With the World Cup opener just around the corner, let’s take our scope off Croatia and focus on the other three Group A teams: Brazil, Cameroon and Mexico.
For sake of sanity, let’s cut Brazil out of the equation right away and say that they will top the group with a maximum 9 points. Croatia will be on the grand stage of them all on June 12th with the entire world watching. As long as the Vatreni can play a solid 90 minutes and not get beat by more than two goals against Brazil (don’t be mad at me, I’m just giving you the best ‘worse case’ scenario here) they should be fine. Does Croatia have the skill and fortitude to squeak out a draw or even shock Brazil with a win? Absolutely. But for sake off debate, let’s say everyone else is playing for second place.
Mexico, who is Croatia’s top rival to finish second and enter the knockout stages, does not look good at all as of late. And they’re getting worse by the minute. They hosted an Israel side in Mexico City with a goalkeeper (who won’t even be mentioned on this website because he played so bad) who might have laced up his boots for the first time that same night. Two long range shots managed to elude the Israeli keeper and a Chicharito ‘jump over the ball while offside’ move would earn Mexico a 3-0 win. The result is there. But the play is not.
Mexico-Israel Goals
Mexico handled a World Cup-bound Ecuador team 3-1 this past Saturday in Dallas but lost midfielder Luis Montes in the process with a broken leg and have Rafa Marquez listed as questionable due to an injury he picked up. The team is slowly being strained in this four-match warm up tour for the World Cup and it showed Tuesday night in Chicago versus Bosnia.
El Tri took on Bosnia and Herzegovina at Soldier Field in Chicago and looked like a shell of themselves (and remember they haven’t looked good at all) against the Croatian neighbors, having little offensive prowess in the 1-0 defeat. Chicharito had the best chance for Mexico but slammed the ball off the left post after managing a 1v1 volley on Bosnian goalie Asmir Begovic. If this is any indication of how they will play Croatia in the group finale, we shouldn’t be worried.
Mexico-Bosnia Highlights
Mexico takes on Cristiano Ronaldo and Portugal in Boston Friday in their last World Cup friendly before heading to Brazil. But they may be out of gas before the show even begins.
And that brings us to Cameroon.
And the only reason we should be scared of Cameroon is because we’re going to be playing them in the middle of the Amazon rain forest. Barring a complete emotional and mental collapse against Brazil, Croatia should feel confident against Cameroon even with 33 year-old Chelsea striker Samuel Eto’o still scoring goals for them.
So what do we know about Cameroon?
Well, they don’t score much. In five African qualifying group matches, the Cameroonians only scored five goals as their away match to Togo was forfeited 3-0 due to Togo fielding an ineligible player. After a scoreless first leg against Tunisia, Cameroon finally opened the flood gates in the return match to win 4-1 and qualify for the World Cup.
In their preparations for the World Cup, Cameroon have defeated Macedonia 2-0 while losing 2-1 to Paraguay. Both of those teams will not be going to Brazil. However, one thing which could boost Cameroon hopes is the fact that they managed a 2-2 draw against Germany in Monchengladbach this past Sunday with plenty of German regulars playing; including Boateng, Ozil, Khedira, Kroos, Reus, Gotze and Muller.
But even with that morale boost, the team will return to Cameroon where they will take on a measly Moldova side before flying to Brazil.
In the big picture, Croatians have to be confident at this point leading up to the World Cup. The Vatreni have no major stars with injuries, their competition is frail (Cameroon and Mexico) and they have the opportunity to play in front of the world on opening night against five-time winners Brazil in their own backyard.
If you’re a Croatian fan, you have to feel good right about now!
ah fuck sammir came on
man cro arent taking this game seriously at all
they really are fucking around
GOALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
great.. pranjic out.. well, i did say aus is a brute to play
fucking fuck
dont even play this game plz hrv
nice shot dudu
lol. commentator
“high pace about the game”
ziva: what happened toy our HNS sources who know everythin about everything and hence you ?
yeah i did say hours ago inr esponse to ziva’s “it’ll be a slow game”
err, no it wont.. aus is taking this game serious, as i said above
expect them to be full on
ziva, prepare to licky my dick plz
no rake either
i thought HRV was gonna take this game a bit more seriously?
