I’m glad we’re through it. Leo’s critics had 2 weeks to shine and now we should not hear from them for some time. Mind you, I have nothing against well argumented criticism that points out Leo’s flaws. I presented my point of view in one of the articles following our Euro exit. Unfortunately, the critique presented by the ‘previous era’ (read: communism times) officials was, if anything, funny. Arguments that Leo got rid of strong personalities (do we have any?), employed Dutch assistants (4 of them were Polish; Frans Hoek is a world class specialist who worked in Barcelona) or earns too much (he has an average European wage; do fans really care about wages?) were hilarious for me. At the same time, the critics didn’t present any interesting and well developed plans of what to do to enhance our football’s potential. They also weren’t able to give any names of Polish coaches who could replace Leo. They postulated a young Polish coach, but when it came to names they proposed Henryk Kasperczak, who is 62 (Leo is 66). That is what Leo meant when he said he’ll have to get through little Polish hell. For God’s sake, I’m really waiting for times when young and intelligent people, who are not scarred by communist mentality, take control of Polish football. Then, at least, we would be able to hear a well argumented critique.

What we learned from today’s meeting is that Leo will have to replace his Polish assistants. Boguslaw ‘Bobo’ Kaczmarek resigned himself, whereas contracts weren’t prolonged with Dariusz Dziekanowski and Adam Nawalka. Frans Hoek will remain our goalkeeping coach; I don’t know what’s with other goalie coach Adam Dawidziuk. The prevailing idea is that the new assistant coach will replace Leo after the next World Cup and lead the team in Euro 2012. The candidates are Czeslaw Michniewicz (pictured, currently unemployed, won Polish championsip in 2007), Rafal Ulatowski (impressed this season with Zaglebie Lubin), Jan Urban (Legia Warsaw, won Polish Cup this season) and Maciej Skorza (won last season’s championship with Wisla Krakow). These are the most talented young Polish managers, no doubt. Press treats Michniewicz as a favourite, simply because he’s the only one unemployed. In my opinion, he is certainly one of the most interesting personalities in Polish football today. His TV analysis during Euro 2008 were always very interesting and professional. He’s also a football fanatic; I remember meeting him in football pub in Poznan where he sat with a laptop, a pen in his hand and papers full of notes. The only problem is, even though he won a chapionship in 2007, he never really managed a top Polish club, that is Wisla or Legia. He did manage Lech Poznan, but they didn’t have any money back then. Can Michniewicz handle pressure? Would he be able to earn players’ respect? He’s definitely an interesting candidate. Who would you see as Leo’s assistant and, maybe, future first team manager?

PS: Found on ZCzuba today, an interview with Grzegorz Lato, one of Leo’s critics and a candidate for Polish FA’s president:
Q: What to do to improve our football?
Lato: We’ve got a lot of young talent, but foreign countries are draining it.
Q: But what to do to improve our football?
Lato: If I knew that I would be a very rich man. We’ve got talented youngsters. Some have to go away and new ones should play for Beenhakker.

A man with a clear vision. With him we can sleep in peace.

These are Kokoszka’s last days in Wisla’s colours. He doesn’t want to play for the club and the club doesn’t want to make him do it. It was a bold, if not stupid, move from Kokoszka to issue an announcement that he’s leaving on Webster ruling. The only problem is that he may not be elligible to do it because he signed some amendments to his contract in winter. Consequently, he’s considered, at least by Wisla officials, to have signed a new contract. The case will probably end up in court. What the hell is wrong with the players, their agents and club officials, can’t they read? Don’t they know anything about the law? I hope that the matter will be solved quickly, Kokos is too talented a player to waste time not playing. Przeglad Sportowy is reporting today today that Zenith St Petersburg is ready to pay 1M for Kokoszka’s services. Unfortunately, there are no statements from Zenith officials or even comments by Russian journalist so the rumour may have originated solely in the article author’s head. Moreover, PS is claiming that Kokos will travel to Italy on Saturday to discuss terms with AC Torino. As far as I remember, he was linked with Empoli a couple of days ago. The conclusion can only be one: Kokoszka will leave Wisla. The only question is how soon will he do it and where will he end up. Zenith is a great team, but personally I’d prefer to see him in Serie A, a league well known for great defenders. We’re in for one interesting transfer saga.

