Saturday's matches showed that there is everything still to play for going into the last round of matches in the Serbian SuperLiga. Both Partizan and Zvezda won their matches 1:0 and it will require a final round of matches in order to determine the winner.
A 1st minute goal by Jestrovic gave Red Star (Zvezda) a 1:0 win over OFK Beograd while Partizan also won 1:0 with a Diara goal in the 2nd half against Hajduk Kula. For the last round of matches, Partizan are in Krusevac to play against Napredak while Zvezda host Kula. For Partizan, a win or a draw against Napredak will give them the title while Zvezda have to hope for a loss along with their own victory for any chance of winning the title. Kula have nothing to play for as they are all but safe from the Relegation Playoff spot, only a 0:10 loss would see them drop to 10th place. As for Napredak, they still have an outside shot of a spot in Europe, so a victory would be incredible for them. If Napredak upset Partizan and Zvezda win the title, it would allow for the club to play in at least the Intertoto Cup, so they have a reason to go out and try to win.
In regards to relegation in the league, we already knew Bezanija were already relegated, but Banat officially joined them in the drop after they suffered a 4:1 loss to Vojvodina. The 10th place position and the club that will have to play in the Relegation Playoff against the 2nd division is still up for grabs. While OFK Beograd hold that spot based on a poorer goal difference against Smederevo, both clubs face stiff competition going into the final game. OFK host 3rd Placed Vojvodina while Smederevo host 6th place Cukaricki. The only other club with a serious fear of dropping to 10th is Mladost Lucani who host last placed Bezanija. With that, it really does seem that either Smederevo or OFK will have to play in that dreaded Playoff game. It's a bit dispointing since both were playing in Europe only a few years ago and a were expected to be one of those clubs to contend with UEFA Cup spots every year.
In regards to playing for Europe, we are still under the impression that FK Zemun will take the UEFA Cup Spot for the Cup winner if Partizan win the league. If that is the case, then Zvezda and Vojvodina will be the other two clubs in that competition. Cacak are in control for the Intertoto Cup spot, with Napredak 2 points behind. Cukaricki also still have a shot, but with 3 points behind will have to hope for a win coupled with a Cacak loss as they have a better Goal Difference. If Zvezda do win the title, then 4th place will go to the UEFA Cup while 5th will play in the Intertoto. Also, if Zemun do not register for UEFA competitions, that could also see 5th place play in Europe.
In my opinion, I still feel that regardless of the end result, the fact that FK Zemun are in a relegation spot in the 2nd division, the club will not be able to afford to compete in the UEFA Cup. With that, I strong believe that Cacak, Napredak and Cukaricki have a lot to play for going into the final round of matches.
Partizan Belgrade can clich their first title in three years with a victory on Saturday over Hajduk Kula and a loss or draw for Zvezda (Red Star) who host OFK Beograd. If Partizan stumble, then we could see a really thrilling final week of matches.
The race for a possible UEFA Cup and/or Intertoto Spot is really heating up as only two sides cannot reach that plateau. Removing Bezanija who are relegated, Banat with 28 points can only hope to avoid direct relegation with their remaining matches at 3rd placed Vojvodina on Saturday followed by a home match against 4th placed Borac. With Borac in 4th place and trying to get a potential first ever spot in Europe, that match will be extremely tough. Borac's match on Saturday is at home against Smederevo (who are in 9th place with 33 points). Smederevo is also trying to avoid relegation and being tied with OFK in 10th place on points (but with a superior goal difference), they know a win would secure them 1st division football next year.
Here is a review of all the matches on Saturday:
Bezanija v Napredak
Bezanija will probably not put too much of an effort in this match. Napredak looked like they would return to the 2nd division, but with some strong recent form know that a win here will secure them a 2nd season in the top flight. Napredak are also still in the hunt for a potential spot in Europe, so 3 points here will be necessary. Napredak's last match of the seaon is a home match against Partizan and will probably hope that the league title is taken care of this weekend so that Partizan field a lesser side.
Cukaricki v Mladost Lucani
Cukaricki are currently in 6th place with 37 points with Mladost only two points behind with 35. Both sides know that a victory will keep them safe but a draw here could be problematic depending on the result. If Cukaricki win and Napredak lose, the would be in the driver's seat for a potential UEFA spot.
