Nemanja Matic needs help
Krstajic employed a 4-3-3 formation vs Morocco with Matic lining up alongside 5 attacking players. Nemanja may be one of the top defensive midfielders in Europe but he was not able to close down the Moroccans all by himself and the team lacked balance and shape. In the match vs Nigeria, Luka Milivojevic was paired alongside Matic in a 4-2-3-1 formation and the team looked much more comfortable and did a great job of keeping and winning possession. It's clear that Serbia looks most solid when this duo plays together and with all of the holes in the defence there is no reason to play with 1 DM going forward.
Mladen Krstajic is learning
Serbia has a rookie coach, Mladen Krstajic has never managed before and mistakes are inevitably going to happen when you have someone with no experience doing any type of job. His setup vs Morocco was atrocious but to his credit he made the correct adjustments for the Nigeria match and set up the proper tactics and formation for the team. Its still hard to predict what we can expect from Krstajic but his shakeup after the Morocco loss is a positive sign and he way not be as clueless as much of the Serbian public thinks he is.
The CB situation is still unclear
Serbia has been through more centre back pairings in recent years than I've been through underwear. Since the days of Vidic/Krstajic and Vidic/Subotic, the national team just can't seem to find a consistent duo that gets the job done. Nikola Maksimovic played very well in qualifying but was horrendous vs Morocco. Dusko Tosic is solid but not spectacular. Branislav Ivanovic has lost a step in his older age but is still capable of putting in a good shift. Matija Nastasic is having a great season for Schalke but hes never seemed that composed in a Serbia shirt. Maksimovic and Tosic played vs Morocco and were shaky. Ivanovic and Nastasic played vs Nigeria and were solid.Those 2 spots are crucial to any teams sucess and Krstajic has to figure out quickly who he trusts more.
We need a Right Back
This is the weakest position on the team. Antonio Rukavina has been a great servant of the national team but he is well into his 30s and is not playing much for his club. He is a good defender but provides very little end product going forward. Dusan Basta is also well into his 30s but plays more at club level and is the better attacker of the 2. Both players have their faults but one of them is going to have to start in 3 months time. Both played 90 minutes in the friendlies and both did OK. They will likely be fighting it out for the spot up until the start of the tournament. With very little talent coming through the ranks at this position it is a matter of major concern for the national team.
Aleksandar Mitrovic is deadly
After years of searching Serbia has finally found a true number 9. Mitrovic is riding high off great club form and has brought that confidence over to the national team. His development as a player has been amazing to see and his play for Serbia since 2016 has been superb. He always finds a way to get into scoring positions. He is a handful in every match and every ball into the box is a danger for the opposition. Hopefully he can keep this up in June because a hot striker can be the difference between making a deep run or going home early.
Vladimir Stojkovic may lose his spot
There aren't many constants in Serbian football but Vladimir Stojkovic starting in goal is one of them. The Partizna keeper has been trusted for a decade but that could be starting to change with the emergence of Marko Dmitrovic who is having a fantastic season with Eibar in La Liga. Stojkovic has had some good and bad moments with the national team and it may be time to pass the torch to a younger kepper. The 2 split time in these friendlies and the battle will likely continue into the May friendlies. Healthy competition is always good.
Serbia can play nice football
This team has some really gifted players and it's a joy to watch when those playefs pass fhe ball aroind and combine brilliantly with ome another . Tadic, Kostic and Ljajic are all capable of making magic with the ball and cutting a defence open. They just need to be more consistent and the team needs to keep the ball on the ground. Too often in these friendlies we saw defenders hoof long balls to Mitrovic or out to the wings. Serbia is too talented to waste possessions like that. The build up play should be the teams strengthand Serbia's skilled players have to have the ball at their feet for the team to be at their most dangerous.
Where will SMS fit in?
It's no secret that Sergej Milinkovic-Savic may be the best Serbian player at the moment but the Lazio star was unable to play in these friendlies due to a injury and has played very little with this team. He should have a big role with Serbia but it's umcerrain whether it will be in the middle of the park beside Matic or upfront behind Mitrovic. He has played with a lot of these players before but his lack of minutes with the team is concerning. Sergej needs to get comfortbale and fit into a role as soon as possible because he can be Serbia's most important player at the World Cup.
