The Euro 2016 groups are set and boy did Croatia receive a spicy draw.
There won’t be any walkover matches in Group D as Croatia will face Turkey, Czech Republic and finally Spain in a Euro 2012 rematch The Vatreni will open up Euro 2016 against Turkey on June 12th in Paris; at Parc des Princes. They will then face Czech Republic on June 17th in St. Etienne before the final group stage match against Spain June 21st in Bordeaux. It won’t be easy but fans will definitely get their money’s worth.
Turkey came out of nowhere to become the best third-placed team to qualify automatically. The Turks are brimming with confidence as they won their last three qualifying matches over the Dutch, Kazakhstan and Iceland to squeak into the tournament automatically. Czech Republic cruised in Group A with seven wins out of 10 matches in a campaign which saw group favorites the Netherlands implode on every level. Czech Republic and Turkey each grabbed a win against each other in qualifying, albeit Czech did not need a win at the end of the qualifying.
And then there’s Spain. And although this is not 2010 Spain, it’s still Spain. And once again Croatia will finish group play against the Spaniards just as they did at Euro 2012. Croatia needed a win to progress to the knockout round that match but a failed Ivan Rakitic header and a controversial Spanish offside goal would earn Spain a 1-0 victory to kick Croatia out. Now a revamped Croatia side will look for retribution.
The Group D winner has much to look forward to. Why?
Whoever wins this group will play a 3rd-placed team in the Round of 16 and then a group runner-up in the quarterfinals. That means if Croatia can take first place, they would not have to play a group winner until the semifinals. And that is just as valuable as drawing an “easy” group.
My ranking for Croatia’s group and tournament path: B+. I would have swapped Turkey with Ireland.
————————————————–
On December 12th in Paris, the Euro 2016 groups will be set. Last time Croatia was a part of this, they were drawn to open up the 2014 World Cup against hosts Brazil. And although this draw may not have the same fireworks, Croatia can potentially be dealt some pretty stiff competition coming out of Pot 2.
Starting with Pot 1, I’m hoping for Croatia to be grouped with Germany, England or Spain. Bring us a big boy. But anyone will do. Hosts France. Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo. Or we can get some payback on current world #1 Belgium from last qualifying campaign. And with the top two teams from each group going to the knockout as well as the best four third-place teams, there’s no excuse to get out.
Pot 4 will be the fun team we get. There’s no reason Croatia doesn’t get all three points from anyone in this pot. Every team except Turkey and Ireland are in their first tournament. Give me Ireland again. Those guys are just too much fun to party with. Before, during and after the match. It’s a win-win for everyone at the game. And it’s the only other country that Croatian fans won’t fight with.
Pot 3 is where is gets tricky. Sweden and Poland are the strongest teams. I’m not worried about anybody else. But who on our defense can stand up to true strikers in Ibrahimovic or Lewandowski when the time comes? It’d be a great game but those are the only two teams Croatia would have trouble with.
My ideal group: Croatia, Spain, Sweden, Ireland.
What’s yours?
And this is for you Iggy. No more excuses on not knowing what time this thing starts in your timezone.
Agree with your take on Rakitic and the rest.
Rakitic is fairly young still. Is a central player for the best team in the world. Captained Sevilla to a EL title. Seems well respected within the NT. I could see him sticking around the NT for another 6-8 years too while holding the armband.
Mandzukic would be a no-go for me. Hot head, has taken some stupid cards for both club and country. Plus, I only think he has another 3 years or so left for the NT. I don’t see him being an Olic that will stick around into his mid-late 30’s. Could see him retiring from the NT post Russia, playing another year or two with a farewall ride at Dinamo before hanging it up.
Modric just doesn’t have that “it” factor to be a captain. Has he ever worn the armband for any club he’s played for? Dinamo, maybe? Everyone loves Luka, but I’d rather him concentrate on pulling the strings for us and not worry about the duties that come with wearing the armband.
Corluka would be my other choice for captain. Lots of seniority, obviously has lost or step or two but solid football mind. I’m sure he’s one of the more bigger presences in the locker room now. However, I just see him doing another cycle and calling it an NT career (he’ll be 34 in 2018).
Perisic could be captain material down the road.
Other options:
Corluka – seniority; been there forever, or so it seems.
Modric
Mandzukic – I wouldn’t. To me he is too hotheaded to be a captain
Perisic – Added him because I can’t think of anything else
Tough to answer that type of question without knowing the inner workings of the repka and who has the voice of the players in the locker room. Is there a player who sends around a group text to a number of starters and discusses certain topics. I’m sure this was going on as it became apparent Kum Kovac was going to lose his job. Who was leading the team at that time?
