Journalist Fernando Campos tweeted his frustration after Juventus striker Dusan Vlahovic was an unused substitute as Serbia threw away a two-goal lead to draw with Cameroon at the World Cup.
Aleksandar Mitrovic started in his place, and with all five possible substitutions being used, the £75m man watched on as his teammates had no answer for Cameroon’s comeback.
Campos expressed his frustration at the decision, claiming that the only possible excuse to leave someone with the quality of the former Fiorentina forward on the bench was a fitness issue.
He said: “I can only believe that Vlahovic has no physical condition to play. It’s the best striker in Serbia and he’s still on the bench.
“Vlahovic must be very low physically and they must be preparing him for the decisive confrontation against Switzerland. That alone explains it. Tired of playing alongside Mitrovic in attack and he is the best striker in Serbia. The most talented, complete and technical. A scorer who generates game [play].”
TIF Thoughts on Vlahovic…
We agree that even if he didn’t start ahead of or alongside Mitrovic, Vlahovic had to come on for Serbia.
The 22-year-old has scored seven and assisted twice for Juventus this season, who have struggled at times as they sit 10 points off the top of Serie A and were knocked out of the Champions League group stages.
Serbia hit the target with just five of their 15 shots against Cameroon, and with 59% possession, another focal point up front could have helped them score another to secure the win.
As per FBref, Vlahovic currently ranks in the top 10% of European strikers for shots over the past 365 days, suggesting his presence in the opposition box could have caused Cameroon nightmares.
Leaving him on the bench may have cost Serbia two points, and with a tough game against Switzerland to come, they may need to call on Vlahovic to secure a place in the knockout stages.