WARSAW, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- Robert Lewandowski strongly criticized coach Paulo Sousa on Saturday for leaving the Poland national team before the clashes in the playoffs of the World Cup qualifications.

Sousa has surprisingly parted ways with Poland's national team to take charge of Brazilian Serie A club Flamengo. His decision was a real shock in Poland as the national team will face Russia in Moscow on March 24 in the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying playoffs.

In Saturday's interview with local media, Lewandowski, captain of the Polish side, did not hide that Sousa completely let him down.

"When I found out that he was leaving, I was shocked and disappointed. I couldn't believe as I hadn't received any signals from the coach. I landed in Dubai and I got an information from a friend that Paulo Sousa may leave. I was thinking whether it's true or just rumors. The day later the information was confirmed. I didn't feel a need to talk to the coach. It was his decision," Lewandowski said.

The Bayern Munich striker criticized the Portuguese for the way of the communication with the Polish players after making the decision to depart.

"The worst thing is how it was resolved and communicated. It hurts the team. However, there are no irreplaceable people. We know what we play for," Lewandowski added.

In the next days the Polish Football Association will announce a new coach, who may be Adam Nawalka according to local media. He led the team at the UEFA Euro 2016.

"This is not the time and place for big changes. The sooner the president selects a new coach, the better. It is important that the new coach knows the players. Now our priority is the playoffs to the World Cup. We don't have much time to prepare. We need to quickly set a plan with the new coach," Lewandowski concluded. Enditem

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