Edin Dzeko is the heart and soul of Bosnia - despite tough start at Roma

When Martin O’Neill stepped in to a room packed with Irish journalists in the womb of the small, old-fashioned Bilino polje stadium in Zenica, he looked like a tired and worried man.

The first question that came after he counted all the injured and suspended players that will miss Friday night’s play-off first leg against Bosnia and Herzegovina, a tie that will decide who will take part in Euro 2016 in France next summer, was a like rubbing salt into his open wound.

"Do you have a plan about how to stop Edin Džeko?"

Just half an hour earlier on the very same spot sat Džeko himself, feeding the wolfpack of journalists with diplomatic praise for the Republic of Ireland team. With a big smile on his face, he looked not just relaxed, but confident too.

“I just can’t wait for this match to start," he said. “We are aware of how good Ireland are, but we believe in ourselves. This stadium is the place that I like to call home. I love this place, we all do, and it is a delight to play here. The fans are great and with them behind our back we feel like everything is possible.”

The former Manchester City striker is the heart and soul of a Bosnia team which made history two years ago when they reached their first ever major tournament, qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

Scoring 44 goals in 74 matches since his debut back in 2007, Džeko enjoys the profile of being the best player the country has had since independence in 1992. Or as Eli Gutman, whose Israeli side easily defeated Bosnia without Džeko in the qualifiers (3-0), but lost 3-1 with the striker in the team, put it - he is for Bosnia what Cristiano Ronaldo is for Portugal.

Before Džeko emerged on the international stage, Bosnia were nothing but a mediocre side who rarely got close to qualifying for major tournaments. It was his presence that gave the necessary boost to the Dragons, taking them to the play-offs twice – in the 2010 and 2012 qualifiers, where they lost to Portugal – before he scored nine goals in the World Cup 2014 qualifying campaign and led this team to the top of the group and their historic debut in Brazil.

"All these stats sound great; of course I am proud to be the best scorer in the country's history. But, we were never a one-man team, we were and we are much more than that," says Džeko.

When Zvjezdan Misimović, his Bosnian team-mate at the time, joined Wolfsburg in the summer of 2008, Džeko had 15 goals in 48 matches for the German side. In just one year the Bosnian duo enjoyed one of the best partnerships in recent Bundesliga history, combining for 33 goals - 26 of those scored by Džeko - and 30 assists - 20 from Misimović - that brought the first and the only championship title to Wolfsburg in their history in 2008-09.

After five years and as many trophies won with Manchester City, Džeko moved to Rome this summer to start another Bosnian partnership: 25-year old midfielder Miralem Pjanić is his main supplier at AS Roma and the man who plays just behind him for the national team.

Pjanić, who has the joint top number of assists in Serie A with five and averages the most key passes in the league, has announced himself as one of the best midfielders in the Italian league and Roma fans hope the two men will replicate what Misimović and Džeko achieved in Wolfsburg to bring the Scudetto to Rome. Bosnians expect the same pairing to transform the country into regulars at the major tournaments.

Džeko has had a rough start in Italy, scoring only two league goals so far. However, after returning from injury, the striker has scored in his last two matches – against Leverkusen in the Champions league and in the Rome derby against Lazio. He missed the last two matches for Bosnia as well, but in the past 10 competitive games for his country, and with Pjanić behind him, Džeko has scored nine goals.

“I don’t think about the numbers”, he says. “All I want is to play as well as possible, and with a player like Miralem of course that is much easier. It’s nice to be back to scoring goals, but I was never worried. Now it is important to do the best we can against Ireland. And qualify for the Euros.”