The Antic Saga

Serbia's 0-1 home defeat to Greece at Partizan Stadium on August 11 - which featured much of the same finishing problems from which the team suffered during the 2010 World Cup - has been completely overshadowed by the saga surrounding the team's head coach. According to statements made by Serbian FA leadership on August 12, Radomir Antic will be replaced as national team boss by next week. The FSS Technical Committee will most likely forward such a recommendation to the FA's Emergency Committee in the coming days.

While there are moderate voices and those who support Antic within the FA, it is clear that the majority of the FSS leadership would like to see the coach sacked. Their official reasoning is that Antic's suspension for four official matches - issued by FIFA as punishment for "Mister's" cursing of the referee during the Serbia v. Australia game at the 2010 World Cup - represents a gigantic barrier to Serbia's chances of qualification for Euro 2012. Adding fuel to the fire is Antic's refusal to take responsibility for the failure to advance past the group stage in South Africa, despite having at his disposal the best crop of Serbian players since the 1990s.

But the official reasoning never tells the full story, and when that is the case, the cause is usually money. The FSS would like Antic to accept a scaling back of his projected pay of €100,000 per month, agreed prior to the start of the World Cup. As expected, "Mister" does not want to do this, and insists that he is leading the national team down the right path. He cites improved support among the Serbian population, increased attendance at games, strong team morale, higher FIFA World Ranking and qualification for the World Cup itself as the successes that make him the right man for the job.

Of course, Antic is not without his own share of stubbornness. He blamed Serbia's failure to advance to the second round in South Africa on "poor luck" despite some suspect tactical and substitution decisions (especially in the game against Ghana). And with his player selection and tactics for the friendly against Greece, he signaled an intent to continue to use the outdated 4-4-2 formation with a largely unchanged line-up. This came despite Serbia's clear problems at the goalkeeper and striker positions, and despite the availability of younger and better-conditioned alternatives to some of the players who continue to be selected.

The positives of keeping Antic on the job are clear. Other than Bora Milutinovic - whose opportunity to coach Serbia has probably passed - the former Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid boss is by far the best Serbian-born coach the team can muster. He has a classy image and commands respect among the players. His tactical knowledge cannot be disputed, despite the questionable decisions during the game against Ghana. And who knows how much more Antic has made of less with the Serbian team, considering that a similar crop of players was losing left, right and center under Javier Clemente and Miroslav Djukic? These factors may only become clear when "Mister" is long-gone.

On the opposite side, Antic is by no means perfect. His player selection is stubborn, despite the average age of the Serbian team being just 26. Why are players who are older, physically inferior and/or not playing for their clubs (Stojkovic, Petrovic, Milijas, Pantelic, Zigic) still getting a chance ahead of other available talent (Jorgacevic, Matic, Ljajic, Sulejmani, Lekic)? And how did a coach of Antic's stature allow himself to curse at a referee in the game against Australia, knowing the consequences such a move could have? Forces within the FSS who have been against Antic all along were waiting for any viable excuse to sack him, and these actions - combined with "Mister's" refusal to take any responsibility for the results in South Africa - have given them the opportunity to do just that.

Of course, Soccer Serbia is always keeping up-to-date with the latest trends and opinions on Serbian soccer from all sources. Let's take a look at the projected levels of support for Antic among various key groups:

• FSS Administration: largely against Antic
• National team players: largely pro-Antic
• Outside influential figures: split almost evenly between the two
• Serbian media: split almost evenly between the two
• Domestic fans (in Serbia): overwhelmingly pro-Antic
• Diaspora fans: largely pro-Antic, but more overtly critical

Let's also take a look at some of the names being thrown out by the Serbian media as possible successors to Antic as national team coach:

• Lothar Matthaus (co-top candidate)
• Milovan Rajevac (unlikely)
• Ilija Petkovic (possible)
• Ljupko Petrovic (possible)
• Slavoljub Muslin (possible)
• Slavisa Jokanovic (co-top candidate)
• Sinisa Mihajlovic (unlikely)

