Four Northern Irish players will run the gauntlet in Poland, with the risk of missing their crucial home encounter with Slovakia. Gareth McAuley, Jonny Evans, George McCartney and Ryan McGivern all know that another misdemeanor will rule them out, although McGivern is likely to start on the bench. Captain Aaron Hughes and Stephen Craigan are almost certain to start, with the other three yellow-periled defenders vying for the remaining berths. Kyle Lafferty and Chris Brunt are available for selection after serving suspensions, but Chris Baird is definitely out. Lafferty, likely to be partnered with Martin Paterson or David Healy up front, feels he needs to kick start his season in Chorzow. He told the Belfast Telegraph, ‘It’s been a frustrating start to the season having to sit out, but the lads have done well at Rangers and I know it will be hard for me to get back into the team. It’s good for me to come away with Northern Ireland now and I feel ready after doing extra training because I haven’t been playing games.’

Poland, meanwhile, pose more than a wary threat. Ebi Smolarek. surprisingly still a free agent, has 19 international goals to his name and will cause huge problems with his height, whilst Jacek Kryznowek’s trickery could lead to a crucial goal. Captain Michal Zewlakow will be a tough nut to crack, so Northern Ireland will be have to be on top of their game to come away with anything.

My prediction? Northern Ireland to hold out for a score draw. Whilst they might not have the attacking flair of their Eastern European counterparts, their sheer grit and determination should see them come home with something. Expect it to be a long, hard slog.

Fast forward 35 years and the goals appear to be flowing as thick and fast as ever. The ten goals Poland put past a poor San Marino side added to 8 scored in their previous five matches. Ebi Smolarek, who scored four against San Marino, has six so far in the qualifying campaign, ranks only behind Edin Dzeko of Bosnia-Herzegovina in the list of top scorers in the European qualifying contest to date. Given that Poland’s attacking options are decidedly limited compared to those of their more illustrious predecessors, the 18 goals they have knocked in demonstrate a unity on the ball present in few other national teams, when the short training time before each game can often lead to disjointed team performances, and excellent individual play shining.

That Poland have found a togetherness in their play is at once unsurprising and a relief to their fans. A country with a strong identity formed through both Germanic and Communist oppression, Polish nationalism comes alive through its sport. Smolarek has yet to find the net in his time at Bolton, and with his loan spell coming to an end at the end of the season, could struggle to make a move to a major European league. In midfield, Mariusz Lewandowski has just won the Uefa Cup with Shakhtar Donetsk, yet he is an exception to the rule, that as far as outfield players are concerned, Poland do not have a lot of star players. The likes of Gregorsz Rasiak and Marek Saganowski have tried and failed to make a significant impression in English football.

It is therefore of great credit to the players and staff of the Polish team that they have made the start they have to the World Cup qualifying campaign. Leo Beenhakker’s men sit in 3rd place in Group 3, sitting in behind Northern Ireland and Slovakia. If it was not for some questionable defending then the Poles would undoubtedly be higher in the table, having conceded 3 against the Irish and a further 2 away in Bratislava. It is perhaps ironic that the individual flair of Lato and co has been replaced by a seemingly endless production line of quality young goalkeepers. Celtic’s Artur Boruc, at fault awfully for Northern Ireland’s opener in Belfast, is a generally consistent performer and has earned the love of the green half of Glasgow. Tomasz Kusczak and Lukas Fabianski may warm the bench in the Premier League, but they do so for two of the top four sides in the land.

Yet despite having built a strong platform for qualification, many obstacles lie ahead for the Poles. Defeat against the Irish at home in their next fixture in September would all but end hopes of qualification for the last major tournament before the Polish people play host to Euro 2012. In addition, away matches in Slovenia and the Czech Republic, as well as a potentially tricky final home game against the Slovaks makes the eradication of the defensive frailties that have been all too prevalent thus far a necessity.

Group 3 is really too tight to call, but provided that Smolarek continues to show his ‘Poland form’ rather than his ‘Bolton form’, Poland have as good a chance as any other team in their group not only of qualifying, but as group winners. Who knows, maybe England will await them in South Africa?

The real test was to come in the next two games with Poland facing group favorites the Czech Republic and a strong Slovakia outfit.

Poland vs Czech Republic
Poland hosted group favorites the Czech Republic in a game which would define the direction of their campaign over the next year lose at home and they face tough away trips later in the campaign in a tough group, win and they assert themselves as powerhouses of the group and can afford to slip up later on.