On its surface, I would go with Rakitic only because he captained Sevilla and its not every day who see a foreigner became a captain. To me, that speaks volumes. However, he did father a child while not married and as we all know that is not “za dom….spremni” lifestyle material. That speaks to a lack of leadership. However, to his credit, he did keep the lady friend around and accepted accountability. So, it does appear he is loyal.
@Ziva
You misunderstood Armada’s question, he asked who would be YOUR choice?
I think Rakitic is most fit for captaincy althought I don’t see Srna retiring on a world cup cycle
@Armada……….Hmm, good question. I’ll go with Modric. Not because I think he is captains material, but I think that will be the choice.
Rakitic captain works for me.
Oh please! Isn’t his only child the daughter he has with current wife?!
Just because you’ve never had sex don’t bash someone for doing it with their eventual wife.
@ Ziva
Who would be your choice for the next kapetan?
and how much money would you be willing to bet on it……….?
Hmmmmmm………I wonder about Rakitic being the captain. He did father a child while not married. Certainly, that is not the “za dom….spremni” lifestyle that most of us try to live by.
Srna will be our captain and starting RB. Anyone who thinks this won’t be the case or is “keeping their fingers crossed” just doesn’t understand the politics behind the NT.
However… I fully expect him, Pranjic and Olic to retire from the NT, post Euro’s. If Srna pulls a whole “I want to lead one more cycle and play in Russia” I’ll be sick to my stomach.
And for those not paying attention, Frosted Tips Raketa will wear the armband, post Euro with Corluka as a “vice captain/2nd in command”
@ Sude Mi
I just meant that if the lottery in that video is rigged than it can be done. I personally don’t think it was rigged but it also doesn’t surprise me what happens with fifa anymore and remember the World Cup 2014 had a preliminary draw and then the actual draw which apparently was never done before. Just a thought to put out there. Either way I’m cool lets take it. Spain, Turkey, Czech, lets go.
@ Sude Mi
Sorry for not explaining. Watch the video and let me know of you still want me to explain. It’s only a few minutes. It’s pretty self explanatory.
Croatianperson1985
Explain the rigging you refer to….
Very happy with this draw…c rep is a decent team…not even close to us talent wise…turkey is a good side…we are stronger…Spain is spain world class…if we can’t beat c rep and turkey we shouldn’t be there! Entertaining soccer I hope is ahead of us.
Guys rigging things is a lot easier than you think.
Just ask Serbia.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=4AEbn1NUvq0
I had to laugh when I saw Croatia’s group. Had a feeling they would play Spain once again. Talk about Turkey….My goodness, Croatia will be seeing plenty of them for sure, especially with WC qualifying soon approaching. Croatia in my predication should finish 2nd in the group. Can’t wait! HRVATSKA!!!!!!
@Livno 1981
Srna and Halilovic are both Muslim, they probably won’t give a 100% against their Muslim brothers. Happy to have them play in our other two games though.
UEFA/FIFA corrupt
How did UEFA “give” Portugal an easy group? Did you watch the draw? Please explain how you believe it was rigged when it was clear it was a random draw.
@Cekic who do you consider as infidels? Please explain.
So it will be Zam Dom Spremni vs Allah Akbar game one. Wonder who will be punished for their fans chants?
http://media.breitbart.com/media/2015/11/ISIS-MAP-640×410.jpg
Btw here’s an Islamic map that says Croatia belongs to
Islam.
@ Idemo
Hvala Brate.
I get the “over the top” response from time to time.
Question ?
If we choose all of our in form talent for the 23 man squad. Devise a playing style that speaks to our unique expression of the game as Hrvati. Play 14 guys who can implement a winning tactical alignment for each game.
Who in Europe can we not compete with and beat?
Spain-Belgium-England are all due for an Oluja!
I am seeing more talent and depth than we have had in decades.
We have 6 more months to have a large group of young studs prove in their respective clubs that they merit a call up to camp.
Čačić may have enough tactical awareness to partner with veteran player leadership to pull off something magical in France.
Yes I am an optimist, but is it not what we all can see is possible ?
@ Svima
Who are captains ?
1-Luka Modric
2- Rakitic
3- ?
I hope Cacic goes with Kalinic and sets up the same way that Paulo Sousa does Fiorentina when Kalinic starts.
Josip Ilicic would’ve been handy.
