Nemanja Matic has threatened to quit the Serbian national team after they were thrashed 4-1 at the hands of the Czech Republic on Friday in Ostrava.

Matic frustrated with defeat

The Chelsea midfielder was understandably angry after the loss, saying, "I try to lead by example but some people don't want to see that." Serbia failed to qualify for Euro 2016 and finished second from bottom in their group on four points, eight away from a playoff spot. The disappointing qualifying campaign shocked many and after Friday's friendly defeat, Matic revealed his frustration with the attitude of the national side.

"The attitude of some players is unacceptable, not just on the pitch but off it too, and it was obvious from the moment we got together on Monday... I told our coach there is no point in me carrying on with the national team if things don't change."

The 27-year old has 26 caps for his country but failure to qualify for the Euros will only frustrate the midfielder more as he also endures a poor start to the season at club level with Chelsea. Matic's threat to walk out on the national side doesn't seem to be an empty one due to his comments about attitude problems within the squad.

Matic in Serbia action (photo: yahoo)
Matic in Serbia action (photo: yahoo)

Could he actually walk away?

Serbia have plenty of quality players but another disappointing qualifying campaign has left them with no spot in a major tournament this summer, giving plenty of reason for Matic to be frustrated. Whether the Chelsea man does walk away from international football, that is yet to be decided, but his words do not bode well for the future of the national team.

Matic and teammate Branislav Ivanovic will return to Chelsea this week and prepare for their Premier League clash against Norwich on Saturday with both players aiming to improve both their performances and the team as a whole.

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About the author
Harry  Harris
Covering the Premier League, Bundesliga and NFL. Writing for VAVEL since May 2014. Chelsea FC and Atlanta sports.