Legia Warszawa - Putting Poland back on the map!

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Radekal

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Legia Warszawa
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Here's a brief summary of the club's finest achievements:

"The 1970s were known as Poland's golden age of football. From the 1960s to the 1970s, Legia's roster included powerful football players such as Jan Tomaszewski, Kazimierz Deyna, and Robert Gadocha. In the European Cup 1969-70 Legia achieved a successful campaign by reaching the semi finals alongside Feyenoord, Leeds United, and Celtic. The following year, Legia reached the quarter finals where they lost to Atlético Madrid."

"One of the more memorable European runs was the near upset against Internazionale during the UEFA Cup 1985-86, after two 0–0 games Legia lost in extra time. The next season Legia were yet again drawn against Inter, this time winning at home 3–2 but losing away 1–0 thus losing on away goals."

Encouraged by the recent performances of Polish clubs on the European stage (Legia and Wisla Krakow both competing in the EL 1st Knockout Rnd at the moment), plus the fact that I was born in Warsaw, I've decided to lead Legia to glory!​


The Story​
Europa League:

Let's start off with the Europa League! We were put into the 3rd Qualifying Rnd, and drew Cyprian (Idon't know if that's the word :p) club Anorthosi. We began with the away leg, which we won 3-0.

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After that comprehensive win, I relaxed a bit and sat back for the second leg, which was largely uneventful and finished 0-0.

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This put us through to the 4th Qual. Rnd, in which we drew... Birmingham City! I must say, I was quite intimidated by Zigic - he can cause problems from corners, indirect free-kicks and open play crosses.We began with the home leg, into which I went with an "attacking" mentality to gain an advantage. And it worked! Our main threat up front, Daniel Ljuboja, scored a crucial goal to give us a 1-0 advantage!

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For the away leg, I went attcking to start with, and at first it paid off. A good goal from Maciej Rybus gave us a 2-0 aggregate lead. However, due to Birmingham pressure I switched to "counter" in order to restrict their chances. They pulled a goal back, but it was too little too late and now Legia Warsaw is in the Europa League Group Stage!

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The Group Draw:

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We're in Group I with GNK Dinamo, Lazio and PSV. I think we stand a chance... possibly...
 
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Update:

It's strange that the attachements don't work for you... they work for me when I click them...

Anyways, I mostly kept the team the same. I sold off 2 players: the goalkeeper Makhnovskyi, and the defender Komorowski. In terms of bringing players in, I've bought CB Ryhor Filipenka from Spartak Moscow (he'll join us on 1st January), and loaned AA Genks winger, Ibrahima Conte.
In the Jan transfer window I'll probably be looking for a good playmaker, since my tactic demands a CM who can really create chances.

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Now, we've played the first 3 group games in the EL, and they haven't gone too badly!!! Started off with a (slightly disappointing) 1-1 home draw against GNK Dinamo:

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In the second game, we faced Lazio away. This was always going to be a tough game, but we got a bit of luck in the form of a red card for Lazio's Lorik Cana :D!
I noticed that this left the Italians witha very narrow set up, so I told my lads to "exploit the flanks". This paid off in the 61st min. when Manu's cross was met by our young striker Kucharczyk, to put us in front!!!
Lazio were not giving up and attacked ferociously despite playing with 10 men, but we "shut up shop" and managed to get a crucial 1-0 win!!!

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The 3rd game was PSV away, and we were simply outclassed. 3 shots on goal, 0 on target. Took home an anavoidable 2-0 loss.

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This is the group after 3 games. In a bizarre turn of events, PSV lost to Dinamo and Lazio, which in turn lost to us and only managed a draw against Dinamo! This means that Dinamo is top with 5 points, one ahead of Legia and Lazio, with PSV in last place! :p

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Stay tuned!

P.S. any good, cheap playmaker suggestions are welcome! And if you know how to adjust the max wage for a squad status (a key player in my team can only be paid 4,000 pounds!?!) they I'd be very grateful :D

 
Huge News!

Legia are through to the Europa League 1st Knockout Round, after shocking Lazio and PSV to win Group I!!!

