Bartosz Slisz: The Wolf of Warsaw
If you follow me on twitter or X should I say, there’s a good chance you’d know of my admiration for this man, in fact, he’s probably my favourite player in world football right now, so I think it’s only right I write a little piece to educate the masses on this midfield monster.
Who is he?
Bartosz Slisz is a 24-year-old Polish midfielder who plays for Legia Warszawa in the Ekstraklasa in his native country. When he joined Legia from Zagłębie Lubin in 2020, he became the most expensive player to ever be bought by a Polish club. That fee was reported to be in the region of 1.5 million to 1.8 million euros and Transfermarkt has his current market value at 4.5 million euros, around a 3x increase. His current contract, however, expires in December 2024 which means this summer was likely Legia’s last chance to get a good fee for him (assuming he doesn’t renew his deal at any point), Legia themselves weren’t happy to cash in though, this despite reported interest from Dutch giants Ajax and a 3 million euro bid by Turkish side Trabzonspor late in the transfer window. Internationally, Slisz has been capped just twice by Poland, which is a testament to just how criminally underrated he is, even in his homeland. In fact, as I am writing this he has just been left out of Poland’s squad for their match vs Albania. Not even on the bench.
Before we delve too much into Slisz himself as a player, I think it is imperative that we take a look at Legia as a whole, their style of play, system and how Slisz fits into that, so we can get a better understanding of his role in the team.
The System:
For the past year, under the guidance of head coach Kosta Runjaić, Legia have mostly played a 3 at the back formation of some kind, whether that be 3–4–2–1/3–4–3, 3–4–1–2 or 3–5–2. It wasn’t this way straight from Runjaić’s appointment in May 2022 however. Initially he started out at Legia playing a 4–1–4–1 which had Slisz at the base of the midfield, occupying a lone #6 role which in my opinion is not his best position, this despite his seriously good ball-winning ability, he has since been moved into a double pivot ahead of a back three which compliments his all-round game much better. As a team, Legia are focused on building from the back, they play quick, short passes with the aim of working the ball into wide areas where they can create goalscoring opportunities using crosses or cut-backs, they’re a very attacking team, they commit a lot of bodies forward when attacking and they’re quite aggressive in the press. This style obviously does come with its risks as they can often get caught out defensively on the counter. Nevertheless they are happy to accept these trade-offs when led by a manger who is noted for his entertaining and attacking brand of football.
The Player:
Physical Strength and Aerial Ability
Billed at just 5'10, and he looks smaller than that, you’d be forgiven for thinking Slisz wasn’t exactly a monster in the middle of the park, but you couldn’t be more wrong. One of the main reasons Slisz is so effective in terms of regaining possession for his side is the intelligent way in which he uses his body to outmuscle opponents. The most remarkable part is that he does it without giving away many fouls, this is a testament to how smart he is in duels, he really understands the exact right amount of strength he’s allowed to apply to someone to force them off the ball without overstepping the mark. It’s a joy to watch and makes him the type of player you would just love to have on your team. Another incredible quality that this ties into in his game is his aerial ability, once again I have to remind you that Slisz is no taller than 5'10 yet he’s a monster in the air. His leap is tremendous. When he jumps it feels like he stays in the air for an hour, sometimes when watching him I’m convinced he has the ability to float. That isn’t the only factor, however, his aforementioned strength plays a big role in it as he is a nuisance to jump with, once again though he does it all in the letter of the law. Winning over 60% of your headers is a good achievement for any midfielder at this level, let alone one who’s under 6ft tall. So often when he’s winning these headers he’s doing so against players a few inches taller than him, it’s incredible. The best usage of this aerial prowess comes when defending, Slisz is not only great for defending crosses but is brilliant at winning headers from opposition goal-kicks, disrupting attacks before they’ve even begun.
