Pogon Szczecin set up in a 4-1-4-1 mid-block out of possession. The Cracovia buildup involved a very deep, wide back three, Pogon sat off, pressing wide passes and staying vertically compact to stop progression centrally into midfield. When they had the ball they were fairly direct, going long from goal kicks and generally having a high tempo. They created overloads out wide but overall struggled to get the ball forward that well and lost the ball in tight areas. Cracovia committed a lot of fouls also which broke up the Pogon attack and stopped them from being able to gain momentum, they were able to deliver some good set pieces but unable to score from them. They ended the game winning 1-0 through a header from Kamil Drygas.
Ratings
- A1 – Very good, could play higher
- A2 – Strong potential to play higher
- B1 – Good, strong player at level
- B2 – Potential to be strong player at level
- C – Average for the level, rewatch
- D – Below average in this match
Marcin Listkowski
Player Profile
- Nationality: Polish
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 10/02/1998
- Current Club: Pogon Szczecin
- Career: Pogon Szczecin
- Position: Attacking Midfield
- Secondary Position: Central Midfield
- Preferred foot: Right
Starting as the left central midfielder in the 4-1-4-1, Listkowski had a decent game but was held back by being constantly fouled. He stands at 5’10” but I thought he looked taller, he had decent frame and was strong on the ball and showed decent aggression. He wanted to carry through midfield whenever he got the ball, he was quite right footed but was a good dribbler. He was able to vary the size of his touches well and showed intelligence and good reactions. He was patient and waited for the defender to begin to lunge or dive in before knocking the ball into space. He was agile and turned well, able to turn into space and knock the ball past with a good burst to then chase it. It was frustrating that he was constantly fouled as it left him unable to make the impact he was capable of but spoke to the danger that he posed to Cracovia.
Getting fouled constantly meant he wasn’t able to do much, he made a few disguised passes while dribbling and spread play well a few times. He was calm on the ball and elegant, receiving the ball well with good awareness, taking touches away from the pressure from behind. He made a few underlapping runs into the wide areas of the penalty area, which lead to a great byline cross to the back post which assisted the only goal of the game.
He had good positioning in the block, they played zonally centrally and he scanned the pitch well and adjusted his positioning to the ball and opposition well. He was positioned well to stop passes through the middle and made a few good interceptions. He pressed out with good acceleration when he needed to as well. Once the ball passed him though he switched off and Pogon moved to a compact 4-4-2 with Listkowski ahead of play as an outlet for once they won the ball to try to start counter attacks. Once the ball past him and Cracovia got into the final third, he switched off and was very static.
Rating – B2
Overall, I liked Listkowski but he was fouled so often he wasn’t able to make the impact he was capable of, but I would watch the Polish U21 international again.
Sebastian Kowalczyk
Player Profile
- Nationality: Polish
- Age: 21
- Date of birth: 22/08/1998
- Current Club: Pogon Szczecin
- Career: Pogon Szczecin
- Position: Right Wing
- Preferred foot: Right
In this match Kowalczyk played as the right central midfielder. At 5’7″ he lacked physicality but was very agile with a low centre of gravity and worked very hard out of possession. He tracked back and pressed a lot, which worked decently because of his good burst of pace but lacked quality in defence and the technique and physicality to win the ball.
When Pogon were in possession he rotated with the right winger a lot and showed good technical ability on the ball with smooth, tight control and elegance on the ball. But, he failed to impose himself on the game properly and was fairly basic on the ball. He linked with the right winger a few times, able to put him down the line or make the run himself. He kept his passing short and retained the ball fairly well, losing it a few times trying to go round players without really trying much to win the 1v1. He didn’t get into crossing positions in the final third but did have a good corner delivery.
Overall, in a low quality, direct game Kowalczyk wasn’t able to be involved that much and I’d need to see more of him and be able to get more touches on the ball. He showed some glimpses of quality and was athletic but not physical.
Rating – C
Santeri Hostikka
Player Profile
- Nationality: Finnish
- Age: 22
- Date of birth: 30/09/1997
- Current Club: Pogon Szczecin
- Career: FC Lahti, Pogon Szczecin
- Position: Left Wing
- Secondary Position: Right Wing
- Preferred foot: Right
Playing on the right wing in this game, the Finnish U21 international had a quiet match. He’s 6’0″ with a slim build with decent pace but lacked explosiveness and aggression. In the wide areas out of possession, the Pogon wingers man marked the full backs if they went past the midfield line so he was often in odd positions, almost creating a back 5 at times. He worked hard and was active but didn’t get much of the ball, nor was he able to do much with it.
He played simple short passes and could have tried to turn or travel more at times. He took good touches inside when he was facing goal but when he was with his back to goal, he lacked awareness at times and played the ball backwards. He was calm however and did fairly well under pressure to retain the ball for his team and used a few feints but didn’t take on his opponent.
He linked with Kowalczyk a few times and was able to overlap him and complete a decent cross to the back post, and tried to pass-and-move a few times instead of taking on his man directly which put him into a few good positions but was overall fairly quiet in the final third.
Rating – C