Partizan v Kula
This is clearly a must win for Partizan. Considering that Zvezda are right behind them, they know a win will put them one step closer to winning the league. Zvezda have the better goal difference, so if by any weird fluke the two teams finish tied on points at the end of the season, Zvezda would pip them for the title. Kula are currently in 7th place with 36 points, so if they could steal a point should be enough to keep them in the first division. If they lose, they could be in the relegation playoff spot.
Vojvodina v Banat
Vojvodina have nothing to play for, with them comfortably in 3rd place, this will be more or less a match to give their players some practice and to get the attention of the rest of Europe for the Summer transfer market. Banat would need to win this and their last match (against Borac Cacak) and a lot of other help to avoid relegation. If they've already given up, then this match will do nothing to affect the standings.
Borac v Smederevo
Borac would love nothing more than to win this match and to clinch at least a UEFA Intertoto Cup spot. This club has never reached a UEFA Club competition and this would be a real boost for the club (as we already know the first match a Serbian Club will face in the tournament will be another club from Greece). A win, along with a Napredak loss on Saturday will give them this, so expect Borac to go all out in this match. Smederevo on the other hand are trying to avoid finishing in 10th place and the Relegation playoff. They have been extremely inconsistent this season (mind you, so have all the clubs in Serbia), so this too is a must-win for them. They do have the better goal difference over OFK, so even if they do lose on Saturday, OFK have to play Zvezda (below), so they still might be in control of their destiny.
Zvezda v OFK
You have to feel for OFK. Many people had hoped that they would compete with Vojvodina for a UEFA Cup spot, but have been really been poor this season. They recently hired former Zvezda and Champions Cup winning coach Ljupko Petrovic to help them out. They played Partizan on Wednesday, lead after only two minutes, but gave up three goals before half-time and lost the match. Now they must play Zvezda in a must win for both sides. If Zvezda lose, they give up the title to Partizan. IF OFK lose, then unless Smederevo also lost, will be forced to play in the Relegation Playoff. Even a draw here might not be enough to help these sides. Most of Serbia will be watching this match and it should be quite a contest.
This has been an incredible season and the last two matches are proof of that. I'll give my impressions of Saturday's matches after they finish and we should see even more clarity of what the future holds for the 12 clubs of the Serbian SuperLiga.
The second half of the Serbian Domestic League began over the weekend and it began with quite a ####.
On Saturday in the famous Belgrade Derby, Red Star Belgrade managed to win convincingly 4:1 over Partizan Belgrade in front of an empty stadium and reduce the lead at the top. After having been penalized for fan violence back in December, Red Star took to the field against league Leaders Partizan without their huge fan support. It didn't seem too good when Partizan's Lazic gave his side the lead only after 3 minutes. Instead of taking advantage of the lack of home-support, Partizan failed to control this lead and gave up the lead in the 19th minute when Milovanovic would score. Castillo would give Red Star the lead at the 37th minute and would score again in the 2nd half. Milijas would score from the Penalty spot and three very important points.
While Partizan still lead over Red Star, the lead is now only 3 points. This was an important match for Partizan where a win would have all but promised them the title. With the loss, it puts a lot of pressure on Partizan as they can no longer afford another loss.
In other scores, Vojvodina, who have also been under a lot of pressure with the recent scandals in Serbia, failed to pick up points against Mid-table Smederevo. Vojvodina are still in 3rd place, but now drop 4 points behind 2nd place Zvezda. This should be the beginning of the pull-away for the top two. Vojvodina, if not penalized, should still be in control of a UEFA Cup spot as they have 10 point lead over 4th place Borac Cacak.
When you look at the standings, you'll see that there are quite of few races for spots in Europe and staying afloat. Partzian, Red Star and Vojvodina* all seem destined for places in Europe come August, but the chance the possible 3rd club reaching the UEFA Cup (all depending on who wins the League Cup) is fairly tight. The fact that only 5 points separates 4th from 10th (and relegation) will make the last 1/3 of the season extremely interesting. Bezanija will have to pray for a miracle to avoid relegation, but everyone else from 4th and below will have to pick up the pace to avoid the drop.
