“Kuba” sporting the red and white of Poland ———- Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Jakub_Błaszczykowski4.jpg
Błaszczykowski has played well in international competitions. In Euro 2012, he scored one goal and assisted on another. In the 2014 World Cup qualifying stages, he was Poland’s leading scorer with four goals. However, lately he has been limited in action at the club level. This year at Fiorentina he saw little playing time, but still managed to score 2 goals in 12 games. He is a pacey midfielder part of a very talented Polish squad. He links up well with former BVB Dortmund teammates Robert Lewandowski and Lukasz Piszczek. Furthermore, he helped Poland beat Germany in the Euro 2016 qualifying rounds, eventually leading his side to a second place finish, 1 point behind Germany. Not the flashiest of players, Błaszczykowski affects games through his pace and passing. With Germany, Ukraine, and Northern Ireland also in Group C expect Poland to make a push to win the group. Regardless, watch out for Kuba and the Poles.
Other Players:
Starters:
Forwards: Zlatan Ibrahimović
Midfielders: Cristiano Ronaldo, Luka Modrić, Dmitri Payet, Robbie Keane, Arda Turan
Defenders: Jordi Alba, Vlad Chiricheș, Ashley Williams, Taulant Xhaka
Goalkeeper: The Gianluigi Buffon
Substitutes:
Forwards: Eden Hazard
Midfielders: Mesut Özil, Yevhen Konoplyanka, Gökhan Inler, James Milner, Balázs Dzsudzsák
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakub_Błaszczykowski
Written By: Austin Tran and Chris Arora
How to cite this article: “Euro 2016 Key Players to Watch” Written by Austin Tran and Chris Arora (2016), European Cup 2016 Guide, Soccer Politics Blog, Duke University, http://sites.duke.edu/wcwp/tournament-guides/european-cup-2016-guide/ (accessed on (date)).
