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Poland playing it cool behind closed doors
© Reuters 2002
By Mitch Phillips
SEOUL, May 29 (Reuters) - Poland manager Jerzy Engel has made Wednesday's training session in Taejon a private affair as he seeks to cure some defensive ills in his side. The Polish players will be put through their paces behind closed doors in the cool evening after they struggled to deal with the heat in Sunday's 2-1 warm-up victory over Korean club champions Seongnam Ilhwa. "Sunday's match was very helpful for us," Engel said.
"Everyone saw that our team were slower than the Koreans and that is because of the acclimatisation process." That game was played in temperatures of over 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit) but Poland's first phase games against South Korea, Portugal and the United States are all evening kick-offs. Striker Cezary Kucharski and midfielder Jacek Krzynowek scored for Poland but they again looked vulnerable at the back and conceded a late, long-distance effort to Park Kan-jo.
"We have some weaknesses defensively but we have a few days to work on that before the game with Korea," Engel said ahead of the June 4 group D clash with the host nation in Pusan. Defender Michal Zewlakow and forward Pawel Kryszalowicz are carrying slight knocks but nothing that should prevent them being fit for the first game.
The Poles are bracing themselves for a tough test against a Korean side who have been in great form in recent months and put up another good showing when losing to France 3-2 at the weekend after a late goal from the world champions.
"It was just another match in which they showed how difficult they will be," said Engel. "But we knew that anyway and have worked very hard studying them. "We will be well prepared."
Michal Listkiewicz, president of Poland's soccer association, has no concerns, however, and has made it clear exactly how he thinks the group D campaign will go. "We will beat Korea 1-0, we will draw with Portugal 0-0 or 1-1 and we will defeat the United States 1-0 or 2-1," he said.
The tournament being co-hosted by South Korea and Japan kicks off on Friday in Seoul.
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