Oh yes, Michal Janota. At least for the last 2-3 years I’ve heard positive things about him. He’s heralded as the most talented Polish player of his generation. He’s been a star of all Polish youth teams he played for. Out of several offers he chose Feyenoord in 2006 because of a great training programme that they employ. He played well for Feyenoord’s youth teams. Certainly, he is a future international, right? The only problem is, I’ve never seen him in a game. I’ve never even seen any video highlights of him play. I always refrain from judging players that I’m not familiar with (e.g Kupisz in Wigan or S-Latef in Sheffield Utd, can’t tell if they’re any good). However, in Janota’s case there are signs that he is the deal. He is one of four Feyenoord’s youth team players that will take part in senior squad’s season preparation camp. I know it’s only a training camp and we won’t probably see him in Eredivisie this season. But the sole fact that, at 17 years, he won a right to train with the first team tells us a lot. He must be considered one of the biggest prospects in Rotterdam. His manager, not surprisingly, is saying that he’s one of the biggest talents in Holland. Let’s hope that this time the words will find confirmation in reality. I’ve got a good feeling about Janota. Did anyone see him play?

An interesting piece of news came from Germany; Dortmund’s Sebastian Tyrala declared that he wants to play for Poland. I first heard about him two years ago. He was considered a great prospect in Dortmund and was already a member of a senior team with a professional contract. At the same time, he played for German youth teams. Unfortunately, things haven’t gone as planned for Sebastian since then. He failed to win a regular place at Dortmund, probably because of injuries. From what I checked, he played last season for Dortmund II team in the 3rd division. Not a place where we look for national team players, is it? At the same time, he’s being offered to play for German U-21 team. Should Leo give him a chance? It’s hard to say really. To be honest, I don’t know what he’s capable of. He’s already 20 years old and is not considered Dortmund’s first team member nowadays (at least by Kicker). Should we call him up only because he may turn out to be good in the future? A hard decision. I say Leo should contact him and promise him a chance in one of winter friendlies where he usually tests young players from the Polish league. This would be fair both for Tyrala and players that deserve a chance more than him at this moment. I’ll repeat my Janota question, did anybody see him play? Judging from this video he can’t be that bad.

Ps: Polish U-17 player, Mateusz Szczepaniak, signed a contract with AJ Auxerre. Nantes, on the other hand, are reported to be intrested in another Polish youth team member, Jakub Kosecki. Does it ring a bell? Yep, Jakub is a son of Polish legend (and currently a MOP) Roman “Kosa” Kosecki. More and more players become aware that they must leave Poland as soon as possible to have any chance of career in a professional football.

It was an icredible month. I watched all the games except of those played simultaneously and Russia vs Greece (I promised my girlfriend to go to a party with her). Most of them, I watched on fresh air with other fans, which I totally recommend (cheers to all supporting on Plac Wolnosci in Poznan). Even though Poland did badly, Euro will be a great memory for me. The level was high, the teams played offensively and, in the end, the good guys won. There were dark horse stories (Russia, Turkey), big nations disappointing (France) and individual players both impressing (Villa, Arshavin) and those failing to justify their hype (you’ll never be considered a legend Ronaldo). International football is on the rise once again.

My team of the tournament:

GK: Iker Casillas (Spain)
DL: Yuri Zhirkov (Russia)
DR: Hamit Altintop (Turkey)
DC: Carles Puyol (Spain)
DC: Carlos Marchena (Spain)
DMC: Marcos Senna (Spain)
MC: Xavi (Spain)
MC: Wesley Sneijder (Holland)
AM: Lukas Podolski (Germany)
AM: Andrei Arshavin (Russia)
ST: David Villa (Spain)

Substitutes:
GK: Edvin van der Sar (Holland), Artur Boruc (Poland)
DEF: Georgio Chellini (Italy), Gio van Bronckhorst (Holland), Vredran Corluka (Croatia)
MID: Sergey Semak (Russia), Michael Ballack (Germany), Bastian Schweinsteiger (Germany), Arda Turan (Turkey), Deco (Portugal)
ATT: Roman Pavlyuchenko (Russia), Fernando Torres (Spain)

Awards, Teams:

