World Cup preview: Bosnia-Herzegovina

The Road To The World Cup

Bosnia and Herzegovina qualified for their first World Cup with a series of wonderful performances throughout qualifying. They only lost a single match, and outscored opponents by 24 goals over ten games.

Group Stage Schedule

Formation: 4-2-3-1

The team’s shape has changed drastically throughout qualifying depending on which players have been made available to participate. However, a 4-2-3-1 formation has been the preferred set-up. Looking at the squad’s midfield, you find a lot of technical skill, but not much speed. This is balanced by the attack of the full backs, whose pace up the sides is absolutely vital to the team’s offense.

Overall, Bosnia and Herzegovina have an attacking style of play that will surprise those assuming a non-powerhouse European nation will sit back and look to counter. As the tournament progresses, you can expect several neutral observers to transform into fans.

Manager: Safet Sušić

After coaching in France (where he found his greatest success as a player) and Turkey, Safet Sušić took the reins of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team on December 28th, 2009. Although his managing pedigree may not be the greatest, his reputation as one of the best players to ever come out of the former Yugoslavia has served him well. Over the last four years, there have been ups (qualifying for the nation’s first ever World Cup) and downs (losing 2-0 to France to miss out on automatic qualification for Euro 2012), but no matter your opinion of his tactics and substitutions, you can’t argue that Sušić hasn’t led Bosnia and Herzegovina to its best ever FIFA ranking.

Projected Starting XI

GK: Asmir Begovic

DF: Emir Spahic

DF: Toni Šunjić

DF: Mensur Mujdža

DF: Muhamed Besic

MF: Zvjezdan Misimović

MF: Miralem Pjanic

MF: Sejad Salihović

MF: Izet Hajrovic

MF: Senad Lulic

FW: Edin Dzeko

Projected Substitutes

GK: Jasmin Fejzić

GK: Asmir Avdukić

DF: Ognjen Vranjes

DF: Sead Kolasinac

DF: Ermin Bicakcic

DF: Avdija Vrsajevic

MF: Senijad Ibričić

MF: Tino-Sven Susic

MF: Haris Medunjanin

MF: Edin Visca

MF: Anel Hadzic

FW: Vedad Ibisevic

The Captain: Emir Spahić

This past summer marked the tenth year that Emir Spahić has been a part of the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team. At 33-years-old, the center back seems to have staved off Father Time. In fact, his heroic display in the squad’s 2-1 away win versus Slovakia - heading a ball into the box and assisting on Ermin Bičakčić’s equalizer - was crucial to topping Greece in the qualifying stage. Now playing for Bayer Leverkusen in the Budesliga, Spahić has long been the sole source of security in an otherwise shaky defensive unit.

The Star: Edin Džeko

It says much more about the depth at Manchester City, than it does Edin Džeko’s talent, that the striker - amazingly nicknamed the Bosnian Diamond - has had a hard time breaking into the first team. Nonetheless, he’s remained Bosnia and Herzegovina’s strongest player, scoring 33 goals in 58 international caps. It was fitting that the 6’4” striker was responsible for two goals against Greece during what was by far the most important match of his squad’s qualifying.

The Young Gun: Miralem Pjanić

It might seem out of place to refer to a player who has already accumulated more than 46 caps for his nation as a young gun. However, despite it being five years since Pjanić made his first appearance for the Bosnia and Herzegovina national team, the play-making midfielder remains only 23-years-old. Even though he fulfills a more central role in attack for his club Roma, Pjanić is often used behind Zvjezdan Misimović or even on the right side of the midfield. He doesn’t have the greatest amount of pace, but he more than makes up for it with his abundance of technical skill.

The Swan Song: Zvjezdan Misimović

Zvjezdan Misimović’s club career has seen him go from Germany to Turkey to Russia, and now, at 31-years-old, to China. The play-making midfielder, who recorded 20 assists in the 2008/2009 Bundesliga championship season for Wolfsburg, is the most capped player in the history of the team. It’s therefore kind of amusing that his involvement with the national squad is due - at least in part - to the prompting of his then-teammate at Bayern Munich, Hasan Salihamidžić.

Three Questions

1. Throughout qualifying, Safet Sušić insisted on naming Edin Džeko and Vedad Ibišević as the only forwards on his squad. What happens if one of the two strikers gets injured or suspended during the tournament?
2. How will the relative inexperience of the back four — outside of Emir Spahić — handle a style of play that requires the wing backs to frequently participate in the attacking third? It’s one thing to push forward against Liechtenstein, quite a bit different when your opposition is Spain or Brazil.
3. With their technical skill and attacking style, will any other nation be able to compete with Bosnia and Herzegovina in the race to become the darlings of the 2014 tournament?

Trivial Matters

Nicknames: Dragons, Golden Lillies.

Most caps: Zvjezdan Misimović (79).

Top scorer: Edin Džeko (33).

First international: June 6th, 1993. Iran 1 - Bosnia and Herzegovina 3.

World Cup appearances: 1, beginning in 2014.

Best World Cup result: None.

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