Scouting | 🇷🇸 Strahinja Pavlović (23, CB)
A detailed analysis of the new AC Milan signing & Serbian national team defensive stalwart, supported with video & data.
• Ideal role/position
• Physical profile
• Strengths & weaknesses
• Mentality
Recently, Santiago Giménez (21) has established himself as starter for Feyenoord.
The 🇦🇷 born 🇲🇽 international seemingly has all the tools needed to become a complete striker.
A thread to break down his qualities:
• Signature moves
• Chance creation
• Multifaceted threat
🇪🇸🇷🇸 Stefan Bajčetić (18, CDM) is special. 🔥
The way he invites pressure & beats it. How he opens up his angles. The reading of play, which once he speeds up the thought-process, will make him a ball magnet.
Developing rapidly. Scouting report soon.
Arne Slot all over my timeline. As you know, I'm a Feyenoord fan. Read the most ridiculous opinions, talking about (lack of) aura, baldness, etc.
Best manager I followed up close & if anyone has charisma/authority/aura, it's him.
+ the football is..🔥
Tragic news from Montenegro. National team goalkeeper Matija Šarkić has passed away at the age of 26.
May he rest in peace.
Hopefully our boys honour him tomorrow.
Dušan Vlahović - the thread
Before you decide to go with the majority & write off this 23-year-old, I urge you to take out 10–15 minutes of your time to read my thread & watch the clips.
It may change your mind, or it may not. But at least it'll be an informed decision.
If there's one football nation that deserves good things, it's 🇷🇴.
Always had a soft spot for them and followed them through the years. My first World Cup was '94, where they were a joy to watch.
Our suffering has been something, but it can't compare to theirs. Hai Romania! 💪🏼
Incredible how both Nikola Jokić & Novak Đoković are just 2 wins away from historic achievements, at literally the same time.
Both from a country with less than 7 million habitants. We'll tell our grandkids about this era. 😍
#Scouting
: Stefan Bajčetić (18, CDM)
Shows maturity & composure way beyond his age. Add the anticipation, mobility, ball-winning, passing & it's easy to see why he's an elite talent.
Still far from a finished product, though.
As for 🇷🇸. It's not over until he rejects Piksi.
Since our comeback:
95 | Euro 🥇
96 | Olympics 🥈
97 | Euro 🥇
98 | World Cup 🥇
99 | Euro 🥉
01 | Euro 🥇
02 | World Cup 🥇
09 | Euro 🥈
14 | World Cup 🥈
16 | Olympics 🥈
17 | Euro 🥈
23 | World Cup 🥈
24 | Still in it
Blessed to have lived through it all. Land of 🏀🇷🇸!
🎥 | 🇷🇸🇩🇪 Jan-Carlo Simić (18, CB) Vs Real Madrid
Looked extremely comfortable outside a couple of moments of over-aggressive closing down/stepping out early on.
Tidy in possession, some strong defensive moments, no blame for either goal. Impressive.
Scouting | Mats Wieffer (23, CM)
Perfect example of a player who just needed an opportunity. Within a month, he was indispensable.
Highly intelligent midfielder, with some misconceptions about him flying around.
Read along as I clear them up & properly introduce Mats Wieffer.
Borac Banja Luka through in 🇦🇱 after penalties. Congrats! 💪🏼🇷🇸
PAOK in the next round. And even if they lose, they still play Conference League play-offs at the very least.
A realistic chance at group stage football.
He's far from perfect, but he's better than any football coach we've ever had, by a distance. Not just as a coach, but also when it comes to (lack of) ego & player management.
The legend from Pirot. Svi za jednoga, jedan za svi!
Sergej Milinković-Savić. A professor of football.
We know, Serie A fans know, Piksi definitely knows, as he gave him the keys to our midfield & now, hopefully, the entire planet gets to find out at the World Cup.
Heartbreaking, but proud as can be!
One minute of poor decisions & Jokić's foul trouble changed it all.
Bogi's heart is the size of America though. Never naturalized a player. All us. If this showed us anything, it's that we're a basketball nation and should be proud of it.
