Serbian national team 2016, will something good finally happen?

A new year is here and that means that it’s time for yet another rebuild for the Serbian national team. Manager Radovan Curcic will attempt to pick up the pieces after a disastrous Euro 2016 qualifying campaign. The last campaign was the worst in Serbia’s history and saw the team finish in 4th place with just 4 points from 8 matches. To top that off Serbia ended 2015 with a embarrassing 4-1 friendly loss to the Czech Republic.

It’s time to put all of that ugliness in the past and focus on the future as Serbia’s first matches of 2016 are a little more than a month away. Serbia will play friendly matches vs Poland and Estonia on March 23rd and 28th. These will be the national teams first tuneups before World Cup qualifying kicks off in September so it will be important to start things off with some positive results.

This is my list of the 23 players that currently deserve a spot on the national team and should be included in Curcic’s squad for the Poland and Estonia friendlies.

Goalkeepers

Vladimir Stojkovic: The reliable Stojkovic is having a solid season for Maccabi Haifa and is still Serbia’s best option at goalkeeper. If it wasn’t for his saves Serbia’s Euro 2016 qualifying campaign would have been even worse.

Predrag Rajkovic: Rajkovic has had some ups and downs in his first season for Maccabi Tel Aviv but he’s shown flashes of brilliance and will be Stojkovic’s eventual replacement in goal.

Marko Dmitrovic: Dmitrovic is playing very well for Spanish Segunda side Alcorcon and is showing himself to be a capable young goalkeeper.

Left Backs

Aleksandar Kolarov: The undisputed starting left back for Serbia. Can be inconsistent but he’s always dangerous and currently irreplaceable.

Filip Mladenovic: Played very well for BATE Borisov and is off to a good start with 1.FC Koln in the Bundesliga.

Centre Backs

Branislav Ivanovic: It’s time to shift Serbia’s captain to centre back. Hes been a rock at right back for years but he’s lost some of his speed and will do better in the centre. There has been a lot of inconstancy at the CB position for Serbia and Bane will help fix that problem.

Nikola Maksimovic: He is back and starting for Torino after a long injury absence. He was playing great before the injury and will hopefully return to that form soon.

Slobodan Rajkovic: Rajkovic has always been a enigma but when he stays healthy he plays well. He is putting in solid performances for Bundesliga side Darmstadt.

Milan Bisevac: Experienced, professional  and reliable. The new Lazio player can be a big help to some of the youngsters in the squad.

Right Backs

Dusan Basta: The versatile Basta has not been getting called up by Curcic lately but he is very solid and deserves a spot on the squad.

Nenad Tomovic: He has struggled at times for Serbia and doesn’t add much in attack but he plays regularly for Fiorentina and is a good defender.

Midfielders

Nemanja Matic: The leader of Serbia’s midfield and a undisputed starter. He’s not having the best season for Chelsea but who is really?

Adem Ljajic: Adem played really well for the national team in 2015 and is Serbia’s most creative player. He is having a solid year for Inter Milan.

Dusan Tadic: Up and down performances for Serbia lately but the Southampton man can always deliver a deadly ball and is a good option on the wing.

Zoran Tosic: He can be wasteful and selfish at times but Tosic creates a lot of problems for defences with his speed. Still performs at a good level for CSKA Moscow.

Filip Kostic: Kostic is playing very well for Stuttgart and is always a threat with his speed and crossing ability.

Andrija Zivkovic: Zivkovic won’t be playing any football until the summer after Partizan threw him off the team when he refused to sign a new contract. Despite the disgusting mistreatment from his club Andrija is still a hell of a talent and the future of Serbian football. Hopefully FSS shows him some support at this difficult time and call him up to national team actions. He’s earned it after leading Serbia to U20 World Cup glory.

Marko Grujic: The new Liverpool signing has been a colossal monster for Crvena Zvezda and deserves to get a shot with the senior national team especially considering our struggles in midfield.

Lazar Markovic: Markovic had a rough 2015 but he’s shown some signs of life for Fenerbache and is slowly working his way back to his Benfica form.

Nemanja Gudelj: Gudelj is having a good first season for Dutch giants Ajax and is always a decent option as a defensive midfielder.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic: Sergej has had some good and bad moments since his big money move to Lazio but he’s shown that hes a big talent and should be integrated into the senior national team.

Strikers

Aleksandar Mitrovic: Mitrovic really struggled in the last qualifying campaign.  He’s had a up and down first season for Newcastle which is normal for a young striker moving to a big league for the first time. He has a lot to work on but is still Serbia’s top option at striker.

