Bosnia

Ćiro reveals call-ups for Iran

Miroslav “Ćiro” Blažević has just released the list of players he’s counting on for the upcoming friendly against Iran in Sarajevo. I’ve listed them below by position and alphabetical order.

Keepers: Asmir Begović, Adis Nurković, Nemanja Supić

Defense: Sanel Jahić, Adnan Mravac, Damir Mirvić, Safet Nadarević, Boris Pandža, Ivan Radeljić, Emir Spahić

Midfield: Zlatan Bajramović, Dario Damjanović, Senijad Ibričić, Zvjezdan Misimović, Samir Muratović, Miralem Pjanić, Elvir Rahimić, Sejad Salihović, Semir Štilić

Forwards: Edin Džeko, Vedad Ibišević, Zlatan Muslimović, Admir Vladavić

So here are they key points to consider.

1. It looks like we’re finally set to have a final resolution to the whole Begović soap opera. As you’ll remember from my last post, Begović caused a stir earlier in the month when he apparently appeared on some left-field Canadian radio station and abruptly claimed that he never had any interest in playing for Bosnia-Herzegovina and that it had all been a big misunderstanding. Munib Ušanović, our beloved general secretary, seemed to (for once) do his job, firing back in the Sarajevo press that the paperwork had already been sent to FIFA and that he was in daily contact with Begović’s father. He even threatened to sue the Canadian FA for dragging their feet in the matter and let the papers run a copy of Begović’s signed statement to FIFA requesting a change in sporting nationality.

So what the hell is going on?

Well, come August 12th, we’ll know for sure. Begović now has a call up to a legitimate friendly and no excuses for not showing up. If he does, we have our keeper for the future. If he doesn’t, we can finally and conclusively put the issue behind us.

2. In general, this is a very good list. When I think back to some of the nobodies that were forced into the team by their agents in years past (Mario Bozic what?), well I guess we have a lot to be thankful for. It’s not that every player here is the kind of quality that I would like to see in the Bosnian national team, but at the moment this really is the best we’ve got. And you know what? That’s comforting.

3. The line-up is easy enough to put together. Ćiro has been playing 3-5-2 since the days of Šuker and Prosinečki, and it’s proven to be most effective formation for us as well. Supić is going to start between the sticks, but Begović is probably already the better player and we could see him as well if he actually shows up. Spahić, Nadarević and Pandža worked great in central defense last time, and if it’s not too broke then there’s no need for Ćiro to try and fix it. Salihović will again be forced back to play as a left wing-back, and since Berberović is injured we’ll probably see Sanel Jahić step in as his counterpart on the right (thank God). Elvir Rahimić is a lock for the middle, and his partner will probably be Samir Muratović, who’s secured his spot in the national team even if he just got into deep shit on the club level. With Vedad Ibišević completely healthy and back in form (he just scored against Panathinaikos), we’ll finally get to see his long-awaited partnership with Edin Džeko back in action.

4. But wait – I forgot the attacking midfielder. And therein lies the issue. Under normal circumstances, Bundesliga record-breaking Zvjezdan Misimović is the obvious choice, but due to accumulated cards he wont be available in the upcoming qualifier against Armenia. That means that we need to find a replacement quick, and the game against Iran is probably the last chance we’ll have to try one out. Now, many will suggest Semir Štilić, who’s making a strong case to become Misimović’s successor, and some will even put forward Pjanić. At the end of the day, however, I think the spot will likely go to Senijad Ibričić. Why? First and foremost because Ćiro loves him and continuously tries to find a place for him in the line-up; if he’s been able to put him in at left wing-back and striker, then what’s going to stop him from giving him a shot at his natural position? And although a lot of fans are starting to get annoyed by Ibričić (partly due to Ćiro’s favoritism and partly because his refusal to leave the subpar Croatian league has begun to boarder on the absurd), it’s important to remember that he was the man orchestrating the midfield behind – wait for it – Džeko and Ibišević, way back in that fantastic youth team a couple of years ago. That U-21 generation has already become the backbone for the current A-team (Pandža, Salihović, Džeko, Ibišević), and it’d be nice to see Ibričić reprise his role as the playmaker against a relatively weaker opposition.