Speed and Stamina
Linking into the first strength I highlighted, as once again it’s more focused on his physical ability than his technical work, Slisz showcases an impressive mix of pace and endurance. Watching him play, you get the impression that he could play two 90-minute matches on the same day. Last season in the league alone for Legia, Slisz played 2909 minutes, which equates to around 32.3 full 90s. Admittedly, these sound like decent if not unremarkable numbers, however, the Ekstraklasa only has 34 games in the season and he was suspended for one of those, meaning Slisz played well over 90% of available minutes, this from a player who plays a very physically demanding role, covering every blade of grass every time he steps onto the pitch. Unfortunately, there’s no publicly available data for distance covered by Ekstraklasa players so I can’t back that up with any statistics but it’s easy to see when watching him, that Slisz’s work rate makes him a perfect fit for a side that plays such intense football. You will never see Slisz walking or jogging back during transitions, instead, his recovery runs are at full pelt, I wouldn’t exactly describe him as rapid but he can catch up to an attacker who has a head start on him fairly regularly. Often when he actually has the ball and is carrying it forward, he will again display impressive use of his acceleration, he’s no stranger to a swift change of pace to beat a man.
Linking Defence to Attack
Definitely, the most impressive attribute regularly displayed by Slisz, is his ability to link defence to attack. While people used to say Kante was so good he could play 3 midfielders roles at once, I think that compliment may be better used on Slisz. The level of ball progression he offers is absolutely top-class, and it’s not as if he just specifies in ball-carrying or progressive passing, he does both to an incredibly high standard. Despite the fact his percentile rank for progressive passes is higher I actually would argue that it’s his carrying which is most impressive. Slisz is brilliant at picking the ball up in build-up and driving into space which makes him an incredibly valuable outlet for his side due to the fact they can burst through the phases in just a few seconds through his ability to effortlessly run straight through a midfield as if they aren’t even there.
What truly sets Slisz apart from your average midfield progressor in my opinion, is his exceptional awareness of his surroundings and what’s going on all over the pitch. Slisz is constantly scanning and looking over his shoulder when he comes in deep to collect the ball in build-up, it allows him to be one step ahead of the defenders as it greatly improves his ability to be able to anticipate their next move and means he can turn away from trouble before carrying the ball forward or finding a teammate. Furthermore, his body shape when receiving the ball is also very advantageous, he consistently opens up his body well, enabling him to pivot and open up better angles for a pass to a teammate. These qualities stand out when watching Slisz and he shows all the makings of a very intelligent midfield player within the first two phases of play.
Ball-Winning
Out of possession, Slisz is required to break up play in midfield and to regain possession, this is most prevalent when Legia are defending deep. In such instances, Slisz drops all the way back, if he’s not shielding the defensive line, he becomes a part of it, which can probably be attributed to the fact that Slisz has played as a CB in the past. By perfecting the defensive responsibilities of a pivot player, Slisz allows Legia’s CB to have the freedom to be aggressive and jump out of the defensive line to attempt a tackle due to the security he offers by regularly dropping in to fill the gap left behind.
Another area of defending where Slisz’s ability is abundantly clear is when defending wide-attacks. In this aspect, Slisz is extremely important to Legia as he drops into the box to provide an extra man when defending and uses his good reading of the game to position himself well to cut out crosses/cut-backs where his aerial prowess makes him a tough player to beat for any forward.
Vision
When it comes to being able to pick a pass, Slisz does so extremely well. Last season, he attempted 67 progressive passes with a distance of over 30 yards, 65 of them were successful. That is a freakishly high success rate for progressive passes of that length and it really highlights how incredible he is at consistently getting his side into more advantageous areas. Slisz plays a crucial role when it comes to starting attacks for Legia as he can pick out a long pass to one of the wide forwards at ease with incredible accuracy, stretching the opposition’s defence and creating space for players to run into. He reads the game exceptionally well and possesses anticipation I could only liken to that of a time-traveller such is the way he can spot a run as if he already knew what was coming. This suits Legia so well as they’re always looking to work the ball into wide areas and Slisz is a key player in this. A good number of his passes to the final 1/3rd end up deep down the right flank, this is due to the fact Legia as a team use overlaps well and Slisz is always looking to play forwards and is often the player feeding the pass to a surging wing-back or even occasionally a wide centre-back. Occasionally, Slisz himself can sometimes end up being the player whipping a cross into the box, and he does so at a fairly good level, he loves an out-swinging, dipping cross from the half-space, usually aimed behind the defensive line creating a challenging situation for defenders to handle as they are forced to retreat and be facing their own goal when defending the cross.