sigh.. looks like not..
oh great.. jelavic is our line striker..
well, this will be a cakewalk..
sigh
u know whats funny
i know the cro anthem but not the aus one
lol
guess im a zelic
talk about an amepty stadium
anyone
if anyone is stil wondering where to watch:
http://gofirstrow.eu/watch/263986/1/watch-australia-vs-croatia.html
lipeja nasa playing.. well, it fucked up.. rofl
what a bad venue
ddues whats
only a bit till wesmashu aussies yeah fucks s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Kiprotich
this guy was on the dehydration article Poglavnik posted… Umm who is in charge of trying to poach this guy for one of the wing spots, he can obviously run and can handle the heat
also his name is more cro then Sammir.
so big deal he changed it from Stipe Kiprotic hahahaha
The savez lying their ass here. They didn’t drive the remake of the poster.
http://hns-cff.hr/news/4793/espn-na-reakciju-hns-a-promijenio-poster/
not sure if this has been posted
Rakitic is the best attacking midfielder on the planet. Now If Barca get him for 20 mill euros, surely a Sevilla fan will file a police report for Grand Larceny!
Good move for Ivan. Xavi is getting old, while Cesc is on his way out. This paves the way for a spot in the starting 11.
Now if only Serbia could do us a favor for once. And injure the Brazilian players.
ante I agree…
oh and what time eastern time is tomorrows game?
Enjoy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQyFppMrM4I
Does anyone know if they made new Hrvatski World Cup Songs>?
Its funny you even thought that was true…70 mil for Raketa lol
Regarding the transfer, i’m surprised this wasn’t done after the World Cup, or before Raketa left for Brazil.
I wonder when Mandzukic’s future will be decided.
@ Iggy
You shouldn’t compare Tiatto with Muscat. Two very different players. Muscat would deliberately go in to maim players, he was the very definition of a thug. And he is also a massive cunt lol. Tiatto on the other hand never went into a tackle with that mentality, he was a player with no fear and he would go in really hard. He always went in with the intention of winning the ball, but that all led him to be pretty careless. Not a thug or a brute. Plus Tiatto is a Melbourne Croatia legend, one of the greats.
But yeah, Australia does have a tradition of being a physical team. But your right definitely not anymore, a big bunch of pussies now and that’s why they suck massive balls.
My Bad..
“Rakitic, who is preparing for Croatia’s World Cup debut against Brazil, will sign a five-year deal with the Catalan club and his release clause is to be set at €70m “
Raketas contract is 20Mil The transfer fee is 70 Million.
Stipe Pletikosa interview:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKloP72jPoc
more on Raketa to Barca
http://www.goal.com/en/news/11/transfer-zone/2014/06/05/4863782/barcelona-to-sign-rakitic-for-20m?=CMPID=FBINT_140605_BarcaSignRak
no mladen petric
SOCCER IS FAKE CAUSE OF BETTING
@ mark you a retard
My Group A predictions:
Bazil 1 – 1 Cro
Cameroon 1 – 0 Cro
Cro 2 – 0Mexico
Mexico 1 – 2 Cameroon
Cro will squeak by Mexico on goal differential with 4 points
ALL CROATIANS BET CROATIA TIE BRAZIL
HOLLAND TIE
CHILE WIN 50 BUCKS GET YOU 4000$ PROLINE
The fee is so low because Raketa’s contract with Sevilla expires in 2015.
They didn’t want him to leave on a free. I’d say the deal is done.
‘Meanwhile, Luka Rakitic also talked about which club his son might prefer. “Barcelona are still Barcelona,” he added.’
none of this is confirmed nepoznat…this is twitter announcements and not an official announcement. a guy in my office sent those to me.
Damn! Our starting MF in Brasil may feature players from:
Real Madrid
Barcelona
Internazionale
Wolfsburg
Fiorentina
not bad at all!
Did I just read that RENO is the head of the HNL?!?
Good deal for Barca if they got him for less than 20 million euros.
Transfer Sources (@TransferSources)
2014-06-05, 14:20
FC Barcelona have paid around €20m for Ivan Rakitic and he’ll earn €8m a year. He is a direct replacement for Cesc Fabregas.