Weighing the noted factors, Soccer Serbia's analysis of this situation is that Radomir Antic should remain the head coach of the Serbian national team. Antic is the best domestic-born coach Serbia has. If he believes that the current players and tactics are sufficient to qualify for Euro 2012, there is no reason to doubt him. As many Serbian fans have pointed out, Antic cannot lace up the boots and put the ball in the net for the Serbian strikers; the final moment of concentration is up to them. Success for Antic would be measured by qualification for Euro 2012 and advancement past the group stage at the tournament. Of course, if Serbia fails to qualify or is disgraced at the tournament, Antic should resign. But we are nowhere near that situation yet, and a negative atmosphere can still be averted if the FSS allow Antic to perform his duties (from the stands, if need be).

On the other hand, the future of the FSS administration should be based on achieving concrete results in one of three areas by August 2012: domestic infrastructure, club football and national team (all levels). If no visible result occurs in at least one of these areas by the noted date, the FSS administration should resign. Examples of "concrete results" would include confirmation of the building of the proposed "Stadium Serbia"; a new law on club ownership; confirmed rennovation of the Red Star and Partizan stadiums, as well as other stadiums across the country; concrete advancement with regional partners and UEFA on the formation of a Balkan league; placement of at least one Serbian team in the Champions League group stage and/or Europa League quarterfinals, thus improving Serbia's UEFA coefficient; and qualification for Euro 2012, or a good result (semi-final or better) at a major championship by a youth category national team.

The stage is set. It's up to the characters to do their part. Stay with Soccer Serbia for the latest in-depth analyses of this and other unfolding stories!

It Starts from the Ground Up

This evening in Europe, three Serbian clubs had the opportunity to advance in the Europa League and in typical fashion, all three clubs failed to do so. In the case of OFK Beograd and Spartak Zlatibor Subotica, these are relatively smaller sides facing off against stronger opposition. OFK hosted Turkish giants Galatasaray and lost at home 1:5 after drawing in Istanbul 2:2 last week. Spartak traveled to the Ukraine and lost 2:0 to Dnipro D'petrovsk after winning the first leg 2:1 in Subotica.

While the fact that both clubs would have greatly benefited from a further appearance in the tournament, the biggest disappointment comes from Red Star Belgrade, who yet again fails to progress far in a European Competition.

Their weak peformance this year started with a home loss against Slovan Bratislava 1:2 then only managing to muster a 1:1 draw in the Slovak capital. With that, it has now been three years since the "massive" club from Belgrade made a group-stage appearance in either of the two European competitions.

Outside of Russia, Ukraine and if you want to include Turkey, none of the other Eastern European clubs have had much success in Europe. Recently, Levski Sofia and Steaua Bucharest reached the group stage of the Champions League and both had gone far in the Europa League, but other than those two clubs, the list of other success stories is non-existent. This isn't really a discussion on the entire region but more a focus on the Serbian clubs participating in Europe.

The fact that outside of Partizan Belgrade, no club is making a dent in Europe hurts both our domestic league and any real hopes of our national side doing well, both at senior and junior levels.

In order for our Senior national team to see any sort of success, we need our players to play in more important matches. There are only a handful of meaningful domestic matches each season so any real experience these players get is when participating in either competition. Yes, we have plenty of familar names playing on bigger clubs around Europe, unfortunately, these players never develop those talents domestically.

For our league to improve, these squads need to get better in Europe. In order for these clubs to reach Europe, our domestic league needs to improve. Yes, it's a Catch-22 but working on either will improve the other.

Where do the problems start? Is it the lack of proper private ownership with all clubs? Do we require a Balkan League in order to improve the quality on the pitch? Do we need the FSS to inject money into the smaller clubs? Do we need to restructure our Premier League to ensure that bigger cities like Kragujevac and Nis have teams instead of having 6 of the league's 16 clubs playing in the Capital? There are a lot of questions and unfortunately there is no correct answer because all threse options (and others) would do a lot to help.

