Exclusive: Zlatko Dedič interview

Was Frosinone the only team that presented you with a serious offer?

No, actually I was on the brink of signing a contract with Livorno, while I was also approached by Genoa and Bologna. In the dying seconds I received a call from Frosinone and they convinced me with their plans for the future. I was also approached by several other clubs, but primarily I wanted to stay in Serie A. Since other clubs couldn't guarantee me regular first-team football I decided to go to Frosinone, which might seem as a step back, but I firmly believe that this move will allow me to make two steps higher in the future. Now it all depends on me to reward the trust they have shown in me.

Did you have any offers from abroad?

I was told that some Premiership clubs were interested in me and although I'm sure that many would grab such an opportunity with both hands, I didn’t feel that moving to England would be a good decision. I would have to start all over, which might be very difficult. Surely I'm tempted by English football, but I've settled in Italy, I’ve learnt the Italian language very well and also have many good friends there. I want to mature there as a football player and when I realize what I'm capable of, I will think further. Anyway, I doubt that I would play a lot in England in the beginning, which isn't exactly what I was aiming at.

Considering the fact that you've been moving a lot recently, you will probably agree that next season might be crucial in your career as you reached the point where you have to prove that you became a good football player.

People at Frosinone expect me to deliver, to explode, play a good season, score plenty of goals and perhaps be eventually sold for decent money. I'm sure that these expectations are high, but the club invested quite a lot of money in me. I'm optimistic and I only hope that I will not have any severe injuries. The most annoying are those minor injuries which allow you to play but you can go awry and can't focus solely on football. If I am lucky with my health, I'm sure I will be able to repay the trust of the club and help them achieve promotion to Serie A one day.

What would you say contributed to the fact, that you never enjoyed a longer run in the first-team at Parma?

At Parma there was a weird situation which related to the club's financial problems. Results were bad, many coaches came in and out and the club was looking for a new president. Beside that, the club started the season with Stefano Pioli, who employed a system which didn't really suit my style of play. He advised me to start looking elsewhere and I was actually negotiating a deal with Arezzo, but talks broke down and I had to stay at Parma. Right at the time when I scored a few goals in the Uefa cup and Coppa Italia, Parma brought in some experienced players, and I was sure that it was the right time to go, so I accepted Frosinone's offer.

Would you say that it was even harder for you as a foreigner?

I don’t think that my passport made too much impact. Mostly, it's all up to the coaches as they all have their own vision and each of them prefer their own players. Who knows, perhaps Cavasin will not be very fond of me and I just may end up on the bench. I joined Parma as a teenager and since the club invested a lot of money in me, I'm sure it wasn't in their interest to deliberately keep me away from the first-team action. Being a Slovenian in Italian football had no particular importance, in my opinion.

I believe you don’t hold your international experiences as a very fond memory?

Where should I start…What happened, happened, but I believe that the price I had to pay was too big for what I did. I always claimed that playing for the national team is the biggest honour for me and I still believe that I was treated unfairly in that match against Norway. I know that the coach makes the calls, but I just couldn’t keep quiet as I was molested by several things. I haven't received any call from anyone recently, even though I was never officially penalized for that dispute I had. With the greatest respect, I think that in Slovenia there are not an abundance of quality players, so it's pretty presumptuous to write some players off without giving any official explanation. I admit that I'm still hurt because of that, but only time will show who was right. That is also one of the main reasons why I don't follow Slovenian football as closely as I had before that. But I can assure that I'm not very happy with this situation.

The new Slovenia coach Matjaž Kek hasn’t called you since the friendly match with Estonia. Do you resent anyone for what happened or would you make yourself available for the national team in the future?

Nah, not at all! I would always be honoured to wear the jersey with the national badge and believe me, I would promptly answer any call-up. After the Estonia match Kek gave me a call though, and explained that I do not figure in his plans anymore and I respect that. I also told him that I will always be ready to play for the national team.

When Branko Oblak was the manager of the national team, you started several matches in the first-team, but then out of nothing it seemed that he forgot about you.

We all know that Oblak liked to change the players more often than his underwear, so I wasn't the last one who shared that fate. The biggest problem was that I never had a chance to discuss anything with Oblak in private. I didn't know at all whether he counted on me on or not, what bothered him and things like that. I think that such an attitude isn't very helpful, as everyone at least deserves an explanation. Well, that's how it used to be during his reign, I hope it's better now.

Recently many young players have begun to leave their home countries and go abroad. You were one of the first who decided to take that step. Do you regret that or would you say that was a mistake?

No, not at all! Actually I am convinced that signing for Parma as a 16 year old kid was the best move in my career. The fact is you realize that football abroad is several light years ahead of Slovenia. Unfortunately the level here is much lower and that applies to working with youngsters as well. I advanced only in Italy and I'm sure I'd never be able to develop few of the skills I've learnt here, since coaches in Slovenia have a completely different approach. It is true that it is very hard to break into the first team, but nevertheless such a player can always return back home. The experience and knowledge you get in a country like Italy is priceless.

Recently Mitja Novinić sealed a move to AC Milan. How hard it is to break into a club of such size?

Actually, it's not really that hard. You have to realize that clubs like AC Milan have over fifty 16-year olds in their youth ranks. They do that with the intent to create a player who could eventually play for the first-team and when some scout gives a positive report on a player, from say Slovenia, they will surely try to buy him. But affirmation is a different story. It is nice being a member of Milan's Primavera (youth) team, but breaking into the first team is virtually impossible. In Italy, youngsters from Milan usually leave for teams in the second or even third division and only then they get an opportunity to start their careers. My case was a bit peculiar, since Parma had to pay a pretty big transfer fee for me. In that case you do get more attention, as everyone wants to have their investment repaid. Despite all that, getting promoted from the youth ranks to senior football is extremely tough.

Source: www.nogomania.com