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Milos Veljkovic interview

IGSpur

Well-Known Member
Jan 11, 2013
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Guess it's a mini blessing in disguise that he didn't get selected for the u21s. He will get more of the preseason. I can't stress enough how much I want this guy to get his chance. I pray Poch just chucks him in, I think people will be really surprised by just how good he is. While he is an exceptional DM at ruling out attacks with his positioning his passing is almost as good and he really has the abillity to spring an attack from deep.

On one of his few appearances for Boro he was described as the best player on the pitch, and I read one fan say he made some incredible passes worth the admission fee alone. How many times have you heard that wrt a DM
 

CoopsieDeadpool

Well-Known Member
Jun 8, 2012
18,257
70,419
Guess it's a mini blessing in disguise that he didn't get selected for the u21s. He will get more of the preseason. I can't stress enough how much I want this guy to get his chance. I pray Poch just chucks him in, I think people will be really surprised by just how good he is. While he is an exceptional DM at ruling out attacks with his positioning his passing is almost as good and he really has the abillity to spring an attack from deep.

On one of his few appearances for Boro he was described as the best player on the pitch, and I read one fan say he made some incredible passes worth the admission fee alone. How many times have you heard that wrt a DM


But he's selected to play in the U20 World Cup, and will be playing his first game this weekend. Is that tournament not going to run well into our pre-season schedule?

One part I like about the article that @spursram kindly shared with us, is this bit : "Veljkovic, an intelligent game-reader, comfortable in defence or midfield"...

I don't know much about this kid at all, other than what people on here have said about him, and the majority of that has been very positive indeed. With those skill-sets in his natural game, he's clearly got the very thing that our defence & midfield have been sorely lacking. Someone who can intelligently read the game would, in my opinion, transfer the whole dynamic of our team.

So, with that all said, could someone more knowledgeable than myself please tell me/us just how close this lad is to working his way into our first team? Seems to me, he 'could' well save us many a pound in transfer outlay?
 

IGSpur

Well-Known Member
Jan 11, 2013
7,939
13,758
But he's selected to play in the U20 World Cup, and will be playing his first game this weekend. Is that tournament not going to run well into our pre-season schedule?

One part I like about the article that @spursram kindly shared with us, is this bit : "Veljkovic, an intelligent game-reader, comfortable in defence or midfield"...

I don't know much about this kid at all, other than what people on here have said about him, and the majority of that has been very positive indeed. With those skill-sets in his natural game, he's clearly got the very thing that our defence & midfield have been sorely lacking. Someone who can intelligently read the game would, in my opinion, transfer the whole dynamic of our team.

So, with that all said, could someone more knowledgeable than myself please tell me/us just how close this lad is to working his way into our first team? Seems to me, he 'could' well save us many a pound in transfer outlay?

I assumed preseason will be starting end of June and mainly going through July. That will conflict with the Euro u21s, but as you say the u20 WC will end at the end of June. I don't know if we have any dates set but that's what I'd have thought. Surely the players will be getting their holidays after this post season tour?

Well coops I believe he was good enough to play for us last year in hindsight especially instead of Stambouli. His performed well in preseason at CB and I thought he was really going to get used, but I can;t blame Poch for making a more expereinced CM signing if he didn't really know the team.

He initially went Boro as a CB but got games at DM and generally played well, however even before the season started Boro fans questioned the loan as they more or less had 5 CBs already ahead of him and 2/3 DMs so he struggled for game time. He then dislocated his shoulder 2nd game in for Charlton and his season was written off sadly. I hope he has a good preseason again with us and gets tried out in DM. I personally don't want him to waste another year out on loan and think we should just get him in though I appreciate competition for places is high however we only have 2 pure DMs in Stambouli and Capoue and one or both could easily be sold. If we don't I hope Sherwood will come in and loan him giving him PL experience.

Ability wise, respective of his position, at u21 level he was in the same bracket as Pritchard, Bentaleb, Carroll and Ceballos. They were our outstanding players and he was the youngest. FWIW I thought he was as impressive as Bentaleb that season, though for some reason I liked his style a bit more. That's how good he is.

One of my concerns about him used to be his size he was quite skinny, and while he doesn't look stocky his has definitely filled out.

Here's a couple of posts I made on MV during some matches if it helps

http://www.spurscommunity.co.uk/ind...-other-youth-news.88939/page-129#post-3268243

http://www.spurscommunity.co.uk/ind...-other-youth-news.88939/page-171#post-3330163
 
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CoopsieDeadpool

Well-Known Member
Jun 8, 2012
18,257
70,419
Wow mate, thank you for the really detailed response (and links to previous discussions about the player) (y).

This lad really does sound like the real deal, and it's not just you that has said it on here. I can only hope that he's retained by Pochettino next season, and those of us who live afar will get glimpses of him in Europa League & domestic cup matches.

All I know for sure, and I'm not being dismissive of either player, but we literally can't continue with the heart of our midfield consisting of Mason & Bentaleb. They don't offer any dynamism, and seem to sort of get in eachothers way, mostly because they're too busy making sure one of them is holding position, so the other can push forward and support the attack. That doesn't work because it ends up with neither of them going forward, and our attacks either break down, or never materialise.

We need a change, and maybe Veljkovic, the "intelligent game reader" could be just the tonic we have been waiting for? Obviously I don't mean we should be depending on the lad, but if 19 year old Bentaleb (20 now) was worthy of becoming a mainstay in our midfield, I'd like to believe (hope) that 19 year old Veljkovic (20 in September) is just as worthy of being given the same opportunity as Bentaleb.
 
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