Soccer chess – Pogoń and Legia players started the match quite boldly, with great enthusiasm, but with every minute the fantasy was replaced by tactical discipline. And so, the first fifteen minutes are a close game, but with a focus on Pogoń. The hosts created an ideal situation at the beginning, but Luka Zahović was not able to replace Michał Kucharczyk’s excellent play on goal. The next quarter of an hour is an optical advantage of Legia and two very good situations by Tomas Pekhart. The first time the Czech head shot was saved by Dante Stipic, the second time the shot from a good position with the foot was inaccurate, but a ricochet from the defender’s hand caused confusion, which ended with the goalkeeper’s intervention. The judge decided not to dictate eleven. The last fifteen minutes of the first half are mostly midfield, with a lot of inaccuracies and unforced errors. Paweł Wszołek had one chance, but instead of hitting, he decided to pass. Both teams explored their abilities but were also afraid to take the risk. After the break, the game was still even, waiting for a bug and trying to exploit it. Legia had the best opportunity – Valencia took the ball, pushed the ball forward, and in the final phase of the action Pekhart hit from the penalty area, but Stipica was on top.
Theory and practice – Coach Czesław Michniewicz during the last pre-match training gave the players a lot of tips about the game against Pogoń. And so Paweł Wszołek was supposed to go inside, transfer the ball to his left leg and finish the action with a shot, but despite several occasions, he decided to pass to his colleagues each time. Michał Karbownik and Walerian Gwilia were to benefit from Sebastian Kowalczyk’s offensive will to play and look for free space behind his back, but in practice we did not know too many such attempts. There were supposed to be many long shots, but they were like medicine. On the other hand, crosses into the penalty area were to be high, for the first defenders passing by, and to be of considerable height. And this is what we could observe – both with Pekhart’s shot and crosses after which Artur Jędrzejczyk and Igor Lewczuk had their chances. Josip Juranović was supposed to send the ball into the penalty area alternately for air combat and perpendicular to the sixteenth meter – and such passes could be observed.
When Pekhart misses, Legia doesn’t win – Tomas Pekhart did not have any training before the match with Pogoń! He tried to exercise individually on Friday, but after half an hour he came down with a scowl of pain – complaining of back pain and pain in the biceps! It seemed that the Czech was out of his head, yet the medics put Tomas on his feet with the help of medicines. The attacker had three chances to score. He hit his head well once, but Stipica intervened brilliantly. On the second attempt he mixed – he missed the goal by hitting his foot, but the ball flying on the car hit the hand of the Greek defender of Pogoń. However, Szymon Marciniak decided that it was a random move. The third chance of the Czech skyscraper took place in the second part of the game, but on the dream occasion Stipica showed off once again with a great sense, and Pekhart had to do with his taste, and Legia should satisfy with one point.
Gladiator Lewczuk, unused Antolić – Several players from Legia deserve a separate comment. Artur Jędrzejczyk made a fatal mistake in the clash with Śląsk Wrocław. The team captain apologized to his colleagues and played flawlessly in the match against Pogoń, the rivals bounced off him, showed his representative form. Igor Lewczuk in Szczecin was like a gladiator, he won most of the matches, but he also suffered – once again. He has already left the field once this season with a head injury – he was sewn, he had a suspicion of a concussion. He was covered in blood again on Saturday, this time after the collision with Zahovic. He must be careful, he’s not eighteen anymore. Another observation concerns Domagoja Antolicia. He likes to play, plays the ball with precision, and enjoys the mobility of his colleagues. And his friends trust him and most of the action is played by a Croat – and that says a lot. If Domagoj had two left legs, nobody would gladly pass him. Unfortunately, Antola usually stays on the pitch for a quarter of an hour. We would love to see him in more time on the grass. Who knows, maybe with his game he would force the club rulers to contract negotiations.
Seven points a week – Legia players scored seven points in seven days. Wins against Zagłębie and Silesia at Łazienkowska, and a draw with Pogoń in Szczecin, are really good results. Especially considering how many changes the team has undergone recently. Change of coach, tactics, tactical assumptions. Since it’s good now, it can only get better. This week is worth ending with this optimistic accent. The Polish champions will play another league match against Warta in Grodzisk Wielkopolski on November 2. Earlier, the ‘Military’ will play against Widzew on October 30 in Łódź.
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