Serbia
The Road to the 2018 FIFA World Cup
Serbia finished top of an evenly-balanced European qualifying group that included Republic of Ireland, Wales and Austria. The Serbs finished their campaign two points ahead of Ireland, suffering just one defeat in their 10 games, 3-2 away in Austria.
Despite securing automatic qualification for Russia 2018, head coach Slavoljub Muslin (former coach of Russian teams Lokomotiv, Khimki, Krasnodar and Amkar) left his position shortly after the campaign. The decision was based on mutual consent, and reportedly had nothing to do with the team’s performances.
Stars
Defensively, the vastly experienced center-back Branislav Ivanovic, who plays for Russian club Zenit St. Petersburg, is the key player. The captain played in every minute of his team’s qualifying campaign, and was the lynchpin of a central back three. The much younger Matija Nastasic, of German club Schalke 04, is typically selected to play alongside Ivanovic.
On the flanks, Muslin deployed players who are also well-known in Europe: Roma’s Aleksandar Kolarov on the left, and Villarreal’s Antonio Rukavina on the right. With Serbia playing with three central defenders, the pair roam the flanks, pushing forward in attack and tracking back as needed.
In midfield, Manchester United midfielder Nemanja Matic is the team’s key playmaker, and is typically partnered by Crystal Palace’s Luka Milivojevic.
Offensively, Aleksandar Mitrovic is indispensable. The Newcastle forward was his team’s top scorer in qualifying, netting six times. Supporting him from the flanks are Hamburg’s Filip Kostic and Southampton’s Dusan Tadic.
Serbia have always had a wealth of young talent, and the team could see a new star emerge at the World Cup in Russia – with midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, 22, one candidate. The Lazio player has already attracted the interest of leading European clubs.
Coach
It’s still unclear who will be leading the team in Russia. Muslin’s assistant Mladen Krstajic stepped in as caretaker manager, combining the position with his job as chairman of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Radnik. As, a player, Krstajic appeared at the 2006 World Cup in Germany as a defender with the Serbia and Montenegro team. However, tt’s said to be unlikely that the inexperienced 43-year-old will be leading the team to Russia, and it’s expected that Vladimir Weiss or Robert Prosinecki will be appointed head coach.
Past Achievements
Excluding its history as part of Yugoslavia and Serbia and Montenegro, Serbia have only played at one World Cup. In 2010, the Eagles, led by Radomir Antic, went to South Africa but did not get beyond the group stage. Despite registering a shock 1-0 win over Germany, they suffered defeats against Ghana and Australia.