As I've stated above, I'm overjoyed with my Legia Warsaw team who definiately showed that Polish football is on the ascent to global domination :D

The 4th group game was a home tie against PSV. I took a chance and told the journalists that I was "confident that my team could pull off an upset" and it worked! In a match we mostly dominated, CB Dickson Choto and veteran striker Ljuboja provided the goals which ensured a famous 2-0 victory (vengeance for the 2-0 away defeat:p)!

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The next game was against GNK Dinamo away. A defeat would put our promotion chances in great danger. Unfortunately, this came just after a humiliating 4-0 defeat to Widzew Lodz in the league, so morale was low.
Dinamo started strongly and their striker Beciraj broke the deadlock on 30 minutes. I urged my lads to go forward, but mostly to no avail.
But then, I had a moment of true inspiration: I took off Ljuboja, and replaced him with Czech powerhouse Michal Hubnik. With a last-ditch effort, after a corner in the 2nd minute of added time, Hubnik pounced on a lose ball and stuck it into the net!!! It finished 1-1.

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Now, the final game was Lazio at home. We needed a draw or win to progress. Once again, I told the journalists I was confident of an upset.
My boys started very well, and a powerful Moshe Ohayon drive from 20 yards gave us the lead! A penalty on the stroke of half-time gave us a 2 goal cushion!!! In the second half, Lazio (who needed a win) attacked with vigour and managed to pull one back in the 49th min.
However, my lads kept a hold on the game and delivered a glorious 2-1 victory, which meant that we had won Group I!!! I was so happy!!!

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In the next round, we'll face Athletic Club... but I don't feel that pessimistic :p

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Ekstraklasa

The league isn't going so great. After defeats to Lech Poznan (2-1) and Widzew (4-0) we're in second, 6 points adrift of Lech, and 6 in front of Widzew.

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End of Season Summary:

Europa League:

We got knocked out in the 1st Knockout Rnd by Athletic Club (4-0 on aggregate), but I'm in no way disappointed as Athletic went on to the semi-finals.

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Ekstraklasa:

Unfortunately, we didn't manage to catch Lech Poznan and they won the title with 4 points to spare. However, we finished on 66 points, 14 ahead of 3rd place Slask, so I'm really not too bothered. Hopefully, Lech will sell their stars Stilic and Rudnevs during the summer :p

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FA Cup:

We got to the semi-finals of the cup, but once again Lech stood in our way and won 5-0 on aggregate :mad:

Super Cup:

Finally, we got one trophy this season by winning the Super Cup against Wisla Krakow 1-0, where my new signing Filipenka scored the winning goal! :D

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Got some very exciting transfers planned for the summer, so stay tuned!
 
Start of Season 2:

Transfers:

I've brought in quite a lot of players in this transfer window, but that's because some have left after contract expiry, and I don't have to register any of the U20s:

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New poacher, Ante Vukusic. With 18 acceleration, and good finishing and composure, this guy received offers from clubs as reputable as Borussia Dortmund! I honestly don't know how we got him to sign for us :p (Cost: 1.7M)

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Jesus Martinez is one of the first re-gens. I loaned him from Chivas, with a buy-out option of 1.2M. His CA is nothing extraordinary, but the scouts tell me his potential is massive. We'll just have to wait and see.

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Leon is a 19 year old goalkeeper, who I got on a free transfer from Auxerre. Should become awesome. Hopefully.

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Now how about this for a free transfer??? This guy was literally delighted to join the mighty Legia and with stats like that, I feel he may just become our greatest star! 16 Free Kicks, 16 First Touch, 16 Passing, 15 Finishing, 17 Penalties. I rest my case. (H)

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Jan Kovar is a Czech re-gen, who plays best at RWB (but I play him at RB). He's got the potential to be "a lot better" than my 1st choice RB, Jakub Rzezniczak. Excited about this one! (Cost: 825K)

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Juan Camillo Saiz, another free transfer, is a 20 year old CB/LB with 16 Heading, 13 Tackling, and 14 Strength and Balance, to pick out just a few attributes. Again, bags of potential and could become a great defender!

