Being the only side with the World Cup debutants tag line this month, Bosnia-Herzegovina have remained as the most mysterious package for many fans looking forward to this tournament. Tie that with a recent drastic change in on-field tactics, and you get a team that people truly do not know what to expect from. Truth be told, at their core they are led by a group of capable, world class players whose eyes for this tournament stretch beyond a heroic group stage exit.
Premier League fans will recognise striker Edin Dzeko and goalkeeper Asmir Begovic as reasons to not underestimate the side that topped their relatively easy qualification group, while playmaker Miralem Pjanic of Roma also fits in as one of the stars propelling Bosnia from footballing obscurity. Scoring an average of three goals a game in qualification, manager Safet Susic employed a brilliantly attacking system, partnering Dzeko with Stuttgart striker Vedad Ibisevic in front of a line of three attacking midfielders, with a deep-lying creator behind them.
However, coming closer to the tournament and more specifically that first game against Argentina it has become more apparent to Susic that coming out all guns blazing might not be the most intelligent move. Newcomer Muhamed Besic, currently playing club football in Hungary, has been brought in to be the holding midfielder in Susic’s new rigid 4-2-3-1 system, with national team legend and all time top appearance maker Zvjezdan Misimovic making way from the starting line-up most likely.
Miralem Pjanic ©INPHO/James Crombie
Playing in the attacking system used throughout qualification, The Dragons actually took on group stage opponents Argentina in a friendly back in November, a game in which they were quite handily dispatched 2-0 thanks to a Sergio Aguero brace. It does make sense that switching to more cautious system could at least give them a chance of knicking a draw against one of the tournament’s powerhouses. It is also true that teams across the board are very much reserved in their first game, due to the accepted thought that the disaster of losing your first game would be greater than the triumph winning it would bring. Therefore, you can definitely say that Susic is making the smart decision in setting up defensively and hoping his side might counter through quick wide men Hajrovic and Lulic but then again, what could possibly terrify Argentina more than a young, exciting team going all out attack against them early on?
Either way, with it being generally accepted that Argentina are set to advance from Group F with a perfect 9 point record, Bosnia must look to their games against Iran and more notably, Nigeria as the ones that will make or break their first major tournament. Nigeria can probably be said to be the best African side in this tournament, although they are often given similar levels of hype which this generation is yet to live up to, with group stage exits in 2002 and 2012 and failing to qualify in 2006. However, it is impossible to ignore the sheer pace and ruthlessness this current side possess on the break, with Victor Moses, Emmanuel Emineke and Ahmed Musa being the three charged with firing Nigeria into the knockout rounds.
If Dzeko and Pjanic can do enough in attack to push Bosnia into the second round, it is hard to imagine them being discarded, with only Ecuador, Switzerland and a less than terrifying French side possibly standing in their way in the last 16. So the point remains, Bosnia have the potential to be the surprise package of the tournament, a title which would turn them into a more respected force in international football. It seems anything less than second in Group E would be a disappointment, and you can be sure that underestimating the now fully awoken Dragons would be a grave mistake for their opposition.