Chances are unless you live in Serbia or are of Serbian descent, you probably don't know too much about the Serbian Premier League. Well that's about to change. Here is our 'cheat-sheet' on the twelve (12) clubs that make up the MSL (Meridian SuperLiga). The list goes from the Winter-break standings, with the last place team mentioned first and the league leaders at the bottom. While the list doesn't give you information on players, it does give you a brief overview on where the clubs are located and a bit of their history. Chances are that if you're going to follow the league, you'll support team at the end of this article, but at least this way you get to see the variety in our small league.
As Mentioned above, the league has twelve clubs from all over Serbia. While the league does have clubs from various parts of the country, most of them play in or around the capital of Belgrade. While this makes sense considering that close to 2 million people live in the region (metropolitan), it does limit the oppertunity of fans from other parts of the country to see the bigger clubs in action. While Novi Sad, the 2nd largest city in Serbia also has a major club playing in the top flight, we can't say the same for the 3rd and 4th biggest cities of Nis (located in Southern Serbia) and Kragujevac (smack-dab in Central Serbia). Neither city has a club playing in the premier division and it has been that way for since 2003 when Radnicki Nis were relegated. These two cities both metropolitan pppulations over over 200,000 people, so it's a bit disapointing that neither have clubs playing the top division.
The league plays its season from Early or Mid-August until the end of May. The league stops for nearly two months from mid-December until mid-February as weather conditions are not suitable for play this time of year. Clubs, if they can afford it will conduct training in Cyprus, Turkey or some-where in Northern Africa or in the Mid-East.
In the past when the league was 14,16,18 or 20 clubs, each team would play each other twice and the team with the best record won the league title. Last year, when they reduced the league to 12 teams they tried out a two-tier league system. For the first half of the season, all 12 clubs played against each other twice, then after 22 games the league was split into two. The Top 6 clubs would play in the Play-Off Group, which essentially was for the title and a European Qualifying spot. The bottom 6 clubs would play in the Play-Out Group where the bottom two clubs would be relegated and the 3rd worst club would have to play in a play-off relegation series against a club from the 1st Division (technically the 2nd division).
For this season, they changed the format and went back to the standard single table. Each club will play each other 3 times for a total of 33 matches. The last match of the season is usually the League Cup final that is usually played in one Belgrade's two largest stadiums (Red Star's Marakana or Partizan's JNA). If one of those two teams reaches the final, they tend to play the match in the other's stadium to avoid home-field bias. It hasn't been since the 2000/01 season that both clubs played against each other in the final and that was also the last time the cup was played in the Marakana Stadium. The Cup is usually the best chance for the smaller clubs to win a trophy and has been won by two clubs outside of the big two.
Traditionally, looking only at Serbia, there are two big clubs, that being FK Partizan and FK Crvena Zvezda. In the past as Yugoslavia, there were four big sides. Along with Partizan and Zvezda you had Hajduk Split and Dynamo Zagreb who all fought for the league trophy. There might have been a big four, there were a lot of other competitive clubs from other parts of the country and the league was extremely competitive. Unfortunately, with the downfall of the country, the league suffered greatly. Since the break-up, Zvezda and Partizan have won every league title except for the 97/98 season when FK Obilic won the title. FK Obilic at that time was owned by Arkan (famous Serbian 'crime' figure) and it was alleged that the league titled was 'bought' that season. The club, was expected to become a big picture in the league, but with UEFA fines and the eventual death of Arkan, the club began to crumble and now play in the 2nd division. While the money was coming in for Obilic, they often were involved in the top three and did also finish runner up after winning the league. Partizan and Zvezda have afinished 1st and 2nd every season since the 2000 season. Most clubs are usually playing for 3rd and the chance at Europe. There have been clubs in the early part of the season that do keep pace with the two big-boys, but as the season winds down the pack just cannot keep up. Also, because of this domination, clubs that reach the final of the Cup often get a spot in Europe.
Well there you have a short overview of the league in general, now I present to you the Clubs of the Meridian SuperLiga.
FK Bežanija
Bežanija are from the Belgrade suburb of Novi Beograd (New Belgrade). The club is in only their second season of Top Flight Football in Serbia and in their first season they managed to finish 4th. This great start earned them a berth in the UEFA Cup. Although reaching Europe in their first season, their time there was short lived as they were eliminated in the first qualifying round to Besa Kavaje of Albania on the away goals rule. The club plays their football at the Bežanije Stadium in Novi Beograd which has a capacity of 9,350. If the team continues to play in the top flight, there are rumors that the stadium could be expanded to add at least another 4,000 seats.