Match Reports have been difficult to find so I have some summaries on the goals only:

1:0 – Wonderful play from Jakub Błaszczykowski. The Borussia Dortmund midfielder beat four opponents, leaving them barely standing, before finding Paweł Brożek who instinctively hit a low drive from 22 yards which beat the helpless Petr Cech, going in just inside the post. It was the Wisła Kraków player’s second goal for the national team.

2:0 – Superb pass to Błaszczykowski, on the right-hand side of the pitch, from Roger. Despite the attention of Tomas Ujfalusi, Błaszczykowski clipped the ball over a helpless Petr Cech. That was also Błaszczykowski’s second goal for the national team.

2:1 – The Czech Republic pull one back. Vaclav Sverkos whipped in a cross from the left for Martin Fenin to head home from 10 yards, beating Artur Boruc.

So a strong 2-1 Victory over the Czech Republic pushed Poland into a strong position on 7 points after 3 games remaining on top of the group.

Poland Line Up:
[1] Artur BORUC (GK)
[4] Jakub WAWRZYNIAK (-43′)
[5] Dariusz DUDKA
[6] Roger GUERREIRO
[7] Ebi SMOLAREK
[9] Pawel BROZEK (-69′)
[10] Rafal MURAWSKI (-90′)
[13] Marcin WASILEWSKI
[14] Michal ZEWLAKOW
[16] Jakub BLASZCZYKOWSKI
[18] Mariusz LEWANDOWSKI
Substitute(s)
[2] Grezegorz WOJTKOWIAK
[3] Tomasz JODLOWIEC (+90′)
[8] Jacek KRZYNOWEK (+43′)
[11] Lukasz SOSIN
[12] Lukasz FABIANSKI
[15] Rafal BOGUSKI
[17] Robert LEWANDOWSKI (+69′)

Slovakia vs Poland

Poland headed to Slovakia in the top of the table clash of group 3 a game which would give either team a tiny bit of breathing space with a small gap on top of the table.

It was the Poles that started the stronger opening with the first goal:Jakub Błaszczykowski knocked a terrific ball into the penalty area to the well placed Paweł Brożek. Brożek passed the ball again on to Euzebiusz Smolarek and the Bolton forward easily found the net. That was Ebi’s fifteenth international goal.

Then an uncharacteristic mistake by keeper Artur Boruc from a throw in gifted the ball to Sestak to tie the game at 1-1.

2:1 – After a shot from distance was deflected by Dariusz Dudka, Boruc tipped the follow-up on to the post. The ball dropped again for Sestak who knocked in his second goal.

A disappointing result for the Poles after leading early but it was away and their is plenty of games left in the campaign in this tight and tough group.

Poland Line Up:
[1] Artur BORUC (GK)
[2] Grezegorz WOJTKOWIAK
[5] Dariusz DUDKA
[6] Roger GUERREIRO (-89′)
[7] Ebi SMOLAREK
[9] Pawel BROZEK (-84′)
[10] Rafal MURAWSKI (-65′)
[13] Marcin WASILEWSKI
[14] Michal ZEWLAKOW (C)
[16] Jakub BLASZCZYKOWSKI
[18] Mariusz LEWANDOWSKI
Substitute(s)
[3] Tomasz JODLOWIEC
[4] Lukasz GARGULA (+65′)
[8] Jacek KRZYNOWEK (+84′)
[11] Wojciech LOBODZINSKI
[12] Lukasz FABIANSKI
[15] Rafal BOGUSKI
[17] Robert LEWANDOWSKI (+89′)

Group 3 Ladder

Team MP W D L GF GA Pts
Slovakia 4 3 0 1 8 5 9
Czech Republic 4 2 1 1 5 2 7
Poland 4 2 1 1 6 4 7
Slovenia 4 2 1 1 5 3 7
Northern Ireland 4 1 1 2 5 4 4
San Marino 4 0 0 4 1 12 0

The group is extremely tight after four games with Poland overcoming the Czech’s but failing away to Slovakia. It leaves them third in the group with this group looking like it could go down to the wire.

The next three fixtures for the Poles include Northern Ireland away, San Marino home and Northern Ireland home. Three fixtures that need to be won otherwise wins will be needed against the stronger teams in tough away fixtures.

