Profile: Can Slavko Damjanovic be Chennaiyin FC's defensive leader?

The defender will need to find form quickly to live up to the huge expectations at his new club.

Indian Super League outfit Chennaiyin FC have completed the signing of Slavko Damjanovic. The new recruit is a centre-back who will make his debut in Indian football next season. The eighth edition of the ISL is set to begin in late 2021 (tentatively) in a bio-bubble in Goa again.

The Marina Machans have made a lot of changes to their team in order to alter their fortunes. The club are desperate to improve on last season’s performance, which saw them finish in eighth place in the standings. The two-time ISL winners are in dire straits and will rely on the incoming defender to shore up things at the back.

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The 28-year-old has a lot of expectations on his shoulders. A lot of eyes will be on the Serbian, who brings physicality and pure power to the stage. The new boss in Bozidar Bandovic has identified something special in the player and believes he is going to solve their defensive woes. 

Having said that, there is a lot to discover about the new entrant in the ISL, so here is a descriptive report on Slavko Damjanovic.

Past experience

Slavko Damjanovic has been part of several European leagues. He began his senior career at FK Mornar Bar, a top tier club in Montenegro. The left-footed defender then played for clubs like FK Spartak Subotica and FK Backa 1901 Subotica in Serbia. His next destination was Békéscsaba 1912 Elöre SE, a club that plays in the Hungarian second division. He followed that with a move to FK Sutjeska Niksic in Montenegro.

Post his second stint in Montenegro, he signed for Bidvest Wits a club that plays in the South African first division, but came back to Montenegro to sign for Buducnost Podgorica. Damjanovic’s next destination was Uzbekistan, where he signed for Lokomotiv Tashkent and then moved to Serbia to play for first division club FK TSC Backa Topola.

India will be his first experience outside Europe and it is worth noting that he stays at a club for a period of 1-2 years on average. Interestingly, he has signed only a year-long contract at Chennaiyin FC.

The numbers behind his club career

It is an established fact that the player has been a journeyman throughout his career. He has played most prominently for Buducnost Podgorica, representing them 60 times and scoring thrice. The second most appearances he made was for FK Sutjeska Niksic, where he played 30 matches. The third club where Slavko has played most games is Békéscsaba 1912 Elöre SE (27 games, two goals).

The centre-back has won three trophies in his club career. He lifted the league cup in Montenegro during the 2016/17 season with FK Sutjeska Niksic. Slavko followed that with a league cup win in South Africa with Bidvest Wits during the 2017/18 season. Lastly, he won the Montenegrin league with Buducnost Podgorica during the 2019/20 season.

Overall, he has around 151 club appearances in his nine-year-long career as a professional player.

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The previous season

Slavko Damjanovic played in the Serbian league last season for FK TSC Backa Topola. He featured in 11 league games, recording 990 playing minutes. Furthermore, he also scored a goal and collected four yellow cards during that time.

One appearance also came in the league cup (Kup Srbije) where he played the full 90 minutes. FK TSC, his last club finished in fifth place in the league standings. The outfit secured 58 points from 38 fixtures. In terms of most appearances, Slavko has played 81 games in Montenegro's first division Telekom 1. CFL. 

Playing style

Slavko Damjanovic is a left-footed centre-back. He is good at playing out from the back and shows composure when in possession of the ball. He is 1.89m tall and has a good physical presence. The defender is also a good reader of the game and puts in tackles only when needed. He is a leader at the back and keeps everyone alert.

In the attacking third, Slavko is a huge asset. Standing tall at 6’2” feet, the centre-back loves to get on the end of set-pieces. It will be interesting to see how he adapts to the climatic conditions of India.

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Role in the coach plans

The initial statement from the tactician says a lot about what he expects from the defender. “Slavko is a highly tactical player and his inclusion is certain to give the team more stability from the back to the front,” Bozidar Bandovic said in response to securing the player. 

Bandovic has been clear about reinforcing the backline which leaked goals last term. He has pointed out how a good defence wins you titles.

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