Former Poland striker Andrzej Szarmach believes Celtic's Maciej Zurawski should be dropped after the surprise defeat by Ecuador in their opening World Cup group game.

The Poles were beaten 2-0 in Gelsenkirchen on Friday in front of thousands of their supporters, who had made the short trip across the border.

Szarmach, who played in the Polish team which reached the semi-finals in 1974, will meet with national coach Pawel Janas ahead of the next game against Germany on Wednesday.

But, when asked who Janas should omit for the crucial Group A encounter against the host nation, Szarmach said: "Zurawski was clearly out of form, he did not play as we would like."

He added: "It is clear that we need to make changes in tactics and in selection."

Szarmach and 1974 team-mate Wlodzimierz Smolarek were unimpressed with the formation Janas used against the South Americans on Friday.

The Poland coach opted for a five-man midfield with the Celtic forward ploughing a lone furrow up front.

But Smolarek, whose son, Ebi, also played against the South Americans, disagrees with Szarmach over the use of Zurawski.

He said: "The midfield was the main problem.

"They weren't prepared to push up enough. There was too much of a gap to the forwards.

"We need to set ourselves to beat the Germans and, if need be, settle for a draw.

"If it was me, I would go back to 4-4-2. I would play Ebi and Zurawski up front."

Zurawski admitted to being a slow starter after a disastrous beginning to his Celtic career.

The former Wisla Krakow man barely featured on his debut - the 5-0 Champions League defeat by Artmedia Bratislava in Slovakia in July.

The striker was dropped for the Bank of Scotland Premier League opener where the Hoops drew 4-4 at Motherwell.

But Celtic manager Gordon Strachan restored him to the starting 11 for the second leg of the tie with Artmedia.

Zurawski grabbed a brace in the 4-0 win at Dunfermline at the end of August, which prompted a tally of 22 goals to help the Glasgow giants clinch the SPL title and CIS Insurance Cup last season.

Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc also played in the defeat by Ecuador but is unlikely to be replaced for the game against Germany.