Arsenal star Jakub Kiwior played the full 90 minutes as Poland beat Moldova 2-0 in a friendly on Friday night.
Kiwior enjoyed an excellent end to the season for the Gunners, starring at the heart of Mikel Arteta’s side’s defence in the absence of the injured Gabriel Magalhaes.
However, the 25-year-old produced an indifferent display for his national team against Moldova, with the Poles running out winners thanks to goals from Matty Cash and Bartosz Slisz.
The game was a warm-up for Poland’s crucial World Cup qualifier against Finland, which takes place on Tuesday in Helsinki.
Photo by Maciej Rogowski/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Deployed on the left of a back three alongside Mateusz Skrzypczak and Jan Bednarek, Kiwior was given the opportunity to roam forward against European minnows, Moldova, on Thursday night.
That said, the Arsenal defender didn’t take advantage of the freedom granted to him to venture outside of his defensive zones.
Polish media outlet Meczyki produced a critical review of the player’s performance, claiming that it was worrying that he exerted such little influence on Poland’s attacking play.
“It was okay,” the publication wrote in their player ratings, in which they awarded Kiwior a 5/10.
“What’s worrying is that Kiwior – unlike in many Arsenal games – couldn’t find his way into the attack. Not only did he not join the action, but he also didn’t send penetrating passes. But he can.”
Kiwior has been guilty of playing within himself at times for Arsenal this season, opting to play safe passes to avoid making high-leverage mistakes.
However, as shown towards the end of the 2024/25 campaign, when Arteta gave the former Spezia man a run in the team, he came out of his shell.
Striding out of defence and showcasing his excellent range of distribution throughout matches, Kiwior was praised for his passing as he grew more confident in the team.
Thus, it’s not surprising to see Polish media vent their frustrations that he was inhibited against Moldova.
Photo by Andrzej Iwanczuk/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesArsenal should keep Kiwior this summer
Kiwior is attracting interest from several clubs in Italy, but Arsenal should look to hang on to the versatile defender this summer.
While Gabriel will assume his starting role once he returns from injury, Kiwior has shown that he is a more than adept understudy for the Brazilian and William Saliba.
After his outstanding form at the end of last season, Arteta should trust him to step into the side more frequently next campaign when needed.
Ultimately, if Kiwior pushes for an exit in the pursuit of more regular playing time, then there’s little Arsenal can do.
However, Arteta should be trying to convince the player to remain in N5, otherwise the Gunners will have to spend a significant sum on a replacement.