Poland vs Slovenia
The first game began with the stronger nation Poland attacking early but Slovenia hitting the back of the net in the 17th minute after a penalty was awarded. Michal Zewlakow was the Slovenian that put the ball in the back of the net. The Poles were determined to win this one and equalised in the 35th minute when Zlatko Dedic put in a cross from Milivoje Novakovic about 10 meters out. They could not find anymore goals in the match neither could Slovenia the match ended 1-1.

The Poles were disappoined with the result with the coach having this to say:

“We are disappointed at the result and with the standard of our game especially in the second half,” Poland coach Leo Beenhakker said. “Slovenia surprised us.”

It was Poland’s first important game since the failed Euro campaign and they probably thought Slovenia weren’t going to put up much of a fight they got it all wrong. It is early in the group and every team has a chance to progress the weaker nations are really going to push to get results while they still have a chance Poland may have gone in with the wrong midset.

Poland Line Up:
Łukasz Fabiański – 13. Marcin Wasilewski, 5. Bartosz Bosacki (51, 2. Mariusz Jop), 14. Michał Żewłakow, 15. Marcin Kowalczyk – 19. Rafał Murawski (46, 20. Tomasz Bandrowski), 18. Mariusz Lewandowski, 8. Jacek Krzynówek, 6. Roger (73, 10. Marek Saganowski), 16. Jakub Błaszczykowski – 23. Łukasz Piszczek.

San Marino vs Poland
Match two brought Poland up against the extremely weak San Marino(200th rank in the world) in a game that was expected to gift Poland 3 points and lift the team spirits after Euro and the disappointment of the first game. Once again this was not instantly the case in the 3rd minute San Marino were given a penalty luckly the Arsenal goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański was able to save. The match was quite dull from both teams with no one knowing who was the amateur team with Poland just gifting the ball away in dangerous areas and providing very little attack. This horrible display didn’t stop Poland from scoring in the 36th minute Ebi Smolarek pounced on the keepers parry to poke home a goal from 6 yards.

The 2nd half was a better display by the Poles but the horrible turnovers continued it didn’t matter they managed to score in the 67th minute to get a two goal buffer.

The final score was 2-0 but some questions have to be raised of the Poles they were horrible if it weren’t for a Man of the Match performance by Łukasz Fabiański who saved a penalty and other chances in the first half the Poles could have been 2-0 down and in real trouble.

They may have scrapped out of this one but matches against the Czech Republic and Slovakia are going to be tougher than the last two matches with form looking horrible in wouldn’t surprise me to see a 3-0 win to the Czech’s and a tough battle with Slovakia. Leo Beenhakker needs to lift his team otherwise they will be in Series trouble.

Poland Line Up:
Łukasz Fabiański – Grzegorz Wojtkowiak, Michał Żewłakow, Mariusz Jop, Marcin Kowalczyk (28, Jacek Krzynówek) – Jakub Błaszczykowski, Mariusz Lewandowski, Roger Guerreiro – Łukasz Piszczek (88, Rafał Murawski) – Euzebiusz Smolarek, Marek Saganowski (59, Robert Lewandowski).

Group 3 Ladder
1 Poland 2 1 1 0 3 1 2 4
2 Slovenia 2 1 1 0 3 2 1 4
3 Slovakia 2 1 0 1 3 3 0 3
4 Czech Republic 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
5 Northern Ireland 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1 1
6 San Marino 1 0 0 1 0 2 -2 0

The ladder currently sees Poland on top but they have played two of the weaker teams in the group the challenges will be agains the likes of the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Northern Ireland to see if the Poles can make the World Cup.

UEFA is also considering playing both semi-finals in Poland and moving all matches of one group to Poland which were supposed to be played in Ukraine.

The head of UEFA Michael Platini is full of worries. “The situation is not as we have planned. The next three months will be vital”, he said. UEFA is worried and it wants to have an emergency exit. “Poland must prepare 8 stadions which have to meet specific conditions and then it will be allowed to take over the whole competition”, is written in the Polish newspaper.

However, his Polish assistants quit – BogusÅ‚aw Kaczmarek (resigned himself), Dariusz Dziekanowski and Adam NawaÅ‚ka whose contracts have lapsed. Who will be the new assistant and in the future will take control over the team after the present coach?, we do not know yet.

