Welcome to the Ekstraklasa

While Leicester City may be winning plaudits for their exceptional season so far, away from the sky TV and premier league hype there is another remarkable title tilt occurring. We are off to Poland's Ekstraklasa in this post to have a look at the village's top flight club, the defending champions in trouble and the unfancied league leaders.

LKS Nieciesa's Stadion Bruk-Bet
source: http://www.expressilustrowany.pl/

The Ekstraklasa shut down for the two month winter break the weekend before christmas and won't be back up and running till mid-February. The season so far has been quiet eventful to say the least. For starters this is the first season in which the tiny, and I do mean tiny in every sense, LKS Nieciesza are competing in the top division. LKS Nieciesza are based in a village with a population of 750, yes seven hundred and fifty people. Incidentally the ground they play in holds 5,200, yep its a lot bigger than the village population. This makes them the smallest village to reach a top level European league, a record that was before this season held by Czech side FK Chmel Blšany who were based in a village of just under 1,000 people. LKS Nieciesza are holding their own this season a point off the top 8. The team itself doesn't have any star players and comprised of mainly Polish and Slovak players. Defensively they have actually conceded fewer goals than 3rd placed Cracovia. 

Lech Poznań during their 5-2 defeat at Cracovia
source: Tomasz Markowski / źródło: newspix.pl

LKS Nieciesza aren't the only big story in Poland this season. The other big story was the shambolic title defense of Lech Poznań. At the winter break the league has 21 rounds played. Lech Poznań were bottom of the league after twelve rounds and only escaped the relegation zone in round sixteen. The defending champions did find a good run of form in the lead up to the break and have managed to claw themselves up to 6th place. However the beauty with the Ekstraklasa this season is that despite being 6th, Lech are only seven points ahead of bottom side Podbeskidzie but also are only seven points off 3rd placed Cracovia who occupy the final Europa league spot. Such is the season in Poland, Lech could end the campaign with European football next season, but then again they could slip back down the table. What made the club's domestic struggles even more baffling was that their European campaign included a 2-1 victory away at Italian title hopefuls Fiorentina. 

However Lech Poznań's eventful first half of the season isn't THE big story in Poland this season. Instead the plaudits are going to Piast Gliwice. Not one of Poland's more big name clubs such as Lech Poznań, Legia Warszawa or Wisła Kraków (who themselves are struggling this season), Piast Gliwice find themselves above everybody at the winter break. 

Piast have never won the top division in Poland before with their only league success being the 1.Liga title in 2011-12. In fact Piast Gliwice have only ever played in the top division for six seasons in total. To have a title tilt in your sixth ever season in the top flight is quiet something. Unlike their title challengers Legia Warszawa who have 21 goal striker Nemanja Nikolić, Piast Gliwice have spread their goals around the team. Their top scorer, Martin Nespor, has eight goals and Croat strike partner Josip Barišić has six. Midfield has scored in total fourteen goals with the defense contributing six goals. 

So the question is, Can they win it?. The format of the league is a big factor in this, as I will explain. Currently there are twenty-one rounds played and nine more remain to complete the thirty round league stage. Then comes a split where the top 8 will face each other home and away as do the bottom 8. It's at this stage that their title credentials will be tested severly as they'll be playing sides around them. For example Piast have played 2nd placed Legia Warszawa twice this season, should both sides make the top 8 split they will play a further two head-to-heads. It would be terrific to see them go on and win it but with seasoned title challengers Legia Warszawa I wouldn't bet against the capital team just yet.