Best team: Spain
Worst team: Greece
Biggest surprise: Russia
Biggest disappointment: France; for me Poland as well
Most entertaining: Turkey
Most boring: Greece
Best match: Russia vs Holland
Worst match: France vs Romania
Most thrilling moment: apart from Poland games, penalties in Spain vs Italy match
Luckiest team: Germany
Unluckiest team: Switzerland
Best team performance: Russia against Holland
Worst team performance: Poland in the first 30 minutes against Austria

Individual awards:

MVP: Marcos Senna (Spain)
Biggest surprise: Andrei Arshavin (Russia)
Biggest disappointment: Karim Benzema (France), Luca Toni (Italy), Ronaldo (Portugal)
Most entertaining player to watch: Andrei Arshavin (Russia), David Villa (Spain), Arda Turan (Turkey), Deco (Portugal)
Best individual performance: Andrei Arshavin vs Holland
Worst individual performance: Mariusz Jop (Poland) vs Austria

This is how I saw the Euros; a great feast that should satisfy any fan’s hunger before the club season. As for this blog; even though Euros are over I’ll continue to write about the Polish national team. I’ll comment on Leo’s choices, players’ tranfers and performances, maybe even on the Polish league. Squad Watch will return and I’ll keep an eye on young Polish talents for you. Generally, every piece of news that I find interesting will end up on this site. I want to thank all the readers for an active participation and comments and I hope that we’ll exchange opinions in the future. Even if you only wanted to learn about Poland because of the Euros, stay with us as supporting Poland is a life-long experience. I definetely plan to cheer the guys in the World Cup qualifiers and I’m prepared for as much joy as heartbreak. Polska, Biało Czerwoni!!!!!

Dudka was certain to leave Wisla this year and he finally did. Even though a lot of Serie A clubs were reported to be interested in him he chose Auxerre instead. A shame that we won’t have a Polish player in Italy, but I think Dudka made a good choice. Serie A could be too competetive for him, whereas I’m almost sure that he’ll win a starting place in France. Auxerre is not the richest of clubs and if they spend 2,5M on a player they must believe in him. Moreover, they’ve been scouting Dudka for more than a year now so it was a well thought through decision on their side. Another advantage of this transfer is the fact that Dudka is supposed to play as a defensive midfielder; a position that he currently occupies in the national team. As far as I’m concerned, he should stick to being a defensive midfielder as he’s too mistake prone for playing in defense. Auxerre is well known for their symphathy for Polish football. Andrzej Szarmach, member of the famous Polish 1974 team, is a legend there. Pawel Janas, Zbigniew Kaczmarek and Tomasz Klos also had successful spells at the club. Some, like Marcin Kuzba and Piotr Wlodarczyk, are considered as transfer flops. Currently, Ireneusz Jelen plays for the club. After a great first season (10 goals in the league), he couldn’t overcome injury problems last term. This time, injury free Jelen is expected to be one of the leading players for Auxerre. It seems that Polish fans will have to keep an eye on Guy Roux’s club this season.

There is also a rumour that Ebi Smolarek will be sold to Toulouse. Even during the Euros we heard the news that Racing Santander is not satisfied with his performances and will try to find a buyer for him. Now Toulouse seems to be the most probable destination. I’m really disappointed that Ebi wasn’t able to settle in Santander. I really love Primera Division and cherish an opportunity to watch a Polish player battling against the likes of Barcelona or Real Madrid. Unfortunately, Ebi didn’t manage to live up to expectations. He was brought in as a potential star, but played worse than Mohammed Thite and Ivan Bolado. Racing wants to retrieve the money that they invested in Ebi, which is something around 5M. Can Toulouse afford it? I think they can, as long as they sell Johan Elmander. That would certainly be a step back in Ebi’s career. At the same time, I prefer him to play week in week out in France rather than playing every 2-3 weeks in Spain. It’s just a shame that, being a fan of Premiership and Primera Division, I can’t experience a pleasure of watching Polish players perform on a big stage.

I’m going on holiday for four days, so I won’t be able to publish anything fresh. Still, if you want to comment on something concerning Polish national team just do it here. See ya.