UEFA have gave Ronaldo Portugal the easiest group with Austria, Hungary and Iceland. They don’t want him to be leaving in the group stage they need their star player to be in the tournament. We will be seeing Turkey in the Euro 2016 tournament as well as the World Cup Qualifiers will be a tough game. It is possible for us to lose all three games as we can win all three games. I don’t rate the Czech Republic highly we could get a the 3 points there then draw with the other two. So I’m expecting at least 4-5 points from Croatia.
This soul champ dude is great, I read all of his posts with this over the top (and sometimes blind) enthusiasm, keep on keepin on
i found the euro draw pretty irrelevant. there really aren’t any gimme opponents and whoever you draw in the first is going to be good
christmas wish list
halilovic keeps developing and gives us some x-factor minutes on the right wing
a difficult debate of whether to start mandzo or kalinic or both b/c they are both lighting up series a
srna ceding the right back spot to vrsaljko
modric and rakitic staying in good health
kovacic going from potential and occasional glimpse of talent to dependable player
Group winner plays a 3rd place team in the round of 16 and the winner of 2 runner-up teams in the quarters. Runner-up plays 1st placed teams. The match against Spain will be pivotal for Croatia
Jedva čekam
Sretan Bozic SVIMA!!!
This group is EPIC.
We have to turn the page on weak ass strategies.
Pick all the horses for the courses and let’s compete.
From this point forward we have to bring the A game every match. Love that our WCQ is tough as well.
I am tired of thinking we are better than we are and then playing worse than our actual level.
@ HNS
PLEASE PICK ALL THE YOUNG STUDS FOR THE SQUAD.
Old players tire at major tournaments…DUH!
Over 30 … You must be world class, see Luka Modric for reference.
Need speed on the flanks and the back to open up space for midfield genius to create the magic.
Curious to see what young players step up these next 6 months.
Uvijek vjerni
^ ^
HA!
Love your prediction.
I’m predicting Modric whips in a beautiful cross with the outside of his boot against Spain and Rakitic nods it in for the winning goal!
Ronaldo to wrap up the golden boot in the group stages.
Hate that we got Turkey, hopefully Cacic doesn’t use any of our infidel players in that game.
difficult group..
wouldve liked 1 easybeat
Thanks nepoznat :).
@CanadaDarko the kits should come our Jan-March timeframe
Have the Croatian kits for Euro 2016 been released yet?
The names mean nothing………. Your ticket can say Slobodan Milosevic or Osama Bin Laden……won’t matter
I know its not soccer but i went to an Oakland Raiders game last year and got my tickets from StubHub. They had the name Steven Adler on them and it wasn’t a problem.
I still wonder if they were from the same Steven Adler who was the original drummer of Guns N Roses though…
They have names on them but they don’t even check that at least in Poland they didn’t
so if you scalp a ticket will those have names on them? how are you supposed to get in?
dubrovnik-paris 94 dollars
No worries about ticket prices. The seats are cheap. Most expensive ticket is about 150 euros for first round games. That is cheap.
Remember, the first game is at PSG’s stadium and that has a small capacity.
hopefully the dollar rises or at least becomes 1;1
Not bad.
Spain last is great.
Game 1 vs Turkey will be huge.
Lol alright
onda ne sekiraj se
All they asked was passport number and resident so I put Croatia and it went thru
The same rules applied to me when I applied to euro 2012 and I got it
http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/ticketing/teams/team=56370/index.html
well it’s not 2012 anymore is it…..
Live in Mississauga
I got them from uefa last time for euro 2012 and I was good not born in cro or have any papers, from Bosnia
Hopefully, this time around and unlike the World Cup, Puppet Suker doesn’t give tickets from the savez to his bookie in Germany to cover his debts.
i believe so, to get them straight from uefa you have to be a resident of cro or have cro papers
Is it random selection again?
uefa applications open back up in 2 days
UEFA has also set up a ticket exchange for those pre purchased tickets that people dont want
Any idea how I can score tix for Spain game on 21st?
looks like 145 euros for the first game???
probability of getting tickets for the turkey game? shouldnt sell out ? buy early or scalp?
well, i’m landing in Paris on the 6th.
better schedule info post:
Schedule is as follows:
Sunday June 12 at 15:00 – Turkey in Paris
Friday June 17 at 18:00 – Czech Rep in Saint Etienne
Tuesday June 21 at 21:00 – Spain in Bordeaux
Other group matches:
Monday June 13 at 15:00 – Spain v Czech Rep
Friday June 17 at 21:00 – Spain v Turkey
Tuesday June 21 at 21:00 – Czech Rep v Turkey
looks like we will be on 1 extra day of rest v Czech in the 2nd match
@Maks they usually come out in late winter so check in late Jan or Feb timeframe
To everyone in the San Pedro area, who’s ready for 6 am against Turkey!?
has anyone seen a leak for our jerseys they usually come out around now
Ouch tough draw!
