MYTANAR TOP LEAGUE 37/38 SEASON PREVIEW PART FOUR.
-- by Nevenka Planinc, Dalibor Kosec, Cerim Jovic and Irma Simunec
ENERGIJA-NUKLEARNA
Location: Miago, Vojovitica
Stadium: Miagostadion (Capacity: 50,000)
Manager: Zdeslav Nesic, 61, 7th season in charge; T: possession, R: developer, P: ambitious
Club synopsis: Energija-Nuklearna are a historic Mytanar club who many consider to have underperformed in terms of success relative to their size in the past. For a long time they were one of the four ever-present Top League teams, though that particular streak was broken with their relegation in the 30/31 campaign, much to the glee of still ever-present rivals CDSA (Energija-Nuklearna like to lord their two Top League titles over CDSA, though). Their historic financial difficulties have made it a semi-official club policy to be almost entirely averse to buying players and they rely on their fantastic youth academy as much as possible. As a club they are inextricably linked with Miago's coal and nuclear power stations with workers from the energy sector founding the team - there's an irony in the fact that Miago's air pollution is the worst in the country. They aren't particularly well-liked outside of their home city, many see them as self-important without the success to back it up and lots of clubs with left-wing links despise Energija-Nuklearna due to their ultras' well-documented far-right sympathies.
Fanbase: They have a large fanbase across Mytanija, drawing supporters from all over the country given the way they bounced back from financial difficulties to win the league in the 18/19 season. For the most part their supporters are considered to be working-class and with Miago being a one-club city Energija-Nuklearna are often the talk of the town and people in all professions can be found discussing the team's fortunes as they go about their day-to-day work. This rather ramps the pressure up for the manager, with expectations usually being quite high. Grolija are the club's largest ultras group and they hold incredible sway behind the scenes regarding all sorts of decisions which affect the club's future. Grolija are infamous for their right-wing political beliefs and can often be seen raising fascist salutes and chanting about how they'd like to eradicate all Thessians and Rauchiks in their sector at the Miagostadion.
Rivals: CDSA (North Vojovitican Derby); Liria Prizren (regional); 1896 Ebor (historic); Atletik Thessia (political)
Facilities: Stadium ★★★ / Pitch ★★★ / Training facilities ★★★ / Youth academy ★★★★★
Recruitment: Financial power ★★★ / Scouting ★★ / Youth recruitment ★★★★★
Sponsors: Kikinda (confectionery)
Major honours: 2 x Mytanar Top Leagues (06/07, 18/19); 2 x National Cups (15/16, 17/18)
GAZETA SPORTA SEASON PREVIEW by Irma Simunec
• Where do Energija-Nuklearna stand ahead of the 37/38 season?
Energija-Nuklearna eventually secured their top-flight status last term, leaving it late to create the four-point gap which gave a bigger illusion of safety than that which existed for much of the season. Their final-day victory over Lok. Cassia was a proverbial six-pointer and Zdeslav Nesic used all his experience to ensure that he could relegate his rivals with a 2-0 win. Nesic was growing a little frustrated with the club’s lack of willingness to spend in the transfer market, feeling that they were limiting their own potential when he had developed sides at a much more competitive level in the past. He enjoys a good relationship with the club’s support, too, so heading into the summer there was a growing sense of pressure on the club’s board to release some funds for Nesic to put his own stamp on the starting eleven. Before the summer we wrote that this funding didn’t ‘seem possible at Energija-Nuklearna right now, barring a big change of approach’, and well, that change of approach has happened. Read on to find out how.