I just love Artur Boruc. Apart from being a great footballer, he is also an interesting person who is never afraid to speak what’s on his mind. Forget those boring interviews with footballers who say how much they respect their opponents; you can always count on Artie saying something unexpected. As in the last interview for Gazeta Wyborcza, where he commented on Lech Kaczynski even without being directly asked about him:

GW: What do you think about Roger?
Boruc: I said from the beginning that if he can help us then I don’t see any problem in him playing for Poland. The whole world does that. I’m just a bit concerned by comments that a Pole was the best among Germans and that a Brazilian was the best among Poles. I don’t regret that Roger is a Pole, on contrary. I joined the team in the middle of a training camp in Donaueschingen. I had a lot of individual training sessions, but I know that Roger is a very nice guy, with very developed technical skills. Everyone of us had some goal, had something to prove during the Euros, but Roger had the most to prove. It’s just a shame that Mr president, who gave him the citizenship, doesn’t know his name. He changed Roger’s name, he changed mine. If such people attend our matches I prefer to play in front of empty seats. Our beloved president also held the scarf upside down, maybe it was the first time he’s ever been to a game? It was all very pathetic.

There you have it, Boruc is as honest a guy as you can get (remember him criticizing Roy Keane in his first season for Celtic?). I agree with him completely; I hate it when politicians, especially those who don’t know a thing about football, attend games only to be in a spotlight and win some votes. It’s especially popular before any kind of elections; we have been promised new stadiums for the last ten years. Politicians, keep away from football grounds unless you’re really into it. If not, leave some space for true fans.

The controversial video once again:

“How to operate a football scarf”, by Lech Kaczynski:

Let’s begin with confirmed rumours. West Brom had made an official offer for the most talented young Polish playmaker Radoslaw Majewski from Groclin Grodzisk. However, if they want to buy him they must increase their offer, at least according to Groclin’s sporting director Tadeusz Fajfer. Groclin’s evaluation of Majewski is 2.3M £. I really hope they let him go, especially after Groclin resigned from UEFA Cup participation. What else can Maja learn in Poland? How much can he progress playing for an audience of a thousand in Grodzisk? He’s young and he can still switch to a fast pace of Premiership football. Moreover, if West Brom really spend more than 2M £ on him, he’ll certainly be given a lot of playing time in the first team. I don’t believe in West Brom spending this amount of money and then putting Majewski in the reserves team (as is the case with other Poles who left for England as youngsters: Fojut, Cywka or Kupisz). Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the deal goes through.

Shakhtar Donetsk have confirmed that they received an official enquiry about Mariusz Lewandowski from Celtic Glasgow. The news that Celtic is interested in Lewy was reported yesterday. Lewandowski said that he would very much like to join the Bhoys, the only problem is if they have enough money to buy him out of Ukraine. Shakhtar is a rich club and doesn’t need to sell their players; it’s rumoured that they’ll want something around 5M for Lewandowski. It’s definetely too much for Celtic. On the other hand, Lewy said that Shakhtar owes him something after all the years he’s played for them. For me, Celtic is a perfect club for Lewy, who is a tough player, but at the same time skillful enough for SPL (and I’m a Celtic fan, which is probably the most important reason). Celtic has some problems with defensive midfielders (Donati, Sno, Gravesen) so this move looks probable. It is also reported that clubs like Fulham, Middlesbrough or Everton are interested in Lewy’s signature.

Roger Guerreiro impressed many football scouts during the Euros and he’s now supposed to have many interesting options to choose from. Press mentions interest from Ajax, Dortmund and Marseille. It’s still too early to confirm any of those options; what we can confirm, however, is the fact that Legia Warsaw are ready to sell Roger. They already bought Maciej Iwanski, one of Polish league’s top playmakers, to make up for the expected loss of Rogerski. However, their price tag of 5M is a bit too high as far as I’m concerned. Personally, I think a club like Ajax, or other top club ouside the top three European leagues, is the best choice for Roger. I don’t know if he’s physically ready to compete in Premiership or Bundesliga. There’ll still be a lot of clubs linked with Roger so we just have to wait and see. It’s definetely high time for him to leave Legia.

