No doubts that this is an amazing season for Wisla Krakow. Today, after an exciting game they won with Lech Poznan on Bulgarska St and gain three points in Poznan for the first time since 2003! Kudos for Marek Zienczuk - one of the best Wisla’s player in this season does not let us to forget about himself. Thanks to his goal and an assist Wisla made another perky step towards the silverware and remains invincible after 21 games in this season with 13 points of advantage to the second Groclin! Keep up the good work.

Lech Poznan 1:2 Wisla Krakow
Goals:
0:1 Zienczuk 14′
1:1 Piotr Brozek 40′ (OG)
1:2 Pawel Brożek 70′

No good prognosis for those who believe in returning of silverware to Warsaw in this season. Vice-leader lost to the weakest team in league, Zaglebie Sosnowiec 2:1, for which it was just the third victory in the season so far. Moreover, Legia is the first firm beaten by Zaglebie which played in the first division last season. Until today, Zaglebie, which is going to play in the third league next season due to corruption swindle, won only with Polonia Bytom and Jagiellonia Bialystok. Legia has to forget about title in this season if she is going to lose points in such games.

It becomes clear that Legia proceeded to the spring round unprepared. Coach Urban has a serious headache after humiliating losses to Groclin (4:0) and Zaglebie (2:1). I will risk presumption, that if Wisla win with GKS tomorrow, then league will become very boring. Who tends to get excited about the second place?

Anyway, Wisla need some time to adapt new players into the team. It is very important especially for Lobodzinski to get to know with the rest of the crew, as he is perceived as a one of the key players in Cracow team to advance to Champions League. Today home clash with Widzew Lodz will be the best time to show some good performance. Weak rival and cheering supporters - there will be no excuse for eventual loss or draw.

* - I hate this nickname which has been freshly given to Wisla Krakow by the press.

Orange Ekstraklasa returns this weekend! This is a quick look on clubs performance during sparring interval.

Cracovia Krakow
League position: 12th
Matches played: 4; 1 win, 1 draw, 2 loses (L/L/W/D)Goals (scored-conceded/ratio): 5-8/-3
Important games:
Cracovia Cracow 1:2 Rapid Bucuresti (Romania)
Cracovia Cracow 1:4 Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (Ukraine)
Cracovia Cracow 2:1 Crvena Zvezda Belgrade(Serbia)

PGE GKS Belchatow
League position: 6th
Matches played: 10; 3 wins, 3 draws, 4 loses (W/W/D/L/L/L/W/L/D/D)
Goals: 18-16/+2
Important games:
GKS Belchatow 0:3 Rubin Kazan (Russia)
GKS Belchatow 2:1 Dynamo Moscow (Russia)
GKS Belchatow 1:2 Dynamo Kiev (Ukraine)
GKS Belchatow 2:2 IFK Goteborg (Sweden)

Gornik Zabrze
League position: 8th
Matches played: 6; 1 win, 3 draws, 2 loses (L/D/D/D/W/D)
Goals: 13-12/+1
Important games:
Gornik Zabrze 1:2 Metalurh Zaporizhya (Ukraine)
Gornik Zabrze 1:1 Algeciras CF (Spain)

Groclin Dyskobolia Grodzisk Wielkopolski
League position: 4th
Matches played: 8, 5 wins, 0 draws, 3 loses (W/L/W/W/W/L/L/W)
Goals: 21-13/+8
Important games:
Groclin Dyskobolia 3:1 SC Rheindorf Altach (Austria)
Groclin Dyskobolia 1:2 Unirea Urziceni (Romania)
Groclin Dyskobolia 4:5 Sportfreunde Siegen (Germany)
Groclin Dyskobolia 3:1 MSK Zilina (Slovakia)

Jagiellonia Bialystok
League position: 9th
Matches played: 10; 5 wins, 0 draws, 5 loses (W/W/W/W/L/L/L/L/L/W)
Goals: 24-14/+10
Important games:
Jagiellonia Bialystok 0:2 Gloria Buzau (Romania)
Jagiellonia Bialystok 1:2 FC Vorskla Poltava (Ukraine)

