Goalkeepers:

Artur Boruc (Celtic Glasgow)- not in the squad against Kilmarnock, injury
Lukasz Fabianski (Arsenal London)- not in the squad against Tottenham, injury
Tomasz Kuszczak (ManUtd)- on the bench against Blackburn
Sebastian Przyrowski (Polonia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Jagiellonia, note 5
Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal London)- not in the squad against Tottenham
Lukasz Zaluska (Celtic Glasgow)- 90 minutes against Kilmarnock

Defenders:

Blazej Augustyn (Catania)- on the bench against Fiorentina
Piotr Brozek (Wisla Krakow)- not in the squad against Korona, injury
Dariusz Dudka (AJ Auxerre)- 90 minutes and an assist against Montpellier
Seweryn Gancarczyk (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes against Slask, note 5
Kamil Glik (Pisat Gliwice)- 90 minutes against Lechia, note 5
Arkadiusz Glowacki (Wisla Krakow)- not in the squad against Korona, injury
Pawel Golanski (Steaua Bucharest)- on the bench against FC Timisoara
Tomasz Jodlowiec (Polonia Warsaw)- not in the squad against GKS Jagiellonia, injury
Adam Kokoszka (Empoli F.C.)- 90 minutes against Lecce
Marcin Kowalczyk (Dinamo Moscow)- on the bench against Amkar
Jakub Rzezniczak (Legia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Ruch, note 6
Maciej Sadlok (Ruch Chorzow)- 90 minutes against Legia, note 4
Michal Zewlakow (Olympiakos Pireus)- 90 minutes against Atromitos

Midfielders:

Tomasz Bandrowski (Lech Poznan)- 45 minutes against Slask, note 5
Rafal Boguski (Wisla Krakow)- 7 minutes against Korona
Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund)- 90 minutes against Hertha
Janusz Gancarczyk (Slask Wroclaw)- 90 minutes against Lech, note 5
Roger Guerreiro (AEK Athens)- 10 minutes against Ergotelis
Maciej Iwanski (Legia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Ruch, note 7
Kamil Kosowski (APOEL Nicosia)- not in the squad against Aris, injury
Jacek Krzynowek (Hannover 96)- 5 minutes against FC Koeln
Mariusz Lewandowski (Shakhtar Donetsk)- on the bench against Czernomorets
Wojciech Lobodzinski (Wisla Krakow)- 76 minutes against Korona, note 5
Radoslaw Majewski (Nottingham Forest)- 62 minutes against Cardiff
Patryk Malecki (Wisla Krakow)- 84 minutes and an assist against Korona, note 6
Rafal Murawski (Rubin Kazan)- 39 minutes against Krylia, got injured
Ludovic Obraniak (Lille)- on the bench against Grenoble
Sławomir Peszko (Lech Poznan)-90 minutes against Slask, note 6
Lukasz Piszczek (Hertha Berlin)- 79 minutes against Dortmund
Bartosz Salamon (Brescia)- match today
Jakub Wilk (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes against Slask, note 5

Attackers:

Pawel Brozek (Wisla Krakow)- 90 minutes and two assists against Korona, note 5
Kamil Grosicki (Jagiellonia)- 84 minutes against Polonia Warsaw, note 6
Dawid Janczyk (Lokeren)- on the bench against Anderlecht
Michal Janota (Excelsior Rotterdam)- on the bench against Fortuna Sittard
Ireneusz Jelen (AJ Auxerre)- 90 minutes and two goals against Montpellier
Robert Lewandowski (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes against Slask, note 5
Dawid Nowak (GKS Belchatow)- on the bench against Cracovia
Grzegorz Rasiak (Reading)- 90 minutes and two goals against Coventry
Marek Saganowski (Southampton)- not in the squad against Leyton Orient
Ebi Smolarek (no club)- season not yet started
Artur Wichniarek (Hertha Berlin)- 11 minutes against Dortmund
Maciej Zurawski (Omonia Nicosia)- 90 minutes and an assist against APOP

Summary: Here’s the list of players called up by Smuda

Goalkeepers: Tomasz Kuszczak (Manchester United), Wojciech Szczesny (Arsenal)
Defenders: Marcin Kowalczyk (Dynamo Moscow), Jakub Rzezniczak (Legia Warsaw), Michal Zewlakow (Olympiakos Pireus), Maciej Sadlok (Ruch Chorzow), Arkadiusz Glowacki (Wisla Krakow), Adam Kokoszka (Empoli), Piotr Brozek (Wisla Krakow), Seweryn Gancarczyk (Lech Poznan), Dariusz Dudka (AJ Auxerre)

Midfielders: Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund), Slawomir Peszko (Lech Poznan), Rafal Murawski (Rubin Kazan), Janusz Gancarczyk (Slask Wroclaw), Kamil Kosowski (APOEL Nicosia), Ludovic Obraniak (Lille), Roger Guerreiro (AEK Athens)

Strikers: Robert Lewandowski (Lech Poznan), Pawel Brozek (Wisla Krakow), Ireneusz Jelen (AJ Auxerre), Patryk Malecki (Wisla Krakow)