Energija-Nuklearna had spent very little since they had won promotion back to Mytanar football’s top-flight but given the pressure from the club’s influential fanbase and from Nesic himself the club’s board eventually relented and announced that funds would be available to spend in the summer. They also said that four or five players, those deemed surplus to requirements, would have to depart to help to fund some of the incomings. Nesic was ruthless in his approach, allowing Imanuel Bacic, Dejan Jovev, Emanuele Manzo and Stjepan Viskovic to leave for a combined total of NSD 1.2 million. That helped to fund the NSD 3 million of signings the club made in the summer, accounting for three players. First, they went to the club they helped to relegate on the last day of last season, bringing in Sargossan international Milagros Fernán to play as starting left-back. That is a huge signing, one which improves their first team immediately. They then entered the market for a forward and Nesic decided on Tikariot-born Mytanar Enver Drca, joining from Parakleion Firebirds. In defensive midfield they made the ambition signing of Eleanorian 21-year-old Sylvia Hollenberg, another international and another whose ability should allow Energija-Nuklearna to make the step forward that Nesic wanted. The club’s notoriously right-wing fans are understood to be unhappy with both of the latter two signings, Hollenberg as both a foreigner and as a woman; and Drca due to his Thessian heritage. Grolija interestingly love both Sargossans who are in the squad, the Mytanar Conflict backing for Kalinina from Sargossa and the related ethnic tensions still being playing a part in the political views of Mytanar ultras groups.
GAZETA SPORTA WRITERS' PREDICTION: 11TH – Nesic got what he wanted, Energija-Nuklearna invested, and they have made two signings in particular which have improved the overall level of their squad. Milagros Fernan and Sylvia Hollenberg are players who wouldn’t look out of place in top-half squads and Nesic’s eye for talent remains at a level to identify these sorts of players. Enver Drca is a little bit more of a gamble, both because he’s unproven anywhere (not overly impressing whilst in Tikariot); and because the Energija-Nuklearna fans may not accept him due to his Thessian heritage. It’s interesting that Drca was prepared to make the move to Miago, few individuals of Thessian background have played for Energija-Nuklearna in recent years (though Nedzad Cengic has slowly worn down the supporters since arriving from Atletik). Hopefully Drca is allowed to go about his work peacefully and will receive backing from his club’s supporters. We expect to see Energija-Nuklearna much higher up the table this season, relegation shouldn’t be a worry for them and Nesic should be able to start getting the club to the sort of level he’s desired to compete at since joining the Miago side – a bit of a sleeping giant of Mytanar football.
ARKA
Location: Snezhnaya, Visoravna
Stadium: Arka Park (Capacity: 32,000)
Manager: Mijat Krstic, 56, 4th season in charge; T: tinkerman, R: merchant, P: perfectionist
Club synopsis: Arka have a strong regional presence in Visoravna and for a long time were regarded as the best-run club in Mytanija due to their focus on sustainable finances. They use their world class scouting networks to identify talent other clubs don't and then they set about improving those players before selling them on for a profit. It has allowed Arka to become one of the most financially stable clubs in Mytanija. Their fanbase identify strongly with a possession-based approach which the club have implemented across all age-levels, you will find Arka's youth teams all playing the same way as the first team and that eases the transition to the senior game for academy graduates. They were traditionally well-respected across the country for how their club is run and particularly for winning a couple of titles without ever changing their principles or breaking the bank and risking the club's future as some other teams have done, though in more recent times the lack of investment has directly led to disappointing results.
Fanbase: A fanbase which is mostly limited to Arka's home region of Visoravna and has strong links to Snezhnaya's sea-related industries, they're known for filling out the thrillingly modern Arka Park and making it a hostile venue for opposing teams to come to. The thing they get most frustrated about is the club's board not reinvesting money on the pitch when they sell some of their better players; given how well-run the club is there isn't the same need to sell players like other clubs, so when that happens the supporters want to see money spent to ensure the squad doesn't fall back. The board's penny-pinching can grate, but there isn't pressure for success as there is at some other clubs. Krivulja Sjever are the club's main ultras group, they're formally apolitical with their main focus being supporting Arka away from any political stances, they are known to enjoy a bit of hooliganism though and particularly when they meet 1896 Ebor.
Rivals: 1896 Ebor (Northern Derby)
Facilities: Stadium ★★★★ / Pitch ★★★★★ / Training facilities ★★★★ / Youth academy ★★
Recruitment: Financial power ★★★ / Scouting ★★★★★ / Youth recruitment ★★
Sponsors: Plazibat Plovidba (shipping)
Major honours: 2 x Mytanar Top Leagues (16/17, 17/18); 1 x National Cup (16/17)
GAZETA SPORTA SEASON PREVIEW by Dalibor Kosec
• Where do Arka stand ahead of the 37/38 season?