Schedule is as follows:
June 12 at 15:00 – Turkey in Paris
June 17 at 18:00 – Czech Rep in Saint Etienne
June 21 at 21:00 – Spain in Bordeaux
Other group matches:
June 13 at 15:00 – Spain v Czech Rep
June 17 at 21:00 – Spain v Turkey
June 21 at 21:00 – Czech Rep v Turkey
Wow, I just saw how the knockout phase is structured and it’s pretty retarded.
In the Round of 16 knockout phase…
Some 2nd place teams will have to play some 1st place teams, and the other 2nd place teams will get to play some other 2nd place teams?!
So, if we finish second in our group, we likely have to play Belgium in the Round of 16.
But if we were placed into group B (for example) we would likely have to play Austria (since runner up of B plays runner up of F).
I’m still really bitter about those Turkey and Spain losses. Allen Outraged might be making a comeback this summer. Haven’t been this fired up in ages.
Never forget this obvious penalty from Spain game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz1LTdbvWSM
Happy we got Spain. Czech is one of the better Pot C ones for us too.
Not too keen about Turkey since we’ll already be playing them in WC2018 qualifying. I don’t want any injuries or suspensions. Turkey generally do well in tournaments and will kill themselves on the field and play hard.
At least we play them first. It’ll probably be like Euro96 with a narrow win for us. We always seem to struggle in our first game at the Euros, and then clobber the team we play second. I can see that happening here.
DREAM DRAW!
Everyone says Croatia needs motivation? Playing against the last two countries to eliminate you from the Euros has to be pretty motivating. Bring on Turkey and Spain.
Only rough part about this group is that Croatia plays Turkey at 9 am on a Sunday (6 am on the West Coast). Better be ready to party all night or go to bed at 8 pm that Saturday.
June can’t come any sooner.
Good one Idemo! Still chuckling….
je suis croate
Dodje Mujo u Francusku u jedan restoran, cuje on da francuzi imaju naglasak “la”. Zove on konobara da naruci i kaze:
“Dajte mi la spagete i la pica i la Cola”, kad njemu konobar:
-la kurac bi ti dobio da ja nisam bosanac
second place in our group places first place from group E in round of 16
its turkey yessss
Turkey first, no??????
We open with czech repub on the 12th in Paris !!!!!
Man my hardest draw prediction for Cro almost fully materialised minus Poland instead of Czech republic. Ah well, Spain is the reigning champ so very hard test but well see how good Cro is… Turkey we can beat but is a team that is pretty boring to watch and I’d rather have a more interesting opponent. The Czechs are not that good and I see 3 points there for the taking. Cro should finish second.
I’ll take that group, play Spain last…take care of business first two games and third game is irrelevant.
So, I’m watching the Euro draw and I notice Oliver Beifhoff is one of the guests helping pick the draws. I’m curious as to how he is still alive knowing he picked up Petrovic’s scraps.
The fear of Poland stems from them for the first time ever having a legit world class striker that lead qualifying with 13 goals I believe. Poland were always pushover in past tourneys as evidenced by Croatia beating them with our second team via a Klasnic strike in Euro ’08. Lewandowski is very dangerous and he’d be almost guaranteed a goal anytime he came close to Srna, lol.
I’d rather play Poland in the knockout round.
Watching the draw live. Let’s see how it plays out…
Will we know the game locations after the draw……..trying to plan a trip
If anything, root against being drawn in Group E. If you want the easier route, avoid group E.
http://www.scribd.com/mobile/doc/290626039/EURO-2016-The-Group-E-effect
Poglavnik
It’s not that people fear Poland, Wales, Sweden, etc. Easier matchups are there for the taking. Who doesn’t want Romania or Hungary over Sweden or Poland? Who doesn’t want Turkey or Ireland over Wales? Gotta take some easier matchups.
Agreed, we are on their level. We shouldn’t be afraid to play anyone. We’ve watched our mental midgets shit the bed against crap competition and play well against the bigger, more attractive sides. That is why I don’t care who we play and prefer we play big names.
IF we are afraid to play big names in the group phase, that fear isn’t going to magically disappear in the knockout phase.
Don’t know if the guys who run this website are planning on being at the Euros, but if you are you should organize official gatherings the night before the group phase matches once we find out what cities we are playing in.
I’m actually surprised everyone wants Spain!
Their transition period was mostly last tourney. They’ve got a massive pool of future stars to select from.
They’re not gonna suck again.
The only reason Id be optimistic about playing them is because 3 of our most talented players play there professionally.