Transfer Sources (@TransferSources)
2014-06-05, 14:13
BREAKING: Barcelona have signed Sevilla midfielder Ivan Rakitić.
there are a few tweets that say he already did sign!
Looks like Barca are close to signing Raketa.
I guess he will be replacing Fabregas, and later, Xavi.
Croatian soccer officials at their finest……
http://sportske.jutarnji.hr/incident-na-juniorskom-finalu-kupa-alojzije-supraha-nokautirao-brbica-i-poslao-ga-na-hitnu-/1197035/
And of course the savez will probably do nothing. Hell, they still continue to play games in Bjezigrad after a death.
thats the problem with playingt aussies in friendlies
as many teams have found out in the past the aussies are kinda brutes and u tend to suffer unnecessary injuries..
that being said aussies are better now than a few years ago when the likes of muscat and tiatto played.. back then u would be lucky to get out without a key player having their leg broken (as happ to france from memory)
^ ^
Yeah that video was pretty gross!
Talk about mind over matter.
hvala Poglavnik that was a great read, and the video of the lady “running” the marathon at olympics was nuts!
although these players are ‘fit”, there is no question that the heat and humidity can affect them. once your body becomes less “hydrated’ you do not even have the capacity to think in the same capacity as when you are fully hydrated, heat and dehydration combined is lethal…why do you think some goalies in hockey have had to use intravenous between periods?
it was quite apparent to the Croatian National team just yesterday as they decided not to train until later in the day, the heat does affect the players 100%!
Theres a chance of our players getting injured v the aussies. Theres a bit of history between us.
Round of 16 is like a WC final to me thats realistic goal IMO.
You know what deal with the heat man but no excuses non of the games we play are 12-16 when heat is at its peak.
.
^ ^
I thought u’d like that 😉
@poglavnik………Damn, the new madden game could be solid gold porn for the jock sniffing community. Not only could grown men play video games, they could also admire visible dirty and dried ink on their favorite characters.
Here’s some insight on the heat.
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2084417-european-players-use-science-to-combat-world-cup-heat
Australia to Provide Croatia Coach Niko Kovac with Answers
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2087180-australia-to-provide-croatia-coach-niko-kovac-with-answers
@Ziva
Look!
Tattoos in the new Madden!
Hopefully Livaja’s tatt’s are shown in the next FIFA game…
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/11036778/madden-15-feature-san-francisco-49ers-qb-colin-kaepernick-tattoos
@Ziva & Ante B.
I’ve heard the Manaus heat is nothing like African heat.
So hopefully it affects Cameroon as much as us.
Also heard from a guy that’s travelled through Central, and South America and he described the heat in those parts of Brazil as very unique. Like nothing he’s ever felt before.
He thinks it’s definitely gonna be a factor.
We’ll see…
Hands down, I’d say Atleti is better for Rakitic, for the sole reason that Simeone will toughen him up.
The things that always bothered me most about him were his one on one battles and willingness to defend.
Credit to him though, he’s improved a lot in those areas in my eyes.
some of my issues with Holiga come from the perspective of why? why is he now introducing another anti Croat fans article…he did it in 2012, why is he writing these columns in English to English speaking audience if he has an ounce of sincerity in him? if he is concerned, he should write for Croatian audience and ask them to be aware of the perception of Croats…not write about something that hasn’t happened yet but he’s preparing people for it…
I think it can have an impact. We have late afternoon starts, so it wont be as bad for us. But, lets say there is a team that has to play two early afternoon games in heat and humidity in a 5, 6-day stretch, I think it could hurt them down the road.
The talent on the field usually wins out, but that second game in the jungle against Cameroon favors Cameroon when you just look at the climate factor.
Shit, malaria pills are ready to go.
How much of an impact will the heat have on Croatian players. What do you think?
To me, minimal. They are professionals and can handle it.
You can judge or not judge Holiga. That is your call. I pay no attention to him either way. I’ll read his articles along with a bunch of other materials. When he discusses soccer there are a lot of points I agree with. When he gets into socio-economic themes, then I have no reaction. I just disagree and move on.
You guys are giving him the publicity my linking to his articles and quoting his comments. Which is fine. Feel free to go after him. But, you cant also say you wont read his stuff anymore when its clear people are reading his material.