Arka Snezhnaya return to the Top League as Druga Liga champions after three seasons, Mijat Krstic was under enormous pressure last season after two mid-table campaigns in the second tier, but he delivered incredibly by winning the title in an almighty tussle with Dinamo Esca, JK Ebor and SK Elita Ryzaev. Krstic has retained the 4-3-1-2 formation Arka have become known for down the years, but he tinkers with exactly how it is set-up out on the pitch quite regularly. That has allowed Arka some flexibility on the pitch and means that they can counter different opponents to try and maximise their chances of winning. It can make them a little reactive, but Arka did that very well whilst in the second tier, the real challenge will be making that step up to the higher quality of Top League competition.
Krstic has gone straight in for proven top-flight experience in the transfer market, an approach which most people would back when you know that you’re going to be in a relegation dogfight and when you have a number of young players both in your starting line-up and on the bench already. Arka’s youth system remains one of the strongest in the country. Bruno Ozmec is probably the pick of the incoming transfers, Liria still wanted NSD 1 million for the 31-year-old, demonstrating that they still rated him enough to demand a relatively sizeable fee by Mytanar standards. Ozmec will be key in controlling the flow of games, but may also be expected to do a bit of Tahir Fejzuli’s running in midfield with the Arka and Mytanija legend hitting his 40th birthday ahead of the new campaign. The additions of Sime Krolo and Braco Evic bolster Arka’s central defensive options, Krolo is expected to start but they’re fairly interchangeable with years of top-flight experience making them ideal to have around this squad.
GAZETA SPORTA WRITERS' PREDICTION: 14TH - Arka has a real lack of quality available on the bench and you would worry about where goals are going to come from, but those two facts aside this looks a relatively solid line-up. Janez Anlovar is probably the best young goalkeeper in Mytanija, already snapped up by Atletik as a long-term replacement for Deliang Zhao and loaned back to Arka to gain experience. They have a mix of experience and young talent throughout the side, Tahir Fejzuli is still technically proficient despite not having the same energy levels but he’ll no doubt embarrass a defender or two with his dribbling and his passing remains as good as ever. Sime Krolo adds bags of experience to a talented young backline, 20-year-old Kemal Bajc-Zohar should learn a lot from him whilst full-backs Vogrin and Zivkovic should grow into solid contributors in the top division. Ozmec is a fantastic addition for a side battling relegation, returning to his boyhood club and wanting to help them to stay up. As mentioned, the main worry is goals, Anton-Dusan Straka is another 40-year-old and Nermin Crnkic has never really showed enough in the early stages of his career. Krstic can call upon a number of talented youngsters throughout his side, Arne Repnik might be the most high-profile, but there’s also Muharem Lubej, Azbe Lebar and Muhamed Hudorovac coming through.
DINAMO
Location: Votavova, Esca, Zentria
Stadium: Kotrba (Capacity: 55,000)
Manager: Adel Gudelj, 50, 2nd season in charge; T: tinkerman, R: resourceful, P: charismatic
Club synopsis: A historically well-supported club which challenged the upper echelon of Mytanar football for much of the first 20 years of professional competition, but which has fallen onto hard times since then, spending the next decade and a half in the second tier. Dinamo play at one of the largest stadiums in the country, the 55,000-capacity Kotrba a vision of a bygone era, hulking out of the Votavova neighbourhood with its rusting metal and red asphalt running track. Even in Dinamo’s heyday they didn’t manage to bring too many trophies back here, with only a single National Cup in their trophy cabinet despite being the capital’s best supported club for much of that time. 1923 Esca and Litala ’93 have since levelled the playing field, with Dinamo holding a political antagonism with the former and a friendship with the latter. Dinamo are perhaps the only club in Mytanija which currently uses two badges simultaneously, the stylised ‘D’ on their shirt and the Escan lion and anchor as their official club logo – representing their close connections to Esca’s dockworkers.