This was the first time that the fans have had the opportunity to learn about who Franz Smuda considers to be the best Polish players. What kind of conclusion can we draw from Smuda’s initial choices? First of all, Artur Boruc will have to work really hard to win back his nr 1 blouse. Smuda admitted that Artie wouldn’t have been called up even if he was healthy. Tomasz Kuszczak has suddenly become Polish nr 1 as our new coach claims that he loves the ManUtd keeper’s ambition and strong character. Smuda is also a huge fan of the young Wojciech Szczesny’s talent and as a result he’s making him our nr 2. That’s a very risky choice as both keepers have earned almost no playing time this season. In my opinion Smuda made his choice based on the character of the players, not necessarily the recent form. Lukasz Fabianski is still in contention for the starting spot, but Franz couldn’t pick him due to injury. Marcin Kowalczyk, Piotr Brozek and Maciej Sadlok are the three fresh faces in our defense. After very average recent performances by Seweryn Gancarczyk the search for the new left back continues. The other Brozek twin is by many considered the best left back in the Ekstraklasa; Smuda claims that he may use him both in defense and on the wing. He also wants to have as many good left footed players as possible. I’m quite happy about Brozek’s inclusion as I’ve wanted to see him in the national team colours for a long time now. No gurantee, however, that he’s going to be the answer for all our problems. Marcin Kowalczyk plays regularly in a strong league (Russian) and deserves a second look (he was tested by Leo more than a year ago). Maciej Sadlok, on the other hand, won his place in the team due to his never say die attitude. Smuda admitted that he called up the young Ruch centre back because he likes players that don’t allow to be shoved around by strikers. Arkadiusz Glowacki won’t be able to play in this month’s friendlies as he’s injured, the word is that the young Kamil Glik will be called up in his place. This would make Michal Zewlakow and Dariusz Dudka the most experienced players in the squad as Smuda realized after the last two games that our defense looks even poorer without them. Zewlak certainly can’t be considered a 2012 prospect, but Franz said that he wants to have a closer look at all the good players. This may also explain why Kamil Kosowski was brought back to the national team. The popular Kosiarka is experiencing a surprising return to form in the Cypriot league and is Polish football’s best representative in the Champions League. Kosowski’s style of play is both spectacular and irritating, nevertheless he may be our best option at the left wing till we fing someone younger. I don’t have high hopes for Janusz Gancarczyk, I think he was called up solely because of his speed. He may be useful if there’s a lot of free space on the pitch, but in modern professional football such situations are quite rare. Even though Smuda claimed that he’s against foreigners playing for Poland he decided to pick Roger who will now rival Ludo Obraniak to become our starting playmaker. Smuda’s call ups suggest that we won’t certainly play with two defensive midfielders (Dudka is the only one); I think he may go for 4-4-2 or 4-1-4-1. Franz picked the best strikers available, though some may be surprised by the absence of Grosicki or Janczyk. I think it was just time to give Patryk Malecki a chance to earn his first cap and the aforementioned duo are definitely in Franz’s books. How do you like Smuda’s choices?

Rumours are resurfacing about Smuda’s coaching staff. Former Bialo Czerwony Tomasz Waldoch is tipped to be the assistant manager whereas another former player Marek Kozminski is to be the technical director. Legia’s Krzysztof Dowhan (trained Boruc, Fabianski and Jan Mucha) is the hot favourite to become the goalkeeping coach.

Goalkeepers:

Artur Boruc (Celtic Glasgow)- not in the squad against Hamilton, injury
Jerzy Dudek (Real Madrid)- on the bench against Sporting Gijon
Wojciech Kowalewski (Iraklis Thessaloniki)- 90 minutes against Levadiakos
Lukasz Fabianski (Arsenal London)- not in the squad against West Ham
Tomasz Kuszczak (ManUtd)- not in the squad against against Liverpool
Sebastian Przyrowski (Polonia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against GKS Belchatow, note 4
Lukasz Zaluska (Celtic Glasgow)- 90 minutes against Hamilton

Defenders:

Blazej Augustyn (Catania)- on the bench against Inter
Jaroslaw Bieniuk (Widzew Lodz)- 90 minutes against Znicz, note 6
Dariusz Dudka (AJ Auxerre)- 72 minutes against Lille
Seweryn Gancarczyk (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes against Lechia, note 5
Kamil Glik (Pisat Gliwice)- 90 minutes against Wisla, note 5
Arkadiusz Glowacki (Wisla Krakow)- 90 minutes against Piast, note 6
Pawel Golanski (Steaua Bucharest)- 57 minutes against Rapid
Tomasz Jodlowiec (Polonia Warsaw)- not in the squad against GKS Belchatow, injury
Adam Kokoszka (Empoli F.C.)- 90 minutes against Triestina
Marcin Kowalczyk (Dinamo Moscow)- 90 minutes against Tuban
Mariusz Pawelec (Slask Wroclaw)- 90 minutes against Zaglebie, note 5
Piotr Polczak (Cracovia Krakow)- 90 minutes against Odra, note 4
Jakub Rzezniczak (Legia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Korona, note 5
Michal Zewlakow (Olympiakos Pireus)- on the bench against Ergotelis

Midfielders:

Tomasz Bandrowski (Lech Poznan)- 13 minutes against Lechia
Rafal Boguski (Wisla Krakow)- not in the squad against Piast, injury
Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund)- 45 minutes against Leverkusen
Roger Guerreiro (AEK Athens)- on the bench against Aris
Maciej Iwanski (Legia Warsaw)- 90 minutes and two assists against Korona, note 7
Jacek Krzynowek (Hannover 96)- 1 minute against Stuttgart
Mariusz Lewandowski (Shakhtar Donetsk)- 90 minutes against Zakarpacie
Wojciech Lobodzinski (Wisla Krakow)- 59 minutes against Piast, note 5
Radoslaw Majewski (Nottingham Forest)- on the bench against Crystal Palace
Patryk Malecki (Wisla Krakow)- 90 minutes and two assists against Piast, note 6
Rafal Murawski (Rubin Kazan)- 90 minutes against Rostov
Ludovic Obraniak (Lille)- 16 minutes against Auxerre
Szymon Pawlowski (Zaglebie Lubin)- 9 minutes against Slask
Sławomir Peszko (Lech Poznan)-90 minutes against Lechia, note 7
Lukasz Piszczek (Hertha Berlin)- on the bench against Wolfsburg
Bartosz Salamon (Brescia)- ?
Jakub Wilk (Lech Poznan)- 45 minutes against Lechia, note 5

Attackers:

Pawel Brozek (Wisla Krakow)- 90 minutes and a goal against Piast, note 7
Kamil Grosicki (Jagiellonia)- 90 minutes against Arka, note 5
Dawid Janczyk (Lokeren)- 63 minutes against Genk
Michal Janota (Excelsior Rotterdam)- a goal against FC Emmen
Ireneusz Jelen (AJ Auxerre)- 90 minutes and two goals against Lille
Robert Lewandowski (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes against Lechia, note 6
Dawid Nowak (GKS Belchatow)- 13 minutes against Polonia Warsaw
Grzegorz Rasiak (Reading)- match today
Marek Saganowski (Southampton)- not in the squad against MK Dons
Ebi Smolarek (no club)- season not yet started
Artur Wichniarek (Hertha Berlin)- on the bench against Wolfsburg
Maciej Zurawski (Omonia Nicosia)- didn’t play against Apollon