Napoli is a second Italian club, after Lazio, reported to be interested in Dariusz Dudka. Serie A clubs have been scouting Dudka for a long time now; I remember a loan offer from Udinese just half a year ago. However, today we learn that Lazio and Napoli are no more in the running and that it is Auxerre that is most determined to acquire Dudka. They already wanted to buy him a year ago and now decided that the time is right to repeat the offer. Personally, I think a transfer to any of those clubs would be a huge step forward for Dariusz. In my opinion, it’s his versatility (he can play everywher in defense and as a defensive midfielder) that attracts foreign clubs. However, there’s still no mention of an official offer. Still, Dudka wants out, Wisla are ready to sell him, consequently we should see Dariusz in a different jersey next season.

Adam Kokoszka, one of the most talented Polish defenders, was supposedly on AC Torino’s wish list. Moreover, some journalists wrote that he’s about to use the new Webster’s rulling in order to lower a price tag. Kokoszka denied Torino’s interest himself, but at the same time he didn’t deny the will to leave Wisla on Webster rulling. Kokos is to inform the press when an interesting offer occurs. As much as I would like Wisla to be a strong team before Champions League qualifiers, I understand Kokos’ actions. He won’t get much playing time as long as Glowacki and Cleber, considered best central defenders in Poland, stay in Krakow. I don’t think he has time to wait until Cleber retires. Ideally, Kokoszka will be transferred abroad to a club where he gets much playing time (I know, wishful thinking).

I also read an article today about Betis Sevilla being interested in Przemyslaw Kazmierczak. It’s hard to believe that such a club would be interested in Kaz after he couldn’t win a place in FC Porto. At the same time, it seems more and more obvious that Kaz will leave Porto in search of regular football. Paok Thessaloniki and Vitoria Guimaraes have already been mentioned as possible destinations.

To end it all, a transfer that is already confirmed. Last season’s Polish league second top goalscorer, Adrian Sikora, signed a contract with Real Murcia, a club that was relegated from Primera Division last season. Even though he’s 28, that’s a first serious challenge in Sikora’s career. I’m really curious how he’ll do and if his speed and an ability to play on an offside line will be enough to succeed in Spain.

That’s the first portion of transfer rumours. I expect some gossip about Artur Boruc, Pawel Golanski and Pawel Brozek to emerge in next weeks. Where would you see our players?

Kuba still felt an occasional pain while training that’s why he decided to speak to Leo about it. He explained that he wouldn’t be fully prepared to face Germany and Austria. He would only be able to play 20-30 minutes in the games. After learning that, Leo decided to replace Kuba with Lukasz Piszczek. Kuba was, of course, very disappointed and angry, but today he’s saying that he understands the decision. There’s no conflict between him and Beenhakker and playing for national team remains his footballer’s dream.

I’m very glad that Kuba finally ended all speculation concerning his person. We had to hear from all the journalists and experts that Leo made a huge mistake leaving the Dortmund player at home. In fact, some even compared Kuba’s situation to the one of Arshavin and wanted Blaszczu included in the squad if only to play against Croatia. What makes those cases different is the fact that Kuba had health problems whereas Arshavin was only suspended for a red card. I think that Leo made a right decision not to risk Blaszczykowski’s health. Imagine a situation where he suffers a serious injury in the middle of the Austria game and then pauses for as long as half a season. Leo would be eaten alive by all the experts then. Not to mention the fact that without feeling fully fit Kuba wouldn’t perform on his normal, high level. It’s good that Leo’s experience controlled a young man’s ambition to play. Would you still have included Kuba in the squad?

Piotr Polczak
Position: DC
Age: 22 years
Club: Cracovia Krakow
He was transferred out of the second division only half a year ago and in this time managed to become one of the most confident central backs in the league. He also played regularly for our youth team. At 1,92m height, Polczak has the physicality needed to play on this position. As always when Polish league players are concerned, his on the ball skills need improvement.

Marcin Kikut
Position: DR/MR
Age: 25 years
Club: Lech Poznan
The most offensively playing right back in the Polish league. He started his career as a winger and was tranformed into a defender by Lech’s coach, Franciszek Smuda. He did well to replace Marcin Wasilewski at Lech Poznan and maybe he’d do the same in the national team. I’m still in the dark on whether he can perform on international stage, but Lech plays in UEFA Cup this season so we’re bound to find out.

