Serbia and Montenegro is Definitely Better Than the United States

OK, Lyle, by now we all know that all teams are worse than SM.

In your mind, which ones are better. And why?

Being a team that supports (so they say) their game in defending, what do you think would happen if suddently Argenina scores 2 goals in the space of 10 minutes, in the beggining of the match? Do you have the backbone and players to come out of it?

Do you feel fair if people say SM plays like Italy? Do you?

Think of all the people, like me, who now very little about your team. A team I wouldn’t like to meet, if Portugal comes out of group D - you see, defensive teams always make us suffer…

Posted from  Netherlands

What is there to talk about England Lyle? Apart from the fact that you cant compare Beckham with the SM players because he is at a different level. Much better than anyone SM has seen for years.

Posted from  United Kingdom

SM is an underrated team. Lyle wants to waken up you guys a little. I think he is doing a good job. SM has the potential to not only survive the arrogant Dutch (even without Vidic) and also cause some problems to Argentina.

Posted from  Germany

Hey, I’m not even rating anybody… I just made a couple of questions! About the team. A team I honestly know very little about.

Posted from  Netherlands

Dido,

Beckham’s metrosexuality though is a contagion in English football, which affects England’s ability to win the big tournaments. What major championship has England ever won with David Beckham? None.

Until Beckhamism is repudiated in England, England will never go all the way in international football.

Cherrio!

Pedro P,

Ah… Portugese are you Pedro? Yeah, you guys, like us, will have it tough in the round of 16. Portugal is a really good team though and if they have their heads screwed on straight (unlike last time) they could do very, very well.

Yeah, Serbia and Montenegro plays a bit like Italy and Italy is a very successful team. They’ve won the World Cup, unlike you guys and the Netherlands. Germany has won World Cups with defense as well. So, so can Serbia and Montenegro.

I agree with your Argentina hypothetical though. If a team somehow gets ahead of the Plavi, the Plavi are going to have a difficult time climbing out of the hole…. but, SM has some offensive firepower in Kezman, Milosevic, Stankovic, Ljuboja, Pantelic and others. So I think if they get behind by a goal, they can make that up.

I bet the other three Group C teams realize this and attack like hell at the beginning of each match. Wouldn’t you do that as well?

The first game will be interesting without Nemanja Vidic in it. I think SM will survive without him though.

Posted from  United States

Of course any team needs the tactics and organization at defense like Italy, as well as the german discipline. History shows it wins championships easierly than shear brilliance or technique. And the head screwed well properly also usually helps…

But you also need attack and firepower. Especially as WC’s, if you’re not a big one, can be tricky and better have one or two in the bag before the final whistle. It’s that or suffering till the end and going home early anyway.

I only remmeber Predrag Mijatovic. I guess I’m not making a mistake saying he’d be S&M nowadays, right? If your team is made of guys like him in all the positions, than you have a strong unit. Your defense is already famous enough.

I imagine SM drawing with HOL and ARG (or IVC) wining the first match - I feel it won’t be a draw and it can go both ways. This means you’ll have to beat Argentina on your 2nd match. I don’t know if even Italy could hold them goalless for 90 mins…

Posted from  Netherlands

We are talking about the group of death here. All teams are pretty much balanced out. Argentina and Netherlands are both strong, even though I believe Argentina is stronger. Serbia and Montenegro managed to qualify from Europe, that is a major feat in intself. Remember not even Netherlands qualified last world cup. And Ivory Coast is known as the strongest African team nowadays. As strong as any African team has ever been. So Appart from guessing that Argentina might make it through (I must say that I made the same guess when they were in the group of death 2002), Seribia and Montenegro might easily make it through the group.

Posted from  United States

Pedro,

On paper, Argentina is awesome. And they blew through South American qualifying. I don’t know if they’ll bring their A game and they may be intimidated by being in a tough group with high expectations placed on them by the motherland.

Any of the four teams can win the group or get out of it. My prediction is that the either SM and the Netherlands will get out OR SM and the Ivory Coast. I feel like Argentina will be a bust.

The Netherlands and SM will be playing with lots of homefield advantage and the CIV will be playing with that African attitude that saw Senegal advance far the last World Cup.

It’s definitely going to be a great group to watch. Every game is an awesome match up.

… but if you’re not Brazil, defense wins you a World Cup. And who has the best defense in the Group probably… Serbia and Montenegro.

Posted from  United States

there are a lot of topics, like the new jersey, nikon jevtic, the dominance of red star in the championchip, traditional clubs like radnicki nis or - more related to the wc - that secure squad member like koroman or ljuboja are out of form and others like paunovic, petkovic or pantelic are starring in their leagues.

You could write about nicknames like Zigar for Zigic.

You could forecast, what will be after Montenegro might split from SCG in May.

And you can state the fact, that Argentina and the Durch were the coffinnails to the last three championchip campaigns.

All i want is a bit more crativity and niveau.

gibraldo,

thanks for the advice. i appreciate it. i have blogged about Pantelic and Ljuboja a bit. Pantelic is hot right now and Ljuboja is cool, but apparently Petkovic likes Ljuboja more than Pantelic.

maybe we could talk about how ugly Ljuboja’s hairstyle is?

i hate that guy’s hair style.

