World Cup 2010 / Jonathan Wilson / 15 October 2009 / Leave a comment

After a disastrous 2006 World Cup, Serbia will be back in 2010 to make amends. They qualified by finishing above France and in Nemanja Vidic, Branislav Ivanovic and Dejan Stankovic they have a spine that will make for a very tough team, says Jonathan Wilson.

"Temperament will always be an issue, for no nation seems so adept at
shooting itself in the foot as Serbia, and there is no accounting for
injuries. But they do seem a better balanced side than they have for a
long time."

The one doubt about Serbia in this qualifying campaign had been whether they made the most of their domination of games. Until last night, when they lost a dead rubber away to Lithuania they had been excellent in qualifying, and it would be a mistake to assume they had simply defaulted to the top of the group because of France's problems.

On the contrary, they have been consistent, have defended admirably, and have maintained possession of the ball arguably as well as anybody in Europe over the past two years. But they didn't score many goals.

It said much that going into Saturday's game against Romania, their joint leading scorer was the Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic with three. They needed three points from their final two games to be sure of finishing above France and taking the automatic qualification spot, but those are just the circumstances in which Serbia have choked in the past. There was, it is fair to say, an air of apprehensiveness about Belgrade on Saturday. Then Serbia won 5-0, cutting loose and proving that they can turn superiority of possession into goals. "We really deserve this said the right-winger Milos Krasic. "During the whole of the qualification we've played with quality and power."

Still, we've been here before. Serbia-Montenegro qualified for the last World Cup with a remarkable defensive record having ditched the classic Balkan 3-4-1-2 for a 4-4-2 and so constructed. Just one goal conceded in ten games suggested that there was real resolve to go with the traditional technical skill. Injuries and in-fighting put paid to that, though, and they limped home pointless, having suffered a humbling 6-0 defeat to Argentina. So, will this generation ([70.0] to win the World Cup) be any better?

"We are becoming a serious European national team," said Tomislav Karidzic, the president of the Serbian Football Federation. "I expect our greatest success in the World Cup. Maybe not the final, but I'd accept the semi-final." He spoke with a smile, but there is a genuine sense of expectation about Serbia these days.

Temperament will always be an issue, for no nation seems so adept at shooting itself in the foot as Serbia, and there is no accounting for injuries. But they do seem a better balanced side than they have for a long time, and their coach, Raddy Antic, has thus far stimulated a relaxed, familial atmosphere, making a point, for instance, of
inviting Savo Milosevic back for one last game before retirement. Ivanovic and Manchester United's Nemanja Vidic give experience and solidity to the defence, who are protected by the holding midfielder Nenad Milijas, with Dejan Stankovic operating just in front of him as a creator. His days as an out-and-out playmaker are probably over, but the Internazionale midfielder seems to have adjusted well to his more withdrawn role.

Krasic is a classic right-winger, quick and direct, while on the left Serbia have the last vestige of their traditional style, Milan Jovanovic. He is not quick, and would more usually be deployed as a playmaker or second striker, which is how he plays at club level for Standard Liege, but he has a wonderfully inventive brain and, as his six goals in qualifying suggest, he can finish when given the chance.

The giant Nikola Zigic provides a muscular option at centre-forward, gelling well with the two wingers, and not only because he provides a target for them to hit with their crosses. Defences prefer to play with a high line against him, to prevent him winning headers in their box, but by doing that they expose themselves to the pace of Krasic.

The only real problem is who should partner him, with Marko Pantelic, although he scored against Romania on Saturday, struggling to reproduce the form that made him such a favourite at Hertha Berlin before his summer move to Ajax. "Scoring that goal meant a lot because it meant the team can say that I am scoring and also that I am playing for the team. Don't forget I also got two assists."

Nonetheless, he looks the weak link, and it could be that Antic opts for an extra midfielder. The bigger issue, though, is whether he can ward off self-implosion.

Tags: Dejan Stankovic, football tips, Nemanja Vidic, Serbian national football team, World Cup betting