Head coaches of Olympic champion Serbia and European champion Hungary, Dejan Savic and Tamas Marcz, selected the players and confirmed the rosters for the World Championships in Hungary today.
Only three debutants in rejuvenated Serbian team
Last year six Serbian aces retired from the national team (Filipovic, G.Pijetlovic, D.Pijetlovic, Prlainovic, Aleksic, S.Mitrovic). Besides them, one more Olympic champion isn’t on the roster – Nikola Dedovic. So, only six of the 13 players who won the gold medal in Tokyo will play at the upcoming World Championships – B.Mitrovic, Mandic, Randjelovic, Jaksic, S.Rasovic, Lazic.
Despite that fact, there are not many debutants on Serbia’s team. To remind, a rejuvenated squad represented Serbia at the 2019 World Championships in Gwangju (and finished in 5th place), because head coach Dejan Savic decided to rest some of the most experienced players and started preparing a team for the 2024 Olympic Games.
Most of the 13 picked players have a lot of international experience. Only three players will debut at the World Championships: Nikola Lukic, Gavril Subotic and Marko Radulovic, the MVP of the 2021 World U20 Championships in Prague.
Branislav Mitrovic, a new captain Photo by Marcel ter Bals/Orange Pictures
Goalkeepers: Branislav Mitrovic (captain, Vasas), Lazar Dobozanov (Radnicki). Field players: Dusan Mandic (Novi Beograd), Viktor Rasovic (Novi Beograd), Nikola Lukic (Radnicki), Sava Randjelovic (Vasas), Nikola Jaksic (Novi Beograd), Radomir Drasovic (Novi Beograd), Strahinja Rasovic (Novi Beograd), Marko Radulovic (Radnicki), Gavril Subotic (Crvena Zvezda), Djordje Lazic (Brescia), Nemanja Vico (Radnicki).
Reserves: Luka Pljevancic (Radnicki), Djordje Vucinic (Novi Beograd).
Nine Olympians on Hungary’s roster
There haven’t been many changes on Hungary’s roster since the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Nine players who won bronze in Tokyo will participate in the tournament in Hungary.
Viktor Nagy, the legendary goalkeeper, and Norbert Hosnyanszky retired after the Tokyo Olympics. Matyas Pasztor and Balazs Erdely aren’t on the World Championships’ roster, too. The four have been replaced by Marton Levai, Gergely Burian, Adam Nagy, and Zoltan Pohl.
Photo by waterpolo.hu/Facebook
Goalkeepers: Marton Levai (OSC), Soma Vogel (Ferencvaros). Field players: Daniel Angyal (?), Gergely Burian (OSC), Balazs Harai (OSC), Szilard Jansik (Ferencvaros), Kriszttian Manhercz (OSC), Tamas Mezei (Vasas), Adam Nagy (Ferencvaros), Zoltan Pohl (Ferencvaros), Denes Varga (captain, Ferencvaros), Marton Vamos (?), Gergo Zalanki (Pro Recco)
Reserves: Gergo Fekete, Vendel Vigvari (both Ferencvaros)
*Daniel Angyal played for Szolnok in the last season, but it hasn’t been confirmed whether he will stay at the club. Marton Vamos left Ferencvaros, and will probably move to Olympiacos.
World Championships, men’s tournament, groups
Group A (Budapest): Hungary, Brazil, Montenegro, Georgia.
Group B (Debrecen): Japan, Greece, Germany, Croatia.
Group C (Sopron): Italy, Canada, South Africa, Spain.
Group D (Szeged): Kazakhstan, USA, Australia, Serbia.
The men’s tournament at the World Championships will take place between June 21 and July 3.
