There are still three games left until the end of the MeridianBet First Montenegrin Football League, and the Sutjeska players are well on their way to ending the season in third place, which could even bring them a place in Europe, provided that Budućnost and Petrovac remain without a license in the appeal process.
The team from Nikšić celebrated a 2-0 victory over Mornar on Saturday, leaving Barani in the play-off zone, so they are two points ahead of Dečić AdmiralBet.
"We saw that Mornar was in crisis, and we were afraid of that, because the crisis has to end at some point. Mornar is a quality team for our circumstances, which they showed last season. But, as in many cases so far, teams that qualify for Europe have problems the following season. We were preparing to be strong and stable, we knew that a situation would come in which we would be able to take advantage of their mistake and punish them. We took advantage of one situation in the first half, started the second half with a goal, and we had a chance to increase the lead. A good game and a big win for us, which left us in third place, which is the goal and desire for this season," Sutjeska coach Milija Savović told "Vijesti".
Sutjeska will play against Otrant Olimpik, Jezero and Jedinstvo Franca until the end of the season, teams fighting for survival.
"I think those are the toughest matches, because those are the teams that need the points the most. We will try to win and be at the level and reputation of the club. We will give our maximum - our desire is to be third and we will try to achieve that."
Sutjeska has received a license, so it is following developments in Buducnost and Petrovac and is awaiting a final decision on whether these two clubs will play in Europe.
"We are monitoring the situation, we see that there is a possibility. It would not be nice if any of the clubs that have achieved the right to play in Europe suffered. On the other hand, it would open up the opportunity for us to appear in a European competition, which would mean a lot for the club, especially in terms of finances. From a sporting perspective, it would be unfair if the clubs that have fought for Europe on the field were to be left without that competition," Savović is honest.
The Sutjeska coach warns that clubs must take good care of all aspects so as not to find themselves in this situation again.
"Clubs need to take care of paperwork, to be as serious as possible, which is certainly lacking. The level of supporting matters must be raised, apart from what happens on the pitch. This is probably a warning to all clubs, to think in time about all the things and obligations that a serious team that wants to play in Europe must have."
Regardless of whether he plays in Europe, Sutjeska's goal is to find himself in international competitions soon.
"When I took over the team, we were in a tie for seventh-eighth place. Now we are third, we have done a huge job. With great effort and work, we managed to return Sutjeska to the top of the table, to bring it closer to where we all want it to be. If we manage to keep third place, then we have done a great job. And then next season we will make another step forward. We are waiting for the decision, to see if there will be Europe, but Sutjeska would have to play in Europe every season and that is the club's minimum goal. I hope we have come close to that and that next year Sutjeska will be much more competitive than it was this year and the previous one," said Savović.
We missed with Abu.
Milija Savović returned to Nikšić in September last year, succeeding Miljan Radović, so he had the opportunity to participate in the transfer window in January.
The general impression is that Aleksandar Desančić, Balša Tošković and Boris Kopitović lived up to expectations, especially Desančić. More was expected from the Argentines Ivan Elias Arbelo and Aron Barket, while Ayoub Abu was a complete failure.
"As for reinforcements, we did a good job. Along with Desančić, Kopitović and Tošković, we brought in three more players. The Argentines did their job, perhaps not to the extent we expected. They had good minutes, they contributed. We expected Abu to make perhaps the biggest contribution, and we were left short of that. He didn't show quality, he practically brought us nothing. He's the only one who's been a failure. The others contributed - some smaller, some larger," explained Savović.
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