Both teams did poorly in Europe this summer.
Assistant coach Nemanja Krtolica of Vojvodina and first team player Slobodan Medojević they are convinced that the team will show the right reaction in the derby with Partisans.
On Sunday, the players of the “old ladies” visit Partizan in the derby of the seventh round of the Mozart Bet Super League of Serbia, and Krtolica, as a former member of the coaching staff, will lead the team against the big rival.
– I want to say without any malice that it is an extraordinary honor for me to have the privilege of sitting here with you, and then on Sunday on the bench of Vojvodina in the derby with Partizan. Some of the things we’ve been working on in these four days that we’ve had and that we’ll try to fix is the character we’re most concerned about. We don’t care so much about reputation, but about character, ourselves and the players, because character is what makes us and reputation is what others think. We will really do everything, the staff and the players, as much as we can to beat Partizan – began Krtolica.
Slobodan Medojević agreed that this match is the right moment for Vojvodina to show its strength.
– Everyone in the club is aware of the current situation and that the results at the beginning of the championship are not what we hoped for. But the right ones always find a solution to get out of the problem, and I am convinced that we are all the right ones and that we will find a way out of this situation and return to where we belong. We are all aware of the importance of this coat of arms and jersey and that it is a great privilege to be a Vojvodina player without any words or promises, it is up to us to show it in the match with Partizan. It takes a lot of passion, emotion, smarts, desire and persistence and as the boss said let’s do our best and go for the win – said Slobodan Medojević.
He added that he is happy that at the moment Vojvodina’s rival is a very big rival – Partizan.
– If I could choose, I would always choose to play against Partizan. Regardless of the results and the situation it is in, Partizan will always be Partizan. I am happy that we are playing with them now, because someone who grew up in this club knows what the derbies with Partizan and Crveni Zvezda mean to the people of Vojvodina and Novi Sad. We have to do our best, there is no polemic and that is in all of our minds, because we want to reverse the situation we are in – added Medojević.
Krtolica emphasized that he believes in these guys and that they are currently the best in the world for Vojvodina.
– We currently have the best coaching staff in the world and the best players in the world, we have everything. What are the percentages to win – 100%, 50% or 1%, means that they exist, with that attitude we have to go out on the field. We have to show this city and the fans, that in two weeks when we return to “Karađorđe”, someone must come and buy a ticket to watch us. We had four days to train, we have to improve ourselves every day and work on ourselves. I hope everyone will see it – said Krtolica.
He also answered the question about what was the turning point at the beginning of this season.
– I didn’t even go deeper to analyze, but the turning point was the match with Maribor. We had the desire to go through and we defended that desire even in overtime. We had 120 minutes for everyone to see that we really wanted to, and that’s where the turning point came. What happened below is for a deeper analysis. We played every game as guests and that is a very important thing – emphasized Krtolica.
Medojević agreed that the defeat against Maribor was hard, but that the team must show the right reaction and that the field is the only criterion.
– All of us, the whole city, Vojvodina invested everything in order to enter the group stage of a UEFA competition. We also had chances against Ajax, so we resisted Maribor and in the end we were unlucky. We didn’t pass, and football is also a lot of psychology, and when you invest all of yourself in a project and when it collapses like we did, it can be reflected on the mental level. That defeat shook the team, because Europe was our focus. Then the results were lacking and that affected the team, even though we played well. We have a lot of young players, it affects some differently, but that’s football and that’s life. Falls are normal, I’ve had a million of them and I’ll have more, and the most important thing is what happens after the fall. The most important thing is that we stand up and show the right reaction on the field. I can talk as much as I want, but the field is the yardstick. In these few days, I have seen a good reaction from the whole team, where you can see the energy and motivation to make a good result, and that makes me happy as an older player. It is up to us to transfer everything we do to the field and for everyone to start from themselves and invest all of themselves and then the result will come – said Medojevic.
Krtolica does not hide that the departure of Mihail Ivanovic, whose transfer is in the final stages of realization, will be a problem due to the rules on bonus players.
– It is likely that we will have problems, but when you mentioned Mihail Ivanovic, this is an opportunity to wish him luck in his new club. He is a good example for young players, that work wins talent only when talent does not work enough. We have the bonuses we have, but they are the best we have and I have no doubt that they will give their best. Also, on this occasion, I would like to congratulate our friendly club Borca from Banja Luka on their placement in the League of Conferences – said Krtolica.
Finally, he revealed that he invited all the coaches from the youth school to participate and help in the work in the first team, because Voša’s motto is “we are one, that is our strength”.
– I invited the youth coaches and cadets to feel this and that maybe they get some additional ambition and motivation so that one day they too will sit in this place. Enthusiasm, energy, ambition of this man who leads the club, president Dragoljub Zbiljić, if any of us does not know how to use it to progress, then I think we have all gone astray and made a mistake. It is difficult to compare the resources that existed two years ago and today – concluded Krtolica.
Source: hotsport.rs