I’m more surprised people fear Poland Portugal Wales or Sweden. We’re definitely at their level if not better.
I’m surprised that more people aren’t posting about Spain. How can you not want them? That 2012 game still leaves a bitter taste. So close to knocking out the champions. I’d love to see a rematch. It would provide a big test in group stage to see where this team stands.
Wouldn’t like to play France, Germany, Portugal (family reasons), Poland, Wales, or Iceland. Bring on the rest of them, especially the Turks.
Hungary and Northern Ireland are both $201-1.
Both of them in our group would be great.
Well, if you want an easy pass to the next round…you want to have both Hungary and Northern Ireland in your group.
Both teams are arguably the weakest teams in their respective pots, and as an added bonus, they were both in each other’s qualifying round for these Euros.
I’m sure there may be a bit of a rivalry between them after what they went through with each other. In both games, Northern Ireland scored dramatic injury time goals which was probably the reason why they topped the group. Hungary would probably want to get them back after that. I could easily see them drawing each other, with some potential for yellow cards.
If you have these two teams as your Pot C and D team, then it doesn’t really matter who your Pot A team is. There “might” be some risk of Northern Ireland scoring some surprise points against their neighbor England, so that might be a risk to have England in the group if Croat cannot match the feat. Maybe I’d want to avoid that.
It would probably be safest to pick a Pot A team that is guaranteed to beat both Hungary and Northern Ireland, so that there is no question that Croatia take AT LEAST 2nd place (and then battle that Pot A team for first, making it a two-horse race).
Teams like Spain or Germany would both rout Hungary and Northern Ireland, but are both World Class teams that Croatia would definitely step up their game for. Since we’ve already got a winning record against Germany, and we’ve only played Spain once, I would choose Spain. It would be a nice match with our multiple Spanish-based players too, against a Spain team that is still World Class but more beatable than the last time we played them.
My ideal group:
Spain – Croatia – Hungary – Northern Ireland
We know what Ante’s ideal group is, what’s yours Maminjo?
Pot 1 guarentees we get a big name. I think we match up well against Hungary and Iceland.
It’s not about trying to avoid the “tough” group (aka biggest names). I would just want to simply avoid the teams that we do not match up well against or any teams that could hurt us for our next matches.
I don’t mind playing Sweden (one of the apparent tougher teams in Pot C). We match up well against them. They can never seem to beat us.
However, at the same time, I’d like to avoid Turkey. Not because we can’t beat them (we always do, even the Euro 2008 elimination match was a draw with us dominating them). I’d rather just avoid them due to their physicality and potential for a yellow (or red) card filled game or injuries.
Germany wouldn’t be bad for us, because you also have to consider that the other teams in our group would have to play Germany as well. We actually play very well against the Germans, and could probably squeak out a point whereas none of the Pot C or D teams probably could fare as well as we would.
The only thing I want to avoid are injuries, suspensions, and a bad matchup for us (i.e. Portugal or France) that one of the Pot C or D teams could capitalize on (i.e. Ireland generally does well against Portugal).
So, as an example, I would hate to draw BOTH Portugal and Ireland in our group. I’m not scared of Ireland, but they are a physical team that can cause injuries or lead to yellow card suspensions for us. It’s also not impossible for them to draw us.
At the same time, Portugal has our number, but always seem to struggle against Ireland. It’s not impossible to see a scenario where we lose to Portugal and then watch Ireland draw them. This same situation happened to us at the World Cup, where we got Mexico and Brazil in our group, but Mexico generally play the Brazilians well (better than we do) and were rewarded with a draw (whereas we lost) placing us in a handicap.
Another example is how England can never seem to beat Romania. Personally, I would love a revenge game against England and I also think we matchup really well against Romania, but I’d like to avoid having England WITH Romania in our group, simply because I don’t want Romania to score points against England (forcing us to have to do the same).
It’s all about our matchups with these teams as well as the matchups that our opponents have with each other that I care about.
I’d wanna watch any two big name teams but in the first round I can accept watching my team play a first round game vs a not such a big team for the better of them and then hope they advance and eventually play bigger named teams. I hope my team, Croatia and for all Croats around the world to have a reason to celebrate another good outing in Europe…I don’t need to see Zlatan, I’m not a jock-sniffer and don’t have to tell people I saw him play live…seeing him on tv is good enough for me…my Team comes first in this category!
Nah, not really. Just want a match that has more hype and build up leading up to it than playing an unattractive squad.
The Euros is the fine dining establishment. The experience depends on how Croatia go at the Euros, not what Zlatan is eating at table 4.
