In nine major competitions in a row, Montenegrin water polo players have not reached the semi-finals, and nothing has changed at the beginning of this year during the European Championships in Belgrade, where they will remember their seventh place.
The public wants to fight for the medal, it has long been a habit, it seems that the reality is completely different and the question is how long it will be like that, but what the "sharks" are obliged to do is try to get out of their comfort zone and mediocrity.
Montenegro has a reputation in water polo, it has been building it since 2008 with much stronger generations than this one and some previous ones, and the tournament in Belgrade probably showed that this national team can rely on guys who have a future ahead of them.
Whether and when the long-awaited medal will be won (there have been no medals since January 2020) depends on many factors and opponents who are objectively stronger. But, if the system exists and if it is the right one, then at some point the years of waiting will pay off.
Since the beginning of his term, a little over a year ago, Dejan Savić has set the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles as his "target".
Montenegro, therefore, has a clear goal of creating a team that should show quality in about two and a half years, and its contours are beginning to emerge, it is slowly becoming clear who should be the leaders in 2028, but it seems much earlier.
The first among them is Balša Vučković. Last year he made his debut in the senior team, played in a major competition, and the start of this year has been phenomenal for the young water polo player from Primorac.
In Belgrade, he was the best link in Savić's system, a guy around whom a lot of things revolve and although he will only turn 21 in April, he has already established himself as one of the leaders in the pool. Vučković scored 16 goals at the European Championship, the team's second best scorer, after Dušan Matković (19).
A player who is slowly and surely becoming irreplaceable is Strahinja Gojković, that's how it has been so far in Jadran M:tel, and it's the same in the national team.
Strahinja welcomed the opportunity to impose himself, took advantage of it in Singapore 2025, and improved his quality during this European Championship with several very good games and consistency.
In Belgrade, the debutants at major competitions were Danilo Stupar and Srđan Janović, players who enjoy working with Savić and whose time is ahead of them - with whom the coaching staff can definitely build the future of the national team.
Marko Mrsic, who is having a very good season in Primorac, also showed his willingness to play an important role in the national team again during the tournament in Belgrade, so the legendary expert received an additional option there compared to the previous period.
The aforementioned four were a plus for the "sharks" this January, along with the experienced Petar Tešanović, Miroslav Perković, Dušan Matković, Vasilije Radović, Aljoša Mačić - and it can be said that Montenegro has "head and tail", but at the moment, due to the powerful competition full of top class - and there are at least six such teams in Europe - it is simply not enough to make a breakthrough in the fight for a place from fifth to eighth place.
These 15 players from the European Championship may not be the best that Montenegro has, as there are several serious options among those who were not part of the team in Belgrade.
Center Sava Ćetković was hampered by a shoulder injury, Đuro Radović paid the price for choosing the wrong club this summer (Novi Beograd, in the meantime Primorac has joined), Aleksa Ukropina is also coming out of suspension, and there is also Filip Gardašević, who played at the World Cup in Singapore...
- There will be no additional selection. We have to see the World Cup in early April - said Savić after the victory over Romania in the match for seventh place.
The "Sharks" recorded five wins and two draws in the championship.
- I don't think we can be satisfied. We had a lot of oscillations and conceded a lot of easy goals. We threw all our cards into that match with Hungary in the group, and we were powerless against Spain. There were positive things, we know what shortcomings we have left and we have to correct them - Savić emphasized.
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