Serbia NT 2021

  • I agree with Bogdan here, she showed a lot of potential, I also agree that she could've maybe used it better. But I don't like this kinda dynamic I see right now between Terzic and Lazovic tbh. Very little confidence and it rubs off on the player eventually. Busa-Milenkovic together is a no to me long term as well. Even if Lazovic isn't the confirmed solution with what we have seen of her she should at least be given the chance to play full matches for sure, especially against some teams here...

    Exactly, for sure Lazovic isn't Fedorovtseva wise potential, but for me would be even better to lose one or 2 sets against some weaker teams with Lazovic, but to see how much she can, true I believe and emphasize that she can do a lot, but I would be calmer to even show that I'm wrong and to look for some other solution than to "die" like this and potentially completely fail next year at WCH (and no, I'm not talking about failure at the bronze level LOL, I'm talking about a complete fiasco).

  • I'm a big admirer of the Serbian team and usually watch and root for them (when it's not against Brazil :lol:). I think what made Serbia live this golden age in international level was what I call "the perfect trio": Ognjenovic, Mihajlovic and Boskovic. Obviously you can't forget the excellent MBs (like Rasic or Veljkovic), but I think it was this trio that turned Serbia into a top contender. Now, the "magic" is broken because Serbia has no Brankica, who was the player that could share the attack with Boskovic. So, the team is suffering, because other than Tijana, there's no trustable wing spiker right now that can share responsability with her. The result could be seen in Olympic SF against USA and almost went same against Russia: when the other team can at least decrease the effectiveness of Boskovic's attack power, Serbia goes in trouble.


    I agree with Bogdan and also think that Lazovic is the best bet now, but she really needs more court time. She's a really nice all-around player and I loved the way she played in VNL. If Terzic can see this...


    I also would like to know what the Serbians think about Aleksandra Uzelac. Is she really promissing?

  • Meh. I was sure they were going to lose to Turkey so reaching the final was a nice surprise already. But it still hurts to lose when you had a good chance to go 2-0 up, however, Italy simply played a better match and their victory was more than deserved. All things considered, they did display better volleyball than Serbia at this tournament and hats off to them.

    I still insist the supposed home advantage was anything but and they might have as well played anywhere else. They would have probably even been better off.


    It's hard to say much about individual performances when in reality it all came down to a single player. Everyone else has had a rather forgettable tournament, flashes of brilliance here and there and tons of mediocrity or downright bad play in between.

    Still, I must say I'm particularly disappointed in Mina Popović. Her performance was significantly worse than two years ago and she was rarely a factor on court, especially when it mattered the most. And her nonchalant attitude is not exactly helping the team either. Veljković's energy was sorely missed. Rašić actually did better than I expected, but this tournament has really confirmed that indeed it's the time to say goodbye.


    Moving forward, I'm being cautiosly optimistic. I don't think Serbia's level will drop THAT much, because most of the players who are leaving are shadows of themselves already and could have been easily replaced by others. Brankica is a big question mark, if she regains her shape it's a complete game changer, if not, we have to invest all we got into Lazović and hope that some of the youngsters who show promise come good.

    I think we have all learned by now it's pointless to speculate about Maja's future on NT, so I'm not gonna even get into that ^^

  • I still insist the supposed home advantage was anything but and they might have as well played anywhere else. They would have probably even been better off.

    I feel like playing at home gives Terzic more pressure than anyone else lol Didn't he say something in the post-match interview like after Russia he wanted to rest the key players after they secured the first place in the group, but because of the crowd, he was "forced" to keep them on the court. I wonder if that was also the case that he didn't make any substitutions in the final ...


    Serbia desperately needs a better OH duo. I hope things will turn out better next year. I am amazed at how Boskovic has been playing so consistently and amazingly throughout all these years.

  • It was a really good watch, thanks JoanaBG :heart:


    My favourite part was probably his conversation with Brakocevic, it's nice that even though they clearly had their problems they have moved on and are able to laugh about it now :D I also like the part about Citakovic getting pissed at all the Polish players. :box:

  • Beside all volleyball related things which i won't commented, let everyone who have interest to watch it without "presumption", but evolution of Maja's hairstyle it's iconic non volleyball realted thing from this movie.

