The international break is underway, and a few Arsenal players have played for their countries already.
The Gunners have one of the best teams in the world. Almost every player is top-class, and many of them are key men for their national sides as well.
A total of 11 Arsenal players have been called up for international duty this month, and three of them featured on Thursday night.
Only one of those three came away with a win, but his country’s media have not been too kind about his performance.
Arsenal’s Jakub Kiwior gets blasted for his performance in Poland vs Scotland
It is a surprise to many Arsenal fans that Jakub Kiwior is still at the club.
The Pole was expected by many to leave the Emirates after the Gunners completed the signing of Riccardo Calafiori, who is a very similar player.
Arsenal kept hold of Kiwior in the end, but the former Spezia man is unlikely to get much game time under Mikel Arteta in the coming months.
That, on a personal level, is not ideal at all for Kiwior, and his performance for Poland against Scotland showed just how much of an impact a lack of game time at the club can have.
Kiwior was nowhere near his best on Thursday night, and after making quite a few errors in the first half, he was hooked at the break.
A number of Polish media outlets have delivered their verdicts on Kiwior after Poland’s victory, and they have been really critical.
Meczyki gave Kiwior a 3/6 rating and wrote: “Kiwior’s very poor performance. He looked by far the worst of the middle defenders. He lost balls, lost coverage.
“If rivals were more effective, especially at the end of the first half, they could score up to two goals after his mistakes. There is a reason changed during the break.”
Super Express Sport gave him a 1/6 rating and said: “What was that supposed to be?! Error after error in the first half. After his losses, he was simply boiling under the Polish gate.
“Quite a catastrophic performance, only thanks to luck we didn’t lose a few goals after his mistakes. It’s good that he didn’t go out to the other half.”
Sport.pl also gave Kiwior a 1/6 rating and wrote: “If the defender does not play regularly at the club, then he often looks like the case of Jakub Kiwior in Glasgow. So very bad.
“Kiwior played nervously from the beginning, committed stupid fouls around the penalty area, passed simple losses when moving the ball out. He was lost, as in the 38th minute, when Dykes escaped and he missed the goal up close. Changed during the break.”
What Kiwior’s Arsenal future looks like
Kiwior would’ve loved to go away on international duty as he is a regular starter for Poland, but his first game in this international break turned out to be a poor one.
The Pole’s luck at club level isn’t great either. He hasn’t played a minute yet this season, and we can’t see that changing in the Premier League anytime soon.
So, all signs point towards an exit in the January transfer window, and we think that would be the best thing for both Kiwior and Arsenal.
It remains to be seen who will make a move for the Polish defender. A return to Italy looks like the most realistic possibility.
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