As part of the series on hypothetical sides that sadly will never exist, I present to you one that is close to my heart as a lover of Balkan history, an XI of a reunited Yugoslav XI.
Obviously there is the elephant in the room, the reason that there is no longer a Yugoslav national team is that there is no longer a Yugoslavia, the reasons of which are many and varied, and often touch on cultural, ethnic, and religious hotspots, so I offer nostalgia only from a footballing standpoint.
The pure level of talent coming out of the former Yugoslavia means that you could shape this side in many different ways, with a talent pool large enough for 3 teams, or at least 3 pretty varied lineups.
Here is my interpretation, playing a 4-3-3, with a fairly fluid midfield.
Goalkeeper - Samir Handanovič (Slovenia) - A fairly easy choice, he has been a consistently great player at Udinese and now for Inter. No real weaknesses, very good reaction saves, and most notably, a great penalty stopper. Handanovič seems to have mastered that singular moment of deciding when to dive or not, and in which direction, he rarely is simply caught guessing the wrong way. I would love to see a 10 shot match with Mario Balotelli, the penalty taker who seems to have the most control of that moment of zen just before the just before of the shot leaving the foot.
Right Back - Darijo Srna (Croatia) - Another fairly straightforward choice, Srna has been good enough to garner a fair amount of Western media attention while playing in the under appreciated Ukrainian league for Shaktar. Equally at home as a traditional fullback, a wingback, or anywhere on the right side of the field really. A good, at the minimum, defender, he truly shines going forward, whipping in crosses, and hitting sniper shot free kicks.
Center Back - Branislav Ivanović (Serbia) - A versatile, strong, fairly quick, defender with a knack for scoring goals off corners and free kicks. An emergent leader as captain of the Serb national team, capable of filling in at right back if need be, and composed on the ball, he beats out some solid competition for a starting spot.
Center Back - Nemanja Vidić (Serbia) - As close to a lock in the starting XI as any, he has become the unquestionable on-field leader at Manchester United. A large, imposing, unit of a man. So long as our hypothetical opponents don't get hold of a time machine and bring on a Fernando Torres back from when that name truly meant something, he will hold the line at all costs.
Left Back - Aleksandar Kolarov (Serbia) - I hate to already have to make a qualification on this list, but yes, 3 of the back 4 are Serbs, this is simply down to coincidence and stylistic preference. Kolarov has shown some shaky defending in the past month or so, he is usually a reliable, if not elegant defender. The reason for Kolarov's inclusion is not defending however, it is the large caliber artillery gun that he uses as a left leg. The man has knocked those who dare stand in the wall in front of his free kicks unconscious, more than once. Of course he is not all power, he is generally well composed in passing and dribbling, due in some part to his being used as a wingback for long periods of his career.
Holding Midfielder - Aleksandar Ignjovski (Serbia) - Possibly the hardest position to fill on the team, as the low point of the talent pool of the Yugosphere is at true holding midfielders, probably just a generational coincidence. Ignjovski has shown plenty of energy, which he will need with both fullbacks flying forward, he is also quite useful having been played as a fullback himself.
"Second function" Central Midfielder - Miralem Pjanić (Bosnia) - A potentially contentious pick, not for including him, but because he takes the spot away from Luka Modric, who certainly has a right to the spot as well, but Pjanić is the future of this hypothetical midfield, and has generally filled the role of neither the most advanced or deepest midfielder (Think Xavi's position) with more regularity than Modric, who also faces the problem of being stuck in a Madrid Midfield that isn't really using him. Not to sell Pjanić short, his talent at Lyon and now Roma, has been clear to see, settling into the middle of midfield after starting out as the most attacking midfielder, his passing worked under the highly -demands of Luis Enrique and Zdek Zeman, which speaks to his true quality. Also takes a mean free kick (deciding who is on free kick duty could lead to some interesting conflicts)
"Third function" Central Midfielder - Josip Iličić (Slovenia) - The freest of the midfielders to create as he sees fit (Think Iniesta's role) comes from the wonderfully creative hybrid midfielder/forward of Palermo, who has a bit of Kaka about him, somewhere between true playmaker, a deep lying forward, and a driving midfielder. The slender Slovene will provide a truly creative spark.
Left Winger / Forward - Mirko Vučinić (Montenegro) - A perfect fit for the system, he served as the main goal threat when he was at Roma and playing on the left, to allow Totti to develop the "false 9" role in it's infancy. An absolute entertainer, he fits all the cliches of the mercurial, impossible to track striker, who is equally talented moving off the ball as he is with it at his feet. He may prefer a pure strikers role, but sacrifices must be made for even hypothetical countries.
Right Winger / Forward - Goran Pandev (Macedonia) - Another great fit for the system, and possibly one many may not have seen coming. Pandev is a versatile, disciplined player, but not one who has had the joy and passion coached out of him. Pandev hit the highest point of his career playing as a right sided forward who both cut inside onto his left foot to score, and worked tirelessly to cover for the marauding Maicon, which he may have to do some more of with Srjna. Since his move to Napoli, he has proved he can play in a versatile attack, with Hamsik sometimes playing behind, sometimes beside him.
Striker - Edin Džeko (Bosnia) - A complete striker, he lacks neither in skill, nor in physical prowess. At 6'4", there is a lot of him, but his size merely complements his game, he is brainy and inventive player first and foremost. With 2 fullbacks who can cross the ball as well as Srjna and Kolarov, it would be a crime to not have a legitimate threat in the air to put them away.