Summary: At first Grzegorz Lato claimed that Stefan Majewski will remain the temporary coach for the November friendlies. Then the PZPN’s board announced that the new coach will be chosen on the 3rd of November. Only later did they realize that in this case there would be no one to call up the squad for the upcoming friendlies (players have to be picked two weeks before the games). As a result, PZPN is fighting against time to find the new coach as soon as possible (considering they lost enormous amounts of time before). Franciszek Smuda is the one destined to become the new coach as he’s the only candidate treated seriously by the PZPN at the moment. His possible choice is also a result of fans’ pressure on PZPN and their recent boycott of the game against Slovakia. Smuda is the most popular choice among the fans, he wins every opinion poll by a large degree; choosing him would calm the fans and ease the critique a bit. Considering the fact that a foreign option is not seriously taken into consideration Smuda seems the best possible choice for me. Here are some of the reasons why:
1) His teams always play until the last whistle. Smuda is the best representative of the “never say die” attitude in Polish football. He advanced to the CL with Widzew scoring two goals in the dying minutes of the game against Broendby, Widzew won the championship at Legia scoring in the last minutes of the game, Rafal Murawski’s shot at the end of the overtime took Lech to the group stage of the UEFA cup. Smuda requires players to give their best throughout the whole of 90 minutes.
2) Smuda is not scared of any opponent. His teams always try to attack regardless of the opposing team they have to face. He inspires players and make them believe that they can take on anyone in the world. Of course, the results are various, but one can’t definitely say that Smuda’s teams lose the games before the first whistle is blown.
3) For a Polish coach, Smuda has got quite a good record in Europe. He advanced to the CL with Widzew and to the UEFA Cup’s group stage with Lech. His teams fought bravely against the likes of Dortmund, Udinese (both Widzew and Lech), FC Barcelona, Parma or Deportivo. He usually defeated the inferior opponents.
4) Smuda is a “player’s coach”. Most of the footballers he worked with have a good opinion of him. He may not be the brightest or the wisest of coaches, he’s not the most technologically advanced (you rarely see him with a laptop), but he’s able to build a positive bond with the players and inspire them to leave their hearts on the pitch. His motivational skills are the best in Poland.
5) He’s got the ability to correctly judge player’s potential. Of course, he doesn’t have a 100% record as far as transfers are concerned, but he very rarely picks players who are not up to the task. That’s a very important characteristic as Smuda will have to be able to choose the best from a group of 50-60 players, not 20 as it usually is on the club level (at least in Poland).
6) He’s a popular figure among the fans. As long as the team doesn’t play horribly he’ll have the public vote of confidence.

Don’t get me wrong, Smuda is not the best possible option available. I would really love the PZPN to hold talks with renowned foreign coaches, not only wait for their applications (as our FA does), but make the first move and try to reach them themselves (the best don’t look for the job, the job finds them). Smuda is just the best possible choice in the current circumstances. PZPN wants to have a Polish coach and we can’t do anything about it. Smuda is a person that can have a positive effect on the team and the players with his courageous approach. It’s better that the PZPN chooses him rather than Stefan Majewski.

Ireneusz Jelen scored his first two goals of the season. I hope that now Jelonek will put the ball in the net more regularly and establish his position as one of the most dangerous strikers in Ligue 1. Michal Janota is the other Pole that scored abroad this weekend; he already has six goals to his name this season. Rafal Murawski continues to win a stronger position at Rubin Kazan. After quite a positive performance against FC Barcelona (though he certainly wasn’t playing the lead role) he played for 90 minutes in the league for the second time in a row. Rubin proved last Tuesday in Barcelonathat they are a very strong team; playing regularly among such top class players will definitely enhance Muras’ abilities. Ebi Smolarek remains without a club. What’s even more interesting, there are no rumours about any clubs that would have been interested in him. Smolarek stopped answering calls from Polish journalists, there’s absolutely no contact with him at the moment. He hasn’t played a proper game of football for more than a year now. Jakub Blaszczukowski remains unimpressive for Dormund, this time he was substituted at half time. He’s yet to score this season, he’s usually taken off the pitch at some point in the game. Dortmund’s coaching staff really needs to do something fast to bring him back to shape. Good news for Kuba is that he got offered a new, better contract; a sign that they still believe in him at Borussia. Finally, did you count the number of goals scored this season by Artur Wichniarek? I’ve got a hint: it won’t take long.

Goalkeepers:

Artur Boruc (Celtic Glasgow)- 90 minutes against Motherwell
Jerzy Dudek (Real Madrid)- on the bench against Vallaloid
Wojciech Kowalewski (Iraklis Thessaloniki)- 90 minutes against Panionios
Lukasz Fabianski (Arsenal London)- not in the squad against Birmingham, injury
Tomasz Kuszczak (ManUtd)- on the bench against Bolton
Sebastian Przyrowski (Polonia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Odra, note 6
Lukasz Zaluska (Celtic Glasgow)- on the bench against Motherwell

Defenders:

Blazej Augustyn (Catania)- 90 minutes against Cagliari
Jaroslaw Bieniuk (Widzew Lodz)- match today
Dariusz Dudka (AJ Auxerre)- 90 minutes against Bordeaux
Seweryn Gancarczyk (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes against Wisla, note 7
Kamil Glik (Pisat Gliwice)- 90 minutes against Legia, note 6
Arkadiusz Glowacki (Wisla Krakow)- 90 minutes against Lech, note 6
Pawel Golanski (Steaua Bucharest)- 79 minutes against Politehnica
Tomasz Jodlowiec (Polonia Warsaw)- not in the squad against Odra, injury
Adam Kokoszka (Empoli F.C.)- 90 minutes against Mantova
Marcin Kowalczyk (Dinamo Moscow)- 90 minutes against Tomsk
Mariusz Pawelec (Slask Wroclaw)- 90 minutes against GKS Belchatow, note 5
Piotr Polczak (Cracovia Krakow)- 90 minutes and an own goal against Polonia Bytom, note 3
Jakub Rzezniczak (Legia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Piast, note 5
Michal Zewlakow (Olympiakos Pireus)- on the bench against Asteras

Midfielders:

Tomasz Bandrowski (Lech Poznan)- 6 minutes against Wisla
Rafal Boguski (Wisla Krakow)- not in the squad against Lech, injury
Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund)- 85 minutes and an assist against Bochum
Roger Guerreiro (AEK Athens)- 27 minutes against Panthrakikos
Maciej Iwanski (Legia Warsaw)- 90 minutes and a goal against Piast, note 7
Jacek Krzynowek (Hannover 96)- 9 minutes against Eintracht
Mariusz Lewandowski (Shakhtar Donetsk)- not in the squad against Karpaty
Wojciech Lobodzinski (Wisla Krakow)- 25 minutes against Lech, note 5
Radoslaw Majewski (Nottingham Forest)- 61 minutes and an assist against Newcastle
Patryk Malecki (Wisla Krakow)- 90 minutes against Lech, note 6
Rafal Murawski (Rubin Kazan)- 90 minutes against Chimki
Ludovic Obraniak (Lille)- not in the squad against Rennes
Szymon Pawlowski (Zaglebie Lubin)- not in the squad against Jagiellonia, injury
Sławomir Peszko (Lech Poznan)-90 minutes against Wisla, note 6
Lukasz Piszczek (Hertha Berlin)- not in the squad against Nurnberg, injury
Bartosz Salamon (Brescia)- not in the squad against Cesena
Jakub Wilk (Lech Poznan)- not in the squad against Wisla, injury

