CSKA Moscow-Lech Poznan 2:1. A Hard Fought Loss.

Lech Poznan fought bravely, but didn’t manager to gain a single point in the game against CSKA Moscow. They made too many silly mistakes at the back and sometimes lacked the quality upfront. Still, there’s nothing to be ashamed of as the chances of Lech advancing forward remain realistic.

CSKA Moscow-Lech Poznan 2:1 (Dzagoev 31′, Zhirkov 45′ – Stilic 66′)
Lech: Turina – Djurdjevic, Arboleda, Tanevski, Wojtkowiak – Injac, Stilic, Wilk, Peszko (46. Bandrowski) – Lewandowski, Rengifo

Lech played without their best midfielder, Rafal Murawski, and it showed. Apart from Stilic, there was no one to bring the ball forward and create a chance for either Rengifo or R.Lewandowski. CSKA controlled the possession throughout large parts of the game; some Lech players had problems with playing under pressure. Still, Lech’s defense looked solid, at least until the loss of the first goal. Arboleda failed to clear the ball and provided CSKA players with a fast counter. The second goal also could’ve not happened as it was caused by an easy-to-intercept long ball in the box. Both goals were, what you would call, “scored from nothing”. A strange situation where Lech plays quite well but still ends up losing 0-2 at half time. In the second half Lech managed to control more of the possession. It was a result of a substitute that Franz Smuda decided to introduce at half time. Tomasz Bandrowski replaced Slawomir Peszko and managed to change the manner in which Lech was playing. Bandrowski is a kind of player that can hold the ball well and distribute it wisely in the middle of the field. On the other hand, don’t expect him to play an opening pass forward. This is Semir Stilic’s role. This was just another game where the Bosnian international proved that he’s the most talented young playmaker in Poland. He’s always threatening when he has the ball near the opponent’s penalty area. Moreover, his set pieces are one of the deadliest in Poland. Stilic’s goal was very similar to the ones he scored against Grasshoppers and Nancy; it was a dynamic cross/shot into the box that ended in the goal. In my opinion, Lech may struggle to keep Stilic, as well as R.Lewandowski, in Poznan after the end of the season; they both are the best young players in the Ekstraklasa. Other national team players, Wojtkowiak and Peszko, had average games; the former played well in defence, but failed to add anything to Lech’s offensive play, the latter had two good chances, but didn’t manage to convert them. Overall, Lech played as well as their abilities enable them to, especially in the second half. I think we can approach the Deportivo game next week with a pinch of optimism. Let the Uefa Cup entertainment continue.