FK Hajduk Rodic M&B Kula
Last season Hajduk Kula (as they’re commonly known) finished 5th in the Serbian Superliga and were within minutes of reaching the UEFA Cup through the Intertoto Cup until they gave up a late goal to Portuguese side Uniao Leiria which ultimately defeated the club in extra time in their second leg match. The season prior, the club took part in the UEFA Cup qualifying rounds losing to CSKA Sofia yet again in extra time on the away goals rule. With the clubs recent experiences in Europe, you would expect the club to continue to fight for a chance to play in Europe. If that success continues and they can add further progress, we could see the emergence of a strong club outside of the major cities. The city of Kula is located in Western Vojvodina and has municipality population of just over 48,000. The team is hoping to build a new stadium but currently play on pitch that seats about 11,000 fans.
FK Napredak Kruševac
Originally missing out on a place in the first division after losing the relegation playoff to Borac Cacak over two legs, the club was awarded with promotion after FK Mladost Apatin, who finished 6th in the 2006/07, could not handle the financial strain of playing in the first division. Napredak do not have a very rich history in the first division, usually only spending a season in top flight before return to the lower leagues, the club has had some success including reaching the Yugoslav Cup final in 2000 (which was also the season they were extremely dominant in the 2nd division). They have had some European experience reaching the first round of the UEFA Cup in 2000 and in 1980. The club is probably not expected to do much this season, but a strong fan base could help the team through it’s ups and downs. The city of Krusevac is located in Central Serbia and has a municipality of over 130,000. Their Mladost Stadium is located in a residential area in the city and is one of the few stadiums that approved for European matches outside of Belgrade.
FK Smederevo
Known as FK Sartid up until the 2004, the club has been a permanent club in the first division since the 1998/99 season. Owned by US Steel, the club has had ties with the industrial manufacturing plants for many years and that little connection has helped the club over the years. From 2001 until 2004 the club was usually fighting with Partizan and Zvezda for a top three place, the club even managed to win the 2003 National Cup over Zvezda and reached the first round of the 2002 UEFA Cup where they were beaten 2:1 by Ipswich Town. The achievements were not long lasting as the club struggled to continue their success and if it wasn’t for the break-up of Montenegro from Serbia, they would have been relegated during the 2005/06 season. While they managed to finish 8th last season, the success of past years has not returned but the club and its fans must stay committed if they want the highs of the early part of the decade to return.
Mladnost Lucani
This club ran away with the 2nd division title last season finishing twelve points ahead of second place FK Cukaricki Stankom. The club from central Serbia has not been a regular name in the Serbian or former Yugoslav leagues having last spend time in the first division back in the 2001/02 season for one year. The club has a rivalry with FK Borac Cacak due to their close proximity and for their fans, the biggest success this season would not only be avoiding relegation but finishing ahead of Cacak. The municipality of Lucani only has about 24,000 people so any type of success for the side would be incredible and the more they can fill their 6,000 seat stadium the better.
FK Banat Zrenjanin
FK Banat play in the town of Zrenjanin which is located in the Northern Province of Vojvodina. The municipality of Zrenjanin has approximately 131,500 people. The club was formed in 2006 when two clubs, Buducnost Banatski Dvor and Proleter Zrenjanin merged. In terms of success, the most experience the club has in it’s history is reaching the 2nd qualifying round of the UEFA Cup in 2004, losing out to NK Maribor. The club finished last season in 9th place and play their matches in the Karadjordjev Park Stadium which has a capacity of 18,700.
OFK Beograd
If you want to talk about teams from the capital, some would say that you have to add OFK Beograd to the mix. While not as historically significant as Partizan or Red Star, the club has been a factor in Yugoslavian soccer for many years. Known for their youth academy, the club is known for producing talent and two former Yugoslav National team coaches, Slobodan Santrac and Ilija Petkovic, were former players at OFK Beograd. During the season, the club is usually always in the fight and has often had periods where they lead the league but usually falling from the top and finishing mid-table. Although only finishing 7th last season, they took part in the two seasons prior in the UEFA Cup, losing both times in the 2nd qualifying round. If OFK can return to Europe and qualify for the UEFA Cup group stage, that would signal a huge advancement for all of Serbian Football.