89th min - Mitrović bullet header | 2-0
92nd min - Classy Mitrović finish, Sergej assist | 3-0
95th min - Mitro bicycle kick, only just wide
20 goals in 20 appearances for Al Hilal so far. Just for comparison’s sake, CR7 has 18 in 20.
Sportklub claiming not only Piksi is done, but the entire FSS leadership will be forced to leave.
If this is the result of this tournament, then it couldn't have gone any better.
Now let's go with the guy without a criminal record to lead for once.
Thanks for everything, boss. It was a pleasure. 12 coaches in 16 years though.. never had a sustainable chance at success.
Shame this is how it had to end. You deserve better.
🇬🇭 has serious potential, if they're able to make a team out of all the talent:
Fatawu, 18, CAM
Sulemana 19, LW
Kudus 22, CAM
Lamptey 22, RB
Salisu 23, CB
Bukari 23, RW
Also adding Iñaki Williams, who's in his prime. Nketiah, Brobbey, N. Williams still eligible. Exciting times.
Back to reality. This sets us up for another 🇨🇭, Vs a team that is similar (disciplined, organized, tough to beat).
Most likely we're out. This was our chance.
Tried to stay positive, but everything we do well, he ruins with his mark on it. The worst coach we've ever had.
Đorđe Petrović! Decides the penalty shootout between Chelsea and Newcastle with a tremendous save!
Didn't have much to do during the match, but what a scenario in only his 2nd start for the club from West London.
Huge confidence boost!
Transfer | Lazar Samardžić | Udinese ‣ Inter
I’ve been a Lazar Samardžić admirer from the get-go. One of the most flamboyant & technical
#8
/10s in Europe.
Time to look at his transfer in detail, link my scouting report, plus see how he fits in, cover a bit of history & more.
Dušan Vlahović keeps adding elements to his game. A year ago, you wouldn't have seen him pull off a through ball like this.
2 assists & a goal with his right today. Whatever weakness he has, rest assured, he will overcome it.
Top-class mentality.
The Feyenoord academy has brought forth some great players recently: Kökçü, Malacia, Geertruida.
All a level or 2 below a world-class player like Van Persie, though.
If there's 1 talent who could potentially reach similar heights, it's 🇲🇦🇳🇱 Ayoub Ouarghi (15, AM).
A thread.
Massive congrats to Borac Banja Luka! 💪🏼
Whatever happens in the playoff round against Ferencváros, they're guaranteed group stage football in Europe, for the very first time.
U19 | 🇷🇸 5-4 🇮🇹
Down 0-1. Up 3-1. Down 3-4 & still won in the dying minutes, with a top-class volley by who else than Jovan Mijatović. 🔥
This generation never gives up. They don't play the prettiest football, but they're absolute winners.
Something completely different. It's very amusing to me, to see people defending the Højlund fee (85M), while they - mostly in hindsight - were critical of Vlahović's fee (82M).
So I've gathered a bunch of interesting facts, just to make things spicy.
Before anyone brings up
I try not to bother you with my private life, but some things are too good not to share.
This morning, my girl gave birth for the 2nd time. I'm now the proud father of 2 healthy, beautiful girls. 😊
Mother & daughter are doing well. 💪🏼
Saša Lukić's reaction when he was substituted.
The reaction of a player who knows he has a lot to offer to the team & plays in full service of it. Also our main defensive force in midfield.
Out of all players at the Euro
• 7th in tackles won
• 2nd in dribblers tackled
Some may not like this statement, but usually there’s something wrong with a foreigner if he’s playing in 🇷🇸 during his prime.
Whether it’s quality, mentality or lack of ambition. But that’s definitely not the case for Hwang In-beom.
The universe mysteriously aligned for him
If you don't think we would've passed this group even with someone like Tumba, let alone a solid coach, then stop watching football.
It was literally the blind fighting the blind in this group & we were still in it until the last minute.
Ruined 2 more years with this idiot.
Kept so many avenues alive from the moment he came on. Whereas Mitro was done from the 50th minute onward.
If we get a half-decent coach, you'll see the value he can add. Just don't ask him to do stuff you want from a 10 or at least a cultured forward.
