WORLD CUP 2006
Poland
Introduction
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In 2002, Poland flew to South Korea with the conviction that they were capable of beating everybody. That was the philosophy of coach Jerzy Engel, who wanted the players to have more confidence. But in fact he persuaded them that they could do more than they were really capable of (he must have known that they were only average players) and the journey ended in disaster, with the team finishing bottom of their group.
Four years later, Engel’s successor, Pawel Janas, is much more cautious, saying only that the minimum aim is to reach the second round. The expectations of the media and the fans are not too high either.
Of course, it would be difficult to accept a first round exit, especially with the finals being played in a neighbouring country and with many local fans planning to go to Germany to watch the games live.
So what might really happen? Well, there are two possible scenarios.
If Poland play as they did in the qualifiers, there is a good chance they can reach the last 16. They proved themselves to be an effective unit that may be without stars but works well together. They also scored freely – 27 goals in 10 games.
Importantly, Poland face Ecuador, theoretically their easiest group rivals, in the opening game. A victory will be a big confidence boost going into the game against Germany, whom the Poles have never beaten. But the hosts will be under huge pressure to win, and that could help Poland, who, on paper, should also be able to beat Costa Rica.
If they do get through the group, they will probably meet England or Sweden. That, too, will be a real test, but if they win that they can really start to believe everything is possible.
The other scenario is much less appealing. Firstly, the several players who are not first-team regulars at club level will be out of form and not fit enough to play in three high-level games in such quick succession.
An injury to key players Miroslaw Szymkowiak and Maciej Zurawski would reduce Poland’s attacking power by half because Janas has no adequate alternative. Tomasz Frankowski was the top Polish scorer in the qualifiers, but without good support cannot find the way to goal.
In the second scenario, the Poles would return home after three games, just like four years ago. Even Janas cannot know at this moment which scenario is more realistic for his side.
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