The return of Montenegrin football players from the Faroe Islands took two days, after the heaviest defeat in their 18-year history (4:0).
Mirko Vučinić's team did not fly out of Torshavn after the match due to bad weather and stormy winds, and yesterday, after finally soaring into the skies above the Atlantic on a Czech company plane (the same one that brought the Czech national team to the Faroe Islands), they ended up in Prague instead of Podgorica, where they spent the night...
It was only today around 14 pm, almost 40 hours after the match, that they arrived in Montenegro, but no one in the Montenegrin football players' camp even thought of complaining.
Who knows, maybe subconsciously, our players accepted this arduous journey, conditioned by a combination of unforeseen circumstances, as a kind of punishment after the sensationally poor performance at "Torsvalur". No one said a word about it...
"We experienced a debacle, a few difficult days are behind us. We talked a lot after the match, we analyzed to see where we made mistakes. We prepared for that match for a long time, but, unfortunately, we conceded goals in the way we were warned they would play," said Montenegrin national team goalkeeper Igor Nikić.
The team trained last night at the stadium under Gorica, because the October "window", fortunately or unfortunately, is not over yet. A friendly match with Liechtenstein follows (Monday, 18 p.m.).
The "slapping" in the Faroe Islands, clearly, cannot be forgotten or erased from the players' minds so quickly. The question is how it will affect them, what the reaction will be - not only in the upcoming match, but also in the longer term.
"The defeat affected us a lot, because we believe that, despite everything, we have potential. We didn't create a single chance in Torshavn, we have to remember this defeat in order to learn from it. I don't think our desire was in question, we always try our best when we play for the national team, it's obvious that we weren't as focused as we should, and they punished even the slightest drop in our concentration," points out the goalkeeper of Spanish second division Mirandes.
There is a way out - football is not nuclear physics, but it can be very complicated and a harsh subject when not done properly. Where is the way out - that is a question for deeper analysis.
And, of course, it is not just about the football players, nor just about the coach and coaching staff, but also about the top management of the Football Association.
"We see a way out of all this - we have to stick together. We have been in difficult situations before. We have to work harder than before and listen to the coach's advice," says Nikić from the perspective of a football player.
The match with Liechtenstein, it is clear, is of little interest to anyone - from the perspective of the football public, the fans. The question is how many people will come to the stadium, but the match must be played, and the players must find a motive - at least to partially atone for the shipwreck in the legendary waters of the North Atlantic.
- Maybe it's good that we're playing Liechtenstein so soon, so that we can give our all and win that match. We must not underestimate them, we have to prove on the field that we are better - said Nikić.
Montenegro has played Liechtenstein twice so far, both times in the Euro 2016 qualifiers - the famous 0:0 draw in Vaduz, which hurt even more than the defeat in the Faroe Islands, and the 2:0 win in Gorizia.
"Our team is in the process of rejuvenation, we are trying to get into the game as soon as possible, find the tactics and style of play that suits us," concluded Igor Nikić.
Bulatović returned to the A team
Montenegro will be stronger in the friendly match against Liechtenstein for Andrija Bulatović, the Lens midfielder, who missed the away match in the Faroe Islands due to suspension and a red card earned last month for two fouls on Luka Modrić in Zagreb against Croatia.
Instead, he played for the youth team yesterday in a trip to Poland - and received a red card there.
He is suspended for the next youth qualifier (Tuesday against North Macedonia in Tuzi), but is available to Mirko Vučinić on Monday against Liechtenstein in a friendly.
Bonus video:
