The Macedonians will be a sparring partner for coach Sergej Barbarez’s team on May 29 at the sold-out Olympic Stadium “Asim Ferhatović Hase – Koševo”, in one of the two test matches of our national team in preparation for the World Cup.
“On this occasion, I publicly congratulate Bosnia for qualifying for the World Cup and the phenomenal matches in the play-off, above all, the elimination of the four-time world champion, Italy. This is precisely why I say that it is very possible to surprise at the upcoming World Cup in the United States of America, Canada and Mexico. Because whoever beats Italy, can beat anyone at the World Cup as well,” said Sedloski for Vijesti.baand referred to the match at our biggest stadium, where the Macedonians will be welcomed by nearly 35,000 Bosnia and Herzegovina fans:
“It will be a spectacle. And it should be, because you are going to the WC. However, we are coming to Sarajevo to show ourselves in the best light, to play as well as possible. For the audience to enjoy a good game. We will play against a strong opponent, but I also think that we have quality and that we can match Bosnia and Herzegovina”.
The Bosnian league is constantly progressing
He emphasizes that it is a “friendly match between friendly countries”.
“At the World Cup, we will support all our Balkans. So, I sincerely hope that my words from the conversation with you will have special weight after the World Cup and that I will be right when it comes to the performance of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We wish you all the best, but I do not hide that we want to enjoy Koševo. We want to beat you,” said Sedloski with a laugh.
Regarding the group of Bosnia and Herzegovina at the World Cup, in which we will compete against the hosts Canada, Switzerland and Qatar, he pointed out:
“There are no easy opponents, especially in national football. I believe that Bosnia will go on, but I am also convinced that you will not have an easy time in any game. You have a good national team. A team made up of excellent young players, but also the more experienced ones. You have a lot to hope for at the World Cup, but also after the upcoming world championship.”
He spent a short part of his coaching career, in which he was the champion of North Macedonia three times and won the Cup once, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was the coach of Široki Brijeg in the Wwin League.
“The Bosnian league is constantly improving. You have five or six excellent teams every season. Sarajevo, Željezničar, Borac, Zrinjski, Široki, Velež. It is not easy to play in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” he said.
In the last more than a year, he has been the coach of Vardar from Skopje, with whom he is three rounds before the end of the season on the way to the championship crown.
“I would not agree that we are on the threshold of winning the trophy. We still have a lot of work to do. However, the truth is that we are on the right path. I hope we will be champions, but it is not over yet,” said Sedloski.
From Sarajevo, a new era
When asked how he manages to be the selector and coach of the most famous club in North Macedonia, and what is the most difficult job, he answered:
“My era on Macedonia’s bench is just beginning. In fact, from the matches in Sarajevo we start a new cycle in which the next European Championship is our ‘pick’. Yes, I have a lot of work, because I have to do a good analysis and carry out a detailed selection of players. We have quality, but we need to get ready for the next challenges,” said Sedloski, adding:
“Both jobs are specific. I really can’t say which one is more difficult. I am proud and honored to be the coach of the national team, but also because I am the coach of a big club. How can I say? Vardar is Vardar. Everyone knows that from the time of our former common state”.
He has been a selector since December 1 last year. Koševo will be his third game on the Macedonian bench. In his debut in an away friendly match, he drew goalless with Ireland, and in the semifinals of the play-off for placement at the World Cup, the Macedonians experienced a “result breakdown” against Denmark (0:4).
“We didn’t play badly against Ireland. Of course, it should and can be much better, and as far as the play-offs are concerned, we somehow held our own in the first half and then fell. We weren’t at the level for a step forward and a significant result,” Sedloski believes.
I will always say Dinamo
In his playing career, he played for Hajduk, and he left his deepest mark in Split’s bitter rival, Dinamo Zagreb, with whom he won numerous trophies and spent almost eight years.
“I had a good time in Split for a year and a half. Then I went to England and came to Dinamo. And then they didn’t like me in Split anymore. That’s how it goes… Dinamo is an institution and I definitely spent my best playing days in Zagreb,” he revealed.
He believes that Croatia is the strongest football nation in the region.
“That’s what the results of the Croatian national team and their clubs in Europe say. They have top players in the strongest leagues. They can go far in this World Cup. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were as good as the last two,” Sedloski told Vijesti.ba.
He didn’t want to talk in detail about the multi-year story, maybe even the utopia of the eventual formation of a regional league, because as he says, “he’s not the one who decides on that.” However, he knows which is the best club in the region:
“Dinamo. Although the Belgrade Crvena Zvezda has also been growing in recent years. Those are the two best. For sure. But for me it is Dinamo. I will always say Dinamo”.
Spoken by: Bakir Tiro
(Vijesti.ba)
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