Mihajlovic lashes squad

On the attack: Mihajlovic in action for Lazio

Yugoslav central defender Sinisa Mihajlovic has lashed out at the national squad for being "slow and old-fashioned".

The Lazio veteran, a key member of Yugoslavia's Euro 2000 squad, claims the team lack aggression and need to be more hard-running.

"We have been facing problems for years, but it seems that we simply do not want to accept this," he said as the team returned from a disappointing Asian tour.

The Euro 2000 warm-up trip ended on a farcical note when the Yugoslavs lost 4-2 to Hong Kong side South China.

Indifference

"We play slowly, in an old-fashioned manner and with great indifference," said free kick specialist Mihajlovic.

"This is a sign of a mediocre squad, not of possible contenders for the European title as our public expects."

Mihajlovic said Yugoslavia's main problems was over-complication in midfield and a lack of creativity in attack.

"With such play, we cannot even beat total outsiders, if there are such teams in world football these days," he added.

"We have to come back down to earth and admit that the fact most of us play for leading European teams means nothing in terms of the national squad."

Yugoslavia play Spain, Slovenia and Norway in Euro 2000 Group C.