FK Borac
The Municpality of Cacak Cacak located in Central Serbia have followed the club since 1926. Nicknamed the Zebras for their horizontal striped kits (although Red and White and not Black and White as you’d think). Having been promoted in 2003, the club has usually spent their seasons hovering just above the relegation zone. Last season they finished 10th place and took part in the relegation playoff where they managed to defeat FK Napredak Krusevac to stay in the first division. The club would love nothing more than to earn a berth into Europe and to host a match in their 6,000 seat Borca Kraj Morave stadium and reward their loyal ‘Cete’ (troops).
FK Cukaricki Stankom
Cukarica is one of the ten urban municipalities that make up the city of Belgrade. The club was formed in 1926 and has had some success in the lower division of Yugoslavia and Serbia. The club spent last season in the 2nd division and managed to finish second to get promotion. In the past twelve years, the club has had some success in the first division competing twice in the Intertoto Cup in 1996 and again in 1997; they even managed to finish 6th in 2000 but were relegated to the 2nd division three seasons later. They have returned this season with hopes of permanent placement in the league and would love nothing more than to play spoiler to one of the bigger clubs in the league.
FK Vojvodina
The club from the second largest city of Novi Sad is also one of the more successful clubs in Serbia and can boast being Yugoslav League champions on two occasions (1966 and 1989). While the club had spent the first part of the decade in mid-table mediocrity, they managed to finish 3rd last season and reached the 2nd qualifying round of the UEFA Cup losing to Spanish powerhouse Atletico Madrid. On top of finishing the top 3, they even reached the final of the Serbian Cup Final, losing 2:0 to Red Star. The club would love to continue the success of last season and will hope that they can go farther in Europe. FK Vojvodina plays their matches in the 20,000 seat Karadjordje Stadium.
Crvena Zvezda Beograd
To the English speaking world they are Red Star Belgrade, to Serbia and the former Yugoslavia they are the most successful club ever. Winners of the 1991 European Champions Cup, Intercontinental Cup and UEFA Cup finalist, there is no club in the region that can come close to the pedigree that Zvezda have (you’d have to travel to Bucharest to find a club with more success). While in recent years the club has been known to be a stepping stone for Serbian player en route to greater success in Europe, the club is still a strong competitor in the European stage. They may not have had the ability to reach the Champions League yet, the club and it’s executives are trying their hardest to make the club return to its European Elite status.
FK Partizan Beograd
If Zvezda is the bride of Serbia, then FK Partizan is the bride’s maid. Always a strong side, they are often overshadowed by the fierce rivals from down the road. While Partizan was the first Serbian and Yugoslavian side to reach the Champion’s Cup final, outside of Partizan fans few know of its occurrence. Since the fall of Yugoslavia, Partizan have won more titles than Red Star (8 titles compared to 7 for Red Star) and has even managed to reach the Champions League and was the first and still only Serbian club to continue playing UEFA football into the 2nd half of the season. Last season was pretty poor for Partizan, although finishing 2nd they never really put up much of a fight. Their low point was being banned earlier this season from the UEFA Cup for fan violence although managing to win their first-round tie with an 11-1 score-line. Partizan are always a favorite at the beginning of the season and would love nothing more than to finish as league winners and to get back into Europe. If they do manage to win the league this year, they do have the players and organization to reach the group stage of the Champions League, all they need is a favorable draw.
The twelve clubs that make up Serbian top-flight Football. There is a good mix here. Hopefully this has given you some information on the clubs, but there are a lot more places to get information on these teams. Chances are if you're picking a side, you'll probably choose from the last three mentioned above, but all the clubs have loyal fans in their home-towns.
FIFA this morning released the November FIFA Rankings which will determine the seeding for the World Cup qualifiers. As expected, Serbia dropped in the standings to 30th in the World. The drop stemmed from favorable results from other European nations and Serbia draw to Poland at home and the postponment of the match against Kazakhstan. Serbia's drop in the overall standings also dropped them from 18th in Europe to 21st. What that also meant is that Serbia moved from being in the 2nd Pot for Qualifying to the 3rd Pot.
What does that mean? At this moment, nothing outside of the fact that Serbia will avoid having to play against countries like Norway, Denmark and the Ukraine. Unfortunately, it does mean having to play against a top seeded team like Italy, Spain or Germany and 2nd pot nations like Turkey, Sweden or Romania (England is also there, but are they really that strong?!).
