Europe’s hidden gems – Ekstraklasa edition: Michał Karbownik
Playstyle:
Karbownik’s playstyle is very much derived from his time spent playing in his most comfortable position, in that of an 8, which he has played for most of his youth career as well as during his stints with the Polish National team’s youth setup.
His current positioning in defense at Legia however hasn’t disturbed his progress. Karbownik has seamlessly translated the silky smooth moves needed to play at the heart of the midfield and made them exemplary assets in his new role.
One of the many things Karbownik is lauded for by his manager and fellow teammates is his ability to keep the ball extremely close to his feet. This, coupled with his ability to take players on makes him the perfect asset out wide to get into tight spaces and provide key passes to his teammates.
As of the current season, Karbownik leads the Ekstraklasa in terms of pass accuracy, which is an impressive statistic to hold for a player at such a young age. Janusz Partyka, who writes for Legia’s main website lauds the youngster’s “clockwork precision passing”; a level of precision and accuracy that has no doubt lent itself to ensuring Legia’s place atop the table. According to statistics from this season, Karbownik averages 54.09 passes per game, with an accuracy of 79.55%.
Karbownik is also no slouch on the creative end of things, averaging 0.68 chances created and 1.36 key passes per game. His assist statistics, as we’ve mentioned, stand at 6 in the league so far.
These sorts of stats, combined with a propensity to read the direction of passes and ability to put in an aggressive shift when necessary really make him a well-rounded player that suits the left-back position perfectly. The anticipation he possesses along with his natural ability will likely make him a nightmare for teams to play against for years to come.
What impresses me most about Karbownik is not his dribbling, passing, or ball control, however. While all of these are important assets and skill sets to have, the sheer composure it takes for a player to switch positions so seamlessly speaks volumes of his maturity and ability to read the game.
It is not every day that a player is taken from the heart of midfield where their job is to be a creator or metronome on the pitch for their team, to a more defensive and wide role, where your job now takes on an entirely new form; stopping opposition players from having opportunities on goal and stifling the creativity you yourself at one point were centrally responsible for.
In a way, I feel Karbownik’s time in midfield has lends itself to his ability to defend, because he already knows all the tricks to look out for.
In an interview with Przemyslaw Gołaszewski for Legia’s website, Karbownik was asked, “How is it possible that such a serious and calm person changes into such a brave fighter on the pitch?” Karbownik’s answer was very telling, with the young player stating that:
“I think it’s a very good trait. This is the beautiful thing about football, you don’t have to be a beast off the football pitch to show it on the pitch. I definitely prefer to show my skills on the pitch, rather than to ‘shine’ somewhere beyond the stadium.” – Michal Karbownik
Karbownik’s ability to handle the limelight at such a tender age is also a nice trait his club can be proud of. So many young footballers have been easily led astray by their newfound fame, and this has had devastating impacts on their career.