Kolporter Korona Kielce
League position: 5th
Matches played: 8; 4 wins, 3 draws, 1 lose (W/D/L/D/W/W/D/W)
Goals: 24-7/+17
Important games:
Korona Kielce 0:2 Sparta Prague (Czech Republic)
Korona Kielce 0:0 SV Mattersburg (Austria)
Korona Kielce 1:1 PFC Spartak Nalchik (Russia)

Lech Poznan
League position: 3rd
Matches played: 8; 2 wins, 5 draws, 1 lose (D/D/D/D/W/L/D/W)
Goals: 11-8/+3
Important games:
Lech Poznan 1:1 FK Jablonec (Czech Republic)
Lech Poznan 0:3 Dynamo Bucuresti (Romania)
Lech Poznan 1:1 Eintracht Braunschweig (Germany)

Legia Warszawa
League position: 2nd
Matches played: 7; 3 wins, 1 draw, 3 loses (W/W/D/L/L/W/L)
Goals: 8-9/-1
Important games:
Legia Warszawa 0:2 Real Murcia (Spain)
Legia Warszawa 3:4 UD Almeria (Spain)
Legia Warszawa 2:2 FC Copenhagen (Denmark)
Legia Warszawa 1:0 FK Austria Wien (Austria)

LKS Lodz
League position: 15th
Matches played: 8; 4 wins, 2 draws, 2 loses (W/D/L/W/D/W/W/L)
Goals: 14-5/+9
Important games:
LKS Lodz 2:0 FC Naters (Switzerland)
LKS Lodz 0:0 Tatran Presov (Slovakia)

Odra Wodzislaw
League position: 10th
Matches played: 7; 4 wins, 1 draw, 2 loses (L/W/W/W/W/D/L)
Goals: 13-11/+2
Important games:
Odra Wodzislaw 3:1 Alanyaspor (Turkey)
Odra Wodzislaw 1:0 Gloria Bistrita (Romania)

Polonia Bytom
League position: 14th
Matches played: 5; 2 wins, 1 draw, 2 loses (W/D/W/L/L)
Goals: 4-5/-1
Important games:
Polonia Bytom 1:0 FC Botosani (Romania)
Polonia bytom 0:2 Wisla Krakow (Poland)

Ruch Chorzow
League position: 11th
Matches played: 5; 5 wins, 0 raws, 0 loses (W/W/W/W/W)
Goals: 12-3/+9
Important games:
Ruch Chorzow 3:1 MFK Kosice (Slovakia)
Ruch Chorzow 2:1 Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia)
Ruch Chorzow 1:0 Viktoria Pilzno (Czech Republic)

Widzew Lodz
League position: 13th
Matches played: 5; 0 wins, 3 draws, 2 loses (D/D/D/L/L)
Goals: 2-4/-2
Important games:
Widzew Lodz 0:0 Shakhtar Soligorsk (Belarus)
Widzew Lodz 1:1 Arsenal Kiev (Ukraine)
Widzew Lodz 0:1 Lokomotiv Plovdiv (Bulgaria)

Wisla Krakow
League position: 1st
Matches played: 10; 4 wins, 3 draws, 3 loses (W/D/W/L/L/D/D/W/L/W)
Goals: 10-10/0
Important games:
Wisla Krakow 2:1 FC Basel (Switzerland)
Wisla Krakow 0:0 Steaua Bucuresti (Romania)
Wisla Krakow 4:1 Drogheda United (Ireland)
Wisla Krakow 0:0 CSKA Sofia (Bulgaria)

Zaglebie Lubin
League position: 7th
Matches played: 3; 1 win, 0 draws, 2 loses (W/L/L)
Goals 2-3/-1
Important games:
Zaglebie Lubin 0:2 Tawrija Symferopol (Ukraine)
Zaglebie Lubin 0:1 Amkar Perm (Russia)
Zaglebie Lubin 2:0 NK Zagreb (Croatia)

Zaglebie Sosnowiec
League position: 16th
Matches played: 3; 2 wins, 0 draws, 1 lose (W/L/W)
Goals: 6-4/+2
Important games:
Zaglebie Sosnowiec 2:0 Honved Budapest (Hungary)
Zaglebie Sosnowiec 0:4 GKS Katowice (Poland)
Zaglebie Sosnowiec 4:0 Rakow Czestochowa (Poland)

We are all longing our favourite Orange Ekstraklasa to wake up from the winter rest and crave for the first whistle on Polish pitches. Since it will happen in next weekend, current leader of the league is arming for the spring round like no other Polish club.

