Some of the brightest sparks in Russia have been linked to big moves and in a series of daily features, we reflect on their time at the tournament – and which teams should be poking around for their services.
WORLD CUP OVERVIEW
Serbia began with an underwhelming performance against Costa Rica but were able to come away with a 1-0 win courtesy of an Aleksandar Kolarov free-kick.
Milinkovic-Savic however impressed early on in the encounter. His superb touch and close control in tight spaces came to the fore and he made several promising runs behind the defensive line. He even forced Keylor Navas into a save from a bicycle kick.
Switzerland proved a tougher test though as he came up against two accomplished holding midfielders. He still showed a few glimpses of his class with a couple of nice moves.
He was largely anonymous in a 2-0 defeat to Brazil but came alive during a 15-minute spell when Serbia were on top. He proved to be a real threat in the box and produced a save from Alisson with a header.
Milinković-Savić's first half vs. Costa Rica by numbers:
— Statman Dave (@StatmanDave) June 17, 2018
1 shot
1 key pass
2 tackle
2 dribbles
2 attacking aerial duels won
15 passes
100% tackles won
100% dribbles completed
Danger man. #SRB pic.twitter.com/DYhzKqhPml
RATINGS FROM THE ARCHIVE
Group stages
Costa Rica 0 Serbia 1
8 – Showed plenty of guile in attack and adapted to his advanced role well. Should’ve got on the scoresheet.
Serbia 1 Switzerland 2
6 – A more subdued display but again showed glimpses of his class with some neat touches and passes. Tried to do too much on his own at times.
Serbia 0 Brazil 2
6 – Much-hyped, but Lazio man didn’t pass his test against the best with flying colours. Better in second-half.
WORLD CUP IN NUMBERS
CLUB FORM
Milinkovic-Savic had few dribbles during the World Cup and his passes were limited as well and that’s down to his role as a number 10.
For Lazio, he is far more involved as he operates from central midfield with one of his chief attributes being his ability to break into space and carry the ball forward. With 12 goals and nine assists last season, the Serbian was arguably the best midfielder in Serie A.
His excellent close control, physicality and dominance in the air suggests he would adapt to the Premier League with ease. He was played out of position in Russia and couldn’t produce his best.
BIGGEST STRENGTH
Close control – He has many fine attributes but only a few were allowed to shine at the World Cup. One of them was his superb close control. Playing high up the pitch, Milinkovic-Savic usually received possession in the final third with little time or space to manouevre. He did exceptionally well to control the ball and was often quick to create an opening or a yard to take a shot.
BIGGEST WEAKNESS
Finishing – While he’s not normally associated with wastefulness in front of goal, he was thrown into the firing line at the World Cup. Though the chances that came his way weren’t exactly easy, he should’ve hit the target more having done so well to get into position.
Milinkovic-Savic would have been wishing for a greater goals return.
BEST FITS
Chelsea have already had a bid turned down by Lazio for the midfielder but they remain in the driving seat for his signature. The arrivals of Maurizio Sarri as manager and Jorginho from Napoli bodes well for Milinkovic-Savic as Stamford Bridge may be destined to see a more expansive style of football this season.
Although he’s fairly similar to Paul Pogba, Old Trafford remains a viable destination. He fits the bill as a Jose Mourinho player and Manchester United could certainly use more goals and creativity from midfield and have consistently been linked with the 23-year-old.
If he’s keen to stay in Serie A, a move to Juventus should be of interest. Although they have signed Cristiano Ronaldo, a few midfielders have been linked to moves away. He could bring back a lot of the talent and thrust from midfield that Pogba took with him when he left two years ago.
Napoli could also be in the hunt as they look to replace Jorginho, Meanwhile, Real Madrid have been linked as well but the wealth of midfield talent at their disposal means it could be an ill-advised switch for the Serbian at this stage of his career.
