Key events
It’s hot as you like in Munich, which might mean a game slower than those we’ve seen to this point. Or it might mean the players flog themselves even harder. Anthem time.
…and here they come!
Our teams are tunnelled…
We’ve had some good anthems – antha? – so far. I think Turkey’s was my favourite of the first round of games, but this, from last evening set a new bar.
So where is the game? I imagine Serbia will still be looking to hit Dusan Vlahovic and Aleksandr Mitrovic with crosses. But the presence of Tadic gives them the option of sliding cunning balls down the sides of the Slovenian centre-backs.
Slovenia, meanwhile, will know that back threes can make a team vulnerable behind the wing-backs and between wing-back and centre-back. And they’ll also know that a 4-4-2 – their formation of choice – is perhaps the one best equipped to exploit that. I also imagine they’d like to get Sesko with the ball at his feet and running at defenders – he’s not easy to stop once on the move.
I can’t wait to see how Sesko does today. I actually think we’re seeing a turning point in men’s football at the moment: the increased proliferation of big lads with feet. I hope it doesn’t mean the gradual eradication to diminutive playmakers and such, but if we look at the best teams in the world, they’re increasingly unit-rich.
Also going on:
Slovenia, then. I’ve not been everywhere, but Ljubljana is a beautiful city while Bled and Bohinj are beautiful spots – all over, the ice cream is fantastic. I was a particular fan of the keks and amarena flavours, but really you can’t go wrong.
Yup, on ITV they’re also talking about … England.
I actually wonder if Tadic might be the key figure in this game. At 35, he can’t be expected to charge about and I’m certain that was what Dragan Stojkovic wanted from his players against England. But his touch and intelligence between the lines are ideal for match like this one, and if I was Matjaz Kek, I’d be making special provisions to deal with him.
Looking again at that Serbia team, I assumed that Tadic – the captain – was omitted specifically for the England game, and I’m not at all surprised he’s back for this one. I can’t say I expected Milinkovic-Savic to be left out, but he’s only himself to blame: he’s no longer playing in Serie A, and he did almost nothing in the last game.
Gosh.
Serbia are demanding that UEFA punish Croatia and Albania after accusing their fans of hateful chanting during their Euro 2024 clash in Hamburg on Wednesday.
Jovan Surbatovic, General Secretary of the Football Association of Serbia, said a formal complaint had been submitted, claiming that Croatia and Albania fans chanted “Kill, kill, kill the Serb” during the 2-2 draw.
He even threatened that Serbia, themselves charged by UEFA for incidents during their defeat by England last Saturday, could withdraw from the tournament.
“First of all, I want to thank our fans for their support in the match against England and I hope we will beat Slovenia,” Surbatovic was quoted by Serbia’s PTC.
“What happened is scandalous and we will ask UEFA for sanctions, even if it means not continuing the competition. If UEFA doesn’t punish them, we will think about how to proceed.”
On Monday the Serbian Football Association was charged by UEFA after their supporters displayed a banner that “transmitted a provocative message unfit for a sports event” and for throwing objects inside the stadium.
That charge came after the Kosovo Football Federation complained to UEFA about “Serbian fans displaying political, chauvinistic, and racist messages against Kosovo” during their 1-0 defeat by England.
“We were punished for isolated cases and our fans behaved much better than the others,” Surbatovic said.
“One fan was punished for racist insults and we don’t want it to be attributed to others. We Serbs are gentlemen and we have an open heart.”
Goodness us, on 5 live they’re talking about … Gerrard, Lampard and Scholes.
For Slovenia, it’s simple: they’re unchanged. Serbia, though, make three alteration: on the left of midfield Filip Mladenovic is in for Filip Kostic, whose injury was not a fillip, while in the middle, Ivan Ilic and Dusan Tadic are in for Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Nemanja Gudelj.
Apologies, I was disturbed by a meat delivery and the lack of space left for it by the Fridge Boss. I’ll now write these teams down, then we’ll take a closer look at what they’re all about.
Teams!
Slovenia (4-4-2): Oblak; Karnicnik, Drkusic, Bijol, Janza; Stojanovic, Cerin, Elsnik, Mlakar; Sporar, Sesko. Subs: Balkovec, Blazic, Stankovic, Verbic, Lovric, Belec, Kurtic, Horvat, Vekic, Vipotnik, Celar, Brekalo, Zugelj, Zeljkovic, Ilicic.
Serbia (3-4-1-2): Rajkovic; Veljkovic, Milenkovic, Pavlovic; Zivkovic, Ilic, Lukic, Mladenovic; Tadic; Vlahovic, Mitrovic. Subs: Stojic, Maksimovic, Gudelj, Jovic, Kostic, Petrovic, Babic, Mijailovic, Ratkov, Samardzic, S Milinkovic-Savic, Gacinovic, V Milinkovic-Savic, Spajic, Birmancevic.
Preamble
If there’s one thing this tournament has taught us, it’s that we don’t know anything. Who could possibly have thought that group-stage matches between Georgia and Turkey or Albania and Croatia would be instantly absorbed into the annals of football as stone-cold classics? Or that England’s opening performance would disappoint, inspiring anguish, ire and tedium?
That, though, was not due solely to them. Rather, Serbia – so timid in the first half-hour – roused themselves, making the game a physical ordeal while moving the ball with tempo and conviction. If they produce similar today, Slovenia will have a problem.
However Slovenia also played well in drawing with Denmark, disciplined at the back and hardworking in midfield, with the star-quality of Benjamin Sesko giving them edge up front. They’ll fancy themselves to do something here, and with both sides most likely needing a win to progress, we may just be set for another workday afternoon belter.
Kick-off: 3pm local, 2pm BST
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