The build up surrounding Poland’s Euro 2016 Championship campaign has been relatively quiet, and the Poles and their captain Robert Lewandowski certainly won’t be bothered by that. After capturing third place at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, this is a country that has had very little success on the biggest of international stages.
Since that golden era of the 70s and early 80s, they’ve not managed to advance from the group stage at either the World Cup or the European Championships since 1986. In 2012, they hosted the Euros along with Ukraine — an almost guaranteed recipe for success. However, they failed to win a match, finishing behind the Czech Republic, Greece and Russia in a weak group.
That was then, this is now. Led by their talisman Robert Lewandowski, the best player and top scorer in Euro 2016 qualifying, Poland qualified for this summer’s tournament on the strength of a near-perfect qualifying campaign.
They finished above Scotland and the Republic of Ireland in qualifying, and ran Germany to the final match day in an effort to claim the top position in Group D.
They played Germany with a fearlessness that will come in handy this summer. Once again, they’ve been placed in a group with the reigning world champions. Germany, Ukraine and Northern Ireland will all be fearful of a Poland squad that should be targeting the quarterfinals at a minimum.
Robert Lewandowski is the main source of optimism for Poland and rightly so. He scored an astonishing 42 goals in all competitions for Bayern this year, including 30 goals in 32 Bundesliga games.
This video from the official Bundesliga YouTube channel detailing all 30 goals will give you a greater picture of how complete a striker Lewandowski is.
All 30 of Robert Lewandowski's 2015-16 Bundesliga Goals
One great player, no matter how phenomenal (and Robert Lewandowski is nothing if not phenomenal), does not guarantee a good tournament. Poland, however, have a balanced squad with some other big names.
Grzegorz Krychowiak has been a sensation for Sevilla in the holding midfield role this season, winning the Europa League and leading his club to the Copa del Rey final. He’s reportedly a transfer target for many of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Grzegorz Krychowiak makes Poland's midfield formidable. Photo: @zesty_arsenal | Twitter
Arkadiusz Milik is a 22-year-old phenom who is coming off of a wonderful year for Ajax, and Jakub Blaszczykowski is an experienced winger who has featured for both Borussia Dortmund and Fiorentina.
In defense, Lukasz Piszczek is a regular starter for Borussia Dortmund. Poland also have the luxury of choosing between Lukasz Fabianski and Wojciech Szczesny in goal.
Poland are currently 50/1 outsiders to win Euro 2016 outright. You could find worse ways to spend a few dollars. Especially with Robert Lewandowski leading the charge.
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