Atletico, Real Madrid or Barcelona: Who Is Best for Ivan Rakitic?
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2086893-atletico-real-madrid-or-barcelona-who-is-best-for-ivan-rakitic
I would pay close attention to the friendly against australia tomorrow. i think at some point you will see the 11 out there that will play against brazil in Kovac’s formation. It will be interseting to see. I would like to see them press through the middle and double up on the wings. Vuki is going to have to play IMO.
Ok Ziva…so you say we shouldn’t judge Holiga (kinda funny coming from you)….
Aleksandar Holiga @AlexHoliga 5h
@PaveJusup @rustywoodger The point is the HNS looks ridiculous and petty officially complaining about a piece of art
his reference to the HNS looking ridiculous to the cirilica mixed with latinica letters on that recent photo!
if you have no opinion you don’t comment, if your opinion is you find the so called “art” to be offensive, its most likely because you do not associate yourself with Orthodox/Communism/Serbia/Russia……if you agree with the so called art, you will most likely call others petty!
Holiga obviously has no issues associating himself and Croatia with Orthodox/Communism/Serbia/Russia…he should respect that Croats do not!
^ and hope none of our players get injured weather it be our top star igraci or non top stars. Depth is also the key to winning matches. Cristano Ronaldo might be out of the world cup, and most teams are suffering from injuries too
Yea just like the smashing we did against Mali lol, Let’s just leave the smashing until the World Cup starts and focus on preparing our tactics with these friendlies.
Pustite vi te Brazilce. Modric je Starship Enterprize za nih. Moze on izmisliti balun za njih!
🙂
Just when you think it cant be worse, it does. Look at the new leadership of the HNL.
http://sportske.jutarnji.hr/hnl-pocinje-19–srpnja-reno-sinovcic-novi-predsjednik-udruge–prvi-derbi-se-igra-vec-30–kolovoza/1196942/
The comedy continues.
@nepoznat………thanks, so my crazy bet from a year ago still has a chance of being a reality. I already had given up on it.
Who cares what that Gnome writes. He won’t even state his ethnicity. The NT is for us and the people of Croatia. It does not belong to FIFA, UEFA, EU, or the UN. It’s our team not the worlds. I rather be banned than give in to people like him.
Comical that the Swiss are 6th and the US are 13th.
Croatia moves up 2 spots to 18th on final FIFA Ranking prior to the World Cup in Brasil:
http://www.fifa.com/worldranking/rankingtable/index.html
(Brasil is 3rd, Mexico 20th and Cameroon is 56)
(@Ziva Bosna is at 21)
Here’s a link with a blurb on all 23 of our players:
http://asia.eurosport.com/football/world-penpix-of-croatia-squad-for-world-cup-finals_sto4274516/story.shtml
Not long till it’s aussie-smashing time fellas ! (^__^)
I read the Harrison Stark article linked above and another one he wrote about Switzerland’s “multicultural team”. Stark doesn’t offer his opinion on either matter nor is there any indication that he’s anti-Croat or pro-multiculturalism (i.e. anti-white). If anything, his quoting of people in both articles is exposing them as anti-Croat and anti-white.
And I could care less about Holiga’s “credentials” or WHO he writes for, I’ll judge his writing on his writing. But it’s safe to assume since you can’t get nor keep a job in the “credentialed” media w/o strictly adhering to the Church of Political Correcntess, any “opinion” he has on Politics is Politically Correct.
The card won’t be replenished by an online sports book.. They usually mail/ wire u ur money once u want to cash out your account, and it’s not always easy depending on your website
Thanks for the response…but are you sure that the card will be reloaded if i were to win?
Ex. I buy a $100 gift card, gamble $50, and then win $50. Will i have $150, or is the gift card incapable to go over the $100?
Yes, should have no issues with a prepaid card.
is it possible to bet online, with a prepaid visa gift card, or pay pal?
I don’t enjoy using my credit card online.
mi smo najbolji zovi samo zovi. Bože cuvajbHrvatsku tobsu navijačke pjesme a ne te ustške gluposti.
