SAN FRANCISCO — Bosnia and Herzegovina coach Sergej Barbarez dismissed suggestions that criticism from American media would provide extra motivation for his players, insisting his side already has everything it needs ahead of Wednesday’s World Cup round-of-32 showdown against co-host United States.
Bosnia enters the knockout match at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium as the clear underdog after former U.S. goalkeeper Tim Howard predicted on a podcast that the Balkan nation would receive a harsh “reality check.” Another American television reporter also drew criticism after mocking Bosnia on air before later issuing an apology.
Barbarez said such remarks were an unavoidable part of modern football but insisted neither he nor his players had paid much attention to them.
“I have to admit things like that happen on a daily basis,” Barbarez told reporters on Tuesday.
“We are a small country and sometimes things like that happen, but I have no problem with it.”
He added that reaching the knockout stage of the World Cup was motivation enough without needing outside comments to fuel his squad.
“My boys don’t have a problem with it. You’re playing for a place in the round of 16. If that’s not motivation enough, then I don’t really notice things like that.”
While U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino avoided describing his team as favorites during his own pre-match news conference, Barbarez acknowledged that the Americans deserved that label.
“Look, of course they are favourites,” he said. “Their place in the rankings, they are the hosts, the names in their team—definitely.”
However, Barbarez said Bosnia has long embraced the role of underdog and believes pre-match expectations will count for little once the match begins.
“We never had a problem with being the underdog. This role, this word, doesn’t mean anything to me,” he said.
“It’s important what happens on the pitch, and this is what I’m interested in. This is what we are interested in.”
Bosnia’s squad reflects the country’s large diaspora, with players competing in leagues across Europe and beyond. Among them is U.S.-born forward Esmir Bajraktarević, whose background Barbarez believes has strengthened the team’s identity.
“Those touches of American culture are also very important because we have guys who were born all over the world,” Barbarez said.
“Maybe that’s a big advantage for us—that we’ve managed to bring together all those cultures, habits, mentalities and different approaches to football into one unit.”
Bosnia will attempt to upset the tournament hosts and secure a place in the round of 16, hoping its collective spirit can overcome a United States side widely expected to advance.
