, and Dawid Kownacki have been watched closely by coach Sousa and might make an appearance for the white-and-red squad soon.

Lech homegrown players’ statistics – 2022 World Cup qualifiers:

Jan Bednarek - 7 matches, 630 minutes
Kamil Jóźwiak - 8 matches, 534 minutes, 2 goals i 2 assists
Jakub Moder - 9 matches, 487 minutes, 1 goal
Bartosz Bereszyński - 8 matches, 477 minutes, asysta
Karol Linetty - 6 matches, 379 minutes, 2 goals and 1 assist
Tymoteusz Puchacz - 5 matches, 328 minutes, assist
Tomasz Kędziora - 3 matches, 247 minutes, 1 goal
Robert Gumny - 1 match, 90 minutes, 1 goal
Jakub Kamiński - 1 match, 90 minutes
Krystian Bielik - 1 match, 90 minutes