1. PRVENSTVO 40/41 SEASON PREVIEW PART THREE.
-- by Nevenka Planinc, Dalibor Kosec, Cerim Jovic and Irma Simunec
CDSA
Location: Dekra, Vojovitica
Stadium: Psenicova (Capacity: 43,000)
Manager: Elaine Everdeen [EQS], 50, 7th season in charge; T: possession, R: developer, P: perfectionist
Club synopsis: Now one of only three teams that has never played outside or been relegated from the Mytanar Top League due to rivals' Energija-Nuklearna's relegation, CDSA are regarded as one of Mytanar football's traditional clubs despite never really having a sustained period of success to be able to point to. They are a team that was historically linked with the military, a heritage that has long been cast-off as CDSA are now one of the most staunchly left-wing clubs in the country (a thread which runs through everything they do, running their own social programmes and regularly being involved in charitable causes). CDSA have never really subscribed to a specific style of play, but they have long been regarded as one of the best clubs for producing young talent - especially skillful attacking midfielders. CDSA are a club which have many fan friendships and fierce rivalries around Mytanija due to their left-wing politics, but they are also largely respected across the board due to their traditions and history.
Fanbase: CDSA's moderately sized fanbase is drawn from a wide mix of socioeconomic backgrounds, but is generally considered to be middle-class - a stereotype which is reflective of Dekra being a city that is home to multiple universities. CDSA's supporters are very proud of the fact their club has never been relegated from the Top League and of the team's uncanny ability to keep producing quality young players. Their supporters love to see a local kid given a chance in the starting line-up. Expectations at the club mostly stay quite low, the fans are happy enough as long as their club are doing good deeds and their ever-present top-flight status isn't under threat. Lijeva are the club's largest ultras group and they are fiercely left-wing. They can be violent, particularly when it comes to fixtures against clubs whose ultras groups hold opposing political views.
Rivals: Energija-Nuklearna (North Vojovitican Derby); Turbine Dekra (local); 1923 Esca (political); Lok. Cassia (political)
Facilities: Stadium ★★★★ / Pitch ★★★ / Training facilities ★★★ / Youth academy ★★★★
Recruitment: Financial power ★★★ / Scouting ★★ / Youth recruitment ★★★
Sponsors: Zuanshi (Yueren alcohol)
Major honours: 2 x National Cups (06/07, 19/20)
GAZETA SPORTA SEASON PREVIEW by Dalibor Kosec
GAZETA SPORTA WRITERS' PREDICTION: 9th
LAST SEASON'S POSITION: 9th
Insight
• CDSA had an average season, one which they were happy to have, not every year can be one where the Dekra club punch above their weight. Juan Esteban Collazo continued to impress from his central midfield berth, whilst Gojmir Antonov emerged as a real talent in central defence. Dinko Babok took a step forward, with his link-up play being of the highest standard, the big thing for the towering striker is to add a handful more goals to his game. If he can find the net 5-6 times more per season then his all-around game will get him into Mytanija national team squads, with his size and presence in and around the opposition penalty area making him a really difficult opponent to combat. Elaine Everdeen had a busy summer, with the retirements of veteran goalkeeper Visa Marinkovic and Nepharan midfielder Laura Rustu already leaving work to do in filling out the squad for the new campaign. The departure of Gojmir Antonov, off the back of a good season, to Damogran for NSD 3 million would have been more damaging had it not been for the club preparing Frane Lipus as his replacement last summer. A set of loans out of the club for youngsters Mesic, Rasgado and Zoric are hoped to provide them with experience which should allow them to come back and contribute in the future. Incoming moves were mostly about providing rotation options, with Jelena Jashev returning to the club for a cut-price NSD 1.5 million; Mitse Gioshev arriving to bolster the midfield for NSD 1.25 million; and Lin Ipavec coming in to provide cover for starting goalkeeper Slobodan Ivanovic. It might not be the finest vintage of CDSA, but under Everdeen they always seem to get the job done one way or another, so don’t be surprised if they perform considerably above expectations this season.