Radoslaw Majewski
Position: MC/AMC
Age: 22 years
Club: Groclin Grodzisk
The most talented playmaker in the Polish league and the most improved player for the last season. Good technique and an ability to play an opening, diagonal ball make him an exceptional player in terms of the Polish league. A good performance against England for our youth team sparked some interest from abroad, but Majewski will stay for at least one more year in Grodzisk. Was very close to earning a spot in our Euro squad and will certainly be called up by Leo for the upcoming games.

Ireneusz Jelen
Position: MR/ST
Age: 27 years
Club: AJ Auxerre
Already an experienced player, he was our best performer in the 2006 World Cup. Unfortunately, he suffered serious back pains last season that prevented him from repeating an impressive debut season in the French league. Leo is not his biggest fan as he views Jelen as a perfect player for counter attack, not for positional play. Still, if he’s healthy and in form, Jelen is our best right winger just after Kuba Blaszczykowski.

Przemyslaw Kazmierczak
Position: DMC/MC/ML
Age: 26 years
Club: FC Porto
He was regularly called up by Leo in 2006 and 2007, but lost his form after moving to FC Potro. The truth is, he is not good enough to play regularly ahead of players such as Lucho Gonzales or Raul Meirelles. At the same time, he can impress in mid-table clubs, as was the case with Boavista. We don’t have much backup defensive midfielders to choose from (Pazdan was the only one in the Euros) so Kaz deserves a second look, especially when we consider his powerful, left footed shot.

Rafal Boguski
Position: MR/AMC/ST
Age: 24 years
Club: Wisla Krakow
When he returned to Wisla at the beginning of last season he was only considered a utility player. In reality, he became on of the crucial elements in Wisla’s championship season and was praised as the one who made the biggest progress by coach Maciej Skorza. Already spotted and singled out by Leo, he’ll surely be given a chance. A very versatile player; can play on right wing, support a lone striker or even play as one. Managed to keep Radoslaw Matusiak out of Wisla’s starting lineup.

Dawid Nowak
Position: ST
Age: 24 years
Club: GKS Belchatow
Nowak is considered one of the most talented strikers in Poland but his career is put on hold every season due to injuries. Still, he manages to attract interest from top Polish clubs every transfer window. A very dynamic player. I would like to see him play a season without injuries and only then check if he’s skilled enough to score regularly and play for the national team.

Robert Lewandowski
Position: ST
Age: 20 years
Club: Lech Poznan
To be honest, I’ve only seen some highlights of his play and individual goals. Lewandowski was last season’s top goalscorer in Polish second division with 21 goals to his name. That’s not a huge achievement when you consider which players won this title before, but the fact that he managed to spark interest from all top Polish clubs (Legia, Lech, Wisla) speaks for itself. He’s a powerful, but at the same dynamic forward. He already plays for our youth team. I’m curious to watch how he performs for Lech next season.

Krzyszto Krol
Position: DL
Club: Real Madrid
Age: 21 years
I can’t really say how he plays now because the last time I saw him was a year ago during Youth World Cup in Canada. My impression then was that he still needed to improve but, at the same time, was far better after a year spent in Real Madrid reserves. He advanced to Real Madrid B team this season, but from what I’ve read, he didn’t manage to become a first team regular there. I must see him play for some other team and only then judge if he’s really a national team potential.

Jaroslaw Fojut
Position: DC
Age: 21 years
Club: Bolton Wanderers
Once again, it’s hard for me to write something about his current form because I haven’t seen him lately. He performed well for our youth team in 2007. He was also loaned out this year to Luton Town and, supposedly, managed to impress there. Still, he didn’t play a single game for Bolton last season and only sat on the bench a couple of times. Ideally, he’ll become at least a rotation player this season.

Ludovic Obraniak
Position: ML
Age: 24 years
Club: OSC Lille
I don’t watch the French League so I can’t really comment on his abilities. But the reviews he receives are really encouriging. He was a regular this season for Lille, which speaks for itself. He applied for Polish citizenship this year and, after problems with lost papers, he should receive it at the start of the next season. The only problem is that he played for France’s U-21 and, consequently, shouldn’t be allowed to play for us. On the other hand, Polish scouts are helping him with all the paperwork so they must consider him eligible to represent Poland. Ludovic is very proud of his Polish roots and he wants to play for us to honour his grandfather.

