Jakub Kiwior started in the heart of the Polish defence on Monday, but could not prevent his country from slumping to a 2-1 Nations League defeat against Scotland.
Jakub Kiwior is a fixture at the back for Poland, featuring far higher in the pecking order on the international stage than he does at the Emirates Stadium.
Since his arrival at Arsenal in January 2023, he has struggled to establish himself as a regular starter, and has never been Mikel Arteta’s first choice pick in his preferred position as a centre-back. Instead, the 24-year-old has just been tasked with providing emergency left-back cover.
Kiwior has very much been a bit-part player for Arsenal so far this season, and it is therefore perhaps not surprising that his confidence is low and his form is poor.
Polish media slam Jakub Kiwior after Scotland nightmare
Kiwior certainly wasn’t able to rediscover his spark against Scotland, and the Polish media were quick to criticise his performance in the wake of the defeat.
Meczyki rated the defender’s performance a 3/10, and said: “Typical Kiwior. A few good entries into the opponent’s half, a few well-cut moves by the opponents right in front of our goal, but apart from that, huge nerves, problems with keeping an eye on Doak and poor cooperation with Zalewski.
Several times he took too long to decide who to give it to. He should also press more aggressively when scoring for Scotland. But still – we don’t have a better one for this position.”
Radio Zet granted his display a grade of 4/10, and stated: “In the past, he could be praised, for example for good defense and passing the ball. He had a terrible performance in the match against Scotland. At the beginning of the second half, he saved us from losing the second goal with his tackle.”
Sport savaged the Arsenal star, with a rating of just 1+/10: “Terrible performance. One moment the Scots were playing in front of him, the next they were throwing the ball behind his back. Meanwhile, Ben Doak looked like a dribbling king next to him.
“The Scots started their first goal-scoring action by playing exactly in the half-space that the Portuguese had chosen a few days ago. His cooperation with Nicola Zalewski was poor. Doak passed them both far too easily.
“At the beginning of the second half, he slightly increased his rating, saving us from losing a goal. Also a plus for a few actions driven by a conscious pass.”
What is Arsenal’s plan for Kiwior?
Kiwior’s career is stuck in something of a rut a present, as he is a forgotten man at club level and under fire on the international stage.
It is clear that he is never going to leapfrog the likes of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes in the pecking order at the Emirates Stadium, and he is in need of a fresh start. The 31-cap Poland international desperately needs to get back to playing regular football.
Arsenal are willing to sell Kiwior in the upcoming January transfer window. There is interest in his services from numerous clubs in Serie A.
Arteta believes that Kiwior is a huge talent. However, his switch to Arsenal simply hasn’t worked out and that must now be recognised.
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