Money is another important part that will help and it is these European Matches that bring in the most money. Most domestic matches only get about 2-4,000 fans but European matches almost always fill out stadiums. When Partizan fills up their 30,000 seat stadium and when Red Star can get the same or more fans into Marakana, then that's money in their pocket. The more games, the more money. Just imagine how much revenue a club like OFK gets when 15,000 fans fill up their stadium in Karaburma.

If FK Partizan, our only remaining Club playing in Europe can have a successful campaign, then it could help others indirectly. First off, it would improve our quickly dropping UEFA Coefficient, thus allowing us to be drawn against "weaker" clubs and secondly, it would put more pressure on the other clubs within Serbia to play well.

Partizan are by far the strongest and best club in Serbia and should yet again walk away with the League Trophy. The club is showing that it is serious in being a threat both domestically and continentally, so maybe it could be the start of something more. Hopefully, the further Partizan goes, the more it will push the other clubs, and more specifically, Red Star, to play harder and to do just as well.

There are a lot of "if" questions regarding Partizan in Europe and it will be a few weeks before we start seeing answers. It would be incredible if Partizan reach the Champions League group stage, but even if they don't they are still going to partake in the Europa League group stage. We will definitely follow their progress and hopefully other clubs will take notice.

Of Players and Formations

The Serbian national team will embark on its Euro 2012 preparations with a friendly against Greece on August 11 in Belgrade. The Beli Orlovi will face a relatively competitive, though by no means impossible qualification group, pitted against Italy, Slovenia, Northern Ireland, Estonia and the Faroe Islands. And with the 2010 World Cup in South Africa settling into the annals of history, national team coach Radomir Antic is certainly thinking about his player selection and formations for the new competitive cycle.

Serbian FA officials, coaching staff, players, fans and the media have been in relative agreement regarding the fact that the current crop of Serbian players may in fact reach their zenit at Euro 2012 in Poland and Ukraine. The real question is whether changes in the squad should be kept to a minimum, made in certain strategic areas, or lead to a complete overhaul of the roster? Soccer Serbia supports the second, and most sensible option: that Antic change his squad selection in certain positions, while retaining the core of the 2010 World Cup squad.

The reasons why Serbia did not reach the second round of competition in South Africa are a matter for another article, but what is certain is that the national team was relatively impotent in the final third of the field. Able to maintain respectable possession in midfield against opponents of different styles, the team proceeded to create several "100%" chances per game, only to repeatedly trip up at the final hurdle and blast their efforts wide or directly at opposing goalkeepers. This type of problem necessitates not only a new crop of strikers, but perhaps even a new offensive philosophy.

The 4-2-3-1 formation was used very successfully by World Cup finalists the Netherlands and eventual winners Spain. What makes this formation potent is the fact that a team can afford to give its four most talented attacking players the freedom to create at will. Backed by a four-man back line and two central defensive midfielders, the attacking quartet in this formation features two wingers, a central "creator" and a mobile centre forward. The attacking players are spaced in a dynamic way that allows the offensive threat to come either from the middle, the wings, or a "cut" to the inside. And there is nothing preventing a team from utilizing other advantages, such as tall defenders, from indirect free kicks and corners.

How does this formation fit with the Serbian team? Antic utilized various versions of it in the games against Germany and Australia, but Soccer Serbia would suggest that the "right" players were not necessarily in the "right" positions. In fact, the 4-2-3-1 appears to fit perfectly with the Serbian team, which has a world class back line, abundant defensive midfielders and talented attacking wingers. The striker problem can be circumvented by selecting the most in-form attacker and deploying him at the center forward position, thus ending debates about which players should feature in a two-man front line.

This, along with selection changes to compensate for club form and injury status, forms the basis of Soccer Serbia's simultaneous presentation of the Serbian player pool for Euro 2012 qualifying and the formation that should be used by the Beli Orlovi to deploy these players. Here, then, is the full list of the pool as it stands; first the suggested starters, then the suggested bench players, and finally the players that should be outside of the squad as the current situation stands due to a lack of club form. Player age and club team are included for reference purposes.

