What if Prosinecki himself hands over the mandate? About the coach today, or only at the end of the qualifications

Montenegrin football players returned from Zagreb to Podgorica yesterday, or rather some of them - the largest flew directly from the Croatian capital to their clubs, and coach Robert Prosinecki also returned to Montenegro with the team.

As he announced, he came to talk to FSCG president Dejan Savićević about his status, even though he lives in Zagreb and the national team action has ended.

His status is known, the only question is when he will leave the Montenegrin bench - immediately, that is, today, or at the end of the qualifiers, when his second one-year contract he signed with the Football Association expires.

If he is replaced today, there will probably be a temporary solution on the bench until a new coach is elected - for example, Mirko Vučinić, a legend of Montenegrin football, assistant to the coaching staff of both the current and previous coach Miodrag Radulović.

There is a solid chance that Prosinecki will stay until the end of his contract, until the last match against Croatia on November 17th.

The impression is that it would be real torture: for him, for the fans, but also for the players and the entire team.

There is time for a new coach, the next competition, the Nations League, will start only in September next year - exactly 12 months from now, and Montenegro has only away matches against the Faroe Islands and Gibraltar, as well as a home match against Croatia, in this cycle. A friendly match with Liechtenstein is also scheduled in Podgorica next month.

The new coach, if appointed at the end of the year or the beginning of the next, will have four friendly matches to train the team - two each in March and June.

That, of course, would have to be a complete turnaround, something Prosinecki persistently refused to do in these qualifications, and even at Maksimir when the chances of doing anything more in terms of results were over (read Vasilije Adžić).

Montenegro under Robert Prosinečki has been acting like a real underdog team, and not just since this month, but much earlier.

Of course, the Big Yellow is not the only one to blame for the state his team is in, and it would be unfair to put all the blame on him: after all, the coach is responsible for the team's performance and "blood picture", and Robi had more than enough chances.

It is obvious that last year's choice of Dejan Savićević was wrong.

What if Prosinecki resigns?

And that possibility exists, although the chances are getting smaller. After the match with Croatia, the coach said that he would "discuss the status".

It would perhaps be the most logical and simplest thing for Prosinecki to decide on such a move. After all, he didn't come to Podgorica to make money, that certainly wasn't his motive, nor does he have a contract that "knocks you off your feet", like his former teammate who sits on the bench of the Serbian national team. Who says clearly and loudly that he doesn't want to leave, even after last night's five.

Robi came to try to help - the Montenegrin national team, but also himself.

He failed, neither one nor the other - and that happens in football, so nothing sensational or catastrophic. So it certainly wouldn't cost him anything, it wouldn't be the end of the world, even if he handed over his mandate.

And then all over again...