Attackers:

Pawel Brozek (Wisla Krakow)- 90 minutes against Lech, note 7
Kamil Grosicki (Jagiellonia)- 90 minutes against Zaglebie, note 5
Dawid Janczyk (Lokeren)- 90 minutes against Cercle Brugge
Michal Janota (Excelsior Rotterdam)- 11 minutes against FC Zwolle
Ireneusz Jelen (AJ Auxerre)- 90 minutes against Bordeaux
Robert Lewandowski (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes and a goal against Wisla, note 8
Dawid Nowak (GKS Belchatow)- 13 minutes against Slask
Grzegorz Rasiak (Reading)- 18 minutes against West Bromwich
Marek Saganowski (Southampton)- not in the squad against Oldham
Ebi Smolarek (no club)- season not yet started
Artur Wichniarek (Hertha Berlin)- 90 minutes against Nurnberg
Maciej Zurawski (Omonia Nicosia)- the Cypriot league paused

Summary: The Lech-Legia game was one of the most thrilling Ekstraklasa games this season. Kudos to Wisla for not playing a defensive football and coming out on the pitch with a strong desire to win. Hence the game was very open with both teams exchanging “punches” throughout 90 minutes. Robert Lewandowski together with Semir Stilic proved that on their day they are unstoppable even for the best centre backs in Poland. I was very satisfied with the way Lewy was playing yesterday; he fought hard for every ball, made good decisions and scored when he had to. For me, it was Lewy’s best game so far this season. He said afterwards that he plays better when the opposing teams aren’t only concentrating on defense but try to play a game of football. It’s an interesting fact that Lewy is often criticized this season even though he’s the league’s top scorer at the moment. It just shows the level of expectations that the fans put on his shoulders, especially after he became a household name due to FIFA 10 advertising campaign (quite heavy in Poland, Lewy is smiling at you from every media store). I hope the Kolejorz striker wins the Golden Boot this year, a prize that may win him an interesting transfer offer in the summer of 2010. Slawomir Peszko had another energetic game for Lech, though his finishing left much to be desired. The game also marked Grzegorz Wojtkowiak’s return to the starting lineup after a long injury caused pause. One more player that has to be picked up for praise after the match is the 18 year old Mateusz Mozdzen. It’s the first time I’ve seen the youngster and he left quite a good impression. What’s surprised me most was his confidence on the ball, a characteristic rarely met in young Polish players who usually lack the skill of keeping possession. Mozdzen wasn’t impressive enough to call him the hope of Polish football, but he was on the same level of performance with the rest of Kolejorz squad and didn’t make stupid turnovers. Jacek Zielinski will certainly give him another chance in the coming months. As for Wisla, they had their own chances and could’ve easily scored if it wasn’t for Jasmin Buric. Patryk Malecki wasted their best chances, but he was dynamic enough to claim a call up to the Bialo Czerwoni for me. Pawel Brozek, as usual in the league, presented a level of performance unavailable for the majority of Polish strikers. Wisla remains at the top of the table with three points clear of the sensational Ruch Chorzow and five points clear of equally sensational Polonia Bytom. Legia is seven points behind, whereas Lech is trailing by eight. There is still hope for an interesting season.

Stefan Majewski will remain the national team coach for this year’s remaining friendlies (first one against Romania, the second most probably against Turkey). PZPN should have made the decision about who’s our permanent coach a long time ago, now they’re just wasting time. Unless they want to make Majewski permanent, a threat that seems more and more serious as the days go by. Franz Smuda, Henryk Kasperczak and Piotr Nowak are the other candidates. Nowak is a very interesting option; unfortunately he’s refrained from speaking to the polish press so far. It’s a shame as I’m really curious his ideas concerning the national team. He’s achieved enough success in the US to be considered a serious contender (any MLS fans here to give their opinion on Nowak?).

Rafal Murawski and Blazej Augustyn both had surprise starts for their teams this weekend. I don’t know much about Rubin, but I predict that some players were just rested before CL’s third round. I’m glad that Augustyn got another chance after a disastrous first game of the season. Dariusz Dudka finally played, but he failed to impress and gave away a penalty for Bordeaux. Ludovic Obraniak wasn’t in Lille’s squad this weekend, I think that his statements about leaving the club didn’t help him much. He should move in the winter transfer window as the current situation is bad both for the club and the player. Finally, a horrible month for Piotr Polczak. First he became the laughing stock after the game against Czechs (he was very bad, but the critique was sometimes too harsh for my liking, I think he paid for being considered Majewski’s pupil), now he scored an own goal which cost his Cracovia a point. The only way is up for the guy.

Highlights:

Robert Lewandowski scores the decisive goal against Wisla

Kuba Blaszczykowski’s assist against Bochum

Radoslaw Majewski’s assist

Dariusz Dudka gives away a penalty

Maciej Iwanski scores a very nice curved goal here

Unfortunately, I haven’t seen the film yet. It was shown during the Warsaw Film Festival and gained positive reviews from the people interested in the game (Rafal Stec, a football journalist who finished film theory studies, recommended it on his blog). I don’t know if it’s going to be available in cinemas around Poland, but hopefully I’ll get my hand on the DVD version sooner or later. I advise you to do the same. Check out the trailer.

