Barbarez Announces Dragons' Squad for Germany and Netherlands: We Made a Cut, Patience is Needed for Results

(Patria) - The coach of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national football team, Sergej Barbarez, has announced the list of players he is counting on for the upcoming matches of the elite "A" UEFA Nations League against the Netherlands and Germany.

Sergej Barbarez's list includes:

Goalkeepers: Nikola Vasilj, Martin Zlomislić, Osman Hadžikić.

“The idea was to stick to the standard option. No changes. All three are in form, playing satisfactorily in their clubs. In the last round, all of them kept clean sheets, and that gives us a foundation,” said Barbarez.

Defense: Nikola Katić, Sejad Kolašinac, Adrian Leon Barišić, Ermin Bičakčić, Stjepan Radeljić, Amar Dedić, Nail Omerović, Dženis Burnić, Nihad Mujakić, Jusuf Gazibegović.

“We have a problem with Nihad Mujakić. He is in an unenviable situation at Partizan, but as I said, these are guys who deserve attention and support. That's why they are on the list. You see what can happen in two or three weeks. That's why it's very important that he is with us and feels part of the group because he has been here from the beginning.

Midfield: Armin Gigović, Benjamin Tahirović, Ivan Bašić, Ivan Šunjić, Haris Hajradinović, Ifet Đakovac, Denis Huseinbašić

“There is a bit of disappointment here with Benjamin because he wasn't in the squad. It has a bit more to do with off-field activities and the club's thinking. He is also a regular in this procedure and in responding to call-ups. A guy who deserves attention and will be part of it as long as I am here. A new name is Ivan Šunjić, a player from Pafos, who has perhaps interested me from the beginning. We haven't had the opportunity to make it concrete until now. He has qualities, and we don't have a true "number six" who will be of great importance to us in our future considerations. Especially in terms of holding position and protecting other positions. I was recently in Cyprus and thought about him,” said Barbarez.

Attack: Edin Džeko, Ermedin Demirović, Esmir Bajraktarević, Haris Tabaković, Samed Baždar, Luka Kulenović

The coach was also asked if he had been following players from the Premier League.

“I am really allergic to these things. There are 26 players we have considered, and now other guys are being mentioned. I consider that an insult first, and it is disrespectful to these guys. This is not about my whim to call this one or that one. This is what I think they deserved calls for, and I ask you to stick to talking about those who are on the list,” said coach Barbarez.

What will be the goal in the matches against the Netherlands and Germany?

“We wanted to win points in the first match in the Netherlands as well. That's normal, we want to win every match regardless of who you play against. There is a dose of reality that we are showing, and we shouldn't lose sight of that. We have an idea, new players will give us quality. There is also pressure on the players to postpone things and to focus on entering the top 23, and later the top 11. Will there be new things? With these players, we have some ideas. We'll see who will be competing for the match, nothing is guaranteed for anyone, of course. This rhythm of three days from match to match brings its strengths and its losses. We will think about that, there will certainly be changes to the team. To be simply one hundred percent in both matches,” said the Dragons' coach.

The coach was also asked if the support would remain even though we haven't had a win for over a year.

“The phrase 'still expecting' grates on me a bit. Everything here is voluntary. An impression needs to be created about something. When you look at where we are and what we have and what opponents we have. How we present ourselves and our transparency, I think it would be normal for support to be there. I get daily feedback from the street that people's attitude towards me and their opinion is more than satisfactory. That leads me to believe we are doing a good job. The results are not there, but that was communicated at the beginning, and I think it's foolish to expect certain things. We made a cut, there are many new players. It needs to be integrated. In four official matches, I don't think anyone has managed to do that,” said Barbarez, and then he also commented on the list with five forwards:

“We need four to five strikers. We have often played with two and saw that against Hungary and Germany, when we were looking for a result, another striker would have been useful. I am satisfied, and Esmir can also play on the wing, as a "number ten". From this perspective, five forwards are okay, and we have to consider the fact that Edin won't be here forever. We need to prepare someone for that period. It can happen in winter or summer. It depends on him.”

He also commented on the new players.

“Every name brings new ideas. We believe they can all bring progress. As for Ivan, he has been here for a long time because I like his positional play. He can free up a lot of work for other midfielders. In four matches, a lot can change. Nikola recently said he has never played in the same formation. Sejo didn't play in the June term, Adrian wasn't here now. It's not that we changed it, but we had to change things. It's the same in midfield. There will be things and ideas, especially because Benjamin will certainly not be able to play two matches. I am satisfied with the players we have to show. I hope we will be tactically prepared,” said the coach.

The coach also spoke about Samed Baždar.

“A guy we have been following for a long time. Spahić did a lot of work. He was in Spain a couple of times. We talked, we discussed. We know his path, even though he is only 20 years old. Good progress, a good decision for me, very brave. He went to the second league, signed a five-year contract. He fought his way through from the start. He deserves a chance not only football-wise but also character-wise. We hope the paperwork will be in order and that he will be available in Germany,” emphasized Barbarez.

The BiH footballers will gather on November 11 in Karlsruhe.

The Dragons will play against Germany on November 16 in Freiburg, while three days later the match against the Netherlands team will be played at Bilino Polje.

(N1)