Europa League:

Unfortunately, we didn't qualify for the Group Stage this season, but that was largely due to injuries which wiped out half of my starting 11 just before the crucial 4th Qual. Rnd. against Standard Liege.

We began strongly with 2-0 and 4-1 victories against Derry City. My new poacher Ante Vukusic proved his skills, scoring 3 in his first 2 games for the club!

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We then came up against Czech side Kladno. After a 2-0 away win, I was getting ready for a demolilition job at home. However, Kladno managed to score twice in the first half to go level on aggregate!!! I was furious with my players, and they responded magnificently in the second half, scoring 3 goals and winning 5-2 on aggregate (3-2 on the night).

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But as I've mentioned above, we came up against Standard just as key players got injured. This means I couldn't use Manu, Vukusic, 1st choice CB Jedrzejczyk and playmaker Ohayon. As a result, we lost 1-0 and 1-2 (1-3 on aggregate).

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Ekstraklasa:

The biggest positive so far has been the league performance. We've got 13 points from 5 games, conceeded only 1, Lech Poznan have 5 from 5 and are in a distant 12th place, and best of all - we beat them at their place!!! :D

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In other news, I've persuaded the Board to start upgrading my Training and Youth facilities from "average" to "good".
 
End of Season Summary (Season 2):

Legia Warszawa do the double! :D

Our disappointing performance in the Europa League meant that we could concentrate all our efforts on domestic tournaments. As a result, we've completed a magnificent double, dominating the league and winning in the final of the FA Cup against our fierce rivals Widzew Lodz!!!

League Standings:

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This time Lech Poznan had a surprisingly awful season, which meant that only Polonia Warszawa kept the pressure on us, but we kept them at bay.
Our top scorer was the great Ante Vukusic, who finished as joined league top scorer with 14 goals!

Cup Final:

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In a 5 goal thriller, our top scorer Ante Vukusic got 2 goals to ensure a Legia win!

January Sales:

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Sold Ariel Borysiuk to Utrecht for 2.5M (of which 1M in monthly installements)

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Donovan Leon went to Ipswich for a cool 1.1M


Again, some nice transfers planned for the summer!
 
Start of Season 3:

Legia are in the Champions League!!!
We were entered into the 2nd Qualifying Round, but thanks to some favourable match-ups and quality play, we can now celebrate participation in the Group Stage (and the £6M that comes with it)!

Transfers:

Once again, I was on the look-out for quality players to improve the team. This is what I got for 5.75M:

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Meet the signing of the century! At only 18 years old, Amos is already Nigeria's 2nd choice goalkeeper, and will be my 1st for many years to come! Notice the 17 Handling, 16 Reflexes, 16 Throwing and 20 Determination!!!

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A young Turkish regen (LB). Mostly got him because of his blistering pace and useful Long Throws. Could become my 1st choice LB in the future!

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Dani is one of my oldest players, but I signed him on a free transfer and he is a quality DM!

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Meszoly is one of Hungary's finest young players. This CB is only 19, but already has 15 Heading, 15 Tackling and 16 Balance!


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Last, but not least, Steeven Joseph-Monrose. He's fast, he's strong, we can score a goal as well as set one up. Well worth the 1.7M I paid for him!

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Vlastimil Prazak is a 16 year old Czech playmaker. I think the league stats speak for themselves: 2 goals and 2 assists in 5 games. This guy is a beast! P.S. Notice the Long Shots. Both his goals were 30 yard screamers (H)


Champions League Qualifiers:

Started off against Lithuanian side Sudova, whom we brushed aside by winning 3-0 and 2-1. Ante Vukusic and the new boy Steeven Joseph-Monrose proved lethal!

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The 3rd Qualifying Round saw us matched up against Levski Sofia, and according to my advisors we were supposed to be the underdogs.

And then we got IFK Mariehamn in the Playoff - once again, a stroll in the park!

Now we're in Group G with Chelsea, Shakhtar and Sporting. Not the best of draws, but we'll do our best.