The manager
• Elaine Everdeen can seemingly draw blood from a stone at CDSA. Slavko Jelic was a bit like that too, so perhaps it is something in the club culture, but for Everdeen it is something of a specialty. Just when CDSA look like they might be looking nervously over their shoulders, perhaps worried about being drawn into a relegation battle, she seems to get them playing well again. Sometimes it’s a new player coming into the team to improve their level, sometimes it’s a slight change in their approach, but Everdeen has a great sense for it and whilst the 3-1-4-2 shape rarely changes there have been numerous different methods utilised within that shape. It also doesn’t seem to matter too much who CDSA sell, with new solutions found no matter which personnel she has at her disposal. Everdeen could find herself in contention for jobs at clubs higher up the table should they come available, and it’s perhaps a bit of a surprise that 1896 Ebor didn’t take a closer look when deciding who would succeed Tana Colbright this summer. The Dekra club’s fans will be happy they didn’t, she’s their leader for another year.
The focal point
• Sargossan-Mytanar midfielder Juan Esteban Collazo is the heartbeat of this team. He wears the captain’s armband and he’s a product of the club’s youth system. CDSA supporters love him dearly and if he were to leave it would be a very painful exit indeed, perhaps even more painful than when Ismet Zmiric and Nnamdi Lusamba left. Collazo has never given the impression that he’d one day prefer to play elsewhere, instead seeming like he would bleed green-and-blue if cut open. He’s something of a rarity in modern football, a real box-to-box midfielder who provides plenty of energy in the centre of the pitch and who can affect the game in both penalty areas. Collazo’s shooting is excellent and his goals from midfield seem to come at just the right time, too, allowing CDSA to turn results on their head with a swish of his right foot. The 27-year-old is crucial to everything CDSA do and his level largely dictates their direction. If he’s in form CDSA can overperform, conversely if opponents find a way to stop him or slow him down then CDSA’s fate is likely to be less positive.
One to watch
• CDSA have been looking for a consistent goal scorer for a number of years and whilst we know what to expect from Dinko Babok at this point he’s perhaps not quite the one to fulfil that role, although he’s still only young and could see improvement. Instead, this season, we think Áshildur Sigmarsdóttir could be the one to take the step forward and fill that position for Elaine Everdeen’s side. Sigmarsdóttir comes with good pedigree, Mytanars are familiar with Pasarga’s teams and national side and they regularly produce very talented footballers. She could be the next one and CDSA’s scouts would have to be credited for that after not really getting too many right in recent years.
Commercial outlook
• A popular rebrand for CDSA this summer, with the move towards a new club crest featuring the owl which has always informally been linked with the club, along with a nod towards Dekra’s status as one of the main knowledge centres in the country with the book. Supporters are very pleased with the move, having been involved in the process throughout, and merchandise sales are understood to be through the roof between the seasons as a result. It was the end of the sponsorship deal with KPK this summer and CDSA wasted no time in agreeing a new deal with Yueren alcohol brand Zuanshi. Like a number of teams who have agreed new deals this represents a chance to seek out more favourable terms, but also to broaden the club’s appeal into new markets and with Zuanshi being enormously popular specifically in Yuezhou and across Rushmore the deal could be beneficial to both CDSA and their new sponsor. CDSA are another team who mainly profit from their transfer dealings, they boast one of the most prolific youth academies in Mytanija and regularly sell players for multimillion NSD fees. They have a similar understanding with Atletik to the one which Ararat Severyan benefit from, allowing CDSA to take on talented young players from time-to-time and often a first refusal on sales of players the Thessians are looking to sell. Ezib Salihovic is a club legend who came from Atletik and more recently Martin Deliivanov made the move. It’s an informal understanding which works out for the club financially – when Atletik pay for their players – and on the pitch.
OLYMPIC
Location: Zenit Toranj, Thessia, Thessia
Stadium: Novi Kaunostadion (Capacity: 54,000)
Manager: Emil Jefak, 65, 18th season in charge; T: counter, R: developer, P: perfectionist
Club synopsis: Olympic Thessia are an extremely proud club who retain a local feel which few clubs can match despite being from Mytanija's most populous city and having a large fanbase. Long known for being Atletik's less successful sibling they have stepped out of the shadows in recent years by sticking to their principles and continuing to develop their links to their local community despite the increasing globalisation of football. This has manifested itself in a starting line-up which almost always has a couple of Thessian lads who have come up through the club's academy and more often than not happen to be supporters of Olympic too. They're a club with growing financial power, but this doesn't mean they are free-spending as they try to be smart with their scouting and find players that other clubs are not looking at for cheaper fees.
