Serbians expectant of a win but apathy dominates general public

As part its ongoing campaign to get the people behind their national team, the Serbia FA will give out about 10,000 tickets to this evening’s game to young footballers and their families.

Even then, the 52,000 capacity Red Star stadium is only expected to be half full for this opening game of the new World Cup qualifying campaign.

The team's repeated failure to deliver in recent campaigns has contributed to a fair bit of indifference amongst local fans and their captain, Branislav Ivanovic, admits that the players can have few complaints about the lack of support until they do their bit by starting to win games and getting to major championships.

Despite having enjoyed considerable success at various underage levels and being able to draw now on a growing pool of talent playing at major clubs across Europe, Serbia have not been to a tournament finals since South Africa in 2010 and their last campaign was a particular low, both on and off the pitch, with a points deduction from trouble at the game against Albania contributing to a fourth place finish. Biggest disappointment “The biggest disappointment for a player and for a professional is not to be at the highest level of competition, at major competitions like European Championships, like the World Cup, and we are the ones who are most to blame for this,” said Ivanovic yesterday, ahead of the team’s final training session before tonight’s game.

“Of course there were a couple of moments and a couple of situations that were not up to us and that were not our fault, [presumably a reference to the events that led to the abandonment of that Albania game after a drone carrying a “Greater Albania” flag was flown on to the pitch, sparking trouble among the players as well as in the technical areas and, ultimately, the stands] but these things happen and I think we are ready to go forward now.

“It’s a long road ahead to the World Cup. But what is important is that the national coach has planted the will to succeed in all of us.

“It’s a long road but the important thing is to start well, to start with a win and take it from there.”

In common with his coach, Slavoljub Muslin, the Chelsea star is respectful towards opponents who, unlike the Serbs, spent a good portion of the summer at the European Championships in France and yet there is a definite sense here that anything other than a win against Ireland this evening would be a disappointment, an opportunity lost.

More than that indeed, it would represent a significant setback, one that could shatter the fragile sense of common purpose fostered by the new manager since he took over in May.

A former player and manager of Red Star, who won titles with the club in both roles, Muslin’s more recent career has been largely devoid of significant success and his last club job was at Standard Liege where he lasted barely three months, mostly through the close season.

He has a reputation for being authoritarian and a strict disciplinarian, characteristics that might well have contributed to the speed with which he left some of his many jobs, few of which have lasted longer than a season or so, but it is almost certainly this reputation that has got him the opportunity to take charge of a talented group who many feel will benefit from having their heads knocked together. Authority For the moment, it seems, even the players have bought into the idea but the difficulty is that, with little by way of recent success to point to, Muslin’s authority could quickly be undermined if the team does not show a fairly immediate improvement and start the campaign well.

For that reason, this game against Ireland is seen as especially important and there has been a particular effort on everybody's part to appear united ahead of it. Nemanja Matic and Aleksandar Kolarov both travelled just to train with the squad for a few days despite being suspended and former captain Nemanja Vidic is expected to attend the game as a show of support.

If it all works out and they can win here against Ireland then there is every chance that momentum might quickly build and the local population will weigh in behind the team. In that event, Serbia could take a bit of stopping by the time they come to Dublin in exactly a year’s time for they certainly have the potential to challenge for top spot in the group.

If they take even a point this evening, though, Martin O’Neill’s men could undermine the new coach and the confidence he has sought to generate; if they win, the visitors just might find that they have done irreparable damage to one of their most dangerous rivals.