Just let him be that 9.
Blindside runs are nothing unusual for STs, but what makes Giménez stand out is his impeccable timing.
Good awareness & plenty of variation in movement across the full width of the pitch. Quality diagonal & 1st post runs to pull away CBs & create space.
Pfff what a goal by Aleksić! One of the best headers I've seen all year!
Not everything goes right, but he's already the main man at Radnički. The creativity, the ability to play through contact & solid movement between the lines are there.
Only 18.
Aleksandar Mitrović about Toney's celebration (ftr, he copied him):
'Everyone has idols. We played together at Newcastle, and he was my boy. Shearer was my idol, and I'm probably Toney's.'
😂
11 and counting. Not even half the games played, of which he's missed 3.
0.8 goals per 90 minutes so far. Safe to say, Mitrović is good enough to play in the EPL.
Marco Silva. 💪🏼
🔎 | 🇳🇱 Mats Wieffer (23, 6/8) | CL debut
Stopped an innumerable amount of Celtic attacks with his anticipation & ability to cover large areas of space.
On the ball, up-tempo, progressive where possible, but mostly secure.
Back to his old self again.
Zvezda up 5-0 against
#UECL
finalists Fiorentina after 27 mins. Yes, it's only a friendly, but something beautiful is developing in Belgrade. 😎
Clear pattern. High press, all lanes filled, rotations, incredible intensity & efficiency.
All goals:
If there's 1 player who proves that career paths aren't always obvious or linear, it's Nemanja Matić.
Considered not good enough by both Zvezda & Partizan, ended up in 🇸🇰, where he was still an attacking mid.
A local 🇷🇸 coach tipped our U21s & soon he was an A-international.
Premier League debut at the age of 18. Also the first chance at it.
We prayed for that right-back. God gave us Kosta Nedeljković. 😎
Best of luck to him and hopefully the start of a great EPL career.
Next to UCL football in 🇷🇸, we gained another right-back. Ogi Mimović. Turned 20 just 11 days ago.
Asked to play an extremely disciplined role in a high pressure match & did it nearly flawlessly. No ego.
So composed already, secure in his passing. Strong in duels & carrying.
Giménez shows great resilience & a real competitive edge. Of course the Eredivisie - with its naive defending & openness - is a striker's dream, but the signs are promising.
If Feyenoord is to win the title & qualify for the Champions League, Giménez could well the X-factor.
'Hej mali. Kako se beše zvao? Nema veze švaba, slušaj.
Optimizam mora da postoji. Optimizam mora da bude prisutan. I ništa više. Pa nisu Danci pali s Marsa. Jesu li bolji? Ja to ne priznajem.
Nego reci ti meni, jesi li ikad igrao levog beka?'
#Scouting
: Jan-Carlo Simić (17, CB)
Proactive, aggressive ball-playing CB, who can reach the highest tier of football.
Another
#U17EURO
semi-finalist. Earned himself a move to
#ACMilan
from Stuttgart. Born in 🇩🇪, but only considered 🇷🇸 as an option internationally.
Our future.
✔️ Major scoop
Yesterday, Arena Sport reached out to me about Arsenal's Louis Zečević-John (16) & I brought them in contact with the family.
And during our little conversation, his mother confirmed that Louis has accepted our call and will join 🇷🇸 U16 soon. 😎
𝐒𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐣 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐨𝐯𝐢ć-𝐒𝐚𝐯𝐢ć 𝐚𝐭 𝐋𝐚𝐳𝐢𝐨
• 340 matches
• 69 goals
• 59 asissts
Joined when he was a 20-year-old kid. Most likely leaving at 28, right in his prime. If today was his farewell match, he went out in style. 😎
Pretty cool to see the player himself - Feyenoord's Santi Giménez - retweet my thread. 😎
Also, I usually reply to most messages myself, but since there are too many this time, I'd like to thank everyone this way for the support & kindness. It's very much appreciated!
I've said this a 1.000 times, but today was a great example of the football we play without the man below.
Without him, we go back to the dark ages of crossing the ball a zillion times & failing to control midfield.
