GORDAN Petric believes Red Star Belgrade manager Dejan Stankovic has enjoyed success in Serbia and Europe by modelling his side on the Inter Milan team he helped to win the Champions League.
Former Dundee United, Rangers and Hearts defender Petric knows Stankovic, who won 103 caps for Serbia between 1998 and 2013, well.
He has been greatly impressed by how the one-time Lazio and Inter midfielder has done since taking charge at the Rajko Mitic Stadium at the end of 2019.
Red Star have won two Serbian SuperLiga titles, lifted the Serbian Cup and reached the knockout rounds of the Europa League twice with their legendary ex-player “Deki” in the dugout.
Petric feels the 43-year-old was heavily influenced by Jose Mourinho during the two seasons the Portuguese coach spent at the San Siro.
He can see similarities between Stankovic’s team and the Inter side that beat Bayern Munich 2-0 in the Champions League final in the Bernabeu Stadium in 2010.
The former Yugoslavia centre half knows Rangers will have to be prepared for their opponents pressing them high up the park in the first leg of a Europa League last 16 double header at Ibrox on Thursday night.,
“Dejan is younger than me and I didn’t play with him or against him,” said Petric. “But I know him really well. He is a great guy and he has done well since moving into management.
“He had, of course, a wonderful career as a player. He played in Italy for many years with Lazio and Inter Milan and won many trophies. He has decided to go into coaching and I think he has made the transition well.
“He was the Udinese assistant for a year, but Red Star is the first club that he has managed. But he is a big name here in Serbia, is respected by the fans and knows the standards that are demanded. He has done a good job.”
He added: “Every year in football you have something new. They way Red Star play now is completely different to when I played against them with Partizan.
“Dejan likes his team to play with a 4-2-3-1 formation, but there is nothing especially exciting about their combinations or their set-up that Rangers will need to be wary of.
“But Red Star are a very aggressive side and try to get close to opposition players when they are out of possession. Every player is required to do a lot of running. They must all give 100 per cent for the team.
“I think it is a very similar type of football to what Dejan played when he worked under Jose Mourinho at Inter Milan and won the Champions League.
“It is unfair to say he has copied Mourinho. He played under Sven-Goran Eriksson at Lazio and Roberto Mancini at Lazio and Inter. I think he has taken things from every manager he has played under.
“But you can definitely see similarities between Red Star and the Inter team that Mourinho had. It is working well for Dejan and can be difficult for sides to play against.”
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