Levski’s former mentor Slavisha Stojanovic is among the respected specialists from “blue” Bulgaria. The Slovenian was in charge of the Gerena team twice – in the 2018/2019 season, when he was replaced by Georgi Dermendzhiev during the winter camp in Cyprus, and in the 2020/2021 season, when he was released shortly after lying in the VMA with coronavirus. This is what 54-year-old Slavisha Stojanovic shared with “Sportal”:
What have you been up to lately?
– I work for two teams, I help with the playing of static situations. I also have a commitment to the national team of Slovenia in connection with the preparation for the European Championship in Germany. Last year I was a consultant, I also participated in the distribution of the “UEFA Pro License” in Slovenia, I am often an analyst on television for the Champions League, Europa League and European qualifiers. After I left Sofia, I stopped for a while with the active work in the field. You know that I was briefly in the hospital in Bulgaria (because of COVID-19). After that I took some time off.
Are you following what is happening in Levski?
– Yes of course. Levski alternates some good games with some bad ones. They play up there, down there. With Murray Stoilov, the team played well, the Bulgarian Cup was won. Now it’s, as we say, warm-cool, warm-cool. The club is in a better situation now than it was in my time. Levski has good players in its team, while during the coronavirus pandemic there was neither money nor team.
Do you keep in touch with fans? Only two other foreigners have twice been at the head of Levski – Vitlachil and Petrovich.
– Yes, the fans call, we keep in touch, they ask me questions. Whenever I come to Sofia, I meet Levski supporters. I have a strong emotional connection with the team and its supporters. I can’t say what Levski lacks, I’m not inside things and I don’t know exactly how the coaching staff works, etc. I know for sure that Levski has maximum support from his supporters. No other team in Bulgaria has the support of Levski. Levski fans are unique!
Which Levski footballers do you like the most from the current team?
– Levski has good players, it is not very easy to single out just a few… I like Ricardinho. I must mention Marin Petkov – he is my boy! A very stable player, he has a future. Welton knew how to make a difference, he is one of Levski’s best players in the last five or six years. Tsunami I’ll point it out too, Captain, with technique. A good football player.
In Bulgaria, we often talk about whether the coach makes the selection. How was your time at Gerena?
– It was a very difficult process! I didn’t have time, there were many obstacles. The second time, no one wanted to come to Levski, or to Bulgaria in general. It was the time of the coronavirus and everyone wanted to sit in their country. My second period in Levski was much more difficult than the first, when the team included players such as Gabriel Obertan, Gerson Cabral, Hali Thiam, Davide Mariani, Milos Tsvetkovic, Ivan Goranov and others. Yes, it was much harder the second time. But I dare say that both times I lifted the team and we built.
Can you ever take over Levski for a third time?
– You ask me a difficult question. Twice I worked in Levski with all my heart and left offended. Certainly, both times I did not break up with Levski through my fault. I don’t know why that happened, we ended up having good results. It’s hard to answer your question, but in life you should never say never. I can’t say “no” or “can’t” to Levski!
Is there anyone who will soon stop the hegemony of Ludogorets?
– With a better selection and a little better work, it can, yes. Why not? Last season, CSKA almost did it, it was a matter of one penalty scored. Ludogorets is a strong team, that’s clear. They have good players, they have a long bench, which helps the rotation in their team. In the last two or three years, however, Ludogorets has shown fluctuations and is not as strong as it was five or six years ago, for example. However, something is missing for Levski and CSKA to reach the championship title. But Levski and CSKA have a lot of fans – something that Ludogorets does not have. With a good team, fruitful work and support, symbiosis with the huge fan mass, things will work out and Ludogorets will be dethroned.
How about Radostin Alexandrov, who hosts Tabor Sejana?
– At the end of the season I could give you a more in-depth answer, but the feedback on his work is really positive. I hear a lot of good things about him in Slovenia.
In June, Bulgaria visited Ljubljana for the inspection. What do you expect from this match?
– This will be a dress rehearsal for Slovenia before the European finals in Germany. It will be an interesting match that will benefit both sides. For Slovenia – sparring before Euro 2024, and for the Bulgarian footballers an opportunity to see how far they have come before the League of Nations. Slovenia has a good team with fast players, you know which clubs they play for – Atlético Madrid, Panathinaikos, RB Leipzig, Udinese, etc. This will be a test for Bulgaria. I think that the match will not go easily for Slovenia because the team plays on the counter and half-counter, waits for the moment to score and uses the empty spaces with speed. However, it will be difficult against an opponent who will not go forward powerfully and will also wait and play more defensively.
What do you want to say to the leftists?
– I congratulate them all! I have been abroad a lot, but I have never seen such love for the team, like that of “Gerena” for Levski! This is something unique! I believe we will see each other soon. At the end of May I will be in Serbia, I plan to come to Sofia for a few days, after all, it is about a hundred kilometers. I wish Levski fans have a reason to enjoy the successes of their favorite team again.
Photo: Lap.bg
Tags: Slavisha Stojanovic left Levski offended
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