Former Serbian international Nemanja Matić gave a candid response to Italian media about the current state of football in his country. He also addressed the alleged conflict with Siniša Mihajlović, sharing an interesting story about their “reconciliation.”
There had been speculation that the midfielder and Mihajlović were on bad terms due to a disagreement while the legendary coach was Serbia’s national team manager. However, Matić denied this.
“No, those are empty stories someone spread. Mihajlović usually called up 30 players, but I was the fifth choice in midfield and didn’t play a single minute in the first three matches. I told one of the assistants that I didn’t want to be called again, for me it was a waste of time. Journalists, surprised by my absence, asked Siniša why that was. He replied that I had to apologize, and after that, we didn’t talk. There was nothing personal,” the 37-year-old told Gazzetta.
The reconciliation happened quickly, for the greater goal and success of the “Eagles.”
“A year and a half later, he called me to return. We went to dinner and first he put on his usual stern expression. I tried to explain my reasons, but he interrupted me with a smile and said, ‘Relax, I don’t care about the past. You have to come back to the national team; we can’t lose to Croatia.’ We weren’t defeated, it ended 1-1.”
Serbia has recently recorded weaker results than before, with fewer players competing at top clubs. There are no longer individuals like Matić, Ivanović, Vidić, Stanković, Kolarov, or Subotić…
“Simply put, we lack quality. Our youth academies have been producing players with noticeably less talent than before for too long. Politics entered football and brought desperate results.”
After successful spells at Benfica, Chelsea, Manchester United, Roma, Rennes, and Lyon, Matić took over at Sassuolo. With his help, the club reached eighth place in the table—a result that even the biggest optimists in Emilia-Romagna did not expect.
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