Suggested Starters: 4-2-3-1 Formation
GK Bojan Jorgacevic (28) / Gent, BEL
CB Neven Subotic (21) / Borussia Dortmund, GER
CB Nemanja Vidic [C] (28) / Manchester United, ENG
RB Branislav Ivanovic (26) / Chelsea, ENG
LB Aleksandar Kolarov (24) / Manchester City, ENG
DM Gojko Kacar (23) / Hertha Berlin, GER
DM Zdravko Kuzmanovic (22) / Stuttgart, GER
RW Milos Krasic (25) / CSKA Moscow, RUS
LW Zoran Tosic (23) / CSKA Moscow, RUS
AM Bosko Jankovic (26) / Genoa, ITA
ST Milan Jovanovic (29) / Liverpool, ENG

Suggested Bench Players By Position
GK Zeljko Brkic (23) / Vojvodina Novi Sad, SRB
GK Vladimir Stojkovic (26) / Wigan Athletic, ENG
CB Aleksandar Lukovic (27) / Udinesse, ITA
CB Slobodan Rajkovic (21) / FC Twente, NED
CB/RB Jagos Vukovic (22) / PSV Eindhoven, NED
LB Ivan Obradovic (21) / Real Zaragoza, ESP
CM Milos Ninkovic (25) / Dynamo Kyiv, UKR
CM Nemanja Matic (21) / Chelsea, ENG
WM Adem Ljajic (18) / Fiorentina, ITA
AM/ST Dragan Mrdja (26) / Vojvodina Novi Sad, SRB
AM/ST Miralem Sulejmani (21) / Ajax Amsterdam, NED
ST Dejan Lekic (25) / Osasuna, ESP

*Average Age of Starters: 25 (by Euro 2012: 27)
*Average Age of Bench: 23 (by Euro 2012: 25)
*Average Age of 23-man Squad: 24 (by Euro 2012: 26)

Reserve Players (Partial List)
GK Bojan Isailovic (30) / Zagleblie, POL
GK Andjelko Djurcic (29) / Uniao Lieria, POR
CB Ivica Dragutinovic (34) / Sevilla, ESP
RB Antonio Rukavina (26) / 1860 Munich, GER
LB Marko Lomic (26) / Dynamo Moscow, RUS
CM Dejan Stankovic (31) / Inter Milan, ITA
CM Nenad Milijas (27) / Wolverhampton, ENG
CM Radoslav Petrovic (21) / Partizan Belgrade, SRB
ST Nikola Zigic (29) / Birmingham City, ENG
ST Marko Pantelic (31) / Free Agent
ST Danko Lazovic (27) / Zenit St. Petersburg, RUS
ST Danijel Aleksic (19) / Genoa, ITA

There you have it: Soccer Serbia suggests a realistic alteration of the national team that accomplishes several goals at once. It clears older and physically unprepared players out of the squad, ensures that the team continues to build for the future, forces those with poor club form to prove their worth, and attempts to be more mobile and direct in the opponent's third of the field, while retaining the defensive stability that is characteristic of a squad with a world class back line. If the Serbian team actually adopted this philosophy, qualification for Euro 2012 would not be in doubt. Even if the Beli Orlovi finished second behind Italy and had to go through the play-offs, the potential opposition in that round does not cause any real concern, especially considering that Serbia would likely be a seeded playoff team.

Of course, we at Soccer Serbia are realists, and know that it is highly unlikely that Antic will adopt all of the changes we suggested. It is likely that Stankovic will be allowed to chase the national team caps record; that Stojkovic will be kept in the goalkeeper position even if he does not improve his club form; and that at least one of the unsuccessful attacking trio of Zigic - Pantelic - Lazovic will be called back to the team. But what Soccer Serbia can hope - as with any pundits who make extreme suggestions to "force" their point - is that at least some of the things outlined in this article will happen. That Jorgacevic will be given a chance to compete for the goalkeeper position; that the squad will be made younger to assure a base beyond Euro 2012; and that new strikers will be given an opportunity to shine. After all, they can only improve on the incompetent displays we saw in the 16-yard box in South Africa.

