Armenia and other musings

Well, after many months of waiting, the time has finally come. Tomorrow morning Džeko, Spahić and company will fly out to Yerevan for Saturday’s World Cup Qualifier against Armenia. Although we’re heavy favorites, the player seem very focused and determined not to foil this historic opportunity. Of course, while the Armenians are not to be underestimated, the Bosnian public is keeping one eye on the upcoming showdown at Bilino polje against Turkey. If we win both of these upcoming matches, we are assured a home-and-away “play off” series for a spot in the world cup (and if Spain somehow loses against Belgium, we stand to win even more). With all that in mind, the mood in Bosnia-Herzegovina is one of cautious optimism, particularly buoyed by Emir Spahić recovery from swine flu and Asmir Begović’s arrival at the moment we needed him most. More below the fold.

- One of the most shocking news in recent national team history was the revelation last week that Emir Spahić had contracted the so-called “swine flu.” Now, we’re familiar enough with this disease that no one was worried about Spahić dying, but it was a real question whether he’d be able to play in the upcoming qualifiers. Without our captain, our defense is (without exaggeration) 50% weaker, and so this was quite a cause for panic. Fortunately, Spahić recovered very quickly, showing up to training only a few short days later and displaying no significant signs of fatigue. I believe that Ćiro only had him play one half in the training match against Famos, but there’s no doubt he’ll be ready for the real games up ahead – thankfully.

- Since the questions surrounding Spahić’s health were resolved, the big story in the run up to the qualifiers has been Asmir Begović. Begović had earned the wrath of Bosnian fans following his questionable interview last month, but the opinions quickly changed (as I expected) as soon as he put in some good performances. A surprise injury to David James has meant that Begović saw action in three games for Pompey, including fifteen minutes against Arsenal and ninety against Manchester City. Between that and the Carling cup tie, Begović conceded two goals in some 200 minutes, neither of which for he was particularly to blame (they were a dodgy penalty and an Adebayor header from a corner kick).

Begović arrived at the team hotel in Sarajevo on Monday, the same day as almost all of the other players. The media got a few statements from him on camera almost the moment he got out of the van, and it’s worth noting that he spoke Bosnian very well – I guess just about everything he said on that radio show was a lie. The general impression he has made in training itself has been very positive, with a lot of fans and media outlets commenting that he seems very determined and has made some fantastic saves. Meanwhile, the Bosnian national team has also made a good impression on Begović:

“It’s [completely] different than in Canada, or even in Portsmouth. You can see that people are living for this. At every training session a lot of fans come and watch us work – you don’t have that in Canada, and not even in Portsmouth, for they don’t allow fans to come to the trainings. And no, I don’t regret my decision at all, although it was a hard one to make.” – Asmir Begović

- Whether he’ll actually start against Armenia, however, is unknown. In terms of tactics, the first big question is goalkeeper. Asmir Begović or Nemanja Supić? For me it’s a no-brainer; Supić may have done everything that was asked from him against Belgium, but he’s currently without a club and definitely not in form. Begović, on the other hand, just did very well against two of the strongest teams in the world – he should get the start, and I expect that Ćiro will eventually see reason before kick off. The other big question is that of offensive midfielder, which we’ve discussed before on the blog. Zvjezdan Misimović has accumulated yellow cards, which means that someone will have to fill his shoes. That someone will most likely be 19-year-old wonderkid Miralem Pjanić, who has been performing very well in Lyon so far in the season. Beyond that, the likely names on the starting XI are well known, but the exact formation remains a mystery. The team has practiced with a number of different formations in favor of the traditional 3-5-2, and Ćiro’s statements to the press have not made things any clearer. Nothing’s certain until Saturday, when we’ll see if anything comes of it or if Ćiro was just bluffing for the opposition.