Poland-Slovakia 0:1 (Gancarczyk og 3’)
Poland: Dudek- Gancarczyk, Bieniuk, Glowacki, Rzezniczak- Obraniak, M.Lewandowski, Roger (Peszko 60’), Blaszczykowski- Brozek (86’ Janczyk), Jelen (68’ R.Lewandowski)

Sorry, but I’m not able to carry out a comprehensive analysis of this game. First of all, it wasn’t a game of football but a game of snowball. Secondly, it was really hard to see the ball in these circumstances, I only knew where it was due to the players’ movement. The ball was yellow; there were red balls prepared but apparently they were not FIFA approved. Professionalism at its best and one more proof that football is for the fans to watch. Everyone who ever played on snow knows how hard it is so I won’t be harsh for the players, especially Seweryn Gancarczyk. It was one of the most stupid goals I’ve ever seen, but a one that wouldn’t be conceded in normal conditions. Slovaks played better in the first half, while we were a lot better in the second. Honestly, we should’ve at least drawn the game, a win would also be justified. Mariusz Lewandowski hit the crossbar, there were good chances for Ireneusz Jelen (twice), Ludovic Obraniak or Dawid Janczyk but the Slovak defenders together with Jan Mucha did enough to stop us. We also should’ve been awarded a penalty for the foul on Robert Lewandowski, but I think that the referee just didn’t want to ruin the Slovak party. The players showed enough ambition in the second half for me not to criticize them. Taking the circumstances into consideration (even to watch the game was cold, or was it my beer?), we were able to construct a couple of nice moves in the second half. If I’m to praise anyone it would be Jelen, Obraniak and Peszko who brought a lot of fire onto the field. Mariusz Lewandowski also tried really hard to apologize on the pitch for his stupid pre-game comments. I’m also sure about one thing: none of the centre backs tested in the last couple of games should be given an extended run in the team. Other than that, I wouldn’t write off any of the players taking part in the Slovakia game. Next friendlies take place in November during the European qualifying play offs, our opponents are yet to be announced (I heard something about Romania).

The game’s boycott was clearly visible to everyone watching. It was the main talking point of a majority of the news bulletins and was widely covered by the most influential webpages in the country. One of the sponsors, Compensa, resigned from playing in the same team with PZPN. The other one (BZWBK) took off their pitch banners so as not to piss off the fans. The supporters showed their strength and proved that they have to be taken into consideration when discussing the future of the Polish football. Any other effects? We can’t really count on any sort of intelligent reflection from Grzegorz Lato who said that the fans didn’t turn out due to the weather. The PZPN board won’t fire themselves, we need someone else to do it for them. One of the options are the sponsors (though their power is limited), the other is the ministry of sport (the new sport’s minister said that the problem has to be dealt with). I think the boycott will have an influence on the choice of our permanent manager. So as not to add fuel to the fire PZPN just can’t choose a coach that has no fans’ support (Stefan Majewski, Pawel Janas). I hope that the race for the post is now between Franz Smuda, Henryk Kasperczak and possibly Piotr Nowak. The decision should be made as fast as possible, the new coach must start his work before the next month’s friendlies.

Highlights:

With Polish commentary here.

Only 4 000 tickets were sold in Poland for the game against Slovakia. Our southern neighbours were allocated 4 000 tickets as well, but from what I read today so far they’ve only used 1 000 of them. Stadion Slaski’s capacity is almost 50 000 people, but there won’t be more than 10 000 people watching the game live. The quiet atmosphere will resemble a one of a graveyard, a good metaphor when you consider the today’s game a funeral of the Polish football. I listed most of the reasons for the boycott in one of my latest notes. Now the FA’s press officer, Mr Atlas (a former journalist, well known his liking of strong alcohols), is calling the fans taking part in the initiative hooligans or even terrorists. Suddenly, we’ve got 140 000 (check the koniecpzpn.pl) strong terrorist organization in Poland; I read somewhere that it has even more members than Al Kaida. I didn’t expect anything more classy from Mr Atlas since he officially called one of the journalists a dickhead in one of the latest interviews. Nevertheless, the boycott is getting a nationwide exposure. Yesterday I watched a report about it on TVN 24 (a Polish news station), the newspapers are interviewing the organizers of the boycott and generally it’s all over the internet. Finally, one of the sponsors responded to the action (Śnieżka company) stating on their official website that they are not associated with PZPN in any way and that they are only sponsoring the national team. Other sponsors followed, the general idea is that they have nothing to do with PZPN and they sign their sponsorship deals with marketing companies. A good response and a proof that the initiative is working to some extent. Today it will reach its boiling point, I expects all the news bulletins to show pictures of the empty stands and the PZPN’s officials freezing their asses off in the VIP area.

Another hot topic of the last couple of days was Mariusz Lewandowski’s declaration that the team expects some financial aid from Slovenia to try harder (we can’t lose against Slovakia for Slovenia to qualify). In the beginning I just treated it as a very poor joke. However, the journalists that recorded Lewy’s interview stated that our captain was dead serious when talking about it. I still can’t believe it wasn’t a joke (I really like to think that I live in a normal, European country). Still, If it wasn’t, Lewy has just lost all the respect he could have had as the team’s captain.

How about the game itself? Well, Slovakia needs to win to advance to the World Cup, otherwise it’s Slovenia going through from the first spot. For us it’s a friendly. Jerzy Dudek will start in goal today. There will be one change in our defensive line. Not surprisingly, Piotr Polczak can’t count on starting the game this time around. Unfortunately, Jaroslaw Bieniuk, not Adam Kokoszka, is the one expected to substitute the Cracovia defender. I can’t see any logical explanation for this decision, I’d much prefer to see the Empoli player and check if he presents a higher level of performance than Polczak, whether we can consider him a 2012 candidate. Since there are no backup full backs in the squad we’ll see Seweryn Gancarczyk and Jakub Rzezniczak on the flanks of our defense. Mariusz Lewandowski will start in the middle, probably together with Roger who should replace the uninspiring Iwanski. Kuba Blaszczykowski may also be benched; in this case either Irek Jelen or Slawomir Peszko will start on the right wing. There is also a rumour that Lech’s Jakub Wilk may be our left winger for the game. It doesn’t necessary mean that Ludo Obraniak loses his place in the starting lineup as there’s also a rumour that he’ll play as a striker (or a player behind the striker). If Jelen plays on the wing Pawel Brozek will start in the attacking line; he’s recovered from the minor injury he had. Robert Lewandowski and Dawid Janczyk are expected to start the game on the bench.

Ludovic Obraniak urges the fans to “give us wings” on the cover of Przeglad Sportowy today. Sorry Ludo, nothing personal, but the fans won’t be there today to cheer you up. It’s not about players, it’s about PZPN. The result of the game against Slovakia is unimportant, the important thing is to work for the development of the Polish football and a good result in Euro 2012. For this we need changes in PZPN. If the boycott helps achieve that even in a small percentage, it’ll be worth it.