Fanbase: They have a large and passionate local fanbase and a growing fanbase across Mytanija as people enjoy the way Olympic conduct themselves as a club which is determined to maintain its ties to its local community. It is notoriously difficult to get tickets to an Olympic game with local fans filling the Novi Kaunostadion to the brim and leading to extremely lengthy season ticket waiting lists. Like most Thessians Olympic fans are mostly left-wing and extremely proud of this fact, with socialist and antifascist symbols being commonplace at their games. Their ultras group, the Kaunosgrupa are well-regarded for their choreographies before games and are known for making home games a cauldron for the opposition. In terms of expectations Olympic's fans are very patient - having had to be during most of their history - as long as they can get one over Atletik with some regularity there isn't usually too much pressure on the manager.
Rivals: Atletik Thessia (Eternal Derby); Tekstil Ibon (regional)
Facilities: Stadium ★★★★ / Pitch ★★★ / Training facilities ★★★ / Youth academy ★★★★
Recruitment: Financial power ★★ / Scouting ★★ / Youth recruitment ★★★
Sponsors: Kafa (coffeehouses)
Major honours: 1 x Mytanar 1. Prvenstvo (27/28); 1 x National Cup (36/37)
GAZETA SPORTA SEASON PREVIEW by Cerim Jovic
GAZETA SPORTA WRITERS' PREDICTION: 7th
LAST SEASON'S POSITION: 10th
Insight
• For a long time, the mid-table battle was the height of Olympic’s aims, but they’ve got used to fighting at a different level during Emil Jefak’s lengthy reign and that makes 10th a little disappointing for them. Olympic have a lot of good players but sometimes it’s difficult to see what Jefak is trying to build at this point in his tenure, he’s had a very consistent 4-4-2 shape with wingers stationed high up the pitch, but there seems to be a number of disparate parts in the squad now. The sale of Dzafer Mytnjak will not help, with the talented youngster departing for Chromatik side Myana for NSD 10 million. Jefak was happy to have a bit of a clear-out, too, moving Ana Blackwold on for another NSD 3 million and allowing Rahmonberdi Zhusupov to leave for SK Franz Josef City. Dado Prohic has come the other way, arriving from Arka Snezhnaya for NSD 1 million and providing some depth in central defence. Jefak will want to see more from Sergio Pareja, Lihonhegeí Aixenxó, Deni Avdic and Orkény Szegedi in Mytnjak’s absence. Club captain Ava Linfield will also have to show more, albeit entering the latter years of her career, perhaps she’s not quite able to perform at the same stage at this stage? This squad should do better than it did last season, and improvement is the expectation.
The manager
• Emil Jefak enters his 18th season at the club and further increases his record-setting tenure at a single club. It’s not clear that he’d ever stop, and at 65 he might not need to for a good few years yet. The inertia of the early and middle years of his reign has somewhat slowed in recent seasons, with a lot of good players not quite fitting together in the same way that Jefak’s best sides did. He’s had something of a clear-out this season and is perhaps trying to find the right formula with a bit of trial-and-error. Some at Olympic have wondered out loud whether Jefak is still the man for the job, after all this is a squad of very good players and for anyone else 10th might not be acceptable. He does, however, enjoy a lot of credit with the vast majority of the fan base and there’s a feeling that it’s better the devil you know / the grass isn’t always greener. We might only find out once Jefak finally leaves the Novi Kaunostadion.
The focal point
• It’s nearly always Ava Linfield. The Nepharan forward has been one of the best strikers in the 1. Prvenstvo in recent memory, playing for FK Arsika and Olympic to a high standard and endearing herself to supporters of both clubs. She’s great in the box, finishing chances herself, but she’s also absolutely excellent when dropping deeper and acting as an auxiliary creative presence. She acts as a connecting hook between her team’s midfield and attack and can often drop in alongside Sergio Pareja and Merdzan Petkovic to clog up the central midfield area against stronger opposition. She’s heading towards the latter stages of her career at the age of 32, but we have seen players extend their peaks before in this league, so opposition defences better not get too excited just yet.
One to watch
• Given the departure of Dzafer Mytnjak, one of the finest young talents in Mytanija, it can only be his direct replacement Ísbjörn Pettersson. Olympic supporters might have another young talent to be very excited over here. Pettersson is a more traditional full-back, preferring to maraud up the flank and less intent on tucking into midfield and acting as an additional midfielder. The 17-year-old Graentfjaller will overlap Deni Avdic and allow the winger to cut inside more often, which may well turn Avdic into a more regular contributor of goals. That would help Olympic, who have at times been reliant on Linfield in that regard. Graentfjall has produced some of the best footballers in the multiverse over the last twenty years and everybody at Olympic will be hoping that they may have one of the next greats in their ranks in Pettersson.
