FIFA World Cup 2022: Serbia Most Promising Players
We take a closer look at five players, from Mitrovic to Milinkovic-Savic, who could be crucial to Serbia’s hopes of pulling off a few surprises in Qatar.
Image Credit: twitter.com/@brfootball
Could Serbia Emerge as One of the FIFA World Cup Tournament’s Surprises?
Despite competing three times as Serbia, once as Serbia and Montenegro (in Germany 2006), and once as Yugoslavia, they were unable to make it to the World Cup‘s knockout rounds as a sovereign nation and failed to qualify for UEFA EURO 2020. However, their fortunes may be set to change as head coach Dragan Stojkovic has led the Eagles through UEFA qualifying for Qatar 2022 unbeaten as Group A winners, defeating Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal in the process.
Dusan Tadic
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Type of Player: Attacking Midfielder
Age: 33
Dusan Tadic, the captain of the Serbian national team, will be 34 on November 20, the first day of the World Cup. The Vojvodina-born winger spent four years playing for Southampton before transferring to Ajax in 2018. Since then, he has established himself as a major member of the Eredivisie team and helped them get to the UEFA Champions League quarter finals in 2019. Both for the club and the nation, he dons the captain’s armband.
Aleksandar Mitrovic
Position: Striker
Age: 27
Mitrovic is revered by Serbia supporters because he is an unstoppable target man and an adept ball header. He is one of those athletes who can genuinely frighten the defences of their opponents.
He was acquired by Newcastle in 2015, his other favourite boyhood team after Partizan. He used Newcastle’s announcement of his acquisition to issue the following threat to Premier League defenders: “They are going to kick me – and I will kick them back. Throughout games, I’ve acquired a few scars. My willingness to venture into uncomfortable territory is demonstrated by this. I will put my head anywhere if it means I will score a goal. He “would be a criminal or a kickboxer,” according to his father, The Telegraph reports.
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic
Rank: Central midfielder
Age: 27
Milinkovic-Savic is an all-arounder who possesses the body of a centre-forward (1.91 meters in height) and the ball-handling skills of a No. 10 while also possessing raw strength and unflappable class. He is tactically intelligent, can dismantle assaults, and has a keen eye for goal. He will be one of Stojkovic’s go-to players because it is difficult to find flaws in his game.
Dusan Vlahovic
Position: Striker
Age: 22
Dusan Vlahovic, who is only 22 years old, is already a star in Serie A. The striker didn’t take long to adjust after moving from Fiorentina to Juventus in late January, a move that was supported by Stojkovic himself. He scored nine goals for his new team in addition to the 20 goals he scored earlier in the season for La Viola.
The striker from Belgrade has continued where he left off this season, emerging as one of the few standout performers in a stuttering Juventus team that is otherwise struggling with form and being hindered by injuries.
Filip Kostic
Type of Player: Wide Midfielder
Age: 29
He completely covers the left wing, both up and down. Filip combines exceptional running prowess with superb accuracy in his crosses. You can anticipate crosses while Kostic is on the field. And practically all of them pose a risk in this FIFA World Cup.
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