In both parts I wanted to present players who I consider good enough to be current or future national team members. At the same time, I’m very curious which players Leo Beenhakker considers worthy of being given a chance. He has a rare eye for talent and will probably surprise us with some future call ups (as was the case with Zahorski, Pazdan or Kokoszka). Any names you would add to the list?

Marcin Kowalczyk
Position: DR/DL
Age: 23 years
Club: Dinamo Moscow
We lack good full backs so Kowalczyk should be the first one tested. He can play both on left and right side. Already impressed for GKS Belchatow in 2006/2007 season. Quite fast and confident on the ball. Sold to Dinamo Moscow at the beginning of the year where he won his place in the squad instantly.

Piotr Brozek
Position: DL/ML/ATT
Age: 25 years
Club: Wisla Krakow
If we need an attacking full back Piotr Brozek is a player to call up. He started his career as a winger so he’s got a natural drive to attack. Good dribbler, he’s also very fast. The problem is, he can’t defend. He lacks good positioning and would struggle against a quality winger.

Tomasz Bandrowski
Position: MC/ML
Age: 24 years
Club: Lech Poznan
I remember him playing for our U-21 some time ago and always considered him the most talented next to Kuba Blaszczykowski. Strange he couldn’t win a regular place at Energie Cottbus. Luckily, he was loaned out to Lech Poznan, where he established himself as one of the best midfielders in the Polish league. Good technique and vision, can play both in the centre and on a wing.

Kamil Grosicki
Position: MR/ATT
Age: 20 years
Club: FC Sion
Already tested by Leo. We don’t really have many dynamic wingers/dribblers that’s why we should keep an eye on Grosicki’s performances in Switzerland. A good dribbler, never scared of running at defenders, a natural talent. Hopefully, he’s recovered from his gambling addiction.

Ariel Borysiuk
Position: DMC/MC/AMC
Age: 17 years
Club: Legia Warsaw
Very rarely we see a player of such quality emerge in Poland at such a young age. I was really impressed seeing him distribute the ball so confidently for Legia this season. Good technique enables him to play under pressure, he very rarely loses the ball. It’s probably a bit too early to introduce him to the senior national team, but why not try? They do it in Spain, Holland or Portugal.

Szymon Pawlowski
Position: MR/ML
Age: 22 years
Club: Zaglebie Lubin
Developed enormously in the last season. His performances for Zaglebie sparked interest both from top Polish clubs and from abroad. A right footed player, but he can also play on the left flank. Has all qualities of a classy winger: speed, dribbling and crossing abilities. Has to leave Zaglebie this season as they were relegated to 2nd division. Performs well for our U-21 team.

Pawel Brozek
Position: ST
Age: 25 years
Club: Wisla Krakow
The top scorer of Polish first division. Already had numerous chances to impress in the national team but never really delivered. Next two years may be his make or break period. A transfer abroad would do him good. Very fast, posseses a good shot. He’s not a player fitting in Leo’s philosophy of play (a striker should be able to keep the ball), but we can’t afford to dispose of a player of such potential. Deserves another chance.

Dawid Janczyk
Position: ST
Age: 21 years
Club: CSKA Moscow
The biggest talent in Polish football in the last three years. Impressed both in Youth Euro Champs in 2006 and Youth World Cup in 2007. His performance in 2007 earned him a move to CSKA Moscow. Unfortunately, he doesn’t play regularly in Russia due to injuries and competition in the squad. It seems that this year CSKA will sell Jo, a Brazilian striker, so maybe Janczyk will finally get his chance in the starting lineup. Well built, fast, has a powerful shot; ideal for a lone striker.

Adam Danch
Position: DC/DMC
Age: 21 years
Club: Gornik Zabrze
A player that, along with Janczyk, impressed me most during Youth World Cup in 2007. When most of the players played chaotically, he seemed calm and confident on the ball. Able to decipher what’s best for the team in a partcular moment. Started the last season as a first team regular, but then lost competition with Michal Pazdan. I like the way Ryszard Wieczorek, Gornik’s coach, develops young talent; Danch will surely be given a chance next season.

