 Though he came in with high praise and even higher hopes, Subotić's initial performances for Serbia weren't stellar.Following unconvincing defensive displays and fairly frequent mistakes, he had to deal with plenty of criticism in the Serbian press.At the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, Subotić was left out of the starting lineup for the opening group stage match against Ghana, with Nemanja Vidić and Aleksandar Luković the preferred choices for central defensive spots by coach Antić.