Here is the statement of the progress:

“UEFA believes that the project is being managed professionally, in line with best practises and in close co-operation with UEFA experts,” said the European body in a statement after the Poland leg. “UEFA also expresses its satisfaction that the project is fully supported by all political forces, especially the Prime Minister and the President. Both UEFA and the Polish government emphasise that the next four years will require substantial effort. However, if the project continues to be managed in the same manner as in the past few months, it will be a success.

With the President of UEFA backing the statement up:

“All activities in Poland seem to be on track. We have received assurances from the Polish government that the crucial National Stadium in Warsaw will be completed in due time, together with the necessary transport infrastructure. I feel reassured after this visit to the Polish side of the UEFA EURO 2012â„¢ project.”

Poland have made an early exit from Euro 2008 Injurys made a major contribution to this along with some other problems they are addressed below.

The reasons why Poland ended up with the group B wooden spoon, Injuries! Beenhakker lost two members of his 23-man squad before the tournament began midfielder Jakub BÅ‚aszczykowski and goalkeeper Tomasz Kuszczak both withdrew and had to be replaced after the team’s arrival in Austria, BÅ‚aszczykowski loss was major as he is a starter in the 11. Next was captain Maciej Å»urawski who picked up an injury in the first group game he was substituted and was unable to play again. He has a pivital part of the side not just as captain but as a goalscorer.

Off-field matters also provided a distraction. The players were deeply saddened by the death of Poland volleyball international Agata Mróz, who passed away at the age of 26, days before their first game. There was another blow when former Poland player Adam LedwoÅ„, who had played 16 times for the national team with many of the current squad, was found hanged at his home in Klagenfurt the day before Poland’s match against co-hosts Austria, aged just 34. “That also had a bad impact on the team,” said defender Jacek BÄ…k.

Thirdly, starting their programme with their most difficult fixture, against tournament favourites Germany, was always going to be a problem, although ultimately Poland as a team failed to deliver at the EURO because so many of their key players failed to deliver as individuals. With Żurawski and Błaszczykowski missing due to injury, Beenhakker needed others to take over and show leadership to the many young, home-based players in the squad but they failed to do that. Indeed the tournament proved a disappointment for much-touted players like Euzebiusz Smolarek and Marcin Wasilewski.

The poor performance of the players was also a major factor:
“We have two or three players who did not do what I expect of them,” Beenhakker admitted ruefully. “We can make a strong team but for that to happen everyone has to be on board. If two or three players play at only 80 per cent of their ability, we don’t have players who can take over. You see Germany, when [Michael] Ballack doesn’t play the perfect game, [Torsten] Frings is there to take over and compensate. If Deco is not playing very well then [Cristiano] Ronaldo takes over but with our team now, we have two or three players who drop to 70 or 80 per cent and then the whole team drops.”

On a lighter note real stars of Polands tournament were their fans. They earned praise for their vocal support and their behaviour – such as the clapping of their opponents’ national anthem in the final group match against Croatia. The real regret in the Poland camp is that Leo Beenhakker’s squad did not give those followers much to cheer about, with just one point and one goal to show for their efforts at EURO 2008.

As the tired supporters headed home, questions raged about their team’s display at the finals. Was it, as coach Leo Beenhakker said, a miracle that Poland had even qualified, or was it a disappointment that they had failed to recapture the form which made them so successful in qualifying?

Some of the positive things for Poland from the Euro were:

Roger Guerreiro: Roger scored the only Polish goal at the Euro and was one of the best Polish players at the tournament. Roger was confident on the ball, full of ideas and tricks and will be a key factor if Poland are to make the next World Cup.

Artur Boruc: Artur was super impressive during the tournament. Artur kept Poland in each of their 3 group games with outstanding saves. Was the best Polish player at the tournament.

The downside is the retirements alot of the older players will be retiring soon and who is going to step up and become the next generation Tomasz Zahorski and Adam Kokoszka are a couple of players but Poland are going to need 5-6 top players if they wish to qualilfy for the 2010 World Cup.

The match began with Croatia attacking heavily with Artur Boruc pulling off brillient saves to keep the score 0-0 at half time. This was against a Croatia team which had made 9 changes from their previous match.

The second half began once again with Croatia on the front foot this time they scored, the scorer was Klasnic in the 52 minute. Klasnic has recently undergone 2 kidney transplants.

Poland never really looked dangerous during the game their only real chances came at the start when they missed some headers.