Ante Kvartuč

After two disastrous losses to Turkey and Wales this week, I feel Dalić's Wednesday night speech to the team in Osijek went something like this: "Guys, we have a lot of veterans out with injuries and you younger players will get a shot to play this week. Take it easy. Nobody needs to be a hero. We will most likely get a draw or two and still be in control of qualifying going … [Read more...] about Things We Learned This Week…

FINAL: Wales beat Croatia 2-1 in Cardiff to take control of 2nd place in group. If Wales win out (matches vs. Armenia and Turkey) Croatia will have to qualify for Euro 2024 through a Nations League playoff. 77': Beljo nearly equalizes but his header in the box from a tight angle goes wide. Croatia finally playing with urgency. Will they find the equalizer? 75': PAŠALIĆ … [Read more...] about Lifeless Croatia Lose 2nd Game This Week, Fall To 3rd In Group Endangering Euro 2024 Qualification

The name of the game versus Wales on Sunday is to go up early and put the Welsh on their back foot as soon as possible. A win in the UK will clear the air of any bad joo-joo from the Turkey loss for Croatian supporters. It will also put the Vatreni back in control of easily qualifying for Euro 2024 next summer as a top-2 nation in the group. Unfortunately, I have to say the … [Read more...] about Changes Dalić Needs To Make vs. Wales

There's always one game every qualifying campaign where our beloved Vatreni shit the bed and Croatian message boards from Melbourne to Toronto implode. October 12th was that day for Euro 2024 qualifying. During World Cup 2022 qualifying, the boards blew up after Croatia's opening 1-0 loss to Slovenia. Euro 2020 qualifying saw Croatian keyboards fume after a 2-1 loss to … [Read more...] about 9 Reasons You Shouldn’t Worry About The 1-0 Loss To Turkey…Yet

Croatia slept through the 1st half against a much more energized Turkish side. The defense looked out of sorts today and could not manage Turkey's long balls into their offensive third. What was Livaković doing coming out for that ball??? Musa got little to know service in his first start as the Croatia #9. Beljo needs to put that ball in front of the keeper in the back of … [Read more...] about Sloppy Livaković, Vatreni Lose 1-0 To Turkey In Opus Arena Opener

Did Marko Livaja legitimately retire from the Croatian national team this week or was he pushed out? My inclination is to believe it was the latter, but nonetheless, this is a good thing for the future of the Croatian national team. With how Zlatko Dalić treats his players when they misbehave, there is zero chance at this point in time that Livaja will ever wear the checkers … [Read more...] about 3 Reasons Why Livaja Retiring Is A Good Thing