Without him, Tadić doesn't get the ball where he needs to get
Legends. Far from just Jokić’s team. So many great performances that will be remembered. Although he did earn that triple double. 😎
Thank you to all of them and the coaching staff. From the heart.
The boy from the South side of Rotterdam, just like Feyenoord - raised at the club - scoring the winner is poetic justice. Lutsharel Geertruida! 🔥
Not won in Amsterdam since 2005, down 1-2, title-decider. This team is special, Arne Slot is special.
✔️ Scouting – Lazar Samardžić (20) – Udinese
• Current position & tendencies
• Detailed analysis of all his strengths
• Weaknesses & improvement points
• Ideal setting + a written report
Watch the entire attack. Have you ever seen Serbs play football like this..❤️
The composure, the guile, the technique. Ranković assist, Cvetković goal. The 2 players I wrote about today btw, for the noticers. 😀
Milan Aleksić officially joins Sunderland on his 19th birthday. Creative 8 with a deadly final ball & well-rounded finishing skills.
Record sale for Radnički KG. Highest spent fee by Sunderland this summer.
Impressed in Europe. Got the senior NT call-up. What a year for him. 💪🏼
At least that's the end of Piksi.
This man has defied every football law, written and unwritten.
This game plan should be studied by all those who ever want to work in football. From zero offensive output, to having half a midfielder in the team & he doesn't see the problem.
More than just shades of Vidić last night, but with progressive play & pace.
Remember, Nemanja made his debut for the NT 9 days before he turned 21, while Strahinja at the age of 21 already has 21 caps to his name.
The kid deserves some credit.
Scouting | 🇷🇸🇩🇪 Matija Popović (17)
It's been a while since 🇷🇸 produced a freakishly tall technician. Think of players like Nemanja Matić & Sergej Milinković-Savić.
Popović stood out at the
#U17EURO
& has since attracted attention from teams such as AC Milan & Dortmund.
🎥 | 🇲🇽 Santi Giménez (22) vs Ajax
4 goals & 1 assist in 251 minutes against the arch rivals. Translates to 1.8 goal contributions per 90.
So much more than just a goal threat, though. A complete striker, with the mentality of a fierce competitor.
The day of reckoning has come. A day on which we can't lose.
• Loss: Piksi's gone. No man would survive 6 tournament matches without win
• Draw: we knock out 🇭🇷, keep hope for another day & perhaps face 🇧🇪 - 'easiest route'
• Win: break a 24-year curse, deal with Piksi later
Easy to praise a player when he's in the right system, on his A-game. But anyone who's ever played upfront knows what confidence means for a striker.
His form can be doubted, but motivation & in my opinion, class, can not.
Only a matter of time before he bounces back.
Preparing a large Vlahović thread. That'll give you my full opinion on him, so I don't have to answer all the trolls. It's overdue anyway.
And don't worry, it won't be one big praise-fest. I'll asses what he lacks, as well as his strengths, with video.
Hopefully done tomorrow.
🇷🇸 Vladimir Lučić (21, LW) came on in 77th minute & with his 3rd ball contact treated Kyle Walker - 1 of the best 1v1 defenders in the world - like your average Superliga FB.
Nothing came of it, but it shows his fearless attitude. 💪🏼
More to come.
Hattrick for 🇷🇸 Jovan Mijatović (18, SS) today in only his 4th league start of the season. 8 goals & 2 assists so far.
Whether or not he should start for Zvezda isn't even a question any more, now the question is: should he be a serious candidate for the Euro?
I think so.
𝐒𝐥𝐨𝐭-𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥
By now, you all know I have warm feelings for that club from the Southside of Rotterdam - where I grew up.
It's easy to get greedy when you're close to historic levels, but there's beauty in the struggle as well.
Trust the process.
Our new coach will have the luxury none of his predecessors had. 6 tough matches in the Nations League A, that are relatively cost-free.
• Chance to crystallize the squad & starting 11
• See where we stand then Vs 🇩🇰 & 🇨🇭
Perfect preparation for World Cup qualifying.
