How Serbian media reacted to Kosta Nedeljkovic vs Netherlands as Rangers loanee gets rare start
Rangers man Kosta Nedeljkovic was heralded despite Serbia's 2-1 defeat to the Netherlands on Sunday.
The Ibrox ace has barely featured since joining the Ibrox side on loan from Aston Villa earlier this summer.
Derek McInnes has not utilised him in the last four matches, opting to go with Dujon Sterling.
However, the 20-year-old showed no signs of rust as he started for his country in the UEFA Nations League.
Unfortunately, he could not prevent defeat for his country on a tough evening in Belgrade.
His national media were still impressed by the showing, though, despite the negative result.
What did the Serbian media say about Rangers star Kosta Nedeljkovic?
Serbian outlets were very positive about Nedeljkovic's display against the Oranje.
Mondo gave him a six out of 10 rating, saying: “Everything else is there - time is still working for him, and his physical predispositions show that he should be a member of the national team for many years."
Mozzart Sport handed him a six, saying: “Considering the small minutes, not only this season, but in the last two, it was expected that the Dutch would torment Nedeljković much more. However, even though Gakpo, and after him Van Bommel were passing, breaking inside, they did not create any colossal opportunities from it.
"There weren’t many Nedeljković in the offensive, there weren’t any opportunities either, but once he moved to the Dutch half, he created a great chance for Joveljić.”
Sportklub gave him a 5.5, saying: “He tried to fight with the Dutch and entered into as many duels as possible, but he remained inferior to his rivals in terms of racing. Even with the fact that Gakpo only played 15 minutes…”
The media seem to have made their judgement clear on the Ibrox ace, they viewed his showing as a very good one, but what does the data say?
What do the numbers say about Nedeljkovic's performance?
The numbers on Nedeljkovic's showing suggest that he was not as good as the media claim in his latest international appearance.
In 59 minutes of action, he created one chance for his teammates and made two passes in the final third, per FotMob data.
He only attempted eight passes, completing six for a 75 per cent pass accuracy at the Stadion Rajko Mitic.
Defensively, he made no contributions, with just one recovery to his name in the clash.
In terms of duels, he failed to win any of the two that he attempted, and also lost the only aerial battle that he contested.
Nedeljkovic also committed one foul and was dribbled past once, in what looks like a miserable display for the Light Blues outcast.
That kind of form will not exactly pique McInnes' interest and make him want to put him into his side at club level anytime soon.
The data implies that the positivity around his performance is quite bizarre, as he was not statistically impressive at all.
Obviously, the opposition must be taken into account, as the Netherlands are top class, but the Bears will not take any encouragement.