Commercial outlook
• It’s a live question as to whether Olympic’s summer clear-out was a result of Jefak deciding to move some players on or a genuine need to raise some cash. Clearly, they would not have sold Dzafer Mytnjak if the club’s coffers were overflowing, but it would be something of a surprise if the financial situation had become so perilous so quickly. Olympic have been one of the best-run clubs in the country for a long time in that regard, never living beyond their means and backing Jefak to use his managerial talent to keep them moving forward. The club’s commercial team struck an excellent deal with coffee brand Kafa several years ago, but with each passing year this deal looks slightly less lucrative as rivals agree new ones and this may be something which they look to renegotiate or perhaps shop around for a replacement when it comes up for renewal.
TEKSTIL
Location: Ibon, Thessia
Stadium: Gradski Stadion (Capacity: 25,000)
Manager: Semir Brkljacic, 54, 3rd season in charge; T: regimented, R: developer, P: loyal
Club synopsis: Well-supported if unfashionable club who have spent most of their history in the shadow of larger clubs in their home region. Tekstil are a club that value hard work and a strong work ethic is instilled in all who come through the club's celebrated youth academy. They generally try to rely on their own production line where possible and usually keep a tight-grip on the purse strings which can sometimes limit a manager's ability to improve their team, but the club prefer to rely on their own players instead of buying in ready-made talent from elsewhere. For many Mytanars Tekstil are defined by two things: 1) their inherent link with Ibon's textiles industry, resulting in the club's eponymous name; and 2) the rivalry between the cities of Ibon and Thessia, with Atletik being the main focus of Tekstil (and Ibon's) ire nowadays.
Fanbase: An extremely loyal fan base that have stuck with the club through thick and thin. They have seen their club plumb the depths of the Treća Liga (taking sizeable followings to all sorts of provincial venues in the third tier), but they have also experienced the high of seeing their team lift the National Cup at Radnika. They keep a good perspective on things and follow their team around the country, often not expecting too much. They value hard work above all, symptomatic of their fanbase's working class roots. Their ultras group are known as the Ibon Boys and have a small hooligan element, they have no official political ideology but are known to lean leftwards like many citizens of the Thessia region.
Rivals: Atletik Thessia (Rijeka Derby); Olympic Thessia (regional)
Facilities: Stadium ★★★★ / Pitch ★★★ / Training facilities ★★★ / Youth academy ★★★
Recruitment: Financial power ★★ / Scouting ★★★ / Youth recruitment ★★★
Sponsors: m:tel (telecommunications)
Major honours: 2 x National Cups (18/19, 24/25)
GAZETA SPORTA SEASON PREVIEW by Cerim Jovic
GAZETA SPORTA WRITERS' PREDICTION: 11th
LAST SEASON'S POSITION: 11th
Insight
• Tekstil’s top-flight status is never at risk, though they also don’t seem like they’re going to trouble the heights of IFCF qualification at the moment either. They seem a little stuck in mid-table purgatory and, in some ways, that’s just the way everybody at Gradski Stadion likes it. Last season was notable for two reasons: firstly, the signing of Enis Crnogorcevic paid off handsomely, providing Tekstil with a real creative presence in midfield that they’ve missed for a long time; secondly, Munir Gavric emerged as a real talent and the provider of goals which Tekstil haven’t had since Còmhan Black best couple of years at the club. Black hasn’t been able to keep that up, so Gavric’s goals were important last season and Semir Brkljacic will hope he can continue to provide them going forwards. Heading into the new campaign the signing of Dmitry Eisenhauer could prove inspired, the Polarian forward comes in for NSD 2.25 million with a decent reputation and his physical presence alongside Gavric – no shrinking violet in that regard either – could give opponents multiple problems to deal with. The sale of Huayramarcan central defender Ian Narváez raised some important funds, but it has also weakened the club’s defensive line, certainly a potential issue to keep an eye on throughout the season.
The manager
• Semir Brkljacic was the designated successor to the legendary Emir Saric and has done reasonably well in his first three years at the helm. However, there is a feeling that he lacks the intangible quality which Saric had which allowed him to become such a good leader and take Tekstil to unseen heights. That je ne sais quoi is not something which you can just learn, and as functionally good as Brkljacic has been at keeping Tekstil ticking over, he will perhaps never achieve the feats which Saric could. Tekstil have a very solid line-up right now, but it should also be remembered that Brkljacic doesn’t have a Nebojsa Aleksic, Mehmet Elvahic or Mersudin Smajic to call upon in the manner his predecessor did. If Tekstil can produce players of that standard once again – Munir Gavric perhaps could be one – then we could see Brkljacic taking the club to the same sort of level. We’d probably need to see a bit more from him in tactical terms and in games against superior opposition to have real faith in that outcome.