Czech Republic-Poland 2:0 (Necid 51’, Plasil 72’)
Poland: Kowalewski- Gancarczyk, Polczak, Glowacki, Rzezniczak- Obraniak, Iwanski, M.Lewandowski, Blaszczykowski (Peszko 67’)- Jelen (R.Lewandowski 64’), Grosicki (81’ Janczyk)

This was a game of the two biggest losers of our qualifying group. It showed why exactly those two teams failed to qualify for the World Cup when their opponents included such powerhouses as Slovakia, Slovenia and Northern Ireland. This was the poorest Czech Republic I’ve ever seen, yet they managed to defeat us without breaking that much sweat. The reality is that we can’t even use the opponents’ weakness to our advantage. Our whole tactical plan, counter attack and long balls in direction of fast strikers, failed disastrously. Majewski didn’t foresee how the Czechs would be playing; they didn’t come out with high pressing, they didn’t attack with the whole team and they didn’t leave much space to our strikers. There were even moments in the game when they gave up the middle of the field without much fight. And that’s when our team had problems. We just weren’t ready for a situation where we would take the game from our opponents (or that they would give it to us), the tactical plan was to defend and come out with a counter from time to time. What to do when we can play possession football? The team had absolutely no idea. There was a moment in the game when we could have easily dominated the Czechs, but the players were so surprised by the opportunity that they couldn’t use it. Yes, we had good chances from Blasczykowski and Jelen, but there weren’t a result of some deeper organization of the team. It was because the Czechs were playing like an average Ekstraklasa side as well. Still, there wasn’t a single situation where Jelen or Grosicki were given a diagonal ball to run at. Another story is our defense, an original Ekstraklasa product. I know that we all like to bitch about Zewlakow or Dudka, but at least they know how to distribute the ball from the defense. All Polczak and Glowacki knew was how to kick the ball as far away as possible. Unfortunately, most of their “passes” landed at the opponents’ feet. Rzezniczak and Gancarczyk didn’t want to make their partners look bad and presented a very similar level of play. Mariusz Lewandowski was the only player that showed some skills and, well, wisdom in the middle. Maciej Iwanski repeated his recent Ekstraklasa performances, a lot of time on the ball and no opening passes for the strikers. Blaszczykowski and Obraniak didn’t help much on the wings. The former is a shadow of a player from a year ago, as for the latter I feel that he’d give us more if he played in the centre, in the Iwanski position. Still, it was after Ludo’s cross that we had our best chance in the first half. It’s a shame that he has to enter the national team in such difficult times, things will only get better for him. Together with losing the first goal we also lost any sort of concept on how to play. The changes brought by Majewski didn’t change the game, Wojciech Kowalewski spared us a humiliating defeat. Now we can be sure that the boycott of the Wednesday’s game will come into effect without any problems. The Stadion Slaski will be a sad place, but there’s nothing to cheer about in terms of Polish football. We’ve reached the breaking point.

Player notes (1-10):

Wojciech Kowalewski 5: can’t be blamed for the loss. A couple of good interventions and a couple of mistakes. Jerzy Dudek will play on Wednesday.
Seweryn Gancarczyk 3: isn’t using the chance he’s given very well. Often helpless when left one on one with an attacking player.
Arkadiusz Glowacki 3: can’t be treated as a savior of our defensive line. Played throughout his whole career in Poland and some habits just can’t be get rid of (kicking the ball away, brutal play, lack of speed).
Piotr Polczak 2: isn’t a player of international potential. Too slow, not agile enough, can’t distribute the ball, was involved in both Czech goals. Should have played his average football at Cracovia, thanks to Majewski he’s become a shooting target for the fans. Shouldn’t have been picked up in the first place.
Jakub Rzezniczak 3: there’s a difference between Czech Republic and Piast Gliwice. Not confident on the ball, no offensive runs.
Ludovic Obraniak 4: some good crosses, one of the best Polish players till we lost the goal. Disappeared completely afterwards.
Mariusz Lewandowski 5: the only Polish player that had a clue about what to do in the middle of the field. A very average game, but a professor like when compared to Iwanski.
Maciej Iwanski 3: too slow on the ball, took too much time to spot the partners. Should’ve taken more risk, get involved in dribblings, maybe shoot at the goal. Not a single opening pass.
Jakub Blaszczykowski 4: a good start when Jankulovski earned a yellow card for a foul on him. It didn’t last long as Kuba disappeared with every minute. Not in shape.
Ireneusz Jelen 4: couldn’t play his favourite counter attack football, didn’t get enough support from the midfield. Had a goal saved by Petr Cech after a good header.
Kamil Grosicki 4: has much more space in the Ekstraklasa. One good dribble and a good pass to Kuba, other than that a lot of ineffective running.
Robert Lewandowski 3: didn’t change the way we were playing. Had a chance to score, but he’s slowly forgetting how to convert them.
Slawomir Peszko 4: just as Blaszczykowski, without a spark.
Dawid Janczyk: didn’t play long enough, should’ve been introduced earlier.

Conclusions:

- the boycott is the only possible outcome. Though judging by the PZPN’s after game comments (Piechniczek “There was progress”) it’s hard to believe in its effectiveness.
- Stefan Majewski is not qualified to become a permanent coach of the Polish national team.
- didn’t know why Glowacki or Iwanski were omitted by Leo? Now you know.
- we can’t count on miracles. An average player of an average team from a poor league (Polczak) won’t suddenly play on an European level.
- Grosicki may as well play with U21 against Holland, it’s no use to keep him
- it’ll take a lot of time for Kuba Blaszczykowski to return to form. This part of the season is lost for him.
- Obraniak has to be incorporated better into the team. It seems like he’s trying not to stand out.
- playing well in the Ekstraklasa doesn’t mean you’ll play well in Europe. It’s just a different brand of football.

Going to watch the game against Slovakia? I’m going to watch it at home, it’ll be the first time since I can’t remember when that I don’t go to the pub to watch Poland play. That’s my personal form of protest (yes, I know Lato doesn’t give a shit where I watch the game). Extremely sad times.

Goals from the game

Extended highlights here.

Nevertheless, it’s going to be interesting to see the team playing against the Czechs. Some players are returning to the Bialo Czerwoni squad (Dudek, Glowacki), some will get the first proper chance (Polczak, Grosicki). Is Majewski the right person at the right place? We’ll know more after the final whistle. Our new coach decided to change the tactics (we’ll return to 4-4-2) and the philosophy of play. Now our aim won’t be to keep possession for as long as possible, but to play direct passes to the strikers. Majewski wants to play with two fast players upfront and counter attack the Czechs as often as possible. Not such a bad idea when you look at the potential of the both teams. Here’s how the starting lineup may look like:

Goalkeepers: Jerzy Dudek wasn’t called up after a three year wait just to be benched (plus no one really saw how Kowalewski plays in Greece). I have no idea whatsoever what to expect from Dudzio as it’s completely impossible to judge his current form (unless you watch Real’s training sessions). Majewski is counting on Dudek’s experience and the respect he has among teammates.