Fanbase: Dinamo have a large fanbase in Mytanija’s capital, forming a bit of a ‘big three’ alongside 1923 Esca and Litala ’93 in the city. Their fans are renowned for their patience, perhaps in direct comparison to the noisiness of 1923 Esca’s support, with Dinamo fans usually happy to endure mediocrity as long as they can see some good football and players from their youth system in the first team. Their supporters are firmly left-wing, with ultras group Jedinica Crvena holding friendships with Atletik’s Kippax Ofras among others. Dinamo and their fans hail from the poor Votavova neighbourhood, sometimes called the birthplace of Mytanar communism, and they are inextricably linked to Esca’s docks, with many employed as dockers unloading cargo from the ships which travel up the river into the heart of the capital.
Rivals: Zenit (Votavova Derby); BVK Dinamo (local/political)
Facilities: Stadium ★★★ / Pitch ★★★ / Training facilities ★★★ / Youth academy ★★★
Recruitment: Financial power ★★ / Scouting ★★ / Youth recruitment ★★★
Sponsors: Back of the Net Football (Tumbran video game)
Major honours: 1 x National Cup (12/13)
GAZETA SPORTA SEASON PREVIEW by Nevenka Planinc
• Where do Dinamo stand ahead of the 37/38 season?
Adel Gudelj had a tough job replacing the well-liked Misa Gavrilovic when he departed for the vacant manager’s position at Litala 93. It was a move which completed something of a loop, Gudelj’s departure from Liria opened up a position for Litala 93’s Luca Zagorc, which opened up a position taken by Dinamo’s Misa Gavrilovic, who Gudelj eventually replaced. Gudelj did well in his debut season, gaining promotion by finishing 2nd in the Druga Liga behind Arka Snezhnaya and running them extremely close for the league title. Gudelj didn’t change too much, moving away from the 4-3-1-2 which he had been coached in as a player and then implemented himself as manager at Liria. He kept the 5-2-1-2 in place which the personnel at Dinamo knew well and the players appeared to benefit from that. Darko Sejmenovic had an outstanding campaign in the number ten position and Vukasin Alempijevic helped himself to the Golden Boot. Gudelj can be very pleased with his first year at Dinamo, the second year might be altogether more difficult as he tries to harness the Kotrba atmosphere in what is likely to be a year-long relegation battle.
Gudelj was extremely active in the transfer market, attempting to both bolster Dinamo’s bench, overall experience and make one or two additions which could actually improve their starting line-up too. He might have failed in the last aim, though there’s no doubt they have a better bench and a lot more experience around their squad following the transfer window as no fewer than six players arrived in the capital. Vlado Arzhentinski is the one who will step straight into the starting eleven, the 33-year-old creator likely to play alongside Jesper Nygren in the middle of the park. Dragisa Alagic will want to challenge Alempijevic and Injac for a starting spot if he can, still believing he has lots to give in his career. Vedran Radolovic was a cheap addition for NSD 250,000 from Turbine Dekra, but he might end up playing the most games from the bench out of Dinamo’s new signings. The 25-year-old might step-in for any of Brkic, Henicheski or Blazevic over the course of the season.
GAZETA SPORTA WRITERS' PREDICTION: 15TH - Whether Dinamo succeed this season or not can be measured by simply looking at the table at the end of the season and seeing if they have stayed up. That will decide if their approach this summer, signing lots of experienced players who are perhaps past their best, has worked or not. Few would say that Zdevko Tosor, Zvonko Nestorovski or Dario Gvetadze are Top League players at this stage of their careers and some Dinamo supporters were a little disappointed that the club decided to use the money spent on those three free transfers wages and signing-on fees instead of looking to sign one more player who could make a real difference to their starting line-up. They’ll need a lot from their key players: Lazar Mladenovic, Jesper Nygren, Darko Sejmenovic and Vukasin Alempijevic. If they can’t contribute in a similar fashion to the way they did in the second tier then it might be a long season for the Votavova side.
JK EBOR
Location: Skocjan, Ebor, Visoravna
Stadium: Skocjan (Capacity: 12,500)
Manager: Sasko Jamnic, 44, 8th season in charge; T: regimented, R: resourceful, P: spirited
Club synopsis: JK Ebor started as a sailing club in Mytanija’s largest northern city, they decided to start playing football recreationally before joining the professional pyramid and offering a different option to the city’s population than that offered by giants 1896 Ebor. Where 1896 are regarded as the club of the people of Ebor, JK are perhaps seen more as the club of the city’s upper classes, although you won’t see too many of them at the rather derelict Skocjan supporting the team. Instead, they might be found on Ebor Marina, sipping sparkling wine from glassware which costs more than the average Mytanar takes home in a month as they watch boat races on the water. Your average fan of JK Ebor’s football department does not exactly follow this stereotype, however, football is sometimes seen as uncouth among the Mytanar upper class. JK Ebor’s rise through the divisions has been impressive, getting promoted to the Druga Liga for the first time in the 32/33 campaign and only taking two more years to reach the Top League for the first time ever on top of that.