Areas to Improve:
Over-Aggressiveness
The first notable blemish on Slisz’s overall game is that he tends to be a bit over-zealous when it comes to making a challenge. This over-enthusiasm can lead to him getting beaten in situations where he probably shouldn’t have been. In the Ekstraklasa last season, Slisz was dribbled past 1.37 times per 90. His regular midfield partner and namesake Bartosz Kapustka on the other hand, was dribbled past just under once per 90. A little caveat worth noting on this front is that Slisz attempted more tackles per 90 so was always likely to get beaten more.
Slisz’s main problem in this sense is that when he is closing a player down he can sometimes get too glued to the prospect of making a challenge when it isn’t always the best option. It’s particularly evident when he’s approaching from a more side-on angle to challenge a player. Too often he will overcommit to the challenge, placing his weight forwards, allowing the dribbler to knock the ball in the direction Slisz came from, exploiting the space he vacated to complete a relatively easy take-on.
First Touch
On a similar note to his aggressiveness, this point is very likely due to the way in which Slisz plays the game. He plays every game with the intensity of a 17-year-old debutant, eager to impress. This can of course be a good thing in terms of his work rate and willing desire to do anything for the team, but it can also cause a few holes in his game to arise. When Slisz receives the ball while he is moving at pace, he can often ‘forget’ to take the time to set himself properly and the ball will bounce off of him. This can be directly linked to his eagerness to make things happen. He needs to be reminded to take his time when receiving the ball. Luckily, from what I observed, this only seems to really happen further up the pitch, he doesn’t lose possession cheaply in dangerous areas or in build-up. It mainly seems to happen when he is in the opposition's half and Legia are trying to break down a defence. I find it likely that these lapses in concentration are more so an effect of frustration than an issue with Slisz’ technique.
General Thoughts:
Bartosz Slisz is one of my favourite players around today. Not only is he a player with great technical ability, but he also has a lot of the more intangible qualities that we footy fans absolutely adore. He possesses all the attributes of a player you’d want to take into battle; tenacious, combative and hard-working, it’s easy to see why Slisz is loved by Legia faithful.
Slisz’s skill-set goes much further than just aggression and passion, however. He combines that part of his game with excellent technical ability and astute reading of the game. His eye for a pass is superb. Slisz is also really intelligent in his pass selection, regularly making impressive and well-thought-out decisions. His ability to retain possession when under pressure is equally impressive, he uses his agility to evade danger or successfully beat an aggressor in the form of a take-on.
In the final phase, Slisz doesn’t really play all that much of a role, as you can probably tell by his low xG and xA numbers. This isn’t to say he is incapable of producing attacking output, however, more so that it just isn’t required in the role he plays. Just to prove he has it in his locker, here is an absolutely glorious backheel assist he got last season:
Out of possession, Slisz is excellent at sweeping up possession and killing off threats before teams even reach Legia’s defensive line. He does so by being a great shuttler, who moves really well, controlling his body smoothly and using his impressive anticipation to be able to cut off passing lanes and make a high number of interceptions.
In terms of weaknesses, Slisz doesn’t really have many but he can be overly eager to put his stamp on games, at 24 you’d probably want him to have matured a bit more as a player in this regard, but I don’t think that’s to say he can’t get better at tapering his eagerness, and this high-tempo style is likely exuberated by Legia’s brand of football which is in itself just that. His ground passing when trying to break the lines is something that could also do with a little refinement in my opinion, he is a good progressor and he plays well to the final third but a lot of his more impressive passing is in the form of over-the-top balls and high passes, when trying to thread a ball through the lines on the ground he can sometimes see his efforts intercepted.
Next Steps
What comes next for Bartosz Slisz? Well, I think he has to leave Legia, he’s loved there and it won’t be an easy decision but he should test himself in a top league sooner rather than later, Serie A or Ligue 1 would be two likely destinations I think and I believe he could feature for mid-table level sides in those leagues straight away. He could also move to England, where I think he’d be a great signing for any bottom-end Premier League/Promotion-challenging Championship team but maybe he will continue at Legia, and cement himself as a true club legend. Whatever’s next I’d recommend keeping your eye out for him, he’s a top player who could still be improved further.