Cherry on our European cake?

Several regional sports outlets reported today, citing German-based news agency Deutsche Welle, that Balkan neighbours Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina may pose a joint candidature to co-host Euro 2020. This prospect has been discussed informally for years by regional soccer fans and, after Croatia’s unsuccessful bid to co-host Euro 2012 with Hungary, the door may be open for a new attempt that promotes “good neighbourly relations” in Southeast Europe.

Continental governing body UEFA would likely support such a proposal, given President Michel Platini’s affinity for developing smaller markets and the symbolic value of having the noted countries co-host the tournament nearly 30 years after the conclusion of the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. But according to regional media, all parties involved have conceded that finances will play the deciding role in whether a joint candidature would be posed.

In addition, regional governments would almost certainly need to offer their backing in order for such a proposal to materialize. Given that the host countries would play the vast majority of their games in their home nation, security does not appear to pose a problem at first glance. What, then, are the key determining variables that will shape this idea in the years to come?

The History

Red Star Stadium in Belgrade, Serbia previously hosted the 1972-73 European Champions Cup final between Ajax and Juventus, as well as co-hosting the 1976 UEFA European Championship (at that time, a four-team tournament) with Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb, Croatia. In addition, Kosevo Stadium in Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina previously hosted the 1984 Olympic Games. With no major international soccer tournaments held on the territory of the former Yugoslavia since 1976, the Euro 2020 roposal has historical connotations - made all the more significant by the well-known tensions that existed between the three neighbouring states throughout the 1990s and beyond. Co-hosting Euro 2020 would certainly go a long way toward showing the world that the region has grown beyond its former problems. Soccer remains by far the most popular sport in the region, and demand to attend the event would come from domestic fans, the diaspora and international fans alike.

The Logistics

Beginning with Euro 2016 in France, the European Championship will consist of 24 teams rather than the current 16. The teams will be placed in six groups of four – ideal for a tournament co-organized among three neighbours, with each country hosting a number of matches equivalent to two full groups (12 matches each, including three each played by the host nations) in the opening phase. The fifteen knockout round fixtures, beginning with the round of 16, could again be split evenly – though selecting a host venue for the final would certainly be a major point of debate between the countries concerned.

The expansion to 24 teams would allow Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina to qualify for the tournament automatically as co-hosts, without jeopardizing the quality of the competition. The Euro 2020 qualifying would feature the remaining 50 UEFA member associations vying for 21 additional spots in the tournament. The most likely qualifying format would feature nine groups in total (five groups of six teams and four groups of five teams), with the nine winners and runners-up qualifying automatically. The six best third-placed teams would then play-off to determine the three remaining qualifiers.

The Requirements

For Euro 2016 in France, presumably to remain consistent for future editions of the 24-team competition, UEFA has specified the following stadium requirements:

• 2 stadia with 50,000 seats;
• 3 stadia with 40,000 seats;
• 4 stadia with 30,000 seats.

For Euro 2020, the three co-hosts would therefore presumably offer three stadiums each, for a total of nine. Let’s take a look at the current soccer infrastructure available in Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina.

Serbia presently possesses only two stadia with a capacity higher than 30,000 spectators, and both are located in the capital of Belgrade: Red Star Stadium (54,000) and Partizan Stadium (30,887). Both facilities have long-standing renovation plans that would have to take effect in order to assure adequate, modern infrastructure for the tournament. The Serbian FA also plans to build a new “Stadium Serbia”, presumably to complement the new FA Headquarters in the town of Stara Pazova. The proposed stadium would have a capacity of 80,000, and the FA is counting on financial assistance from FIFA and UEFA in order to realize the project.