Although Lobodzinski and Matusiak are already Wisla’s players (the latter one is already scoring goals for White Star), sport director Jacek Bednarz still struggle to gain over one of the best midfielder currently playing in Poland, and the national hero who warms the bench in German VfL Wolfsburg.

In Gargula’s case, GKS and Wisla are fighting over him like ravenous hounds over the piece of meat. The argument is obviously about money. I cannot say for sure, but stewards of GKS seem to be upset about that they have lost Matusiak in Wisla’s favour, but according to player himself, on their own wish. Now they desperately try to keep Gargula but it is fighting for an already lost cause. In situation when player himself do not want to play for GKS anymore, their last resort is dictating riddiculously high amounts of money for a definite transfer. Bednarz however found a tricky loop-hole apparently allowing him to pay off Gargula for 300,000 euro. Game Department of Polish Football Association will judge till nearest Wednesday is there a real posibility for Wisla to buy Gargula for this sum.

Things however look even worse with Krzynowek. Rumours of this transfer emerged with New Year’s Eve and opening of transfer window in western leagues. It would be the most spectacular transfer into Polish league, since… I do not know, maybe return of Kosowski. Anyway, before we start dream about Krzynowek scoring goals for Wisla in Champions League, and dazzling with his performence on Euro 2008, we have to face sad facts. Krzynowek, on 10 days before window’s closure is still a player of VfL Wolfsburg, and pertinacious Germans are not likely to let Krzynowek go. They have already blocked the transfer to Hertha Berlin, as proposed offer of 800,00 euro did not match Volves demands (it is approximately 1,2 mln euro). Yesterday however, Jacek Bednarz announced that he will do his best to bring Krzynowek to Wisla, if not by transfer, then on loan. In the context of Champions League and oncoming Austro-Swiss tournament, these negotiations may be crucial for the future of Polish football. Krzynowek’s situation in his club is tragic - Wolfsburg has won 5 consecutive games recently, beating such firms like Schalke 04 and current German champ VfB Stuttgart (4:1!), all of these without Krzynowek’s appearance. I do not want here to scent some deeply hatched anti-Polish conspiracy in the context of the German-Polish clash oncoming in June, but…

Anyway, if Wisla manage to contract both Gargula and Krzynowek, we may start to compare current team to those Wisla which celebrated successes in UEFA Cup under Kasperczak’s lead. But of course, results will verify everything.

Kamil Grosicki has been officially presented as a new player of Swiss FC Sion (6th place in Swiss top division). There are already hot debates going on, whether Legia made a big mistake, letting this talented (according to Polish national team, Leo Beenhakker) player to leave Poland. Moreover, Legia is not going to earn any money on him so far, as it is only a loan with an option of definite transfer at the end of the year.

Young Grosicki has been already scoring goals in Polish U-19 national team and even recently was summoned to the first Polish representation for a friendly match with Finland for which he has been praised by the coach, Leo Beenhakker. His club career is maybe not so luminous so far, as we have seen only one his goal for Legia, but he surely had some glimmers of his talent. But unfortunately for him and the club, Grosicki was causing more problems than contributing to the team.

His gambling problems are well known in Poland. Legia did tremendous job with helping him to get rid of this addicition and it is strange that now, when everything seems to be sorted out, the club’s stewards decided to lend him to the western club. It may seem that Legia is washing its hands off the problem, and okay, they have any right to do this, but still - Grosicki is a very prosperous player and when being kept under ‘club’s care’ he would be a strong trump of the team which is about to fight desperately for a champ title. Hopefully in small Sion (29 000 inhabitants) Grosicki will not have many temptations and opportunities to relieve his fatal partialities.

What is however concerning, that in both options (Grosicki’s return in December or definite transfer to FC Sion) Legia is losing. If Grosicki is fit to new team and score goals, Swiss club will buy him for a riddiculous amount of 750,000 euro, thanks to pre-emption. If he however spends this year on a bench, he will return to Poland, psychically devastated and with wasted talent. He will probably change Swiss bench on Polish one and ultimately end in some weak club. I would really like to be wrong about that.