Canberra United’s ‘silent assassin’: Why Serbia’s Vesna Milivojević is one to watch in the A-League – scout report

For Canberra United, the 2023/24 A-League Women season has not been one to write home about thus far, with them losing three of their opening five matches and only tasting victory for the first time at the weekend when Brisbane Roar Women visited McKellar Park. They do still have games in hand, with them having played two fewer matches than most other sides have, so there is no need to worry yet. However, there is no doubt that they would have hoped for a better start to the campaign, given that they finished last season in fifth place and would have been aiming to improve on that this time around.

Amongst the disappointment of their initial results, though, there have been several positives for them and their fans to enjoy, including the form of midfielder Vesna Milivojević. She might have only signed for the team in the build-up to the 2022/23 campaign, having spent two years in Germany and Serbia before that, but she has quickly established herself as a player to watch in the Australian womens game and someone who never fails to add sparkle to a performance.

This tactical analysis will take a closer look at what makes the 21-year-old so vital for her team, highlighting how she has developed her individual qualities and detailing what she adds to their tactics. The scout report will look at what she offers in all three areas of the field and will show why an injury that she sustained during the win against Brisbane could prove to be detrimental to her sides hopes of climbing the table.

Attacking threat

When watching Vesna Milivojević this season, what has been increasingly noticeable is the expanded role that she has been given, with her operating mainly in the midfield last season but tending to be deployed in the forward line during the current one.

Given how well she did in the central third last season, it might seem like a strange move to use her in a different way, but it is a tactical decision that has worked out for Canberra United for a number of reasons.

The primary reason she has been deployed higher up the field is because it allows Canberra to win the ball in more advanced areas, with Milivojević thriving at disrupting play and closing opponents down last season. It was one of the reasons that she became such a vital cog in the Canberra machine, with their tactics revolving around pressing opponents and winning the ball as early as possible once it has been lost.

The result of this positional change has been very positive for Canberra, with them this season tending to regain possession inside the opposing third, and Milivojević has had no problem converting her pressing abilities into the forward role. In this case, she has got tight to Brisbane defender Leah Scarpelli, preventing her from playing the ball up the field and instead limiting her to only moving the ball back inside her. However, by doing so, Scarpelli sends the ball directly into the path of the waiting Canberra captain, Michelle Heyman, with Canberras ability to apply pressure, leading to them now being in a position to launch an attack of their own.

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