That’s based on everything I’ve seen and read about our group up to this point of course. Subject to change with the possibilities of injuries in the next round of friendlies.
My Group A predictions:
Bazil 3 – 1 Cro
Cameroon 1 – 2 Cro
Cro 2 – 2 Mexico
Brazil will sweep.
Mexico 1 – 0 Cameroon
Cro will squeak by Mexico on goal differential with 4 points
@Mishko Yeah i watched him play and as an attacking midfield option he gives us some depth, as an LB he gives us SFA unless the plan is for him to wave a white flag and direct the opposition to the goal. I watched him cost us matches at national level i watched him shit the bed at bayern, then there is the other option of him playing in attack which is where he belongs, but i dunno if he gets into the attack in the starting 11. Not to mention the sook he had when Stimac showed him the door, now he and Sammir are all buddy buddy
pranjic will probably play v brazil the lineup friday will he kixed ibthink NK doewn want to risk injury
@Dalmo, have you ever watched him play?
Pletikosa Srna Corluka Shieldenfeld Vrsaljko Modrić Močinić Kovačić Rakitić Perišić Olić.
Not so elated about Pranjic being set to play, in which position do you envision him playing?
^ ^
Umm, hmmmmm, let me think…
That would’ve been in…… NINETEEN SEVENTY!!! 🙂
Love the Coulda/Woulda logic used towards our team.
People don’t even say we could have got a result against Spain they say we should have out-right won against them!
@Poglavnik
When did we play the 1970 Brazil team, i looked for it on youtube and couldn’t find it?
@Boston Cro that article you posted from Harrison Stark, he’s definitely a jew. The jews hate us for our Catholic faith and WWII.
with a name like “Aleksandar” he is suspect to begin with…
pozdrav John from NYC!
BostonCro- I agree with you 100%
I’ve mentioned this a few times in the recent past. what do you think the Italian media would do if an Italian writer started wring things about the terrible racism in northern Italy…or if a German writer wrote about the racists against Turks….
This is a time for people to get behind their Nation, not a time to shed a negative light …until we see something recent and fascist why bring things up?!
most journalists that talk about these topics do not come from the country they write about, I can’t see why anyone would give this clown a free pass…I’ve read some of his comments and he’s a covert cocksucker that one day writes something positive and the next, for no apparent reason sheds the team and entire country in a negative light…fuck him…fucking cigan!
Izbornik: Niko Blacksmith
Vratari: Stipe Hairweaver, Danijel SubZero, Oliver Green
Braniči: Darijo Bambi, Domagoj Eyesight, Vedran Sleepyharbor, Dejan Hunter, Gordon Fieldshield, Šime Versailles&Co
Vezni igrači: Luka Bluebird, Ivan McWasher, Mateo Blacksmithsson, Ognjen Wolf, Ivan Rocketman, Danijel Washer, Jorge Alone-peace Cross Field, Ivan Wetboy, Marcelo Bro caller
Napadači: Mario Man Chewer, Ivica Oiler, Eduardo of Woods, Nikica is Lion cub, Ante Ribs
Btw-That’s me… Never posted before.
Thanks guys!
Nezpoznat-the king of all links…
The last penalty was Niko Kranicar vs Israel 2010 2-1 croatia for euro 2012.
@Anonymous please login so we know who we are talking to.
I checked the following and none are showing our game:
BeIN (will have Brasil v Srbija however)
GOL
ESPN
FOX Sports
ESPN3.com
FoxSoccer2Go app
Serbia-Brazil will be on BeIn Sport
Cro-Aus……no tv coverage on US networks.
Anyone know if CRO-AUS will be televised in the USA?
How about Serbia-Brazil?
Thanks…
@vid……..nobody has put me in my place since that devastating winter of many years ago when Mama Istina wouldn’t allow me to depart from the fortified basement after posting some NSFW pictures on MySpace (remember them) account.
The last word on Holiga. He is a good technical soccer writer. I don’t think anyone will argue that. He just needs to keep the politics out of his writings/analysis. And the more success he achieves, the bigger the audience for his politicial views. And we all know his political views, but the average Joe has no idea about this and will be influenced by his views.
@CFC
Modric against Austria in Euro ’08 maybe?
