He replaced the Kvarner Bay with the Drava, and from Rijeka he arrived in Maribor, where expectations are even higher than they were at "Rujevica".
Radomir Đalović is the new coach of the largest Slovenian club, where he arrived after bringing a double crown to Rijeka in his first coaching season.
The club from "Ljudski vrt" has been the champion of Slovenia 16 times (conclusively more than any other), and the fact that our expert will be Maribor's third coach this season shows how unforgiving failure is in this part of Styria.
"Maribor has been changing coaches a lot lately? I had it in my mind, I didn't ignore it. But after talking to the president and director, I accepted the challenge. I believe in myself, I believe in my work. It will take time. It's true that there's never enough of it, but I'm not afraid," said Đalović, as reported by the "Ekipa" portal.
The reason for the changes in Maribor is the results that are not up to the level of the club's greatness, as the "purple" are already 10 points behind the leader Celje after seven rounds. Đalović arrived after Tugberk Tanrivermiš (fired after 49 days) and Radomir Karanović (led the team for two games).
"The goals are always the highest. You can see for yourself that Celje has escaped, that it has continuity and a coach who has been there for a long time, as well as a recognizable system. But we will not give up, we will fight until the end and we will see," the Montenegrin coach is clear.
Regardless of poor results, many believe that Maribor has the highest quality squad in Slovenia, even better than leaders Celje or champions Olimpija.
"There is no doubt that Maribor has quality. But sometimes in football it is not only quality that matters, but also some other things. And we will work on those things. We have quality, many good players, but we need to constantly correct certain details. It will not be easy, but I believe that we will get better and better. We are here to progress."
I didn't set any special conditions.
Media in Slovenia previously reported that Đalović's move to Maribor almost fell through because one of the parties did not comply with the terms of the agreed contract.
"I was already here when you wrote that there was some misunderstanding (laughs). We had a nice talk, went to dinner, only my lawyer had to go over everything again. Thanks again to the president and director. Maribor is a big club. A huge club. I know what the expectations are. Maybe the current situation is not the best, but we will work to move forward."
Did you set any conditions - not financial, but some other ones?
"Honestly, I'm a young coach. It was crucial for me to work. I didn't want to wait. I could have, but Maribor came along, which is a top club. I like to work, I like challenges. We agreed quickly. I see Maribor as a great challenge."
From 2005 to the present, only two coaches have managed to break Dinamo's dominance in Croatia - Matjaž Kek in 2017 and Đalović this year. The current Slovenian coach is a local Maribor legend, a former player and coach of the club.
"Kek is, first and foremost, a legend of Slovenian and Croatian football. The coach of Slovenia and a legend of Rijeka. I had the honor of being the only one who won the double crown with Rijeka in one season. I know that Maribor is his club and he did a fantastic job with it. Of course we spoke, he wished me all the best. He honestly told me everything I already knew about Maribor."
Everyone wants to play attacking, but it's important what you have at your disposal.
Slovenian journalists reminded Đalović that Maribor is expected to play attacking football, while the Bjelopoljac with Rijeka knew how to be much more pragmatic.
"Every coach says they would like to play attacking, but first you have to see what you have available. What kind of players, what kind of squad, and then you play how you want."
He reminded that the transfer window is over.
"The squad is what it is. We would all like to play attacking, 'for a goal more', as they say. Of course, we will try to play attractively, but on the other hand, Maribor conceded a lot of goals in the opening round. First, we need to stabilize. But with the quality players we have, we will also strive for attacking, attractive football," concluded Đalović.
The former Montenegro striker will make his debut on the bench of his new club on Saturday against Mura.
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