The focal point
• Can a wingback be your team’s focal point? It’s a tough one, particularly when you have a new signing like Dmitry Eisenhauer or a creative fulcrum like Enis Crnogorcevic in your ranks. But Sacir Milosevic is probably Tekstil’s best player and his story, leaving the club for Audioslavia and then coming back to the club which gave him his first opportunity for the latter stages of his career is one which warms the heart. The right-sided wingback is solid defensively, able to tuck into his five-man defensive unit when Tekstil do not have possession and clogging up the spaces to slow the opposition down, but he’s also a real attacking talent, driving forward with the ball at his feet and drawing in opponents to create space for others. His passing and crossing in the final third is very good, and he has even been known to pop up with the odd goal, his trademark being sneaking in at the back post to head home. Milosevic is a national team level talent and, even at 31, he doesn’t appear to be slowing down. That’s invaluable for a side like Tekstil, who have to get every ounce of talent out of every player, even into the latter stages of their careers.
One to watch
• Everybody wants to see what Dmitry Eisenhauer can do. The experienced striker has played the entirety of his career in his home country, for a long time behind closed doors as The Party kept a tight lid on activities there. The striker is a real physical presence, enjoying the battle with opposition defenders and boasting a powerful shot. Tekstil have done really well to be able to get his signature and will hope that he can form a dangerous partnership with youngster Munir Gavric. The two might complement one another quite well, with Gavric more than able to handle himself physically but being a little more mobile than Eisenhauer. Eisenhauer’s link-up play should benefit Gavric, too. In the past signing a player from SK Franz Josef City would have been a real coup for any Mytanar club. Nowadays it’s perhaps representative of the two leagues that it’s a little less unexpected, but it still remains a coup for Tekstil specifically. They needed a player in that area of the pitch and to sign a national team standard player significantly improves their squad. There’s a lot of Eisenhauer ‘9’ shirts being printed in Ibon and excitement to see what he can produce.
Commercial outlook
• Tekstil have always been a selling club and usually this has amounted to one of their best players departing every three or four years. They continue to chug along despite this, rarely ever dropping their level too much, but it does mean that their aspirations are always curbed slightly. This is an unfortunate necessity of their position in the food chain and the need to guard against potential financial problems – something which much larger clubs have suffered from. A number of clubs must look towards their deal with m:tel enviously, a deal which was a masterstroke when it was agreed – m:tel are the largest telecoms company in Mytanija – and continues to be even now. It’s both a good deal for Tekstil’s bottom line and in terms of the other benefits it provides, m:tel have brought a number of their partners on board with the club too. It might not have made Tekstil one of the most financially powerful clubs in the country, but it has left them in a stronger position than a number of clubs of a similar standing.
ENERGIJA-NUKLEARNA
Location: Miago, Vojovitica
Stadium: Miagostadion (Capacity: 50,000)
Manager: Slava Raspopov, 61, 2nd season in charge; T: possession, R: developer, P: casual
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 1. Prvenstva (06/07, 18/19); 2 x National Cups (15/16, 17/18)
GAZETA SPORTA SEASON PREVIEW by Irma Simunec
GAZETA SPORTA WRITERS' PREDICTION: 12th
LAST SEASON'S POSITION: 12th
Insight
• Energija-Nuklearna’s ultras were not happy with last season, though everybody else was very pleased with the club having a relatively unremarkable campaign. It may have been a step down from qualifying for IFCF competition like they did a couple of years ago, but they finished eight points career of the drop and were comfortably clear of trouble. Grolija are, of course, unusual. They effectively forced all Thessians out of their club and they would still like both Eleanorians in their squad to leave too, their nationalism knowing no bounds and the supposed ‘purity’ of their team seemingly being more important than succeeding. Several managers in a row have struggled to deal with this, at times even pleading with the group to back down and focus on the football, but to no avail. Sylvia Hollenberg and Adam Denby remain at the club and will once again be important in their fortunes. The former in particular is the key player for this side, with her quality in the midfield regularly proving the difference with teams of a similar standard. Keeping her there will be crucial for their hopes of success, though you do have to wonder just how much patience players can exercise in this regard, they want to achieve as much as they can whilst they’re still playing and Grolija impose quite an arbitrary brake on any success with their demands about the club’s playing staff. The power they exert on the club is perhaps unparalleled amongst Mytanar ultras groups, and despite the FSM and even the Policija attempting to curb their influence they continue to dictate the club’s recruitment policies to an almost ludicrous degree.
