Promising Serbia must keep their feet on the ground

13 Sep 2012, 12:11 am   -   Source: Reuters

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia's emphatic 6-1 win over a lacklustre Wales in Tuesday's World Cup qualifier has lifted the spirits of the Balkan nation but their senior players are wary of getting too carried away.

BELGRADE (Reuters) - Serbia's emphatic 6-1 win over a lacklustre Wales in Tuesday's World Cup qualifier has lifted the spirits of the Balkan nation but their senior players are wary of getting too carried away.

Captain Branislav Ivanovic and Aleksandar Kolarov, one of four Serbians to open their international account with a goal against the hapless Welsh, know they must help guide their exciting, young team through the 2014 qualifiers.

"We won't let the young players lose the plot and the idea is to make sure they keep their feet on the ground and continue to work hard, because we have to take it one game at a time," said experienced Chelsea defender Ivanovic.

Manchester City's versatile Kolarov, who finally scored for his country after 35 internationals, added that consistency rather than sporadic moments of flair would be the key in a tough Group A that also includes Belgium, Croatia and Macedonia.

"You know how it is with young players, one day they are brilliant and the next they are nowhere to be seen if they start basking in glory," said Kolarov.

"It's up to the senior players to educate them. Of course, we are all delighted with the 6-1 win over Wales but I'd always swap it for six 1-0 wins and we must avoid resting on our laurels."

Having endured a five-game winless streak after Sinisa Mihajlovic took over as coach in May, including a turgid 0-0 draw away to Scotland in their first qualifier on Friday, Serbia celebrated their biggest win as an independent nation.

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Mihajlovic has stuck by his young players and the gamble finally paid off in the thrashing of Wales.

"I am happy for the lads. They have taken a huge weight off their backs but it's essential to carry on in the right direction in the challenging times which lie ahead for this young team," said the 43-year-old Mihajlovic.

Strikers Lazar Markovic and Filip Djuricic, one of the six scorers on Tuesday, can still play for an under-21 side who trounced Macedonia 5-1 on Monday to secure a Euro 2013 playoff berth, suggesting there is a rich supply of young talent.

Dutch-based wingers Dusan Tadic and Miralem Sulejmani, still in their early 20s, were also impressive alongside defender Matija Nastasic, 19, whose performances for Fiorentina earned him a close-season move to English champions Manchester City.

Serbia's future looked gloomy after they missed out on Euro 2012 and there were few signs of improvement when Mihajlovic took over as they scored once while conceding six goals, looking lost in three defeats and a draw in mid-season friendlies.

Having criticised his team for not being bold enough in their opening qualifier with Scotland, Mihajlovic acknowledged Serbia's next group game at home to Belgium on October 12 would be the first real test of their prospects of reaching the finals.

"It's nice to be top of the group, albeit on goal difference, but it matters where we stand at the end of the road to Brazil," he said with Serbia level on four points with Belgium and Croatia ahead of Scotland on two after two games.

(Editing by Tom Pilcher)

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