  • It was a really good watch, thanks JoanaBG :heart:


    My favourite part was probably his conversation with Brakocevic, it's nice that even though they clearly had their problems they have moved on and are able to laugh about it now :D I also like the part about Citakovic getting pissed at all the Polish players. :box:


    Yeah, those were the highlights for me too!

    I can totally imagine Vesna doing that :rolll: I vividly remember that semi against Poland and she played like her life depended on it, I guess we now know why.

    Beside all volleyball related things which i won't commented, let everyone who have interest to watch it without "presumption", but evolution of Maja's hairstyle it's iconic non volleyball realted thing from this movie.


    I completely forgot about that goddamn awful hairdo from mid-00s :gone: I'm sure she's like "WTF was I thinking??!" when she looks back at it, but I can definitely tell I know how it feels :lol:


    And Matthias, if you're going to watch it, beware that *the serve* is featured :lol:

  • Just a question, because I really admire the Serbian NT but I don't now anything about the behind the scenes. Why isn't Jovana Stevanović part of the roster? Did she quit the national team or there is some other reason? She's an absolutely fantastic player and I cannot see many other MBs stronger than her around.

  • Just a question, because I really admire the Serbian NT but I don't now anything about the behind the scenes. Why isn't Jovana Stevanović part of the roster? Did she quit the national team or there is some other reason? She's an absolutely fantastic player and I cannot see many other MBs stronger than her around.


    Basically she got upset that she lost her place in the starting line-up at WCh '18 and decided not to play on NT anymore.

  • Just a question, because I really admire the Serbian NT but I don't now anything about the behind the scenes. Why isn't Jovana Stevanović part of the roster? Did she quit the national team or there is some other reason? She's an absolutely fantastic player and I cannot see many other MBs stronger than her around.

    She want to take a break from NT in 2019, as Rasic, Malesevic, Zivkovic did then, but this three did that in full cooperation and agreement with Terzic, while Jovana just informed him about her decision with which he disagreed, because he thought that she had not been in NT long enough to deserve such privileged status. And although Jovana informed him about her plans for that summer for the reasons already mentioned, Terzic understood her non-appearance at the preparations as a rejection of the invitation, and his principles are that whoever rejects the invitation for NT will never be invited again while he remain as head coach.

  • I guess we'll find out soon enough if Terzić is staying. He says he's still motivated to continue, but at the same time he's fully aware that most of "his" players are on their way out and that perhaps the new crop of players coming in would work better with another coach who could build a new team from the scratch. He'll announce his decision shortly, but if he does step down, he has no idea who will succeed him and by the look of things, it won't be anyone from his circle.


    There have been a lot of interviews with him lately and it's obvious how much he's mellowed down over the years (as indicated in the (in)famous "You're the best team in the world for me, screw them" timeout, which would have NEVER happened 10 years ago). And most of them have a certain melancholic undertone to them, which could indeed mean the end is near.


    Also, he clearly says Italy is the best European team at the moment (even though it may anger his players or the Turks ^^) because they have the most depth and we clearly lack someone like Pietrini who he admires a lot.

  • I really like this documentary.. Jovana Brakocevic is gorgeous. She has helped Serbia win so many big things, and it’s kinda wholesome that in the moment in her career when she couldn’t play on the level that she once did, came no other than Boskovic, a once in a lifetime player, and that made it easier to accept.

    The story about Citakovic and the champagne almost made me cry. It was a really nice movie.. great job

  • I recently heard a rumour about citakovic and djerisilo had a big fight during WCh since citakovic's husband slept with Ivana at their hotel. Did someone hear something like that before? It could be totally groundless gossip too

  • I really like this documentary.. Jovana Brakocevic is gorgeous. She has helped Serbia win so many big things, and it’s kinda wholesome that in the moment in her career when she couldn’t play on the level that she once did, came no other than Boskovic, a once in a lifetime player, and that made it easier to accept.

    The story about Citakovic and the champagne almost made me cry. It was a really nice movie.. great job

    Is it in yt? Whats the title?

  • The "Srpski Telegraf" is a member of the "holy trinity" of the biggest garbage from newspapers and the media in general, so I would not pay too much attention to their sensationalist and ignorant texts and sources. On the other hand, the fact is that the contract has expired, and everyone knew it, the impression is also appropriate to what they wrote, that it is closer not to extension, but we will be waiting for the final decision.