Defenders: The full backs where usually the biggest problem. Majewski solved it by not calling up that many. Seweryn Gancarczyk will start on the left side and Jakub Rzezniczak will get his first real international test on the right side. Mariusz Pawelec is their backup, but I pray to god that we won’t have to watch him wearing the match outfit. Arkadiusz Glowacki is being prepared by the coach to be the leader of our defense. He remains one of the best centre backs in the league, but it’s been three years since he last played for the Bialo Czerwoni. The upcoming two matches may decide whether Glowa will even be considered by the next coach. Cracovia’s Piotr Polczak will most likely partner Glowacki in the centre; he’s Majewski’s favourite as it was our temporary coach who introduced him to the Ekstraklasa football and always stresses the fact that he’s the discoverer of his talent. Polczak is not the fastest of players, I hope we won’t have to pay a high price for that.

Midfielders: Majewski will play four midfielders with one defensive player among them. Mariusz Lewandowski keeps his place in the team and will be the one concentrated on ruining (opponents’ actions) rather than building (our actions). Ludovic Obraniak should start on the left wing, I can’t see a player in the current squad that could threaten him (Jakub Wilk anyone?). Normally, Jakub Blaszczykowski should start on the right wing, but his latest performances both for Dortmund and the Bialo Czerwoni leave much to be desired. Slawomir Peszko is currently one of the brightest stars of the Ekstraklasa, is it enough to bench Kuba? I don’t think Majewski will take that much risk, we should see Kuba tomorrow after all. The biggest question for me is who’ll partner M.Lewandowski in the middle. As Majewski stated, this player will have to devote 60% to offence and 40% to defense. Can you imagine Roger devoting 40% to defense? It’s hard, isn’t it? With the absence of Rafal Murawski, Maciej Iwanski is the alternative for Roger, but the Legia playmaker even fails to be his club’s real leader in the middle of the field and I’m not entirely sure he can bring any spark to our midfield. I would keep Roger, even if only for that rare flash of genius.

Strikers: No idea. It’s been long since every striker called up had a realistic chance to start the game. I think Irek Jelen is the closest to be picked since Majewski wants to play the fastest players possible. If speed was the only criteria Kamil Grosicki would partner Jelonek upfront. However, it’s as possible that the more experienced Pawel Brozek or Robert Lewandowski will start (not the slowest strikers, are they?). I have a feeling that Dawid Janczyk may end up in the stands, but don’t quote me on it.

PWCB’s predicted squad: Dudek – Gancarczyk, Glowacki, Polczak, Rzezniczak – Obraniak, M.Lewandowski, Roger, Blaszczykowski – Jelen, Grosicki

I have no expectations regarding this game. Of course, I’d like us to perform well (regardless of the fact that I don’t want Majewski to keep the post after those two games), but I’m prepared for the worst (just look at the defense, they know the likes of Baros and Rosicky only from TV). It’ll be interesting to watch, but in all probability no one will remember about this game after a month.

PS: The Slovakia game boycott is working. So far only 8 000 tickets were sold (4 000 for the away fans) and the action is receiving more and more exposure. The PZPN is using communist rhetoric and calling the people involved hooligans (just as the communist regime was calling the people involved in Solidarity demonstrations). I don’t expect this action to change the mentality of the FA’s board (it’s hard to crash concrete); what I expect it to achieve is a move on the side of the national team’s sponsors. The involved companies wouldn’t want to give money to an organization that evokes negative feelings in their customers. I think that we can only count on the sponsors to see any change.

10 000 group tickets were sold for the game against Northern Ireland, so far only 1 000 for the game against Slovakia. Long queues of fans were waiting to buy tickets for the game against the Irish, only a couple of people decided to buy ones for Slovakia. There is a webpage called koniecpzpn.pl that urges fans to sign a petition to, well, end with the Polish FA. So far almost 70 000 fans have registered. The main reason behind those actions? In the times when Polish football has no success whatsoever the Polish FA board awarded themselves financial bonuses worth tens of thousands of zlotys. Maybe they wanted to fund those bonuses by keeping the ticket prices for the Slovakia game on the same level as the ones for Northern Ireland. How sick is that? The team was an utter embarrassment in the last games; virtually, we’ve got no chances to qualify for the World Cup. Still, the marketing geniuses at the Polish FA thought that the fans will be willing to pay a fortune to see a game of no serious importance. As a result, the stands in Chorzow will be empty. Maybe that will make the likes of Lato, Piechniczek and Krecina think. A big middle finger to the whole of the Polish FA, a vote of no confidence.

You may ask yourself, what about the slogan that the fans should back up their team no matter what happens? In my opinion, the boycott is not aimed at the players (though they’ve done very little lately to earn the fans’ respect), but solely at the officials. I’ll definitely watch the game against Slovakia on TV, but I also wouldn’t pay my hard earned money to sponsor an organization that doesn’t give a shit about me. An organization that picks a coach without any real success to be the national team manager (even if only temporary) just because they are friends with each other. An organization that is headed by a person who can’t even communicate properly in Polish, let alone other languages. An organization of people who are leftovers of the communist regime. As long as the boycott is aimed at the officials and won’t result in offending the players and their families I’m backing it up. Take that PZPN!

Goalkeepers:

Artur Boruc (Celtic Glasgow)- 90 minutes against Rangers
Jerzy Dudek (Real Madrid)- on the bench against Sevilla
Wojciech Kowalewski (Iraklis Thessaloniki)- match today
Lukasz Fabianski (Arsenal London)- not in the squad against Fulham, injury
Tomasz Kuszczak (ManUtd)- on the bench against Sunderland
Sebastian Przyrowski (Polonia Warsaw)- not in the squad against Piast, injury
Lukasz Zaluska (Celtic Glasgow)- on the bench against Rangers

Defenders:

Blazej Augustyn (Catania)- 3 minutes against Bari
Jaroslaw Bieniuk (Widzew Lodz)- match today
Dariusz Dudka (AJ Auxerre)- on the bench against Rennes
Seweryn Gancarczyk (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes against Arka, note 5
Kamil Glik (Pisat Gliwice)- 90 minutes against Polonia Warsaw, note 6
Arkadiusz Glowacki (Wisla Krakow)- 90 minutes against Slask, note 6
Pawel Golanski (Steaua Bucharest)- not in the squad against Gloria, injury
Tomasz Jodlowiec (Polonia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Piast, note 5
Adam Kokoszka (Empoli F.C.)- 90 minutes against Gallipoli
Marcin Kowalczyk (Dinamo Moscow)- 90 minutes against Zenit
Mariusz Pawelec (Slask Wroclaw)- 90 minutes against Wisla, note 5
Piotr Polczak (Cracovia Krakow)- 90 minutes against Zaglebie, note 5
Jakub Rzezniczak (Legia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Jagiellonia, note 5
Michal Zewlakow (Olympiakos Pireus)- on the bench against Levadiakos

