Bosnian football legend and former head coach of the national team Safet Susic assessed current A team's quality as "weakest ever" noting that everything still depends on two players – Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic.
“One needs to accept the fact that this is the weakest national team we ever had in the history of Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he told N1's Semir Mustafic.
According to Susic, who is the only head coach to take the Bosnian team to an international competition – the 2014 World Cup in Brasil, the team's game still depends on Edin Dzeko and Miralem Pjanic, who are in their 30s now.
“I've noticed that Dedic (Amar Dedic, FC Red Bull Salzburg) is a good player and he will go to a good team in the near future. I don't know other players well and what I saw is not enough to achieve the results we had in the past,” he said.
As for the recent loss against the Portugal's team within EURO 2024 qualifiers, the football expert noted it was “logical” to lose but not to get five goals in the first half.
“It was probably where the quality of our team was seen the best,” said Susic, adding that most of the national teams from the region are better than the Bosnian team at the moment.
In September, the Bosnia national team got its third head coach since the beginning of the year, Serbian retired player Savo Milosevic, who took over after Faruk Hadzibegic and Meho Kodro.
Often changes in the team leadership cannot bring anything good, according to Susic.
“The head coaches needed more time. Members of the Executive Board and Chairman are too impatient. As soon as one or two games are lost, they carry out changes,” he said.
The team failed to advance towards the EURO 2024 through qualifiers, with Hadzibegic leading the team in one victory and three defeats, while Kodro recorded a win and a loss.
The Bosnians will now seek their chance for the Euro 2024 through play-offs of the League of the Nations A Division, that was secured by the team under the lead of former coach Ivaylo Petev.
Asked if the Bosnians are capable of securing the spot in the competition through play-offs, Susic says it all depends on the schedule.
“If we play the first match at home, then there are some chances. Anyone can be defeated,” he deems.
Asked about his most favourite victory with the Bosnia national team, he said it was against Romania in Zenica.
“We scored in the last minute, Dzeko scored. That was my favourite win at that moment. But, then there were the World Cup 2014 qualifiers. The win in Slovakia, the crucial game that practically launched us into the World Cup. We also had to win in Lithuania. I would pick those two games too,” said Susic.
Speaking of his great career as a football player, Susic expressed a pleasure with the fact he is often singled out as one of the best players of his era in the former Yugoslavia national team.
But, he stressed, there is no one best player.
“When a group of friends gather to talk who was the best player in Yugoslavia, I think each one of them would have different answers to that,” he said.
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