Let’s say Croatia beat Sweden 3-0 and Zlatan does fuc* all, I think that’s what Ziva wants, a nice win for Croatia and he gets to see Zlatan in the flesh, win win for Ziva.
I am not saying they are comparable. Just threw out an example of spending money on something and hoping to be entertained or satisfied, at very least.
If someone asked me, would I rather watch opening round matches between Cro-Germany and Cro-Sweden than Cro-Hungary and Cro-N.Ireland. The answer is easy.
France didn’t really get into Croatia’s box in that game. Zidane had a few long range shots, Henry did nothing, Thuram scored his only 2 international goals…Djorkaeff was ok…but we had better opportunities, some chances were overshadowed by some selfishness and attempts to do it themselves but overall, we were better.
you compare a good movie to a team with stars, that makes it more enjoyable for you and I think thats not necessarily how we should see things.
BTW…movies are for the most part fiction…made up of actors, a script, props and so on…sport on the other hand is not necessarily drama, unless you play in S America or CONCACAF so with that said, I expect to see a game, tactics, skill, strategy…but I’m not paying to be entertained, I’m paying to watch my team outmatch our opponents.
before you attack my choice of words (entertained), I can manage to watch a good game that has energy, creativity, strategy…and everything else related to a soccer game and not hope the “product” has to be made up of names such as Ibra, Robben, Lewandowski…I watch the game…not every game has to present me with big names, I am still able to enjoy and understand what’s going on.
Both, I guess. We had them, but then Jarni and Boban developed a case of mental midget disease in the way they lost the ball that led to the two goals.
Ziva…was France lucky to beat us or were we unlucky to lose that game in ’98?
Of course if I go to a fine dining establishment I want to have a good experience, but I coud care less about Sweden’s experience at this fine dining establishment.
@Plavi……….negative………..because I rather play one of the big boys early on before they work their way into the tourney. Who knows, maybe we get them in the third game of the group phase and the big boy (use Germany as the example here) already wraps up first place and has nothing to play for in the third game. I know, it can go the opposite way as well. But the main reason I want the big boys is because I will be at the Euros and I want an attractive match up. Same reason with the WC Brazil getting to play Brazil in the opener and then Mexico with the atmosphere their huge fan base creates. Nobody cares about going to a Jacksonville-Tennessee NFL game or a Utah – Milwaukee NBA game or a Empoli – Chievo game in Serie A. Well, same thing here. I don’t want to spend money and have to watch Cro play some team like Albania or Hungary or Russia. Not as exciting. I’m of the belief that if you are good enough then you will find a way out of the group phase. If its meant to be, its meant to be. I don’t live scared. Now, the good thing is that all the stadia in France are rehabbed and modernized, so we will have wifi, HD boards and good food and beverage selection at the matches. So, that could make up for a poor unattractive opponent.
And of course you need luck……We had in 98 with what might have been the easiest group draw in World Cup history at the time as Argentina got us and two other first-timers. Then we did what we had to do against with minnows and parlayed that into a knockout stage match against Romania where the luck continued and Asanovic dived for a PK and we got the call. Then, the luck continued even more where we withstood a German onslaught in the first 25 minutes (Ladic’s best 25 minutes ever) and we got luck with the deserved red card by the German on a stupid foul by him. Ultimately, the luck ran out against France and they had it.
So, when you guys go to movies you hope the product is bad? Or when you go eat at a fine dining establishment, you don’t hope the dining experience is bad, do you? When you purchase a car, you don’t want it to be some American piece of junk, do you?
if you look at how teams try to jockey for positioning and do their best to be seeded higher it really doesn’t make sense for anyone to then say I want to play big names in the first round…that then becomes an ulterior motive and not hoping your team/country will have a bit of luck on their side so we may make it a bit further….luck is never unwelcome in these types of scenarios but apparently for some its an issue!
I agree with Slavonac and I think Sude Mi summed it up well yesterday when talking about group stage.
I also don’t understand why anyone would want a tough group, but I do however feel that it deserves to be examined. I asked this question last time and Ziva dodged it beautifully, but I’ll ask it again. What do you want to see a Zlatan, Lewandowski or Bale do against Croatia? I know if I was at a game watching Zlatan, Lewandowski or Bale I would want to see them at their best, but not against Croatia. It’s quite obvious that Ziva wants to see these players in the flesh.
Ever think that it’s not so much Croatia playing better against better teams than it is the better teams playing down to us?