Midfielders:

Tomasz Bandrowski (Lech Poznan)- not in the squad against Arka, injury
Rafal Boguski (Wisla Krakow)- not in the squad against Slask, injury
Jakub Blaszczykowski (Borussia Dortmund)- 21 minutes against Borussia M.
Roger Guerreiro (AEK Athens)- match today
Maciej Iwanski (Legia Warsaw)- 90 minutes against Jagiellonia, note 6
Jacek Krzynowek (Hannover 96)- 2 minutes against Freiburg
Mariusz Lewandowski (Shakhtar Donetsk)- on the bench against Dnipro
Wojciech Lobodzinski (Wisla Krakow)- 13 minutes against Slask
Radoslaw Majewski (Nottingham Forest)- 77 minutes and a goal against Peterborough
Patryk Malecki (Wisla Krakow)- 90 minutes and a goal against Slask, note 7
Rafal Murawski (Rubin Kazan)- didn’t play against Lokomotiw
Ludovic Obraniak (Lille)- 88 minutes against Boulogne
Szymon Pawlowski (Zaglebie Lubin)- not in the squad against Cracovia, injury
Sławomir Peszko (Lech Poznan)-90 minutes and an assist against Arka, note 6
Lukasz Piszczek (Hertha Berlin)- not in the squad against HSV, injury
Bartosz Salamon (Brescia)- 11 minutes against Vicenza
Jakub Wilk (Lech Poznan)- 76 minutes against Arka, note 6

Attackers:

Pawel Brozek (Wisla Krakow)- 90 minutes and a goal against Slask, note 7
Kamil Grosicki (Jagiellonia)- 81 minutes and two goals against Legia, note 9
Dawid Janczyk (Lokeren)- 90 minutes against Mechelen
Michal Janota (Excelsior Rotterdam)- 42 minutes against Roosendaal
Ireneusz Jelen (AJ Auxerre)- not in the squad against Rennes, red card ban
Robert Lewandowski (Lech Poznan)- 90 minutes and a goal against Arka, note 6
Dawid Nowak (GKS Belchatow)- not in the squad against Korona, injury
Grzegorz Rasiak (Reading)- not in the squad against Middlesbrough, injury
Marek Saganowski (Southampton)- on the bench against Gillingham
Ebi Smolarek (no club)- season not yet started
Artur Wichniarek (Hertha Berlin)- on the bench against HSV
Maciej Zurawski (Omonia Nicosia)- 90 minutes against Anorthosis

This wasn’t the best week for Ebi Smolarek. He failed to sign a contract with HSV and was evicted from the national team by Stefan Majewski. Apart from his local parks in Holland he has virtually nowhere to play at. Let’s make things clear, HSV’s top striker Jose Guerrero got injured after the transfer window was closed and their only option was to sign a player on free transfer. Yet Smolarek, who’s got quite a good record in the Bundesliga, didn’t make a good enough impression on the coach Bruno Labbadia to offer him a permanent deal. This means that they’d rather play unproven youngsters than Ebi. But that’s no surprise, our striker spent the whole of last season on Bolton’s bench and earlier failed to make an impact at Racing Santander. In fact, he was rated so poor in Spain that they let him go without any recompensation (they just wanted to get rid of his fat contract). What’s Ebi’s biggest problem nowadays? I think it’s the lack of an ability to judge himself objectively. “Hey, I got no playing time at a mediocre English team and an average Spanish team kicked me out. It’s possible that I’m not that good”, that’s how he should be thinking at the moment. Nevertheless, he chooses to go on trial with Bundesliga leaders, no pushovers whatsoever. Even if he signed a contract, he wouldn’t get that many games. And what would happen after Guerrero’s recovery? Would we have another Polish player claiming that he prefers to drive a Mercedes once rather than Maluch ten times? What I’m aiming at is that Ebi needs to lower the evaluation of his skills a bit. He desperately needs to find a club where he can rebuild his form and confidence. Be it a middle of the table Bundesliga club or a one from Holland or Greece. He needs to lower his financial expectations as he just doesn’t deserve to be paid as much as he was last couple of years. Once he establishes his position as a good quality striker once again he could still sign a good contract with a more respectable club. Unfortunately, Ebi doesn’t seem to follow the saying that sometimes you need to make one step backwards to make two forward. Currently, he’s on the best way to win PWCB’s Disappointment of the Year award second time in a row.

Enough of this pessimism, let’s look at some positives before the games against the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The biggest one at the moment is Kamil Grosicki who, with a great help from Tomasz Frankowski, scored two goals in Jagiellonia’s spectacular win against Legia Warsaw. I watched the game and I think that Grosik has got a serious chance to get some playing time in Prague. It’s because he’s a perfect player for counters, the fastest in the league no doubt. He’s also a player that believes strongly in his skills and isn’t used to show too much respect for his rivals. He won’t bother to think that he’s playing against one of the best keepers in the world, Petr Cech. As it’s very probable that we won’t play much positioning attack on Saturday, a player like Grosicki seems perfectly suited to surprise the Czechs. On the other hand, both Pawel Brozek and Robert Lewandowski scored at the weekend as well, Dawid Janczyk had a brace a week before and Ireneusz Jelen, when healthy, is potentially our best striker. With Stefan Majewski announcing that he’ll play 4-4-2, who our best striking duo? I would pick one player who can play with his back towards the goal and the other fast as a lightning. Though he fails to impress lately, Robert Lewandowski seems best destined to be this holder of the ball, a player with a talent for a one-two play or an opening pass. His partner may be anyone from the remaining players, but I’d limit the choice to Jelen and Grosicki (I’d consider Brozek as well if it wasn’t for his inability to transmit the local performances to the international stage). Majewski called the best strikers we have at the moment, young at the same time; if they fail to make any impact it would mean we’re left with no firing power for years.

Highlights: Radoslaw Majewski scores a beautiful accidental? goal

Kamil Grosicki’s goals here.

Robert Lewandowski scores here

Pawel Brozek scores against Slask here

Patryk Malecki scores against Slask here