NT coach confident over Barcelona superstar’s return to international commitment – ‘Will resolve this matter’

Poland national team coach Jan Urban has confirmed that he is working to resolve all remaining issues with Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski before the next international break. 

The aim is to ensure the striker’s smooth return to the national team after months of tension with the Polish Football Federation.

The conflict began during the time of former coach Michal Probierz, when Lewandowski clashed with the management of the national team. 

The situation escalated after the forward decided not to feature in matches against Moldova and Finland earlier this year, citing the need to rest his body. 

At the time, Lewandowski claimed his decision had been made with the agreement of the coach, but Probierz responded by stripping him of the captaincy.

With the departure of Probierz and the arrival of Urban, the relationship has taken a positive turn. 

Lewandowski has agreed to rejoin the team, but the key question now is whether he will also regain the captain’s armband.

The captaincy question

Speaking to Meczyki, Urban confirmed that the matter will be settled before the training camp. 

“We will resolve this matter before the training camp begins. I want the players who arrive not to think about it so that they are focused on the games that are coming to us,” he explained.

Kto kapitanem kadry: Robert Lewandowski czy Piotr Zieliński? 🤔

🗣️ Jan Urban: Jeszcze przed rozpoczęciem zgrupowania rozwiążemy tę sprawę. Chcę, by zawodnicy, którzy przyjadą, już w ogóle o tym nie myśleli.

Wywiad z selekcjonerem ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/e2wISnVDzJ

— Meczyki.pl (@Meczykipl) August 18, 2025

The debate has also reached the fans. In a recent poll conducted by Meczyki, 82% of supporters voted for Lewandowski to regain the captaincy, with only 18% favouring Piotr Zielinski. 

Urban acknowledged the public’s view: “The fans are in favour of Robert, I can say this,” he stressed.

Confident in Lewandowski’s return

Urban recently revealed that he had already spoken directly to the Barcelona striker to secure his return to the national team.

“I spoke to Robert on the phone and asked him if he wanted to come back. He said yes, so we have taken a step forward. 

“It would have been a very big problem if our best player, our star, stopped playing in the national team,” Urban said.

When asked again about the captaincy, the coach made it clear that he wanted to take into account the views of the squad before making his final decision.

“I not only want to talk to Robert, but also to those involved, Piotr Zielinski and other players. The decision is mine, but I want to listen to the players and know their opinions,” he added.

Source: SPORT