The only representatives of Montenegro in the regional EPC league 3 on 3 in the title e-Footbal- ESD Budućnost, the first part of the season, finished in first place. Namely, in ten rounds they achieved eight victories, they played one draw against Lokomotiv Zagreb, and the only one who managed to beat the blue and whites on the virtual field was the AEL team from Limassol.
There will be a break in the regular part of the competition, and at the end of January the last three rounds will begin, after which the playoffs will be played, in which the best eight teams will enter.
The future aspires to the title, and that, according to future players Bojan Tatar (captain), Boris Bajović and Marko Roksić, Roksa has not changed.
"The course of the season so far has been extremely good. Eight wins, one draw and only one defeat clearly show our consistency and quality. We managed to impose ourselves as the team that holds the top of the table and controls the game, which is a huge success for us. However, we know that there is always room for improvement", Bojan Tatar analyzed the season. And the reinforcement of Budućnost, Marko Roksić of Roks is satisfied with the past part of the season.
"If we were to look at this part of the season and the results of Buducnost, we must be satisfied, because last year we did not even enter the playoffs. However, I have to admit that I am not satisfied with that setback against Lokomotiva. We went into that game too nonchalantly, we underestimated the team and it backfired on us. I consider AEL to be a competitive team and I don't believe that this result was a fluke. Kicks, in my opinion, is just that result with Lokomotiva. All in all, I am satisfied with the first place, if only we can bring to an end these extremely difficult three rounds that we have left", notes Roksa, while Bajović's impression is that they have been playing well since the start of the season.
"I think that in these ten rounds we showed that we are the main favorite to win the EPC League. If someone had offered us 25 points out of a total of 30 that were in circulation so far, we would certainly have accepted. However, it remains regrettable that we did not win all the matches, because we were a better rival than the opponent. A little bit of luck was lacking, but I am certainly satisfied with the season so far", said Bajović honestly.
However, good results are inevitable when the team's chemistry is, as the captain says, "at the level".
"We all know our roles, complement each other very well and support each other, even when things don't go our way. Communication and trust are the key factors of our game, and I think that these are our biggest assets", Tatar claims, and Roksa shares a similar opinion:
"Our greatest strength is that everyone knows their place and everyone uses it in the best possible way and is responsible for their own tasks. If we stick with it and persevere, I think we'll celebrate in the end. It is not easy, but I believe in the team and I believe that we will do it in an excellent way", reveals the expectations of Roks.
Considering the excellent result in the first 10 rounds, Bajović does not hide that the atmosphere in the team is excellent.
"We know what we have to do to stay on top. We know what and how we can improve in the coming period, so we will focus on that after the holiday break", promises Bajović who, when it comes to the first part of the season, will remember the "clash" on the virtual field with the Maribor team where they celebrated with a score of 5:1.
"In that game, we showed complete dominance of the attacking style of football compared to the ultra-defensive style that the Maribor team has been known for in past seasons," Bajović recalled and reflected on the opponent's play in the past ten rounds:
"I was negatively surprised by the teams of PAOK and AEL, since their players are top individuals, and the beginning of the league for both teams was very bad. However, as the season progresses, the quality of their game increases drastically, so it is to be expected that they will enter the fight for the very top of the table in the remaining three rounds of the league. The other teams are more or less in the positions they deserve in terms of quality, so I wouldn't say that anyone positively surprised me", says Bajović.
After the break, they have difficult matches ahead of them, and they need to maintain the level of play.
"I expect us to keep our focus and continue with these good games. The last three rounds are crucial, but I believe we can play at a high level and finish the season in first place. Our form and team energy give me a lot of confidence that we will achieve our goal", says Tatar, who, although entering the decisive part of the season when it comes to his team's game, says that not much will change.
"In general, our approach worked well, but we can always be more careful at key moments. We will focus on reducing small errors and further improving the finishing touches, to ensure victories in the remaining matches. Adapting to opponents and firm concentration are key in this part of the season", Tatar is sure.
Roksa is also satisfied with the cooperation on the field
“We're playing really well. The playing time is more or less divided, Tatar and I played all the games, except for one, while Gaga and Boris alternated. But, whoever of them plays, we fit in easily. Gaga is maybe a little more defensive, does the dirty work, while Boris, who plays better one-on-one mode than Gaga, has a little more lucidity and can provide more in that creative attack," explains Roxas, revealing who could threaten Bućnost on on the way to the title:
"As for the competitors, we have to give credit to PAOK, a little Greek Mafia joined them, they achieved form, but all that was not the measure because they did not have any competitive teams as opponents since he arrived. Tennessee is also competitive, having received a red card in the last round, and when it is received, some strange thing happens in the game and you can't do anything about it. There is also Crvena zvezda with two players from Turkey and with Tanasković, they work really well. They caused us the most problems in friendly matches, so I would honestly single out PAOK and Crvena Zvezda. Of course, you should be afraid of Dragovoljec and Tenesiti, but if I have to choose, then PAOK and Crvena Zvezda", concludes Roksa.
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