We coulda/shoulda beat France! And Ecuador! And Australia! And Turkey! And Spain! And Italy! And the 1970 Brazil team!
Come on guys…
@BostonCro
bravo, well done, put him in his place
Are they rumors if true????????
You’re right. We should all stay away from personal attacks, such as STD Corluka, Big Mac Kranjcar, etc. And definitely not spread rumors about personal lives, etc. It really is not hard.
I wouldn’t say his word has become gospel, but he is an accredited journalist with a history of good work behind him(judging by the publications he has written or writes for).
All it takes is someone willing to offer an opposing view, while using facts and not “he’s a commie” or “he’s not even a hrvat” rhetoric. Don’t use personal attacks on him, just counter by using factual info. It’s not hard.
I never said anything about boycotting Aleksander. Plus, this wasn’t a Holiga article.
The problem is that somehow he has become the “voice” of Croatian football, and his word has become gospel. The reality is that soccer is covered more and more in blogs like the Slate, Bleacher Report, Deadspin, etc. and the only articles that your typical casual viewer will read are these biased Holiga inspired crap. The take away for these fans then is that all Croats are fascists, racists, etc. Meanwhile, they have no idea that Aleksander has his agenda and is not even a Croat. It’s just unfortunate the almost every article about Croatian soccer is more about nationalism than soccer.
Holiga has his point of view. Big deal. Some of the things in that article are actually accurate. Machine gun Thompson has sung tunes glorifying the killing of serbs in concentration camps. To the outside world this is kind of disturbing. I should know, because I was in the crowd singing along……On the other hand, some things are twisted in the article.. Big deal.
For all this talk about not wanting to read any of Holiga’s work or items where he is quoted, you guys sure post links to view his writings/thoughts.
Don’t get all worked when you read something you don’t agree with. I could poke all sorts of holes in that article listed above and offer a rebuke, but I don’t have the time nor do I really care if there is an article out there with that theme.
@nepoznat…….I don’t put any value into what a coach/manager has to say in the days leading up to a game. Way too many examples of coachers saying the will press and then when the game comes they drop back. Its useless to monitor what most (not all) coaches have to say in the lead up. Everyone has a plan until they are hit in the mouth. Then, it becomes a question of you know and are prepared to respond.
I think we are going to use the same tactics Bilic used against Spain in Euro2012. Meaning, we are going to see Vukojevic (this was discussed a few days ago on this board) or someone in the CDM in the 4-2-3-1. If not Vukojevic, then a pairing of Modric and Rakitic. Once we are able to get some position or even out the play, you can see that switching into a 4-1-4-1
@neo
True about 2008 but in that second game we were s depleted team. The first game was close until our coach was red carded.
When was the last time Croatia was given a PK?
@CFC England crushed us after Germany 2008, we beat them in 2008 Qualifiers
You have a point about Spain, and we would’ve won vs Italia too except the ref gave Pirlo a free kick from a total non-foul of Balotelli
@Chupe
Well we beat England twice and really beat Spain but the refs gave the gane to Spain.
Holiga looks like a Gnome.
Another mis-informed article, no thanks to our friend Holiga, who is heavilty quoted.
Why Croatian Soccer Fans Could Make Everyone Very Uncomfortable in Brazil
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_spot/2014/05/26/croatia_2014_world_cup_overt_nationalism_is_out_of_fashion_in_international.html
What an asshole.
We haven’t beat a Big team since Germany 2008 i am i right or Wrong?
According to the anti-white TRAITORS on this site, if you have a beautiful white wife & children, you’ll be “tolerant” of white children being FORCED to “assimilate” w/ a global herd of 3rd worlders until there’s no white children left. But you won’t be tolerant of anybody who wants a secure future for white children. “Diversity” means chasing down white flight.
I’m actually here most of the time during 9-5 while I am stuck at PC/desk, and then later on after the kids go to bed I’ll check it again 🙂
^ ^
Actually loyalty based gang colours are not always A-Okay.
Ever try visiting a prison in loud colours?
@Toronto Croatia, why is loyalty based gang colors A-Okay, but loyalty based on RACE (if you’re White) is “evil”?
Not answering my question is conceding the point.
