WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MILOS KRASIC?

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO MILOS KRASIC?

D. Ray Morton, 6th March 2014.

As I watched an exciting young Serbia side defeat Ireland 2-1 in a friendly in Dublin last night, the thought struck me...where is that blonde haired winger of theirs, the man once dubbed "the new Pavel Nedved"? It required a Google search to even re-jog my memory of his name such was this man's disappearance from the game at the highest level.

Milos Krasic, 29, who has played for Vojvodina, CSKA Moscow, Juventus, Fenerbahce and now...Bastia? When Krasic joined Juventus from CSKA Moscow in 2010 for a fee believed to be around €15m, big things were expected of the Serbian winger. He had made an impact on the European scene in his six years at CSKA and looked as if he had all the attributes to take the Italian Serie A by storm. This is a man, remember, who had once been listed by FourFourTwo as one of the top 100 players in the world.

So where exactly did it go wrong for Krasic? His first season at Juve appeared relatively successful. He chipped in with a few goals, usually important or spectacular ones, but wasn't especially prolific which isn't unusual for right-footed right winger. He was signed as a traditional wideman, one who could take on defenders one-on-one and whip in crosses gaining him assists more often than goals.

Of course, the arrival of Antonio Conte as Juve manager in 2011 had a big impact on his future there. Krasic may well have been a victim of not falling into Conte's system which occasionally involved fielding a Walter Mazzarri's Napoli-style 3-5-2 in which the Serbian couldn't operate within. Krasic prefers to play high up the line and usually isn't required to defend. Conte's formation needed widemen who would sit deeper and defend first, join in on attacks second. Due to Conte's success at Juve (they look set to secure yet another Scudetto this season), Krasic's exit does not seem so mystifying as trophies justified his disposal.

He was shipped off to Turkish giants Fenerbahce in 2012 for €7m, Juve making a loss on that but perhaps pleased to get a player they couldn't use off the wage bill. He only lasted one season in their first team, a forgettable campaign in which he failed to score a single league goal in thirteen appearances. This season, he finds himself on loan at Bastia in France where his form has been a little bit better but competing for a mid-table French team is far removed from battling for Champions League glory which a club like Juventus see themselves capable of doing in the next couple of seasons.

Unless Krasic proves me completely wrong, he's just another name to add to a heap of forgotten players who could have been something.