The Road to South Africa

It began indifferently with a laboured 2-0 victory at home to the Faroe Islands and a 2-1 defeat to France in Paris and it ended with defeat in Lithuania. But in between Serbia were pretty much unstoppable winning six games out of seven and holding the French to a 1-1 draw in Belgrade. The highlights were a 3-1 victory over Austria in Vienna and a 5-0 thrashing of Romania which ensured they would finish top of their group to qualify for their first World Cup

The Star Players

Milan Jovanovic (Standard Liege) Once the tournament is done, Jovanovic will be heading to Liverpool, although 29, is a late age to be making an impact in the Premier League. He has been a powerful influence both for a powerful Standard Liege side and for Serbia, scoring in their two most impressive wins – against Austria and Romania.

Bosko Jankovic (Genoa) A high-class midfielder who can play on the flanks and in the centre. Antic will need him to show the qualities that once attracted Barcelona and Chelsea. His spell in Serie A has been a mixed affair. He sank without trace at Palermo but has rebuilt his reputation in Genoa.

Marko Pantelic (Ajax) By the time he was 24, Pantelic had played in Greece, France, Switzerland, Spain and Austria without ever suggesting the form many thought him capable of. It was only when returning to Serbia, especially with Red Star Belgrade, that he began scoring regularly.

The Coach

Raddy Antic In England he is famous for scoring the goal that kept Luton in the top flight and relegated Manchester City but Antic’s managerial career has been spent in loftier climes than Kenilworth Road. He has managed Barcelona and Real Madrid as well as four other Spanish clubs, most notably Atletico Madrid with whom he won La Liga in 1996. He took over as Serb manager at a difficult time in his career since his last spell at Atletico and Celta Vigo had finished in relegation. There were disputes with the Serb FA over money but any salary increase was earned by some spectacular results.

Honours

World Cup: Semi-finalists 1930, 1962 (as Yugoslavia)
European Championship: Finalists 1960, 1968 (as Yugoslavia)

Analysis

They are seeded fourth in the most demanding group in the World Cup and yet Serbia might fancy their chances of getting through, even qualifying at the head of Group D. Fantasy perhaps but they have the players and the team spirit. They will have to deal with starting and finishing at altitude and then going to play Germany by the sea at Port Elizabeth. They play Australia last which might be an advantage if there is still something at stake. In 2006, they blew up spectacularly in Germany but they will be more disciplined this time round.

Verdict

Squad (3/5)
Apart from Nemanja Vidic, there is nobody who is truly world class but they have a number of extremely effective performers.

Coach (4/5)
Just when it seemed Raddy Antic’s colourful and illustrious coaching career would fade out; he has proved the virtues that made him briefly one of Spain’s most sought-after managers.

Attack (3/5)
A mixed bag but who showed in qualification their ability to seize and hold their opportunities. They might struggle against defences of the highest quality and all three of their opponents have good back-fours.

Defence (3/5)
This is Vidic’s chance to show Real Madrid and Barcelona who have spent all season attempting to secure his services, just what he is capable of. His encounter with Miroslav Klose will not be for the faint-hearted.