In this exclusive interview with Flashscore, Jakub Piotrowski talks about his transfer to Italy, his role at Udinese, and the upcoming World Cup, where he might feature with Poland.
We have to start with the match against Napoli, in which you did a ton of work. A first disallowed goal came after you won a defensive battle with Scott McTominay. Later, you had the final pass on another unrecognised goal by Nicolo Zaniolo. And finally, there was your shot that Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, by some miracle, knocked back onto the crossbar. How do you feel about the game? Because the dissatisfaction must be huge, despite the win.
"Surely the biggest regret is that Vanja managed to defend that shot of mine, because I think it was a very nice intervention by him. There was a bit of luck, and other situations are a bit of an emotional rollercoaster, because you score two goals and both are cancelled by VAR. And we know that sometimes a situation like that in a match can turn against you.
"But as a team we reacted well, and that energy was in us all the time, until the end of the match. We deserved that goal and the victory. So I was left with maybe a little bit of regret from the fact that my goal didn't go in, because it would have been nice to finish two games in a row with a goal. But 1-0 against the Italian champion tastes very good - whether I scored or not."
'The keyword is stability'
All the more so now that you actually have a 'hat-trick'! Udinese have beaten all three of last season's podium teams: Napoli, Inter and Atalanta.
"Exactly, which means we need some balance against theoretically weaker rivals. To make the balance and to make the points won against the top teams of the Italian league taste even better, we need more points against the rest of the teams. The keyword is stability."
After the last game, your average in Serie A is 700 minutes per goal. If one only knew this statistic, it probably doesn't sound impressive. But you have a different role to the one you had at Ludogorec; you work a lot more defensively, and your average position is in your own half. Was it a big leap to go from beating the entire league in Bulgaria to fighting for every point?
"For sure, at Ludogorec I had a lot of situations created and opportunities to shoot on goal, to get into the penalty area. We were dominating and scoring a lot more goals for the season as a team, so there were plenty of goal-seeking opportunities.
"Here (at Udinese) we are not a top-four team that, like Inter this season, scores a lot of goals, so these situations are a bit less. Although I think in the last two or three games I've really had a few opportunities, I'm in the penalty area more and more often, and I'm more dangerous.
"It's definitely a big difference, but the desire to win is in me all the time. Even though we don't win everything at Udinese, every defeat comes really hard, because in the last three years, for me, a draw was a defeat, so it's a bit of a new experience."
Against Napoli, the whole team looked great - you didn't stop pressing despite the two ruled-out goals. But also, your game looked much bolder than at the beginning of the season. Is it a matter of confidence, greater chemistry or perhaps a better knowledge of the realities of the league?
"I'll start at the end. It came with matches, with analysing the space on the pitch. I'm doing it all the time and learning, so I'm finding more space, maybe more good timing on the pitch: at what point and what zone to run into.
"So the start was definitely learning this league for me as well, and I think there's a lot of progress. I did that from game to game because I just had more and more material to analyse my game and predict how the opposing teams behave on the pitch.
"And that there was a chance to win against Napoli? I think that with a good attitude, good team energy, and a lot of belief, you are really capable of winning in the Italian league against anyone. And it's clear that there are matches that are harder. But I think going out on the pitch, you're 0-0, and you're able to put up a fight with anyone and show a good side.
"With Napoli, from the first minute, we were actually present on the pitch with a good spirit. It was evident for 90 minutes that we had the belief that we were capable of winning this match. Especially the second half provided a lot of excitement, a fun match for the fans, too. Two unrecognised goals, but we were going for the next one with every minute."
Results are the best reward. And since you coped with the entire top three of last season, there are no excuses in the remaining matches, right?
"Exactly, but I keep coming back to that word: stability. The form has to be even, balanced all the time, and there can't be too much fluctuation from week to week to stay close to the top in the Italian league."
And you take your role in this stabilisation seriously - in addition to analysing with the team, you also privately carry out analyses after every game?
"I have a person - now a friend - with whom I have been working for a long time (analyst Przemyslaw Gomulka, editor's note), and we sit down together. Before we start the analysis, he pulls out the actions that are most important to me, which I can use in the next matches.
"Sometimes we model ourselves on top players and the behaviours worth emulating. We certainly analyse the most important situations once a week. Not necessarily the best ones, but the ones where I could have done something better, which can be repeated, where a particular solution can help me."
I'm also asking because your calendar doesn't have much room, and you've recently become a father, so I guess I can already ask you how you're combining your duties?
"The first month, the family was actually in Poland, so I only came down on my days off when I got permission from the coach. Now they've been with me for a fortnight, and for me it's a great time.
"The day goes by faster; it's definitely more movement, more responsibilities. But I get a lot of pleasure out of it, and I'm a person who likes movement, doesn't like to get too bored, so I can say that at the moment it's really very cool.
