Svitlica leads Legia line

By Maciej Iwanski & Aleksandar Boskovic

Having joined his fellow Yugoslavian, coach Dragomir Okuka, at Legia Warszawa, striker Stanko Svitlica has helped to take the Polish club to a whole new level.

Unbeaten run
It was only a late Ebbe Sand goal in a 3-2 win for FC Schalke 04 in the first leg of the UEFA Cup second round against Legia that broke a lengthy unbeaten for the Polish champions. The 26-year-old Svitlica scored a penalty against Schalke to continue a fine run of form that has seen him score eight goals in the Polish First Division and a further six in UEFA Champions League and UEFA Cup.

Return leg
"We have to keep our hopes up, but for Legia to reach the third round would be a surprise," said Svitlica as he looked forward to the return leg of the game against Schalke. Reaching the third round may be a bridge too far for Legia, but Svitlica believes that their European campaign, which included a 4-0 aggregate defeat against FC Barcelona in the third qualifying round of the Champions League, has been a major success.

'Important experience'
"We have already achieved a lot in Europe this season and the matches against Barcelona in the Champions League were an extremely important experience," he insisted. Svitlica is one of a number of foreign players who have brought an extra dynamism to Legia. Bulgarian goalkeeper Radostin Stanev and Belarussian defender Sergei Omeljanczuk have also proved popular signings. However, it is Svitlica and his Yugoslavian midfield colleague Aleksandar Vukovic that have caught the Polish public's imagination. A skilful playmaker, Vukovic is adored at Legia and has provided vital ammunition for the strikers, including Polish international Cezary Kucharski.

'Perfect football'
While they have drawn as many games as they have lost in Poland this season, many Polish observers rate Legia as practically unbeatable. Wisla Kraków coach Henryk Kaperczak concluded after his side's 1-1 draw against the champions last season: "We just couldn't play our style. Legia played perfect football." Being part of a successful side after a stressful time in his home country has been a relief for Svitlica, who first met Okuka in 2000 while he was playing for him in his days as coach of Prva Savezna Liga side FK Cuckaricki.

Career crisis
By that stage the former FK Backa striker had failed to earn a place in the FK Partizan first team, struggled to settle in Greece and France and believed his career as a professional footballer might be over. "I was a bit lost," said Svitlica. "I did not know what to do. At one point I was afraid I would completely vanish from the professional football scene. Still, I continued training and I hoped that all would end well.

Okuka's influence
"At Cukaricki I established an excellent relationship with Okuka," he added. "I started to move more on the pitch and I worked hard. I also gained physical strength, which is required in modern football." With Okuka ensuring through hard training camps that his side do not undergo fluctuations of form and fitness, their rivals - Wisla, KP Polonia Warszawa, Widzew Lódz - have all come to grief at the Wojska Polskiego stadium.

Good decision
Svitlica may not be confident of a place in the third round of the UEFA Cup, but as Legia continue to thrive in Poland, he has no reason to doubt that his decision to join the club was a good one.