Here is the list of what should be the pots for the Qualifying Draw that occurs on Sunday (please note, this is not official):
1 Italy 2 Spain 3 Germany 4 Czech Republic 5 France 6 Portugal 7 Netherlands 8 Croatia 9 Greece
From the First Pot of 9, you have the best of the best. Every team except for Portugal and Croatia have either won a World Cup or a European Championship; while both Portugal and Croatia have been World Cup Semi-finalists (both have also been European finalists (Croatia when part of Yugoslavia)). To be honest, every team in this pot you want to avoid. All are potential killers and any match Serbia would play against these teams would be difficult to even manage a draw. Italy would be my pick to avoid as they are the defending champions. I think the team you want from this pot would be Greece. While a Serbia v Croatia series would be incredible, I think Serbia stands a better chance against the Greeks than the Croats.
10 England 11 Romania 12 Scotland 13 Turkey 14 Bulgaria 15 Russia 16 Poland 17 Sweden 18 Israel
In the 2nd pot, Serbia should fair well against. Yes, you have 5 teams that have qualified for Euro 2008, there are still teams that Serbia could steal a home win against and force a draw on the road. I think of the 9 teams, Israel would be the easiest to face off against, although the match in Tel Aviv would be difficult, but easier than having to travel to Stockholm, Sofia or Bucharest. Chances are that Serbia will get drawn with an Eastern European neighbour (Romania, Turkey, Bulgaria, Russia or Poland) and those will be tough matches. I would want to avoid Romania in this group. They have talent; their league has developed a lot in the past few years, thanks to Steaua past two Champions League participations (even though weak this season) and their club's strong runs in the past years in the UEFA Cup. Also, Yugoslavia (all forms) has played against Romania more than any nation and while it would be nice to bring back fond memories of the past, I'd rather avoid them and stick to playing friendlies.
19 Norway 20 Ukraine 21 Serbia 22 Denmark 23 Northern Ireland 24 Republic of Ireland 25 Finland 26 Switzerland 27 Belgium
The 3rd pot is not a weak pot at all. Most, if not all of the nations here could do some real damage and will probably be a factor in each group, especially in deciding which nation automatically qualifies. Not looking at Serbia, I think the nation anyone would love to avoid has to be Northern Ireland. It may come to a surprise, but they nearly qualified in the Spain/Sweden Euro Group and outside of a fluke loss here and there, almost surprised everyone. Belgium is the weakest of this bunch and the fact that they are in the 3rd pot surprises me. The football program of Belgium has fallen off the map. They were a decent team in the 80s and 90s but they have disappeared since co-hosting Euro 2000 and any team would love to play against them.
28 Slovakia 29 Bosnia-Herzegovina 30 Hungary 31 Moldova 32 Wales 33 FYR Macedonia 34 Belarus 35 Lithuania 36 Cyprus
The quality sides really start to stop once you get into the 4th pot. There are a couple of decent sides, but none that will really stand out and be a major threat. If you're looking for a nation to avoid, it would have to be Lithuania or Belarus. Not so much for their abilities, but for the fact that having to travel to those parts of Eastern Europe will not be enjoyable. Wales and Slovakia would be tough matches as well, but if you get to play them in the Spring or Early fall on the road and you stand a good shot of getting the 3 points you need, it's not that easy in Eastern Europe. FYR Macedonia would be Serbia's ideal opposition here. Serbia/Yugoslavia has done well against it's Former Yugoslav Republic (hence the FYR) so a short trip down the highway from Belgrade to Skopje would be ideal. Also, unlike traveling to Bosnia, there wouldn't be any crowd problems from the Macedonians in either Skopje or Belgrade and reversely, the Serbian fans would be well behaved. Another bonus for me is that I have family in Macedonia, so it would create a bit of rivalry between my cousins.
In my opinion, this pot of teams is a mixed bag of decent and horrible. Iceland, Latvia and maybe Slovenia or Austria could pose problems, while Armenia and Georgia are questionable, the rest are countries do not stand any chance. I would love for Serbia to avoid playing Iceland as any trip to the Western Island will be long and difficult, especially if the weather is not suitable. Their side isn't that great, but they tend to play with a lot of passion and if you get them during when temperatures are not suitable, you are going to drop points. A Serbia v Albania match would get the attention of the World. Serbia still control Kosovo (as they should) but that part of Serbia is very much an Albanian populus, and this series of matches would be extremely violent. Also, Albania are a really bad side, the worst of the bunch. Azerbaijan might be ranked lower, but no one likes to travel to Asia to play on the horrible pitches in that part of the world. The same goes for Kazakhstan, but we already know that Serbia managed to lose to them before, so who's to say it wouldn't happen again.
