Vidic injury leaves Serb defensive plans in ruins

BILLERBECK: Serbia & Montenegro assistant coach Goran Stevanovic said the withdrawal of Nemanja Vidic had left his defensive plans in ruins.   

The centre back, who missed the 1-0 Group C defeat by Netherlands through suspension, is out for the rest of the tournament after injuring his knee in training on Monday.   

"It took a while to build that defence on Vidic and we can't rebuild it overnight," Stevanovic told a news conference on Wednesday ahead of the match with Argentina in Gelsenkirchen on Friday.   

"We have a clear vision of what it should look like against the Argentines but we have to wait and see whether it works. We'll try to make life difficult for them."   

A makeshift defence with Nenad Djordjevic at right back looked shaky against Netherlands. Coach Ilija Petkovic is likely to prefer Igor Duljaj in that position with Goran Gavrancic moving into Vidic's slot in the centre.   

Up front, 32-year-old Savo Milosevic may be dropped for towering striker Nikola Zigic, whose aerial strength appears to be Serbia's best chance against a younger and more talented Argentina.