Bosnia will have prepared for Ireland’s aggressive approach but they won’t like it
Word from the enemy
Mikey Stafford
Mikey Stafford
All things being equal, it would have been better if Safet Susic had kept his job.
The coach who took Bosnia to their first World Cup in Brazil was sacked after the first two games of Euro 2016 qualifying and replaced by Bosnian legend, Mahmed Bazdarevic.
Susic, “tired of everything” and over-confident, would have been unlikely to do the homework on the Republic of Ireland that Bazdarevic has been putting in ahead of the Euro 2016 play-off with Martin O’Neill’s men.
Bosnian football journalist, Jasmin Ligata of Oslobodenje, gave SportsJOE the lowdown on Ireland’s opponents ahead of Friday’s first leg in Zenica, pointing out the obvious (Bosnia are 30% better with Edin Dzeko in the team), the not so obvious (Deportivo bit-part player Haris Medunjanin is the man to watch) and the encouraging (Bosnia don’t like aggressive teams who play long balls).
Hello, Daryl Murphy.
Ligata likens Bazdarevic to Martin O’Neill in his studious approach to opponents. The Yugoslav legend, who went on to become Bosnia’s first captain after independence, was appointed national coach when Susic was sacked, having gained a single point from the opening qualifiers against Cyprus and Wales.
“Maybe Susic was tired of everything because he doesn’t prepare in a good way, he lost to Cyprus because he was not watching Cyprus in the days before.
“He thought it was most important how his team play and not the other team but you must know how play the other team – if they play counter-attack or two up front,” says Ligata, who thought Susic was over-confident after World Cup qualification.
Bazdarevic: bit of a legend
“Two teams go in Euros and with Belgium maybe Susic thought we go from the group, but he was wrong,” he added.
“We have a bad start, just one point from the first two games and then Badzarevic comes in and does everything with the players and qualifies us for the play-off.”
Bazdarevic, who had previously coached clubs in France and Qatar, turned things around to finish third in Group B behind Belgium and Wales. Ligata says he will be well prepared for Friday’s home leg in Zenica.
“He worked with players in a different way. Not like Susic, he was was not watching others. But Bazdarevic is always prepared with videos and DVDs to analyse, like Martin O’Neill and Roy Keane. Always studying the other teams. Susic did not work like that.
“Our players came into camp on Monday and on Tuesday they will have prepared everything, they will have analysed every player from Ireland. If players need other help they prepare everything.
“He is a very studious coach, similar to Martin O’Neill.”
Bosnia could have been drawn against Denmark, Slovenia, Norway or Ireland in the play-off draw and Ligata reckons the slayers of World Cup winners Germany were the toughest draw possible.
Unfortunately Ligata also thinks Bosnia play best against better teams. They did drop points to Cyprus and Israel in qualifying (that sounds familiar) but, then again, they also lost 3-1 in Belgium.
“We have a good experience against Slovenia, we win lots against Slovenia. Ireland is maybe the best team in the play-off, against better teams we play better.
“Against Slovenia maybe we play an easy game but against Ireland we know a strong team with good players we will play hard,” said the journalist, who suggests the presence of Seamus Coleman, Darron Gibson, James McCarthy and Aiden McGeady in O’Neill’s squad marks Ireland out as favourites to progress to France next summer.
“Maybe Ireland in these two games are favourites,” says Ligata. “[O’Neill] has Walters, O’Shea, Long – good players. Four players play for Everton, just one of ours plays for Everton.
“Ireland have a good team with good players at the front. It is not easy for us to play against teams that play the long ball and have aggressive midfielders.
“We have just one player who plays like that – Mohamed Besic and he can’t play because he got a red card. We have technically strong players.”
Besic’s ridiculous reaction when 3-0 up against Andorra has robbed Bosnia of the man to go toe-to-toe with Glenn Whelan and McCarthy in midfield, but they undoubtedly have the skilful players to cause us problems. Players like Medunjanin, Miralem Pjanic and their leader.
“Dzeko is our captain and our best player and without him we are not a good team, because he scores most goals in history of Bosnian football. He has scored 44 goals in 74 games.
“Without him we are 30% easier for our opponents,” admits Ligata, who believes Ireland should be wary of Deportivo midfielder and friend of Lionel Messi, Medunjanin.
If brilliance can be contracted by human contact we should be very worried about Messi handshaker Haris Medunjanin pic.twitter.com/KoCLrxpCng
“He plays very well but he does not play at Deportivo because he has some problem with the coach of Deportivo but he is a very important player for us.”
Friday’s first leg is to be played at Zenica’s tiny Bilino Polje Stadium. With a 37,500 seat stadium in capital Sarajevo, why do Bosnia play their matches at a stadium that can hold only 11,500 for UEFA fixtures?
“In Zenica there is always a good atmosphere. We have a bigger stadium in Sarajevo but we have an athletics track around it and it is not a good atmosphere but in Zenica we have a good atmosphere and players always want to play in Zenica.”
So, who’s going to win?
“For our people the national team are the most important team, so we are always confident. When I write an article I always write that we are going to the Euros.”
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