@slavonac
reason is simple, they want Croatia to loose or play bad so they can continue with their narrative of “croatia is awful’ or “shit show continues”
I find it comical as you indicate you have to eventually play the better competition. Who in their right mind wants France in the initial phase or Germany? We have clowns on this site. That is it.
anyone and everyone that plays, watches, coaches or even doesn’t care…knows that hoping for a good draw is what every team is hopeful for and yet, we have guys on this site that hope for a tough group?
interesting!
eventually, you have to play the better competition…not sure why anyone would hope for a tough group?
@ Ziva
Agreed. We’ll play down to a Azerbaijan or a Belarus.
but then we’ll play nose to nose with an Italy or Germany.
Go figure.
@Livno1981………..opps…..made a mistake. Meant Serb Subasic when discussing his play yesterday for Monaco. Apologies.
@Armada……I’d be OK with Sweden because of Zlatan. Star player, one of the biggest names on the planet draws more eyeballs to that game. Wales to a lesser extent because of Bale. Either way, I want to play against big names and big teams. I feel our mental midgets raise their game more when going up against a bigger name team.
@ T-Bone
I like your prediction. I’m in Ziva’s camp sort of where I’d like to see some good games too (I’ll be watching from the US) but not see us drawn into a group of death type of situation.
Germany – Some folks don’t believe this, but historically we’ve had their number. I think they’re still the #1 team in the world so it would be interesting to watch how good we actually are. We always play up to better opponents too.
Sweden – Would love to see us go up against Zlatan & Co. and stick it to him on the world stage. Would be a tight matchup.
Wales – We would be the favorite, but similar to Sweden, it would be cool to see how we did vs. Gareth Bale.
@Ziva who is Serb Simunic?
If I could pick the draw to make it easier for Croatia to
progress I’d go England, Slovakia, Albania.
What I think the hardest draw would be for Croatia: Spain, Poland, Turkey.
What my prediction for the draw is: Germany, Sweden, Wales.
hmmmmm……….interesting concept.
I’d almost get behind it except for one thing. Our own players and savez don’t live by putting what’s best for the domovina and repka first, so if they won’t, why should I.
But, I applaud your point. It deserves to be examined.
But Ziva…
Putting an individual need (wanting to get a tough team just so YOU can see a ‘good game’) over what’s best for the repka (maybe getting a group with a ‘cupcake’ team or two in the mix) is not part a ‘Za dom … spremni” way of life.
A true pariot would put what’s best for the domovina and repka first, not for his own individualistic needs.
@poglavnik………….so, are you saying that Asanovic did not take a dive in that game? Come on, he acted to get the PK call.
@Mr. Black………way too early to be concerned about Serb Simunic. One bad game happens to everyone.
@Maminjo……nothing will ever make the English forget that we eliminated them from Euro 2008 qualifying. 5-1 win against us doesn’t change that.
@MelbCro……….no that is not jock sniffing. Nothing worng with watching sports. Now, wearing another man’s jersey or asking to take a photo with someone you don’t know is JOCKSNIFFING.
Actually, I do have the foresight that I can watch the attractive opponents later in the tourney. However, I don’t plan on being in France for the knockout stages, so I want to have a good team in the opening round.
You don’t spend money to watch a shitty movie or spend money on clothes from Walmart. Same thing here, I don’t want to spend money on an opponent like Albania or Hungary. Prefer to spend it on Germany, Sweden, etc…
And no chance I hope that CRO loses. That wouldn’t be the “za dom…..spremni” way.
MelbCro,
Ziva just wishes for that, because he hopes that CRO loses and then he could continue to complain.
He doesn’t have the foresight that he could watch those attractive matchups as the tourney progresses, is all.
“I want Germany, Spain or France in the group phase. If I am spending money to go over there I want attractive opponents. Nothing worse than spending money to watch us play Hungary or Albania.”
that’s some epic jock sniffing Ziva
@Maminjo
well with pokrivac as our LB and big Joe giving away a stupid PKs …. We certainly got wrecked
Although…if that PK was called on Eduardo and the game turned 2-1 with us catching up who knows
I hope we get Germany or Spain in the group just to have a team light some fire under our arses..then i hope the other 2 teams are whack so we can advance comfortably.
Spain- Cro – Romania – Albania
A group of death would be Germany – Cro – Sweden – Turkey
It would be nice to get some revenge against England.
I hate that our last game against them ended 5-1. Pretty much wiped out the fact that we eliminated them from Euro 2008.
Would be nice to meet them in the knockout round. We need to get them back.
@Mr. Black
Yes, Marko Maric has been doing great in Poland.
He was a pretty good prospect for us when he was playing for our U17s. He’s very young so anything can happen, but he seems to have all the tools, and is a part of Hoffenheim (who loaned him out to Gdansk).