Croatia possesses only two stadia that meet the UEFA capacity requirements: Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb (38,923) and Poljud Stadium in Split (35,000). Bosnia-Herzegovina has only one facility that qualifies: Kosevo Stadium in Sarajevo (37,500), though Bilino Polje Stadium in Zenica has a theoretical maximum capacity of 35,000. Both countries would therefore need to renovate their existing stadia (with Maksimir and Bilino Polje the most likely candidates for upgrades to fit more than 40,000 spectators), and both would need to offer at least one new stadium (preferably with a capacity of at least 50,000) in order to link up with Serbia and meet UEFA’s nine-stadium requirement. Presuming a similar preparation deadline to that of Euro 2016, the stadia in all three host nations would have to be ready by 30 June 2018 – two years prior to the start of the tournament.

The Conclusion

A proposal to co-host an international tournament shared among the republics of the former Yugoslavia will almost certainly happen in the future, just as the proposal to form a joint soccer league. Whether or not this is feasible by 2020 will be determined largely by financial factors, as each country would have to rennovate two stadia and build at least one more in order to satisfy UEFA requirements.

As has been demonstrated by the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, proposals to host major tournaments in formerly volatile or less-developed regions of the world require the full backing of FIFA and/or UEFA, and this may well be the determining factor in whether Serbia, Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina formally pose their candidature for Euro 2020. If the Poland-Ukraine co-hosting bid for Euro 2012 is any indication, the countries concerned will have to fulfill their infrastructure-related commitments or will risk having the event moved to an emergency location.

Stay tuned for more news as they occur...

Will History Repeat itself?

Ask most of my friends and they will tell you that I often look at statistics and patterns and the World Cup is often oozing with both. On the other hand, this World Cup in South Africa has seen more trends/patterns being broken rather than continuing. With three of the four remaining teams left in the World Cup playing in UEFA, the likelihood of a European Team finally winning the Trophy outside of Europe seems very likely. We can't forget that this is the first World Cup that the host team (South Africa) has failed to go beyond the group stage.

Another broken trend: this is the first World Cup that ends in a 0 (excluding 1950 which was only the fourth ever World Cup Final) where the final four teams were not previous Winners (1970 = Brazil, Italy, West Germany, Uruguay & 1990 = West Germany, Argentina, Italy, England). In the past, there has always been at least one team to finish in the top four that has never won the title before.

As you can see, there are a lot of patterns when looking at the World Cup and there are two more in particular that should be worth noting.

The first revolves around all four of the remaining teams. The last time a team lost a match in the group stage and went on to win the World Cup was 1978's Argentina; they lost a meaningless match against Italy (at that point both teams were already advancing to the next stage)before going on to lift the trophy. Since then, every team that has won the World Cup has along the way either won or drawn their matches. With that trend, the likely winner of this World Cup would have to be The Netherlands who are the only team without a blemish on their record. (We could also view the Dutch as playing at home considering the historical connection they have with South Africa)

But the other interesting statistic and the one that this Post is about, is the connection Germany and Serbia have in World Cup matches. For the following, we are looking at all iterations of both countries (eg. West Germany, FSR Yugoslavia, FS Yugoslavia and Serbia & Montenegro) as FIFA still connects West Germany's matches to Germany and Yugoslavia's matches to Serbia.