46 Liechtenstein 47 Estonia 48 Malta 49 Luxembourg 50 Montenegro 51 Andorra 52 Faroe Islands 53 San Marino
I didn't bother to give a green to a team in this group since none of the nations here would be really difficult. Serbia should be able to comfortably win both matches against any of these sides. I would love to play San Marino, Faroe Islands or Andorra as any match between these three would result in high scoring affairs. The two teams here that could potentially pose a problem would be Estonia and Montenegro. Estonia because of weather, location and environment (which are always a factor against any side). Montenegro is taking part in it's first ever qualification and this is their time to shine. They will want to emerge from the shadows and I strongly see that this will be the only time they will be in the bottom pot of any qualifying group. Serbia should still be able to beat Montenegro, but the determination that the Montegrians will have would trump anything. Even if the match in the captial of Podgorica ended in a draw, it would be more like a win for the tiny Adriatic nation.
Considering that only the group winners are ensured a place in South Africa, there will be no easy group. All 18 Pot 1 and Pot 2 teams have the potential of reaching the World Cup so that will make it extremely difficult road for Serbia. At this moment, I would say the best Serbia could do in any group set up is to fight for 2nd and a place in the Qualifcation playoff. If they get a favorable draw and are partnered with Greece and/or Israel, then their chances could be a lot better. But any combination of the other 16 nations and it will be time for Serbia to start preping for Euro 2012.
As you may have notice, I also had some nations in Italics. All these nations are former Yugoslav republics and I think any fan from that Part of the World (Former Yugoslavia) would love it if all of these teams got drawn together. While We'd either get Bosnia or Macedonia, the potential for a group of Croatia, Bulgaria/Romania, Serbia, FYR Macedonia, Slovenia and Montenegro would be so thrilling. These would be highly competitve matches and the cost of travel would be minimal. The chance of this occuring is slim, it would still be a lot of fun.
On Sunday, I will write a report on Serbia's draw and what I would expect against each side. If the actual group schedule of matches is made, I attempt to predict how the group ends.
If you're not Serbian you need to understand we are extremely bi-polar when it comes to sports. In Basketball we were World Champions, back-to-back World Champions at that , and in only a few years that power disappeared and now we aren't talked about in the same light. While with soccer, the nation has not been a power-house, we were at least competitive even though extremely inconsistent. When Serbia, Serbia and Montenegro and Yugoslavia were favored, they failed to produce, when the country was an underdog, the team managed to perform above and beyond. For the World Cup Qualifying, while not in a difficult group, we managed to win the group that contained favorites Spain.
The match tonight against Poland was not going to be an easy match, but it was at least expected to be a victory for Serbia who had a lot to play for, in front of a home crowd and against a nation who had already managed to qualify. Instead of an easy three points, Serbia only managed to scrap a 2:2 draw after going down two goals early in the 2nd half.
The problem tonight stems from two major factors. The first was that Vladimir Stojkovic was not between the pipes for the match. The Sporting Lisbon keeper had played in every match in qualifying but when deemed unfit, the younger Vlada Avramov, who while a keeper for Fiorentina is not their first choice keeper, was placed in the pivotal role. Like with the England v Croatia match, the inexperience of play in a big match showed and two relatively easy goals were scored. The second factor was the fact that Serbia's two key players: Man Utd's Nemanja Vidic and Inter Milan's Dejan Stankovic were missing from action. Without your vice-captain and captain available, the motivation for the rest of the squad is also lacking. Without having this experience, you're expecting a lot from a squad that just is not prepared for that pressure.
Poland's two goals came from poor central defending and the inexperience of the keeper. The first goal was a wonder through-lob where both defenders were out of position leaving the keeper to try to stop the shot. The second goal was scored by a player who was un-marked and when the keeper came to challenge was given an empty net to shoot at.