Nikola Stojiljkovic: Stojiljkovic is having a very good season for Braga and is more than deserving of getting his first call up to the national team.

Uros Djurdjevic: Djurdjevic had a great start to the season for Palermo but suffered a bad injury that sidelined him for a few months. He is now back healthy and scoring goals again.

Still out with serious injuries: Matija Nastasic and Ivan Obradovic.

My starting XI:

The light at the end of the tunnel

The last 15 years have been tumultuous when it comes to Serbian football. Since crashing out in the quarterfinals of Euro 2000 (after a 6-1 drubbing at the hands of Holland), the national team has failed to qualify for five of the next seven major tournaments. Thanks to a disastrous Euro 2016 qualifying campaign that number will soon rise to six missed major tournaments out of the last eight. By the time Euro 2020 rolls around it will be 20 years since Serbia has competed at the Continental Championship. This is simply tragic; Serbia has always had talented players playing in top clubs across Europe but they have continuously failed to produce results at the national level.

For years Serbian football fans have been tortured by underachieving, underperforming, and dysfunctional teams. A lot of the blame for that falls on the Serbian Football Association (FSS) and its boss Tomislav Karadzic. Under Karadzic’s leadership there is no vision or continuity, and the FSS hires and fires managers on an almost yearly basis. In only the last five years Serbia has had five different managers. The FSS also faces never-ending corruption allegations from fans, media, former players, and football clubs across the country. Thanks to the FSS’s terrible leadership, there is a poisonous atmosphere around the Serbian national team that helps contribute to a disorganized team that plays as individuals rather than as a team.

Thankfully, that type of atmosphere does not exist within the Serbian U20 national team.Led by charismatic, up-and-coming manager Veljko Paunovic, the team went on an unprecedented run and inspired the nation en-route to winning the 2015 U20 World Cup in New Zealand. This was the greatest achievement in the history of Serbian football and a glimmer of hope that long suffering Serbian football fans have been badly waiting for.

The Young Eagles were extremely well organized in defense and were dynamic in attack, causing their opponents all sorts of problems with their crisp passing and penetrating build up play. They played with great tenacity, fought for every, ball, and showed amazing resilience by winning four straight 120 minute games. The nation of Serbia had football fever for two weeks, and the euphoria still exists today after massive celebrations in Belgrade welcomed the champions home.

This generation of Serbian footballers is bursting with talent. Golden Glove winner and Serbian goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic routinely made great saves all tournament and showed why he is considered one of the best young prospects in Europe. Speedy winger Andrija Zivkovic showcased his wide array of skills and emerged as Serbia’s best player and one of the most exciting players at the World Cup. Nemanja Maksimovic was an enormous presence in midfield and showed amazing composure throughout the tournament. These three players stood out and are ready to suit up for the senior national team immediately while players like Milos Veljkovic, Srdjan Babic, Stanisa Mandic, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Sasa Zdjelar, and Nemanja Antonov aren’t far behind.

There was a lot of individual talent in the team, but that is not why Serbia won the World Cup. They won because they played as a team and never gave up or lost composure.The man responsible for Serbia’s glory was Veljko Paunovic. The former FK Partizan, Atletico Madrid, and Getafe forward is a rare breed when it comes to Serbian coaches.

While the majority of Serbian managers are still stuck in the 1980’s and play an ultra-defensive style with little creativity or fresh ideas, Paunovic is the complete opposite. He utilizes modern technology to gather every bit of information that can be helpful to his players. He is also a football fanatic that is extremely dedicated to his craft and is always willing to learn new things and try new ideas. Paunovic has an amazing relationship with his players and communicates with them year round. He is a fantastic motivator and his teams always have a great atmosphere around them. Paunovic is the most talented Serbian manager to come around in a long time, and the FSS has to do everything in their power to keep him involved in the program. He is vital to the future success of Serbian football.

There have been talented Serbian youth teams in the past but never ones like this generation. Serbia are the 2013 European U19 Champions and the 2015 U20 World Cup champions. We have never seen a Serbian football team that has this mentality: play as a unit, never give up, remain composed, and play with incredible heart and effort. This is the golden generation and Serbian fans should be excited. Now it’s on the players to continue on this path and keep working hard so that this success can be translated to the senior national team. This generation is different and has what it takes to propel Serbia into a footballing powerhouse. For the sake of Serbian football fans everywhere, I hope that I’m right.