Posted from  United States

Lyles doing a good job. Although I ddnt like him at first because if his racist and insensitive marks in the “Sisters of the Poor” Topic, I can see that hes working hard bringing information about our nations World Cup team.

Good Job Lyle

Posted from  Australia

Yay… people really like me! Seriously though, feedback is a good thing… criticism too.

Posted from  United States

CROATIA BETTER THEY ALL U F******S

HRVATSKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted from  Canada

Lyle, I mentioned Argentina like I could have mentioned any other.

I do believe, eventhough I really don’t know SM’s team, any team could go through in group C. Exactly because it’s so tight.

I also believe HOL, although currently weaker on paper than Argentina, can beat them easierly than the other way around. Look at 1998. Actually, I do believe that HOL are weaker than 2 years ago, but at the same time - because it’s the WC and because it’s in Europe - that they will elevate themselves.

Posted from  Netherlands

I like the Netherlands chances too… I have to get in their face though since they’re the opposition.

They “should” do well — they always should do well. Everytime though, they seem to come up short.

I also think SM has a special team. If they can keep others from scoring, which they might very well do, they’re going to advance.

SM is a darkhorse team and they do not look better than Holland or Argentina on paper, but they’re a very well organized team with an awesome defense and some scoring threats… and they play with a lot of heart. they’re just the kind of team that can go far in a world cup.

there is also no pressure on them.

Posted from  United States

Serbs are a very good team, in the world cup as everyone knows you have to start off strong if they loose to the Netherlands they are in deep trouble. They have the strongest defense but, the weakest offense in their group. Serbs may play better as a team than Argentina, Netherlands, or the Ivory Coast but they lack super star power all the other countries is their group have a least 2 superstars. I think it will be a tightly contested group with Netherlands and Argentina qualifying for the 2nd round

Posted from  United States

finally a good and reasonable comment here …craig, your to my opinion absolutely right with your estimation. one thing to add though: serbia and montenegro is a more disciplined and better organized tema, than any other in this group. They received just one goal in their qualifier, which spekas for an almost uneblievable strategic superiority. Holland Argentina and IC will have it pretty difficult to even score a goal aginst this mighty defence. and therefore i predict that scg will go through. the other team that goes through is none of my business

Posted from  Germany

Serbs do have a good team good luck to them in a very tough group.
If their defense can play like they played, in qualifiers
then they are a chance for the 2nd round.
Clint Dempsey yes he looks like a serb “pravi cigan!!!”
lol no harsh feelings

Posted from  Australia

herceg,

maybe it’ll be a sm/croatia final. of course, sm will win that game… hehe.

Posted from  United States

“Clint Dempsey yes he looks like a serb “pravi cigan!!!””

So do Balaban,Prso,Rapaic, Prosinecki, Petrovic,Ivanisevic

lol jks

Posted from  Australia

Craig and every1 else S&M has 2 superstars in their squad. Stankovic is inters main midfilder and probably in top 10-15 midfilders in the world. We also have Kezman who has a wonderfull goalscoring record in club football. Im glad that he started to play well A Madrid and i think he is a contender for golden boot (if we get past group stage). He is proven prolific goalscorer. He also made a deadly partnership whit Nikola Zigic (204cm giant from red star ) and them 2 in my opinion should b starting strikers in our team… We also have very very very well organised defence (which im sure every1 has heard about). For me our weakest link is our midfiled since we onli got stankovic who can play on very high level week-in week-out… If our other midfilders can turn up on day and play their hearts out then we r real darkhorses in this WC… NAPRED PLAVI!!!!!!!

Posted from  Australia

Lads your forgetting one major super star our captain who forget Savo!!!! meet the bloke when he was playing for Aston Villa nice fella stunning female companion lol

Posted from  United Kingdom

“stunning female companion”

What do you expect from Yugoslavs??? Only the best lol

Posted from  Australia

Jevric
Dragutinovic Krstajic Vidic Gavrancic
Duljaj
Djordjevic Stankovic

Ilic
Kezman Zigic

Ok let us look at this team.

Defence, the main problem with the defence are the subs Dudic and Djordjevic from Redstar and Partizan.
Instead of one of them, he should have called in Lukovic as a sub for the left defence side.

Krstajic can play, but he is old an slow on that position, did thou have succes in Schalke thoose game he played on left.

Midfield

Djordjevic is the playmaker, Stankovic the mashine, and Duljaj the butcher.
Offensive Vukic havent played more than half a year, is only called to the team cause of the mentality of the players, instead of him probably Ilic from galatasaray or Ergic will play.(booth bether then Vukic)
The problem is again the left side, there are no subs for Djordjevic, who is in the years, and any injurie to him will be a problem, the only player capable of playing that position is Ljuboja.

Attack Koller Baros:)

Ups Zigic Kezman, i think they have the potential to be even more explosive then the tzech duo.

The reserves are good to.

Savo Milosevic, Mirko Vucinic from Lecce, and Ljuboja…

I think this team can suprise, and play like the greeks at the European cup, with some luck, and no injuries on the left.

If Montenegro leaves Serbia, this team will still go.

From the next qualifikations, Serbia and Montenegro will be divided.

Posted from  Denmark

I think Serbia will be the biggest suprise…. I see them in finals agains France (i hope)

Posted from  France