After a summer during which it suffered a lot of changes at all levels, the football club Vojvodina will officially enter the new season tomorrow. In the first round of the Linglong Super League of Serbia, which this season will carry such a name for the new sponsor from China, Voša will play against Mačva from Šabac, but due to the new grass being set at the stadium Karađorđe, the match will be played at the stadium Slavko Maletin Vava in Bačka Palanka.
Ahead of this match, Vojvodina football club has announced the arrival of another new player in its squad, 30-years-old Željko Filipović, who played for Atyrau from Kazakhstan last season. He was born in 1988 in Ljubljana, and in his previous career he had the experience of playing in the Champions League and the Europa League. He plays in the position of defensive midfielder and was the captain of Maribor, for which he played for six years, and then played for Mehelen, Dinamo Brest… In his career, he won five titles of the champion of the state and the same number of trophies in the national cup, so everyone in Vojvodina believe that he will represent a real boost in the fight for Europe. A two-year contract should officially be signed on Monday.
Of course, his arrival will please most the Manager of red and whites Nenad Lalatović.
– For all of us it is very important to strengthen our Vojvodina with quality players. Since I came back here, my great desire is to continue in the same style as the first time, that is, with success, and to play Europe again. The first round is always uncertain, especially since we are still making the team and reinforcements come on the go. To play and be at the level I want, the team will definitely need more time, but there are no excuses for us, and I have never asked for an alibi, and we will do our best to start winning and taking Vojvodina from the first round among the top four teams in the table. Vojvodina as a club and Novi Sad as a city absolutely deserve it – says Lalatović.
The opponent in the first round will not be easy at all.
– Mačva is a quality team, with a quality trainer. They pointed out that the pitch in Bačka Palanka corresponds because last season they beat Bačka with 0-1, but now they will not play against Bačka, but against Vojvodina. We would prefer to play on our Karađorđe, but on the other hand, it is better that we have a good pitch against Rad and later on. Tomorrow we will play in a town distanced around 30-40 minutes from our base, so this is not so hard for us and we will do our best to bring joy to our fans with the first win and with three points won – said Lalatović.
According to him, Vojvodina is still not at the level where he would want it.
– Each coach has some of his own principles, and so did my predecessors in Vojvodina. I am sorry that I could not be with the team since the first day of preparations, because I consider that physical fitness is an extremely important factor in fulfilling the requirements that I am looking for from the players. At the preparations, we played four or five games and we achieved all the victories, but those were weaker opponents than us, and therefore I can not be sure in what kind of form we are. It’s nice to win, but the most important thing is to do it in the league. At this point, we are certainly not in the top form, but the players are rapidly progressing, and I believe that we will be in full force from the third or fourth round. Of course, we will do our best to win on every match until then too – emphasizes Lalatović.
This summer, Vojvodina changed its squad considerably.
– Basically, for us, the transfer window is over and we can eventually bring one more player. I am happy with the transfer window and I have to say that the management of the club has given a lot to bring these players. At the same time, we were modest, because we did not pay compensation for players from 300-400 thousand euros. Instead, we have brought those who have expired contracts and who wanted to come to play for salary. Some of them had a pause in playing games, but still have good careers behind them – says Lalatović.
This season, prior to the split of the table on play-off and play-out, unlike the previous seasons, there will be no split of points.
– Honestly, I prefer the system in which points are split, because, for example, teams that enter play-out at the top can play practically seven games without significance, and similar situations is also in play-off. I think that with the split of points there is no relaxation and every game is important, and I do not like when the season ends one month before the official end of the competition – says Lalatović.
He points out that he is sorry that his former club Radnički was eliminated last night in the first round of qualifications for the Europa League.
– Since I left Vojvodina, for the past two and a half years I always said that I spent the most beautiful 13 months here for 11 years of everyday work in my coaching career. However, after Vojvodina, I spent the most beautiful moments as a coach in Radnički. I am very sorry that Radnički did not pass the first round, because those players and club management absolutely earned it, as well as fans who love their club and love football. I think Radnički was a better team, but many players left them, just like me, so they all got a little shaken up. However, they must go on. Radnički will always be in my heart, and I want it, just like to Vojvodina, to make new placement in Europe this season, and I am convinced that both clubs will succeed in that – Lalatović said.
Although many new players came this summer, the Manager of red and whites emphasizes that there will not be many of them who will play from the first minute tomorrow.
– The newcomers are slowly fitting, just like those players who were already here for the new requirements I put, and it is certain that no one would be here if he doesn’t deserve to wear the jersey of Vojvodina. We brought Đurić and Vasiljević as central backs, who had problems with injuries and pause, but they are certainly good reinforcements for us. Tomorrow, only by two players who came to the club this summer will start the match, while all the remaining starters will be those who were already here – said Lalatović.
The match between Vojvodina and Mačva will be played tomorrow at 8 PM at the Slavko Maletin Vava Stadium in Bačka Palanka, and tickets for the match will be available free of charge at the stadium’s box office before the start of the match.