There was a glimmer of hope in the 69th and 71st minutes when Nikola Zigic and Danko Lazovic both managed to score and it seemed as though Serbia could at least gain take the victory, it wasn't too be. Both of Serbia's goals were headers, but neither was really spectacular and didn't really show that Serbia was improving as time went on. Even if Serbia did manage to win tonight, they needed help from Finland and that didn't happen, with Portugal and Finland playing to a scoreless draw.
Serbia's situation is somewhat similar to England. The talent is there but it was two matches that ended up costing the team from qualifying. For England, it was their home draw to Macedonia and their loss tonight to Croatia that ended up costing them. For Serbia the key match was their lost in Kazakhstan and their road loss to Belgium. You could also look at the lost points in Armenia and at home to Finland, although Poland also lost in Armenia and drew with Finland.
Although a meaningless match, if the re-scheduled match against Kazakhstan is still played, Serbia will finish third in the group, but it won't really matter in the long term. Outside of the Group that included Italy, France, Scotland and The Ukraine, this group was one of the hardest groups around. Finland, Poland, Portugal and Serbia all played well, and all managed to essentially cancel each other out, but it was those key matches against the minnows that ended up being the difference in why Poland and Portugal qualified and Serbia and Finland did not.
The focus for Serbia now shifts to preparing for the World Cup. Once the draw is known over the weekend, you can be sure we'll be talking about it and seeing what to expect from our nation up until that starts. I expect a lot of European sides that did manage to qualify for Euro 2008 will want to set-up friendlies against us and that could allow Havier Clemente or whoever our next is to start preparing the younger players and developing a much deeper squad. The future seems bright, even though it wasn't tonight.
The match in Belgrade is over and Portugal have advanced after both matches in Belgrade and Porto end with no victors. I expect Ross will write a post-match report, I am stuck at work for the next 2 hours and am trying to follow the England v Croatia match. Hopefully we will both be able to re-watch highlights of the Serbia v Poland match and discuss what went wrong early on and our comments on the rest of the matches today.
Welcome to Soccer Serbia, your source for all news related to the nation we call home, Serbia (Srbija). My name is Carlos and along with my friend Ross, we will be here to write about all things related to Serbia and Serbian Soccer. No topic will be out of bounds and with our own varying opinions on issues, you are sure to see some contrasting thoughts on how the game is and should be played in our native land. Since there are not a lot of credible English-language sources on soccer from the Balkans, we hope that we will be able to educate the rest of the world about our once great soccer-powerful nation.
While former Eastern European nations like The Czech Republic and Russia have been able to bounce back from the fall of Communism, Serbia with all the problems it has faced over the past 15 years is still far behind and while the future seems bright, it is still a long journey.
On our blog, we will be focusing on a few major topics
National Team News : We'll discuss various topics in this regard. From our views of recent and upcoming matches to team selection. We will try to shed light on all aspects of National Teams, from the Senior squad, to our youth teams and even our Futsal (when applicable). Here you are bound to see contrasting views between myself and Ross. Also, during matches, we will try to give our views by the minute and we will have post-match wrap ups.
Domestic News : Prior to the break-up of Yugoslavia, the Balkans was very rich in soccer quality both domestically and in Europe. Here we will keep you up to date on the weekend's fixtures in the Meridian Super Liga (Serbia's First Division) and the Prva Liga (our 2nd Division). Here you can read about new hirings and/or firings and rumors of player transfers within the teams that play in Serbia.
UEFA Competitions : While Serbian clubs have not had much success in recent years in Europe, we still compete with a lot of determination and most Western European clubs like to avoid having to travel to Serbia to play. When a Serbian club is in action in Europe, be sure to stay tuned to see what we have to say.
Odds and Ends : The last topic will be everything else in between. From financial news, stadium updates to anything related to the sport in the country and Europe, we will mention. This section will also allow us to voice our own opinions on certain subjects (The Balkan League, Champions League Future, etc...) This is where our creative juices will flow and I am positive that what we have to say will be enlightening. We will also talk about things that might not be directly related to Serbia. We love the sport, so if something interests us, we'll be sure to talk about it.
So there you have it, a brief overview of what to expect from us. There will always be something to talk about so be sure to stay tuned. Also, we love to hear from other soccer fans, so please be sure to leave comments on our blog and if you enjoy what you're reading, please tell your friends.
If you're looking for English language information about Serbian soccer, this is the place to go! From the national teams in all categories, to the domestic and European club scene and everything in between, Ross and Carlos lend their creativity and expertise to make this a must read!