Are you going to tell nepoznat to “get a life” considering he’s on this site seemingly 24 hours a day?
found this today
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=10d-H6GpCJ4
anyone see this new one by Connect? not bad at all… there hasn’t been a “hit” with all these pre WC songs that came out so far….
this song popped into my head today
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euTmD3TaRk4
jaaaaaaaaaaaa te volim hrrrrrrrrrrrrrrvatska
Here’s a good reminder that this will be the first World Cup using tech for the refs. Goal Line technology as well as the vanishing spray.
http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2014/06/01/goal-line-technology-vanishing-spray-at-free-kicks-football-gets-makeover-for/
@Slavonac
It must be sentimental cuz i think he wore 44 at Dortmund.
Rebic is number 15 and Vrslajko 2 i think. all else is correct just wish Kranjcar was 19 not sammir but so je tu je.
#2 would look weird on Rebic…
I could not understand why Perisic is 4 other than it may be sentimental to him…Rebic 2?
the old system was the best…numbers 1-11 are the starting players…1-6 defensive players…7-11 attacking players
Squad Numbers (I have no link to confirm, got this on XtraTime)
1 – Pletikosa
2 – Rebic
3 – Pranjic
4 – Perisic
5 – Corluka
6 – Lovren
7 – Rakitic
8 – Vukojevic
9 – Jelavic
10 – Modric
11 – Srna
12 – Subasic
13 – Schildenfeld
14 – Brozovic
15 – Vrsaljko
16 – Mocinic
17 – Mandzukic
18 – Olic
19 – Sammir
20 – Kovacic
21 – Vida
22 – Eduardo
23 – Zelenika
These guys do this every week during the BPL season too.
Funny stuff!
http://www.espnfc.com/fifa-world-cup/4/video/1861655/how-will-they-line-up-groups-a-&-b
nepoznat- it depends on how they attack…I am guessing here but I thinks its an educated guess.
Brazil will be playing in front of a full stadium, 99.99% Brazil fans…this will definitely give them a boost, I think Croatia will manage by giving them until the 30-35 yard line and play compact…when they attack down the wings I think they will double up on defence, if they try through the middle it won’t be easy…there will be several Croatian jersey’s marking the area…in the air we can match them so the strategy may be press them…mark tight…and look for their chance to maintain possession or a quick counter…..one thing I think we will see is many stoppages in play. stop the momentum, stop any amount of time with pressure and take the fans out of the game!
I get the feeling we can handle them, I also think we may have an unsung hero that game on either a set play of some flukey mishap…deflection, lucky bounce…the ball may fall in our favor!
hvala… hmm that sounds kinda like what would be expected going into this match and makes sense, but from the quote I was hoping Niko was referring to something else and secretive or “up his sleeve”
theory vs practicum
one lapse in concentration and they can pay a hefty price…the other side of the coin is that Brazil can also lose concentration for a moment and pay…and that’s what I think they are looking for…make Brazil pay for pushing too far forward!
slow day at work, enjoy
http://www.memecreator.org/static/images/memes/2803393.jpg
what do we think he has up his sleeve?
control ball in midfield and try to maintain possession killing off first 15-20 min of game?
aggressive attacking and quick pressing and try to put lots of pressure on Brasil from the beginning? if we could pip a goal in the early part of the match it would change everything
sit back all 10 behind the ball? maybe doing false 9 to get extra MF there to help clog up the pitch?
something else?
Slavonac, Ziva, Poglavnik, Denis and of you guys have a clue?
My favorite part of the Niko interview:
“Brazil je momčad koja pritisne u prvih 15 minuta i tako rješava utakmice. Mislim da imamo rješenje, ali jedno je zamisao, a drugo ono što je moguće igračima provesti na terenu. No, imamo kvalitetnu, potentnu momčad i vjerujemo u sebe”, dodao je.
there is so much croatian to english translation from this site-you guys are gonnna crash the servers!! !
Bowmans.com
Niko Kovac interview:
http://hns-cff.hr/news/4788/kovac-imamo-kvalitetnu-momcad-i-vjerujemo-u-sebe/
I use sportsbook.ag
Honestly, they are all the same.
what sites do you guys recommend for betting?