Fanbase: There is a definite dichotomy between how JK Ebor’s supporters are regarded outside of the club and what they are actually like. Being founded as a sailing club perhaps consigns you to this fate, with sailing almost entirely being the preserve of the rich in Mytanija. Those who associate with JK Ebor for sailing probably do fit the stereotype, though most fans of the football team are no different to football fans across the country. Given the dominance of 1896 Ebor within the city, it is perhaps no surprise to note that JK Ebor’s supporters mostly hail from Skocjan neighbourhood and its surrounding areas. Skocjan is an affluent area, albeit with pockets of immense poverty alongside richer counterparts (the workers must live somewhere, right?). JK Ebor’s ultras group Obalna Posadka are mostly apolitical like the rest of their fanbase and the club’s main rivalry is with SK Elita Ryzaev, another Ebor team they have played regularly in the lower divisions. There isn’t really a rivalry with 1896 Ebor due to the fact the teams have rarely played one another – though you can be sure that they will want to get one over the city’s biggest club given the opportunity!
Rivals: SK Elita Ryzaev (local/competitive)
Facilities: Stadium ★ / Pitch ★ / Training facilities ★★ / Youth academy ★★
Recruitment: Financial power ★ / Scouting ★ / Youth recruitment ★★
Sponsors: Skarraborgs Hantverksbryggeri (Tikariotian craft beer)
Major honours: none
GAZETA SPORTA SEASON PREVIEW by Dalibor Kosec
• Where do JK Ebor stand ahead of the 37/38 season?
Sasko Jamnic has been at JK Ebor for a long time, 8 seasons already, and he managed to help his side bounce straight back from their disappointing relegation last season which has further burnished his reputation at Skocjan. Last term they finished 3rd in the second tier, a mere three points off what would have been a famous league title. When they were relegated from the top-flight few would have expected to see them back in the top division so soon, but Jamnic has demonstrated that he can build and then rebuild sides on a shoestring budget and continue to succeed no matter who he has at his disposal. He’s also done a good job at convincing key players to stick with him, too, invaluable when you don’t have much money to go out and buy replacements.
JK Ebor were frugal in the market, only spending NSD 500,000 and bringing in three players. That entire amount of money was spent on Robert Jelcic, bringing him in from Pretia Prizren and providing them with cover in the heart of defence whilst also being one for the future. Should they be relegated and one of their starters depart, Jelcic will be able to step-up, and you’d imagine at Druga Liga level – a level he’s already impressed at – he could get them promoted once again. Good work from JK Ebor. Josip Cermelj and Isak Vennerod arrive on free transfers, Vennerod goes straight into their starting eleven and improves their team whilst they wait for young Mesud Kozar to develop a little further.
GAZETA SPORTA WRITERS' PREDICTION: 16TH - Whilst Jamnic has done so much good work at one of Ebor’s lesser sides (who are we kidding? Everyone is a lesser side in Ebor with 1896 Ebor towering over them), it’s difficult to see how he might keep this squad of players up. They are the weakest across their starting line-up and in terms of their back-up options, so whilst Jamnic has done fantastically to get them back to the top-flight he’s going to have to perform a miracle to keep them there. They have a lack of quality in the final third and have unfortunately reached a point where Dalibor Vlahovic is starting to decline in the centre of midfield too. It’s unclear if they’ll be able to retain possession long enough to offer their defence – probably the strongest area of their team – any respite. Jamnic will likely just want to continue to blood his younger players in the same way he did in JK Ebor’s previous spell in the top division, giving them experience and hoping that he can have another bite at the Top League cherry (when it has become the 1. Prvenstvo), in a couple of years’ time.
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