Even though the Serbian SuperLeague is still being dominated by the likes of Crvena Zvezda and Vojvodina, 2020/21 was also a season in which underdogs shined. Seeing how they’re a club of practically non-existent budget compared to the big guns, Radnik Surdulica’s campaign was a true Cinderella story.
Carried on the wings of their prolific striker Milan Makaric, they’re currently fifth in the league while they’ve also tallied a historic achievement by reaching the local Cup semi-final, where they were ultimately beaten by Crvena Zvezda.
This tactical analysis will be a scout report on Makarić, showing you why his profile is so important to Radnik’s tactics alongside an analysis of some of his greatest strengths.
Player overview
Standing at about 6.07 feet (1.85 metres), Makarić is a physically imposing right-footed player who mainly plays as a centre-forward. His versatility and mobility have seen him occupy other positions such as second-striker and on rarer occasions, the attacking midfielder, but he is most comfortable when deployed as the team’s only no.9.
Looking at his player profile in the graph below, we can start identifying some of his main strengths and weaknesses. Makarić has been as lethal as they come this season and his attacking metrics clearly state he stands out from the rest.
The 25-year-old is in the top 20% (or better) of the Serbian SuperLeague strikers in all of non-penalty goals, expected goals per 90 (xG), shots per 90, offensive duels per 90 and successful dribbles per 90. But it’s important to note that every metric we analysed in that graph has him in the above-average group, signalling how incredible of a season he’s having. Makarić is a true poacher, often creating the illusion of being in the right place at the right time but that is down to his intelligent movement in and around the box.
His heatmap suggests he likes to drift wide, where he’ll often be the target of long passes in transitions. Makarić is very strong and decently fast to beat his marker and make a deep run towards the box. Similarly, his back-to-goal game is also strong, meaning he’s often used as a lay-off option for Radnik and can hold up play decently well.
