Image via @LegiaWarszawa - Michał Trociński on Twitter
Mixed emotions this week as Raków Częstochowa failed to qualify for the Champions League but do secure a group stage place in the Europa League, and Legia Warszawa concluded their thrilling tie against Midtjylland.
We’ve seen Raków fall at the final hurdle last summer as well, in a really heartbreaking fashion against a superior opponent. What occurred this time round in Copenhagen was slightly less deflating than what happened in Prague in Conference League qualifying, simply because Raków stuck to their gameplan and it was pretty close to coming off.
Landing in the Europa League means Raków really have the chance to do something. Granted, they may end up in a really tricky group but nonetheless it’s more of an opportunity than the Champions League would’ve been.
Legia went all the way to penalties before overcoming Midtjylland, and it would be fair to say Bartosz Slisz stood out as someone who looks every inch deserving of his place in the Poland squad, announced earlier in the day.
I really think Slisz has, on this evidence at least, the capability to play for a team in Italy or Germany that is challenging for the European spots. Indeed, he probably would be able to secure a transfer to one of the English yo-yo clubs like Norwich, Watford or Bournemouth, although the latter seem to have their sights aimed higher.
Anyway, as for Legia as a collective there was a lot to be enthralled by. They may not be the most defensively sound, but what they lack in solidity they make up for in attacking threat. I don’t know how this will play out in the Conference League, but many of Lech Poznań’s games last year had similar momentum swings and they managed to take up Poland seven coefficient places.
Whether or not either Raków or Legia make another good go of the European competitions this season will largely rely on squad depth. Lech’s squad depth last season wasn’t amazing, and they surpassed expectations and then some. Raków’s squad depth is exceptional, but whether it is good enough to do something in the Europa League we’ll just have to wait and see given they could get an incredibly tough group.
Legia struggled last time they were in Europe as they simply couldn’t compete adequately on both fronts. Maybe the lessons from this have been learnt, and this current Legia squad is probably slightly stronger on paper than the one from 2021/22.
Poland have not had two clubs in the group stages of European competitions since 2015/16, and in all seriousness should’ve had three given Lech’s poor showing against Spartak Trnava. Many have correctly pointed out this should be the minimum expectation for a country of Poland’s size, but it’s good to see concrete positive growth in real terms like this.
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