Mladost Lob.bet, a returnee to the elite, enters the new season with significant personnel changes and fresh ambitions.
The club from Donja Gorica presented a new coaching staff today, led by sports director Bogdan Milić, a former player of this team, and coach Marko Šćepanović, who returns to the bench with a clear plan and goal - to build a stable first league team.
An important role in this story will also be played by the assistant coach, Argentine Gustavo Lopez, a former teammate of Šćepanović from Buducnost, who is returning to Montenegro after 17 years.
"This is a new role for me, but I believe I will manage and make a real contribution. We are already working on forming a team in which young people will play the main role, with the support of more experienced football players," said sports director Bogdan Milić, announcing the arrival of several reinforcements such as Rodrigo Faust, Nikola Pavlićević, Davor Kontić and Cordoba.
The preparatory period will be divided into two phases - the first in Podgorica until July 10th, followed by a trip to Slovenia, where the team will play preparatory matches against Slovenian and Hungarian first league teams, and possibly against the Al Dafra team led by Željko Petrović.
The return of Gustavo Lopez, now in the role of assistant coach, attracted particular attention.
The famous midfielder of Buducnost, who brought the Argentine flair to the CFL fields in 2008, helping the "blues" win their first title, expressed his pleasure at being back in Montenegro and having the opportunity to work with his former teammate.
"It will be emotional to play against Buducnost. I am motivated to contribute to the club's work and I believe this is the right moment for my return," Lopez said.
Coach Šćepanović emphasizes that the club's goal is to stabilize in the league, but also to create a team that will play attractively and competitively.
"We are working on a squad that will be able to compete with anyone. The focus is on youth, and the selection of players will be carefully managed. We will not bring in just anyone, but only those who fit our vision," said Šćepanović, adding that Mladost is now "literally a new team" and that a period of building and learning lies ahead for everyone.
Vision for the future: New youth school organization
One of the most important innovations at the club is the formation of a special system of work with younger categories, which will be supervised by the new director of the youth school, Željko Mrdjenović.
In cooperation with the City Academy, the club has laid a clear foundation for improving its work with young people.
The youth team will be coached by Goran Miranović, while the cadet team will be led by former Montenegrin national team player Luka Pejović. The three of them emphasized a common vision and plan - working on the physical, technical, tactical, and psychological development of young players.
"Our primary goal is to build quality and responsible people, and then players ready for the highest level of competition. Mental stability and playing under positive pressure must be an integral part of their formation," say Mrdjenović, Miranović and Pejović.
Of particular interest is the plan to form the so-called "Solidarity Fund" - a mechanism through which coaches of younger categories would be entitled to a percentage of future transfers of players they have coached, as an additional motivation for quality and continuous work.
"We are establishing a system for the next four years that will serve as a foundation for all future generations. Montenegro has enormous potential among its youth, with good work we can create a team that will compete at the European level," Mrđenović pointed out.
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