Dragan Stojković Piksi, the head coach of the Serbian national football team, addressed journalists at a press conference ahead of Tuesday’s match, where the “Eagles” will host Andorra in Leskovac (8:45 PM).
Serbia earned their first point in Group K in Tirana but played below par, and now they will try to secure all three points against Andorra. The fact that Andorra will not give up easily is evident from their match against England a few days ago, where they only narrowly lost in the second half.
Ahead of the match in Leskovac, head coach Dragan Stojković Piksi also addressed the media.
As coach Stojković announced after the match in Tirana, where he once again spoke about his status, there will be changes in the team, and this is something that is done in modern football regardless of the result. Freshness in the starting lineup is necessary, especially after the emotional and physical exhaustion in the “Albanian jungle.”
He pointed out that he believes there will be three changes in the team compared to the lineup in Albania, spoke about the penalties for the match three days ago, and also stated how much he knows about Andorra.
To start, the coach spoke about the injury situation and problems.
“For now, everything is okay; yesterday we had a lighter training. Today we will try some tactical variations, fatigue is present. Because of this, it’s possible that there will be two or three changes compared to the lineup from Tirana. Luka Jović has problems with a stomach virus; we will see today what his condition will be.” Piksi emphasized what will be key against Andorra.
“I personally am pleased with the team spirit we have, which we are building and maintaining. That is how Serbia should look from match to match. I am pleased with the confidence, we possess spirit, which is very important when you compete. It is certain that tomorrow’s match is the second in these qualifications, which we take extremely seriously. The red alarm is on, we took it seriously after the Andorra – England match, which makes us cautious. By no means afraid, but certainly cautious. I will convey this to the players, although they are also aware of it – we will prepare the match psychologically in that way.”
Piksi again clarified his statement after the match when he stated that the atmosphere in Tirana was great.
“This is the fourth day I haven’t been following the media; I’m not interested in how anyone reports. I want concentration and to focus on preparing these guys as best I can. I said that the atmosphere was good when I’m talking about football; I speak in football terms – what happened on the field is worthy of respect. We have a great rivalry, high stakes – our bench and theirs deserve all respect. Of course, I will always condemn the throwing of objects and interruptions, but we cannot prevent that. I cannot deal with that; there are authorities – they will certainly punish them, we cannot. Everyone who was there knows that the football atmosphere was great; everyone would wish for such an atmosphere,” the coach emphasized, then added:
“It was the first time I didn’t hear the anthem – imagine the emotion of whistling, booing… But we proudly sang the anthem; it was an additional motivation for us, for the guys to behave as they did, and that’s a great victory. Well, does anyone think they’ll greet us with applause? I’m not a politician; I have to be careful what I say. They will certainly be punished; I hope I don’t have to prove my Serbian identity; my mission is to make champions out of them.”
He clarified that Đorđe Petrović is undoubtedly the Eagles’ first goalkeeper now.
“At this moment, he is number one, isn’t he? I don’t know how to resolve that dilemma; now we don’t have Rajković, we don’t have other goalkeepers. Petrović has justified the role of the first goalkeeper. It’s not just about penalties, but he looked like every goalkeeper of that reputation should look. I have no dilemma; we’ll see what happens in September – there are three months until then.”
He did not want to say much about England and the fight for first place in Group K.
“There are still seven games left – it’s too early to talk. We will try to win points; points against England and against Latvia have the same value. I’m not interested in England, I’m not interested in Albania – I’m only interested in Andorra. I won’t let anyone distract me. In this age of technology, anyone can comment on you, spit on you, and insult you, but I don’t pay attention to that. We go calmly, game by game, and when the English come, then we’ll talk about them.”
He talked about the support he gave Lazar Samardžić, despite the fact that he committed a penalty.
“Do you ever get it right from Mozart? Did someone tell you that? I’ll do everything the opposite, just so you’re wrong. I am a very patient man; I don’t make decisions overnight – I don’t accept comments from ignoramuses and people who don’t understand the essence. Well, am I going to change a man because of a mistake? I am patient; I can endure a lot, a lot of ugly words – I do my job honestly; I make decisions in the interest of the team. When someone says, I don’t understand these substitutions and that, master, it’s not my fault, it’s because you’re stupid. We are doing everything to keep the national team in good spirits; we play for our people and country.”
Finally, the coach stated how much he knows about the Andorra national team.
“Well, I’m watching them right now, I’m following them right now. I know them enough; we watched them against England, and against Albania too. Two games are quite enough. They are an organized team that can cause problems if you don’t take them seriously. Today there are no easy opponents; some people laugh at that. It will be tough; it will be tough to beat Andorra too – some say, ‘Oh, just run onto the field.’ But it’s not that simple. Victory is certainly imperative; we are better, but we have to prove that on the field.”