The manager
• Slava Raspopov did pretty well in his first season. An unremarkable campaign was probably the most he could have asked for, though it was clear that the football was nowhere near as good as that which Zdeslav Nesic had this team playing. Raspopov is not even in the same category as Nesic, but he is willing to manage the club with the constraints set upon him by the club’s board and by Grolija, and that’s pretty much the key requirement of any manager at this point. That’s hardly a recipe for success on the pitch. Hopes amongst some Energija-Nuklearna supporters aren’t particularly high for this campaign, with many wondering what might have been had Nesic still been in charge. Enver Drca might still be at the club for one, how they miss his presence at the top end of the pitch now. Raspopov used his extensive knowledge of the Mytanar 2. Prvenstvo to bring Blagoj Zibrecic to the club from one of the only clubs friendly to Energija-Nuklearna, BVK Dinamo. Zibrecic will go straight into Energija-Nuklearna’s defence. There’s a lack of optimism around the club going into this season and Raspopov being manager and that signing, perhaps slightly unfairly on Zibrecic, rather sums it up.
The focal point
• Eleanorian midfielder Sylvia Hollenberg remains the most important player in this team. If Energija-Nuklearna are to have another comfortable campaign then a lot will depend on Hollenberg playing well and being supported. She’s a dynamic player, one who can get around the pitch well and is physically robust enough to handle herself in the most congested area of the pitch. Although nominally a defensive midfielder she’s also able to contribute in the attacking third, with good passing and the occasional driving run enabling her to break open the opposition’s defensive shape. It’s impressive that she’s remained at the club given the ill-feeling towards her from Grolija, perhaps she’s a glutton for punishment, perhaps she’s just able to tune it all out and focus on her football. Energija-Nuklearna will need her to if they’re to stay out of trouble this season, with the likes of Pamuk Trunca and the promoted sides all ready to prey upon any weakened side above them if the opportunity presents itself.
One to watch
• Where are the goals going to come from in this team? It’s hard to see right now. Ricardo Sculac has never been a consistent goal scorer in his career. A player who can come in and out of a side as part of the supporting cast, able to create chances for others, but never able to score the goals with the regularity needed to hold down a starting role of his own. He’s not about to start now. That makes Adam Denby even more important. Energija-Nuklearna’s other Eleanorian has not had a career in Mytanija of the same standard as his compatriot Hollenberg. He’s acquitted himself well, generally done okay, but he’s never truly impressed like Hollenberg has. It would be a good time to start doing so. Denby was the supporting striker at Olympic, Slava Raspopov could do with him taking a hitherto unforeseen jump to being the main man this season. Denby, at 31, perhaps can’t show the improvement needed, but it would help Energija-Nuklearna if he did. That’s perhaps a bleak thought.
Commercial outlook
• Unfortunately for Energija-Nuklearna’s long-suffering commercial staff the impact of Grolija pretty much having a seat on the board is that the Miago side struggle to get the commercial deals which a club of their size should usually get. Historically speaking, Energija-Nuklearna are one of Mytanija’s traditional ‘big four’ alongside Atletik, Liria and 1896 Ebor. That position has long been under threat. Ararat and Crvena Zvezda have overtaken Energija-Nuklearna in terms of trophies won. 1923 Esca are a much bigger club in terms of their overall status right now. Energija-Nuklearna have fallen a long way. It’s perhaps a surprise that Kikinda, Mytanija’s largest confectioners, have remained tied into a deal with the club for so long with all of the negative connotations that Energija-Nuklearna bring with them, the only reasoning being that they believe their local connection with the city and region is more important than how the club’s ultras act. They were unable to get kit deals from the two larger Mytanar sportswear companies Odeća and Delta last time they signed a kit deal, leaving them to agree a deal with Lisica. This is seen across the board with Energija-Nuklearna commercially, and it has left them in a very tricky financial situation at times. Points deductions in the past have even caused them to change divisions. The Nesic era seemed to be a brief tonic to all the usual issues, but it feels like Energija-Nuklearna are slowly drifting back into a storm.