Braćo i sestre, po jutru se dan poznaje. Ja vam kažem, prolazimo!
Yes, we deserved a point here. But no need to be sad. We'll take a lot from this performance, especially mentally. Our 2 finals are still coming.
Don't doubt their mentality, their desire & even their quality.
𝐒𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 | 🇷🇸🇭🇷 𝐏𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐫 𝐑𝐚𝐭𝐤𝐨𝐯 (𝟏𝟗, 𝐒𝐓)
A full analysis of TSC's teenage sensation. Courted by teams such as Anderlecht, Rangers, Parma & likely many more during the summer.
Fits well in Europe's current trend of tall, mobile strikers.
My local team, so I Tweet a lot about them, but if you're not watching Feyenoord at all this season, you're missing out.
The youngest team in EL with some top talents, led by one of the most brilliant coaches in Arne Slot, going through a beautiful process.
Even though the result is tough to swallow, it's nice to see
#Eriksen
back and playing as well as ever.
Also, very nice gesture by our fans. Respect! 👍🏼
Piksi wants to stay. There've been many mistakes, but continuity is a factor that can't be underestimated.
As long as we learn from this, I'm all for it. We'll play 6 quality matches in the Nations League A & hopefully add experience.
Whatever happens, this team has my support.
One of the filthiest goals I've seen in a while. Shades of Stojković, Iniesta & Zlatan.
Glides through the first few nicely. But the way he evades both tackles & then has the composure to send that man for a burek & still look up at the GK. 🔥
Waterpolo NT once again proving how important DNA/winning mentality/tradition or whatever you want to call it, is in sports.
Something to fall back on when times get tough & you need the faith to rise above yourself. Mandić & Jakšić carry the torch of previous champions. 💪🏼
🇭🇺 Hungary
🇷🇸 Serbia
🇲🇪 Montenegro
🇧🇬 Bulgaria
🇱🇹 Lithuania
Travel costs brought down to a minimum in this Balkan affair.
With all due respect, if we don't it from this group, we'll never make it. The curse of 2000 will finally be broken, surely. 😇
As for the new coach, a question all of us have.
• Veljko Paunović & Ivan Jovanović just got new jobs. So off the market
• Vladimir Ivić recently said he needs to develop more before he takes the job - a man with self-reflection
• So Slaviša Jokanović seems most realistic at
Surprisingly good in tight spaces, can force separation through ball manipulation or body feints & create excellent shooting angles for himself in dangerous areas.
Strong with his back towards the goal, unselfish, with very good link-up potential.
Bleki down the middle is a different beast. No need to defend channels, get into situations he's not comfortable with.
Just let him take on that
#9
and make it a physical battle. Suits him much more.
Since no-one is sleeping. Tomorrow, this man starts his ascendance to greatness.
We've had great defenders, but in midfield we haven't been this strong since the 90s. And if you control midfield, you control the game.
Mitrović to Al Hilal seems done. Obviously not the career move we'd hoped for, but when I see how quickly many Fulham fans turned on him, I'm reminded of a Vidić quote.
What he said goes for Mitar as well. He gave them his best, but let's not act as if he's betraying anyone.
2 out of 4 friendlies done before the Euro.
Have we gained new players? No, not really
Have we gained insight into new formations? No
Any solutions to older problems? No
Have we seen a boost in confidence? Nope
Wasted international window. Still a sinking ship.
#PiksiOUT
I've been preaching about this man for a long time. But hopefully today, even those who doubted him, saw that Strahinja Pavlović is the real deal.
The heart & character of a champion. Uncompromising, all-action aggressor, with plenty of attacking ability as well.
There are still a few defending Piksi, so here you have it explained graphically.
We qualified for the Euro by beating
#70
& 134 in the world. We couldn't beat
#84
.
Meanwhile we have 37 players in the top 5 leagues, while all 4 other teams in our group together have 15.
4th basketball World Cup final in the last 7 editions, without some great players, even the NBA MVP.
You often see this in the Champions League. DNA is a real thing in sports. There is history there, tradition, predecessors, story lines, etc.
Serbia 𝙞𝙨 basketball heritage. 😎