Kamil Glik
Position: DC/DMC
Age: 20 years
Club: Real Madrid
I only saw him a couple of times playing for our U-21. A tall and well built defender/midfielder who works very hard in the middle of the field. He’s still a bit technically raw, but I’m sure Real Madrid coaches will work on that. He isn’t exactly Real material, but there’s a chance he’ll make a name for himself in Primera Division. Height and physicality mixed with some skills on the ball should be a perfect combination.

In the second part: Piotr Polczak, Marcin Kikut, Radoslaw Majewski, Ireneusz Jelen, Przemyslaw Kazmierczak, Rafal Boguski, Dawid Nowak, Robert Lewandowski and Krzysztof Krol.

What do you think about these candidates?

The most experienced players, the ones who should be our leaders, were at the same time the biggest underachievers in our team. As a result, we should get rid of them and give a chance to younger, more ambitious players, with a mentality not scarred by big tournaments constant failure. That would be a proper way, at least, if we were a country like France, which always has enormous number of football talent at their disposal. But we’re Poland, we don’t have a choice of 50 players who play regularly on an international level. Should we, then, get rid of the oldest players and concentrate on introducing youngsters, keeping 2012 in mind? I think that every player deserves individual judgement.

Jacek Bak, 35 years: he already announced retirement from international football. At the same time, I heard that Leo still wants him to play for a year or two. I think it’s time to say goodbye to Bak. He had some great games and some poor ones for Bialo Czerwoni and should make place for younger players. His health may not enable him to play both for the club and national team.

Jacek Krzynowek, 32 years: considered the biggest disappointment in our team. As in 2006, he proved that we can’t count on him if he doesn’t play regularly for his club. He was totally useless, tried unecessary shots and was constantly losing the ball. I think that the only way he can remain in the national team is by changing a club for a one in which he would play regularly. In other words, it’s time to return to Poland.

Maciej Zurawski, 32 years: lack of character, lack of motivation, lack of winner’s mentality. How could he be our captain! Once again, he failed to perform against superior opponents. First of all, I think there is no way he can remain Polish nt captain. Secondly, I don’t think we can count on him to play a leading role in the team. But should we get rid of him alltogether? He may still prove useful, if he agrees to be a substitute and he he really impresses in Greece.

Michal Zewlakow, 32 years: the only experienced player that didn’t let us down horribly. I think he should stay in the team and replace Bak as a leader of our defence, at least for the forthcoming qualifiers. He still plays in a good European club (Olympiakos) and should stay in shape in the next 2 years. Moreover, we can’t dispose of all experienced players.

Marek Saganowski, 30 years: gave his best during the Euros, but he’s not talented enough to win games all by himself. To be honest, I can’t see him playing a crucial role in the next qualifiers. If he performs well for Southampton next season he may be considered useful for certain matches (Northern Ireland). Other than that, I prefer to see more of Zahorski, Janczyk or Brozek.

Mariusz Jop, 30 years: thanks, but no. Certainly, Jop had some good games for the national team, but he had too many horrible ones (Ecuador, Austria). He won’t be faster and he won’t improve his technical skills. We need to grow some young central defenders like Kokoszka, Polczak, Danch or even Fojut.

Mariusz Lewandowski, 29 years: he was average during the Euros, but remember that he played last two games with an injury. Moreover, he’s not that old, he may even play in 2012. That’s why, keeping in mind Lewy’s good performances in the qualifiers, he should still be a part of the team. And if a transfer to Premiership goes through, he may still improve his skills.

Arkadiusz Radomski, 31 years: not part of the team in Euros, but still one of the more experienced Polish players. I see him neither as a starting central defender nor as a starting defensive midfielder. I heard that he wants to leave Austria Vienna and return to Holland. Provided he plays regularly, he may be considered a backup player in the national team. But will his ambition enable him to agree with such a role?

As you can see, I view only Zewlakow and Lewandowski as important first team players for our next qualifying campaign. Krzynowek may still be useful as long as he plays regularly; I’d like him to return to Poland, maybe Wisla. If Zurawski becomes a leading scorer in Greece, he may add some quality to the national team. But only as a squad player, not a leader and definitely not a captain. Other than that, it’s time to introduce younger players. The sooner the better, as we want to have a young, but at the same time experienced side in 2012. What do you reckon?