• 1954 - Quarter-finals - Yugoslavia v West Germany 0:2 - Germany Wins World Cup
• 1958 - Quarter-finals - West Germany v Yugoslavia 1:0 - Germany finishes 4th
• 1962 - Quarter-finals - West Germany v Yugoslavia 0:1 - Yugoslavia finishes 4th
• 1966 - Yugoslavia fails to reach World Cup - Germany Loses in Final to England
• 1970 - Yugoslavia fails to reach World Cup - Germany finishes 3rd
• 1974 - Second Round Group Stage - Yugoslavia v West Germany 0:2 - Germany Wins World Cup
• 1978 - Yugoslavia fails to reach World Cup - Germany does not progress past the 2nd Round
• 1982 - Both teams reach World Cup but do not meet - Germany loses in Final to Italy
• 1986 - Yugoslavia fails to reach World Cup - Germany loses in Final to Argentina
• 1990 - Group Stage - West Germany v Yugoslavia 4:1 - Germany Wins World Cup
• 1994 - Yugoslavia is banned from the Tournament - Germany loses in Quarter-finals to Bulgaria
• 1998 - Group Stage - Germany v Yugoslavia 2:2 - Germany loses in Quarter-finals to Croatia
• 2002 - Yugoslavia fails to reach World Cup - Germany loses in Final to Brazil
• 2006 - Both Teams (Yugoslavia is now Serbia & Montenegro) reach World Cup but do not meet - Germany finishes 3rd
• 2010 - Group Stage - Germany v Serbia 0:1 - Germany TBD

At present, these two nations have met seven times with Germany winning four of those matches. Of those four victories, they have gone on to win the World Cup Three times, with the only blemish being in 1958 when the Germans lost to hosts Sweden in the Semis. Germany has only ever won the World Cup when they have defeated Yugoslavia en-route, as evidence with losses in the Finals in 1966, 1982, 1986 and 2002. In three of the four times Germany has reached the finals and lost, Yugoslavia failed to reach the World Cup.

Now with these two nations having met a few weeks ago, the Serbs recorded their first win against the Germans in a World Cup match in over 50 years; what does this mean for Germany and the quest for glory? If the trend is to continue, the Germans should either lose their upcoming Semi-final match against Spain or in the Finals to either The Netherlands or Uruguay. Or could we see this, like so many other trends, being broken? The answer to our question could be a few days away.

Welcome to Soccer Serbia!

Welcome to Soccer Serbia, the ultimate English-language blog on all subjects related to Serbian soccer! The three contributors to Soccer Serbia all have experience playing the beautiful game and possess a long-standing passion for all things related to its development in their home nation. While we have not always agreed on all issues, we have continuously stimulated interesting discussions regarding Serbia's pursuit of glory on both the club and international levels.

Marko Djordjevic is a statistical expert who never allows a detail to go unnoticed. A "jack of all trades" in the Serbian soccer realm, he is especially knowledgeable on Serbian club football, business and infrastructure.

Milan Ducic takes a cool-headed approach, rarely allowing his expectations to go beyond what is realistic. He merges a keen eye for strategy and tactics with the unique ability to provide a "sober second thought" on all issues.

Uros Maksimovic is typically the most analytical of the trio, synthesizing a knowledge of Serbian soccer history with the ability to be a "big picture" thinker and draw lessons from the experiences of Serbian teams.

The Soccer Serbia writers hope to put out a quality product that will make our readers think. This will not be a summary page for domestic or international Serbian soccer results; it will be a forum for analytical thinking, unique perspectives, and historical and statistical discussions "with a twist". That is why Soccer Serbia will focus on four main categories of articles:

National Team: Everything to do with the Beli Orlovi. From the analysis of national team games, schedules, qualifying campaigns and performances at major tournaments, to discussions regarding players, strategy and tactics, Soccer Serbia will write about what every Serbian fan is thinking about!

History and Statistics: Articles in this category will usually be presented in special series that analyze historical players, coaches, games, tournaments, time periods and all statistical matters. Based on these analyses, the writers will attempt to draw lessons that are useful to Serbian club and international soccer today.

Club Football: Identifying major trends in the performance of Serbian clubs at both the domestic and European levels, articles in this category will always seek to offer a unique perspective on how the Serbian domestic clubs and league can again climb the ladder of European success.

Business of Football: Player transfers, infrastructure projects, sponsorship deals and all other financial issues that are key to the development of soccer in Serbia, at both the club and international levels.

There you have it: Soccer Serbia is back, stronger than ever and prepared to fill the niche in English-language media coverage of the beautiful game in Serbia!

Stay tuned for much more...