So far we've won every game this season, and are sitting comfortably at the top of the league table!
 
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Champions League Update!

As I mentioned above, we were drawn in Group G with Chelsea, Shakhtar and Sporting Lisbon. For those of you that thought Legia Warszawa stood no chance, think again!


The first group game was at Stamford Bridge. My boys seemed to be a bit starstruck which resulted in a nervous and.... poor performance. Chelsea were in magnificent form (playing without Torres, obviously) and put 4 goals past us.

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I went into the second game against Shakhtar, thinking: "Oh dear. This is a team who are ranked 9th in Europe, have millions and millions of moneys, and reached the Europa League quarter-finals last season".
However, I was in for a shock! Two penalties and an Ante Vukusic finish later, we were winning 3-0!!! Obviously Shakhtar tried to get back into it in the 2nd half, but we kept them at bay! :D

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The last game I want to talk about today was the home tie against Sporting. Encouraged by our performance against Shakhtar, I went into this game with the attacking mentality that we use in the league. Sporting created a fair number of chances, but Amos Anyanwu kept them at bay!
Two late goals sealed a second win for the mighty Legia, and we're now 2nd in Group G, with a good outlook for the last 3 games!

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Legia Warszawa in Champions League Round of 16!!!

We've done it! We're in the Knockout Stages! Here's how:


The 4th group game was an away tie at Sporting. Joseph-Monrose started us off with a bang in the 12th minute, but Sporting's wonder-boy Rubio sliced through our defence and beat Amos to make it 1-1 just 4 minutes later. However, we dominated the game and were unlucky not to score again. It finished 1-1.

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The 5th group game ws Chelsea at home. This was an absolute thriller of a match. Because of other results going our way, we needed a draw to qualify from the group!
It started off with two quick goals from Michal Kucharczyk, who seemed to be unstoppable! Chelsea pressed hard (Torres missed two big chances), and in the 28th minute, after a scrap in the box, Rzezniczak put it into his own net!!!
Early on in the 2nd half, disaster struck! Saiz, a very temperamental LB, decided to perform a two-footed tackle, and was sent-off as a result! This meant it was only a matter of time before Chelsea equalise, and indeed Juan Mata finished well in the 71st minute to make it 2-2. Chelsea had all the possession and chances, but just 3 minutes later, against the run of play, Legia were awarded a penalty!!! Ivica Vrdoljak stepped up and thumped the ball into the net! 3-2! I then decide to go defensive, and Chelsea created chance after chance, but they kept missing the net!
It was only in the 1st minute of added time (of 5!) that Lampard pulled one back to make it 3-3, but we held on and celebrated finishing second in Group G!!!!

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The last game was agaist Shakhtar away. Vukusic showed his class again, scoring a well-earned brace! And we were vey unlucky not to win, as Shakhtar only equalised in the 3rd minute of added time!

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Group Stage results:

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End Of Season Summary

We continued to be on superb form in the league, finishing 1st with 85 points (out of a possible 90!), winning 28 games, drawing 1 and losing 1. We also won the Polish FA Cup for the 2nd time in a row, and so combined with the earlier Super Cup win, completed a magnificent treble!!!

The undoubtable star this season was Ante Vukusic, who was named league and Cup Top Scorer, and broke the club record for goals in a season (34 goals in 45 matches)!!!

We finished off the league season with a 6-0 demolition of Belchatow at home, Vukusic propelling himself to the top of the goalscorers charts with 4, and our young playmaker Prazak adding another 2 goals. :D


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Champions League

We were very unfortunate to draw Man City in the Round of 16, and despite a valiant performance at home where we held them to a 1-1 draw (Filipenka put us in front on 86 minutes, only for Dzeko to equalise 3 mins later :'(), we just couldn't resist their superiority in Manchester, losing 4-1 (and 5-2 on aggregate).

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Manchester City then went on to win the Champions League, beating AC Milan 4-1 in the final, so I think Legia can take pride in the fight we put up against them.



Stay tuned for more updates, including a massive re-gen transfer! :D
 
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