Serbia have enough attacking talent to worry any team on the planet, and enough internal drama to fill a Netflix series. Dušan Vlahović scores goals at Juventus. Aleksandar Mitrović turned into a goal machine in Saudi Arabia. Sergej Milinković-Savić pulls the strings in midfield. Nobody doubts the talent. The question is whether the squad can stop arguing with itself long enough to win something.
Dragan Stojković is the manager, and the team sits around 33rd in the FIFA ranking.
Where the goals come from
- Vlahović is a pure goalscorer: tall, powerful, clinical and capable of finishing from anywhere in the box.
- Mitrović scored 28 goals in his first Saudi Pro League season and is a serious threat in the air.
- Milinković-Savić is a complete midfielder, with height, passing range and an eye for goal from deep.
Behind them sits a football tradition that keeps producing technically gifted players able to compete with the best in Europe. Stojković has also brought organisation and tactical discipline to a squad that used to be chaotic.
Can Serbia keep it together?
On paper they are a quarter-final team. In reality they have found a new way to implode at every tournament. If the drama stays in the dressing room and the quality goes out on the pitch, they could go far. It is a large if. The talent is not the problem, and consistency is.
Next up tomorrow: number 23.