They’re Germans, so I’d rather have them develop a plan for him since they are the best at developing goalkeepers.
I’m looking forward to the draw this Saturday. My ideal group would be Ireland or Northern Ireland, Romania, and Spain. A win over aging Spain would be awesome to avenge that
1-0 loss from Euro 2008. Croatia played good that day and they proved they had the talent to win. Spain had just gotten lucky. Nonetheless, it’s many years passed from that tournament, and Croatia should advance anyhow to the knock-out round, especially with a few better crop of players this time around. It would be best to avoid France and Belgium.
@Maminjo – agree with you on Lovren. No matter what kind of overall game he is having, he is a guaranteed handball, stupid foul or dumb giveaway in our penalty area every time he plays for Croatia.
Don’t get sucked in because we have some good players, this team on current form has done absolutely fu*k all. These players couldn’t even top their easy group in qualifying, while teams like Poland & Ireland were beating Germany & Scotland (a team we can’t beat). In saying that, I hope we do well in the Euros.
I don’t care how good Lovren starts to play for Liverpool. I do not want him starting at the Euros.
Olic, Pranjic, Lovren and Srna are major liabilities for us. We went from starting all four of these clowns at the World Cup, to having only one start (Srna). I’m still holding out hope for Vrsaljko somehow usurping him before the tournament (unlikely though).
Either way, this is major progress for us, and I would hate if any one of Olic, Pranjic or Lovren were somehow re-inserted into the starting eleven. That would be a huge step backward.
If you take a look at the sides in this tournament, at this moment (current form), the teams better than us are Germany, France and Belgium
The side we are equal to is Spain.
In my opinion, Croatia is better than Portugal, England and the rest of the field.
This will be our best chance to reach the semi-finals at a major tournament since 1998.
http://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2015/12/10/9886534/chelsea-fc-arsenal-inter-milan-marcelo-brozovic-transfer-scouting-report
Danijel Subasic just played a horrible game against Tottenham (4-1). It would be a shame if he starts to struggle now, a few months before France 2016.
Maybe we should take a look at Marko Maric. We was born in Vienna and now plays for Lechia in Poland where he’s always in the starting eleven.
Someone who start to play well the last games is Dejan Lovren. It looks like he finally found his place in the Liverpool defense.
@Ziva
Some luck on our side against Romania thanks to the ref?!
Please! That was our most dominating game of that tourney. And that ref did make Suker bury it twice. The only luck in that game was that it was only 1-0.
I like Bobby V and Elvis’s assessments best!
Except Iv never worried about Poland. They rarely qualify for shit and we handled then in ’08. They’ve always been a bunch of fuck ups.
Wouldn’t that mean also a bigger threat for ISIS to target a game featuring two Catholic countries.
Imagine if that would happen.
We could get a Catholic group Portugal ,Poland, and Ireland.
For sure, lots of examples of nation’s benefitting from luck/bad calls to continue progressing and yes part of the art of these kinds of tournaments is surviving long enough to gel as a team and for each player to find their role….that is why I am ok with an easier group initially.
There is no doubt that in order to win it you will need to play the best teams, but I prefer to do it when it truly is a TEAM and not a collection of guys who came together two weeks prior.
At the same time, even if you do get minnows you have to take care of business, which we have failed to do time and again.
We did get better in 98 and you can work yourself into a tourney. Also helps to have some luck (or the ref) on your side…….see Asanovic’s dive in the box to get the PK call against Romania in the second round game.
I don’t need a tough group to start, that will come.
As we did in ’98 you build on each successive success, getting stronger as you go. If you recall we lost to Argentina in group stage of ’98 WC but took care of Japan and Jamaica and got better as we moved along, ultimately taking care of Germany.
benzema out of france’s squad for euro 2016
Hope we get Germany win and give that pig Merkel a big Za Dom Spremni!!
Germany, Romania, Iceland
Germany, Croatia, Slovakia, and Ireland. Let’s do it.
I want Germany, Spain or France in the group phase. If I am spending money to go over there I want attractive opponents. Nothing worse than spending money to watch us play Hungary or Albania.
Absolutely do not want to play the hosts France, the World Champions Germany, or a young talented team like Belgium.
Overrated sides Portugal and England would be best – an aging Spain would be ok too.
Need to avoid Poland, who players always play with heart – not much difference between the rest of the teams in Group 3 and 4
Sweden is way too reliant on Zlatan – more so than in any year he’s been on their national team.
My ideal group
Belgium, Hungary and Iceland.
And for my second team Ireland
Portugal, Austria and Slovakia.