Scotland and Serbia are united by their limitations.
The two national teams are in different states of mind ahead of their World Cup qualifying tie next month, but their domestic competitions are similarly hampered. They lack strength in depth and the sums of money that might have a revolutionary influence. The result is that the best young players are spirited away by foreign clubs, which then provide the refinement they need, leaving a weakened national league that does not provide a wide enough base of quality players to sustain the international team.
The laments are familiar to Scottish minds, which are once again wrestling with the conundrums of league reconstruction. There is currently no Old Firm dominance in the top flight, but Celtic on their own will be too strong for the challenges of the other Clydesdale Bank Premier League clubs. In Serbia, it is Red Star Belgrade and Partizan Belgrade who historically browbeat the rest of the leading clubs with their status.
As with the Old Firm clubs, the Belgrade teams recall their European successes with longing, since they have also been left stranded by the Champions League elite. The national team generally tends to reflect the health of the domestic game, and Serbia are in a period of transition. Established players have retired or are being replaced by young, developing talents, who bring their own foibles.
"If you talk about standards, it's not only in Scotland and Serbia that the level has dropped down," says Gordan Petric, the former Dundee United, Rangers, Hearts and Partizan Belgrade defender.
"There was a problem with the money and in our league [Partizan] only have four games when you play against Red Star. Other games are not strong enough for the domestic players in Serbia and that's probably the same for Scottish players. Many Scottish players play in England and we are the same, players play abroad."
Craig Levein is at least better prepared than his rival. Sinisa Mihajlovic was only appointed coach of Serbia last May, and during his four games in charge he has called up 38 players. It seems a process of elimination rather than a strategy, but Mihajlovic has crammed his adaptation to the job into a handful of friendly matches.
There have been difficulties to overcome, with Nemanja Vidic, the Manchester United defender, and Dejan Stankovic, the Internazionale midfielder, both retiring from international football. The consequence is a period of upheaval, and Mihajlovic has not won any of his four games in charge, although the opponents were Spain, France, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland.
Serbia can still call upon established players such as Branislav Ivanovic of Chelsea, Aleksandar Kolarov of Manchester City and Lyon's Milan Bisevac. Younger players are heralded, though, and Zoran Tosic, who once played for Manchester United, is considered a rising star.
"In one or two years they will produce and be a good team, then they will connect to the supporters," says Petric. "It's a really young team. Everybody expects us to qualify for the World Cup, but if they cannot, let's give Sinisa Mihajlovic proper reign and bring these young players through to be a really good team. This is a good challenge for [Mihajlovic], he has the character. He lays down the rules of the national teams, so young players follow him. That's maybe the reason why he decided to take young players, it's easier for a young coach to take young players with him. There can be misunderstandings between young coaches and experienced players."
Mihajlovic would be nobody's idea of a role model. Extreme political views and a fiery temper always cast him as an anti-hero, even if he was a footballer capable of graceful and decisive brilliance. Turmoil stalks him, and the code of conduct he demands that all of the national team players sign up to includes the obligation to sing the national anthem before games. Adem Ljajic, the Fiorentina midfielder, did not follow this edict ahead of the friendly against Spain and has since been discarded.
Ljajlic is often a self-indulgent and disruptive figure, but the bluntness of Mihajlovic is typical. After his appointment, he declared he would quit if Serbia fail to reach the World Cup, despite being in a group that also includes Croatia, Belgium, Macedonia and Wales.
Petric believes a draw in the opening game at Hampden would be a positive result, since there is a danger the young players are overwhelmed by the atmosphere. "We shouldn't expect too much for the qualification for the World Cup in Brazil," he says.
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