Stal Mielec – Match Report vs Pogoń Szczecin 07/12/20

After recording 4 points in their last 2 matches, 15th placed Stal Mielec were unable to continue a slight resurgence in form as they fell 0-2 to a good Pogon Szczecin side. Mielec lined up with a 4-1-4-1 formation, sitting deep to soak up pressure then attack on the counter. 19 year old Lukasz Zjawinski led the line in his first season in the Ekstraklasa, and provided a focal point in attack. Mielec however only recorded 4 shots the whole game compared to Szczecin’s 19, and arguably the score should have been a lot worse for Mielec.

Luka Zahovic opened the scoring for Pogon on the 43rd minute, with a simple finish after a good save from Michal Gliwa. Kamil Drygas then added a second from the spot, and the home side saw out the game very well. Mielec’s full back struggled with the pace of Pogon’s wingers, and they lacked creativity going up the other end of the pitch.

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

Lukasz Zjawinski

• Nationality: Polish
• Age: 19
• Date of birth: 11/07/2001
• Club: Stal Mielec
• Career: Legia Warszawa (Y), Stal Stalowa Wola (L), Stal Mielec
• Position: Striker
• Preferred foot: Right

Zjawinski lined up as the lone striker for Stal Mielec, and very much played in a target man role for the newly promoted club. He has an impressive build at 6’3″ and has filled out his frame quite well considering his young age. He was an eager target, looking to bring the ball down from long balls and then lay it off to midfield support. He got up in the air well but his headers were sometimes wayward and mistimed. The youngster had a reasonable turn of pace for his size, and showed good work rate in the first half, putting good defensive pressure on the Pogon keeper. Unfortunately, this didn’t continue into the second half as he looked a lot more tired and lethargic.

This was a really difficult game for Zjawinski. He often didn’t get the service required, with a lot of balls being very harsh, meaning that he did miss-control the ball on some occasions, and often balls were drilled into him instead of lofted or floated, which means he couldn’t use his aerial presence to his advantage. Sometimes he did do well to get control of the ball, but he had poor agility and struggled to turn his defender in 1-on-1 situations, especially when in the box. The youngster was the substituted in the 68th minute, and due to his lack off the ball in the final third, it was difficult to see his finishing capabilities in this match.

Overall a quite performance from Zjawinski, but it was against one of the strong teams in the league in Pogon so Stal were expected to line up with a low block and have little of the ball. His playstyle did suit the way the team set out to play, he just didn’t get involved as much as I would have liked. He rarely looked to drop between lines and gather the ball, and looked content sitting on the last man, which often didn’t work. I believe with better service Zjawinski could show more of his qualities, which I believe he does have, and of course he is still very young and has plenty of time to develop.

Rating – B2

Mateusz Zyro

• Nationality: Polish
• Age: 22
• Date of birth: 28/10/1998
• Club: Stal Mielec
• Career: Legia Warszawa (Y), Wigry Suwalki (L), Miedz Legnica (L), Stal Mielec
• Position: Centre Back
• Preferred foot: Right

Zyro lined up on the right hand side of a back four for Stal Mielec. he was very much a no-nonsense defender, taking the first opportunity to launch balls downfield or out of play, rather than looking to pass to feet. At 6’2″ he had reasonably good height to be a strong presence in the air, however especially at corners he struggled with marking, meaning that the Pogon attackers often got the advantage over him in the air. in 1-on-1 aerial duels, he struggled with his jumping, but his headers were generally safe and did not present any clear issues. In early stages of the game, he pressed out of his line well, but this changed as Stal switched into a low block rather than a higher press.

His marking and overall defensive awareness once again became an issue in open play, often losing track of his man, and generally struggling to put in a concerted defensive effort. Diagonal runs from the Pogon attack caused him especial problems, with Zyro often caught in no mans land. The Kamil Drygas penalty in the 56th minute was a good example of this, with Zyro lacking concentration in tracking his man, who then got in behind the defensive and got brought down for a penalty. He was able to get some good blocks in however and looked to show good bravery and determination in and around the 6 yard box making some good last-ditch interventions.

Overall Zyro had a shaky game, but he has the base skills to be a half decent centre back, and perhaps he would be more confident in a team that has more possession, so he can showcase his passing more. He needs to put some more muscle onto his average build, as well as improve his overall defensive awareness.

Rating – B2

Grezgorz Tomasiewicz

• Nationality: Polish
• Age: 24
• Date of birth: 05/05/1996
• Club: Stal Mielec
• Career: Legia Warszawa (Y), Arka Gdynia, Pogon Siedlce (L), Stal Mielec
• Position: Central Midfield
• Preferred foot: Right

Tomasiewicz started out in central midfield for Stal, but regularly found himself in more advance positions during the game. Although a very diminutive player, standing at only 5’4″ he showed good work rate and was reasonably strong in the tackle, although he generally struggled on 1v1 situations due to his low strength. His small also allowed him a low centre of gravity, and he had good agility and balance when on the ball. With Stal’s low possession stats during the game, he rarely found himself in possession. His passing range seemed quite poor, with floated balls up to the striker often wayward, and generally, his passing was average throughout, with little creativity shown.

He looked to drive at the Pogon defence on occasion, however had a lack of options when in the final third so was often dispossessed. This was an unfortunate game for Tomasiewicz as he looks the type of player to thrive in a high tempo style of game, however Stal looked to play in the air often which of course did not suit his playstyle. I think a re-watch is need for the Pole as he does have reasonable technical skills in his locker, but his lack of passing options and possession in this game really let his performance down.

Rating – C