Doubts about Runjaic? It's not that moment yet

In the case of Pogoń Szczecin, it's hard to call it a crisis. Yes, she did not enter the new season with a door and a frame, but the score of seven points after four rounds is definitely not a reason to announce that they fell into a big hole in "Portowcy". On the other hand, offensive impotence has been a nuisance for the Szczecin team for a long time. In fact, this problem has been following her for many months, and the defeat in a miserable style with Zagłębie Lubin clearly showed all her ills. No wonder fans of "Dma Pomorza" are slowly losing their patience. Some are beginning to question whether coach Kosta Runjaić is able to change the face of the team.

It is obvious that the mood of fans can change at a rapid pace. First euphoria, and seven days later they would like to exchange half of the staff and staff. However, when it comes to Pogoń, frustration is not a temporary state, because it is steadily increasing. The game of their favorites simply strains the eyes. And it's worth remembering that most fans just want to have fun watching their team perform once a week.

Meanwhile, watching the actions of players from Grod Gryfa is a low-flying entertainment. As long as Pogoń pushes victory with his knee, you can turn a blind eye to various imperfections. It's worse when a very weak match happens, as in the previous round. Comments on the Internet about the coach of the Porters, to put it mildly, were not kind. Perhaps there were no calls for dismissal, but the slogan came to the fore: the formula of cooperation is slowly being exhausted.

Pogon Szczecin vs Stal Mielec. Problems of a better world?

Of course, it is not difficult to find a group of people who approach Kosta Runjaic's work uncritically. He believes that since under his leadership the team from the league midfielder jumped to the top of the league last season, there is no point in complaining about the mediocre style and offensive impotence. They look at the team through the prism of getting out of mediocrity. I can partly agree with them. After 20 years, Pogoń jumped on the podium again and had the opportunity to play in European cups. The club is making progress in every respect, and an excellent atmosphere for football is created in Szczecin.

Appetite, on the other hand, increases with eating. Sure, no one in Szczecin will be offended by another podium. The problem is that the team stopped growing. It has been stagnant for some time. The attackers still can't break through. The way the action is built still resembles a handball game around the perimeter. Importantly - in defense he is not a monolith now, and this was the key to scoring. Already the end of the previous campaign was weak in the performance of Pogoń. You can definitely get the impression that the training staff can't find the right recipe for ailments.

We've discussed her offensive issues before. We will not write anything revealing in this thread, because the image of Pogoń's game does not change. It's time to focus a little on the trainer. After the game against Zagłębie, he added fuel to the fire. Unfortunately, his statements are increasingly hard to digest. While the Portos presented the barley, Kosta Runjaic comes to the press conference and says that it was the best match of the season. That they are not a Barcelona that creates a dozen chances to score in every game, etc.

Either he deliberately wanted attention after the defeat, or he was detached from reality. In any case, even if his intention was to turn the cheek, he failed miserably. For he had exposed his bare neck and given ammunition to all his staunch opponents. In general, trainers' statements at official meetings with the media should be taken with a grain of salt. These are usually hackneyed formulas. Only, these constant statements about working on improving the game are also slowly starting to annoy, because words do not follow actions. Slowly there are voices about the planned change of setting - switching to the game system with shuttles. Perhaps this will be a remedy.

– Anyone who understands football can see that we are trying to play forward. We're trying to play offensively. It's up to us to make the most of the situations we have. It's up to us to show that we have quality in attack. According to the statistics, we are the team that used the most pressing chances last season. Some people will be surprised, but we created the most scoring chances out of it. But we didn't score too many goals compared to how much we invested. Numbers like this don't happen if the team doesn't play offensively. We have to improve a lot and train a lot - said Kosta Runjaić before the match against Stala Mielec.

Generally, for a long time the coach's words sound like: after all, it's not as bad as it seems to everyone, we know where the problem lies. But at the moment, the effects of preventive measures are not visible. Kosta Runjaić lost control of the vehicle and drove off to the side of the road, while telling others that he was driving on smooth asphalt. Of course, it doesn't look like there will be a big collision and a big accident. Which does not change the fact that the fans may have justified concerns as to whether the "Pride of Pomerania" is finally going wild.

Pogon Szczecin vs Stal Mielec. Will the meeting with the team from Mielec turn out to be a breakthrough again?

A small justification for the attitude of Szczecin's inhabitants may be staff shortages caused by injuries. Even with an optimal line-up, their game hasn't looked better lately. Theories about the need to fire Runjaic are currently highly absurd, although the credit of trust earned over almost four years is dangerously beginning to be wasted. It should be remembered that there were similar discussions in the previous season as well. Until finally, Pogoń jumped into top gear. The streak of six victories in a row began with a 1-0 home win against Stala Mielec (December 2020). Did the "Portowcy" look sensational in their best period? No, they weren't showing fireworks. But in terms of the implementation of tactical tasks, they were exemplary. In addition, the coaching staff made good decisions regarding the starting eleven.

The next meeting will be extremely important in the context of the mood prevailing in Szczecin. If Pogoń scores a possible slip-up, the atmosphere will become even more dense and tense. A tired win will also not significantly alleviate the problems, at most temporarily put aside. Against the background of an opponent whose goal is to stay in the league, he needs to show more quality in attack. First of all, the idea of ​​forcing his defensive formations. And what it lacks the most is the right concept, not the performers.

Pogon Szczecin vs Stal Mielec. Tips for the match, odds of the bookmaker Fuksiarz.pl

Jan Piekutowski: Despite the terrible game of Pogoń with Zagłębie Lubin and the brave attitude of Stal against Wisła Kraków, I still do not believe in the continuity of successes of the Mielec team. The second time such a shot will probably not come to Kolew, and the excessive procrastination of the team from Szczecin must end someday. For example today. Type 1 at the odds of 1.67 at Fuksiarz.pl does not look grand, but it looks honest.

Damian Smyk: Nothing happens twice. Pogoń will not play such an October for the second time in every respect. The goal of Kolev's life will not happen to steel. I know that the logic of Ekstraklasa, but not in Szczecin, not in the case of Stal. I bet the visitors will not score today. Course in Fuksiarz - 2.05.

Photo. PhotoPyK