"It is known that my fiancée plays a big role. Because when it comes to sleep, for me, it's the most important thing in terms of recovery and preparation for matches. So I often sleep separately in order to prepare well for the next training session and then for the match."
Polish colony in Udinese
Acclimatisation was probably made easier by knowing your coach... But you haven't been with Kosta Runjaic for seven seasons. Have his methods changed?
"I think he is just a smart coach who had to adapt to the demands of the league. Certain things in training, in match preparation, have changed, because that's simply what Serie A demands.
"He pays more attention to the details on the defensive end, the preparation under the defensive play, because that is very important in the Italian league. But when it comes to the style of managing the team or working with the club, that has always been his strength.
"So, as a coach for me, he hasn't changed much. He has simply evolved, just like a player. He has become an even better coach; he has prepared for the Italian league and adapted to it. Although not holistically, because he doesn't play classic Italian football to close the game. As a team, we want to attack, we want to play pressing, and this has not changed."
Was he the deciding factor in the transfer? Because I know Udinese wanted you beforehand, and before the move, you were in contact with Adam Buka, there is also coach Przemyslaw Malecki on the staff. There were a lot of factors in favour of Udinese, it seems.
"There is also coach Trukan, another Pole. We have our own little colony. It was certainly a big influence from the environment of Coach Malecki and the staff that I found myself here.
"I think three seasons in Ludogorec were optimal. After two, I was ready for the next step, and this third one was a desire to maintain my form for a new challenge.
"When Udinese came up again the following summer, I had some conversations with the coach. We started negotiations, but I actually wanted it straight away. I wanted a change of challenge, and all factors played a part."
Manu thought that it was after that second season, when you had incredible numbers, that a transfer would happen. Don't you sometimes think about what would have happened if you had changed clubs then?
"I can't think about it because it just didn't happen. There were attempts, there were interests, but it didn't work out. So there's nothing to think about because it wasn't my decision in any way. I knew it was a very good time to change clubs, but it couldn't work out.
"Everything depended on whether Ludogorec would want to let me go, so I didn't have the last word to say, 'No, I'm leaving.' I was the one who heard 'No, you are not leaving'.
But now this new challenge is there, and it's off to a great start. There were entries from the bench, but you didn't have a period without playing. I remember that at Genk or Dusseldorf, such breaks in playing time frustrated you a lot. If this came now, when you are much more experienced, would you be ready?
"The frustration was greatest in Belgium. I changed clubs as a young lad, where last season I played most of the games from the start in Pogon Szczecin. Maybe I didn't understand that you have to wait for a chance to train. And that was the only moment where frustration grew. And at Fortuna Düsseldorf, maybe the first season wasn't great, but I was already more patient and knew what needed to be done.
"At this point, it's not like I've always been a first-team player since the beginning of the season either, but I think even with those changes, I showed that I was ready all the time.
"I think I've given really good shifts, and I'm showing every now and then that I'm ready for every game, no matter what time frame. It's known that everyone wants to play from the start, and that's the goal: to help the team win as much as possible."
And the goal against Genoa took some weight off your shoulders? Isn't it already that stage when a goal scored determines your confidence on the pitch?
"No, I don't think I had any pressure when it came to goals. For an offensive player, it's always some kind of goal, I'm - let's say - half and half. I have to be everywhere. I have my responsibilities, but I also have the experience and the taste of goals from previous seasons, so it certainly gives me a lot of joy, like any player.
"There was certainly no frustration: I knew these situations would be there and I would start to take advantage of them. In the earlier matches, I also had some shots from distance, like the situation against Cremonese, which I should have finished better. So I knew this goal was coming."
We'll be finishing up, so it's time for a question of the more distant kind. Do you have in the back of your mind March's playoffs and a trip to the World Cup with Poland?
"It's good to have that, but that's in March, and we're in December. In football, three months is a really long time. You don't really know what players will be available, who will be in form not only in our national team, but also when it comes to Albania, so I think with that, you just have to wait.
"But certainly there is the belief and the ability, the skill of the players to go through with the first game, because that's what you have to focus on. Maybe it sounds cliché, but that's the truth: you have to beat Albania first and then think about that second playoff match.
"As I say, we still have some time, and we will know more at the end of February - which players are available, what form they are in, and then it will be a key moment to judge what we will be able to do. But you could see during the last national team games that we can definitely make it to the World Cup. This is a special tournament, and not only me, but everyone who can play for the national team would like to go to the World Cup."
Finally, maybe not a question but a wish - last year, after your goal in the first game in December, you also scored a goal before Christmas, so against Fiorentina on Sunday I wish you a repeat!
"Thank you very much. I hope that will be the case."