kasperlopWhen I looked at the teams before Euro 2012 I thought the Croatian team was quite strong which I also think they have proven since. Meanwhile I remembered I thought the same about the Serbian team at the World Cup in 2010. So I thought how might a Yugoslavian national team look today.
And I actually think this team is quite strong. I don't think they can compete with the, in my opinion, two strongest national teams, Germany and Spain. But I actually do think this team is good enough to compete with the teams in the layer just beneath those two. It's also a team with a lot of talent. For instance Pjanic(22), Jovetic(22), Subotic(23) and Begovic(24), whilst most of the other players also have some good left in the career. I also think they would have great bench. For instance my ideal 23man squad would consist of these players:
Pletikosa (Croatia), Vladimir Stojkovic (Serbia), Corluka (Croatia), Stevan Savic (Montenegro), Strinic (Croatia), Vukojevic (Croatia), Rakitic (Croatia), Stankovic (Serbia), Krasic (Serbia), Pericic (Croatia), Vucinic (Serbia), Olic (Croatia), in addition to the starting 11.
The squad would generally consist most of Croatian and Serbian players. In my team Serbia has 9 players including 5 starters, Croatia also has 9 players including 2 starters, Bosnia has 3 players of who all actually starts and 2 Montenegrin players including 1 starter, whilst Slovenia and Macedonia have no players in the team.
Commenting on my starting 11. I don't think there can be much disussion about Asmir Begovic. In the defence I've chosen only Serbian players as I smiply think they are the best. You could discuss if Corluka or Srna should play in the defence instead of Subotic and then I'd put Iavnovic in the middle. But I don't think Corluka is as good as Subotic and I think it would better with Srna in the midfield, as I think the midfield would be too offensive otherwise. In the midfield i would have liked to play more of the players (Rakitic, Krasic, Stankovic, Vucinic) with more offensive strength, but I think it's necessary to start with either Kuzmanovic or Vukojevic to stabilize the central midfield. Here I prefer Kuzmanovic. And because of the same reason I would like Srna to start in the midfield, as I think his defensive abilities makes him better than Rakitic, Krasic, Stankovic and Vucinic on the right wing. At last you could easily argue if the for mentioned players should start instead of Pjanic and/or Jovetic as I think all 6 are very close but I'd prefer Pjanic and Jovetic. I would have let Krasic start instead of Pjanic a year ago but after the season he's just had I'd leave him on the bench. Modric I think would be a certain starter as he by far is the best midfielder in this team. I don't think you could discuss anything about Dzeko either, he's simply the best striker in this team, and if you play with two strikers I'd prefer two start with Jovetic next to him anyway, so that wouldn't change anything for me. Of course some would say Olic or Vucinic should play next to Dzeko if you played with two strikers.
But anyway I think this is a great team that both has the toplevel and width to compete in the European top.
18.06.2012
nvrHelp me understand this fascination with Yugoslavia today. I see similar topics in every football board I frequent but never come across Soviet Union today, or Spanish Empire today. What's going on?
19.06.2012
kasperlopWell I haven't seen a Yugoslavian team anywhere else so I actually thought the idea was quite original.
Well since you compare Yugoslavia to USSR and the Spanish Empire I can say why I find Yugoslavia more interresting than those two.
First of all, as far as I know, Spain lost most of their Empire in the 1800's, except for a few weak African nations. That is so long ago that they aren't interresting to me anymore.
As of the USSR, first of all I don't think a Soviet team would be as good as a Yugoslavian team. Second of all I think a Soviet team would be almost the same as the Russian team with a few Ukrainian players on it. Whilst the Yugoslavian team is a good mix of mainly Serbian and Croatian players with a little support from Bosnia and Montenegro.
20.06.2012
nvrThanks for the explanation. It was a genuine question. I didn't mean to rant, if it came across that way.
21.06.2012
kasperlopNot at all :)
21.06.2012
willowsjDo you mind if I write an article about this? Fascinating idea, and I think it could be something to study to a greater detail!
Ill happily reference you, and this page, let me know!
JW
http://90minutesup.blogspot.co.uk/
03.07.2012
liverpool13I'm a big fan of this idea I even made a Yugoslavia team in FIFA 12 when I first got the game since I am a fan of most of the eastern European teams. I think they would definitely be one of the top 5 national sides in the world if they hadn't broken up. I like how you want to balance it by putting either Kuzmanovic or Vukojevic in the midfield because I agree there are too many attack-minded Yugoslavian players.
19.07.2012
liverpool13I also think Ibrahimovic, who is of Croatian Bosniac descent, would've played for Yugoslavia had they been a national time during his time and that would definitely be one of the best teams in the world.
19.07.2012
DS21Begovic is not Croatian and it's Jovetić not Jovanović
23.07.2012