@nepoznat…….depends on who we play. For the first game I will do two separate bets. First bet is a for a tie and second bet will be for a Brazil win by two goals or more. Same day decision for the rest of our games. I should check, but I assume betting on games is legal in Brazil and they have betting parlors. If not, I still have my online account. If by chance we lose both the Brazil and Cameroon games, I would bet heavily on Mexico to beat us in the third game. At that point we would probably be done and I know the croatian mentality when that happens. But, I already put money down on us to get out of the group.
Regarding Rapa Marquez……..we need him to be healthy. I hope he is not injured, because he is well past his prime. It would benefit us if Marquez is on the field for our game. Sometimes, you want the other team healthy. Losing Marquez would actually be a good thing for Mexico. He has too much influence on that team and the coach would be hesitant to sit him if healthy.
Geez…Herrera is still blowing a gasket over the 3 changes in players that Susic made!
Eat shit and die sammir
phew! Pranjic is healthy enough to play vs Australia, should be good to go for Brasil on the 12th:
http://gol.dnevnik.hr/clanak/nogomet/reprezentacije/niko-kovac-donio-dvije-vazne-odluke-vec-prvo-jutro-u-brazilu—339007.html
Oh yee of so little faith.
Our soccer team sucks, their a bunch of smirda korbas
But it’s chavo glave time against cameroon.
Mocinic to start vs Brasil?!?
http://sportske.jutarnji.hr/pise-t–zidak-kovac-sprema-iznenadenje-brazilcima–modricu-treba-xabi-alonso–glumit-ce-ga-ivan-mocinic-/1196583/
I know Mexico lost to Bosna last night, but damn, Mexico can shoot the damn ball pretty accurately from way outside the box. that worries me. I do not think Brazil is going to smash us. They will win, but not kill us. I am worried about our defense. Pletikosa isnt a spring chicken anymore. But our main concern is our coach. We could play extremely well against Cam and the Spics, but their coaches can outcoach us. I loved Niko Kovac as a player, he played with heart. But our coaching can ultimalety kill us at the end
nepoznat- thanks for the article, I liked it a lot!
**Playing catch up scares teh hell out of me
For the second time ever I AGREE with Ziva….playing catch scared teh hell out of me.
Lengthy piece on everyone’s favorite player, ZLATAN!
http://grantland.com/features/zlatan-ibrahimovic-pep-guardiola-barcelona-clash/
I know we’re supposed to take our scope “off of Croatia” for this thread…but I’d just like to say that my head thinks we wont beat Brazil …but my heart says it would be a possibility to tie or win.
Reason being, since its the first game….and we could still win the others (theres less pressure)….and since everyone is expecting us to lose (theres less pressure)….the vatreni has no reason not to go in there and just perform on the world stage and try to pull off an upset like we’ve done in the past.
by the way heres, a quick little Croatia soccer vid to get you hyped up….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_cX7C5i_kA
And it looks like Iggy has seen the video, already according to the comments lol
Ziva, how much do you plan to bet against Cro at this tournament? 😉
as for Mexico’s game last night, they fielded an ‘experimental’ lineup without all of their starters so that could be part of the reason Bosna almost went up by multiple goals in the first 20 min. Bosna’s quick & high pressing really disrupted Mexico’s game and they had them under heavy heavy pressure, could’ve scored 3 or 4 goals in that first 20!
Also has Rafa Marquez already returned to training? I swear I read that, I will try to find the link
7-0 victory against Australia and then we can expect a minimum 3rd place 😀
If you are going to say Cameroon had trouble scoring in qualifying (true), then you also have to point out we had trouble scoring in qualifying as well.
I think we get out of our group, but paying Brazil in the first game worries me. We will have a loss and then have to play catchup.
History repeating itself?
http://www.24sata.hr/nogomet/povijest-se-ponavlja-sve-vuce-na-legendarnu-1998-godinu-369707
We won’t force Rakitic to stay, say Sevilla
http://www.goal.com/en-india/news/222/transfer-zone/2014/06/04/4859856/we-wont-force-rakitic-to-stay-say-sevilla
With the talent we currently have not getting out if the group will be a failure, i dont want to hear “we barely fell over the line during the qualifying, making it to Brazil is a success” near enough is not good enough for me. We currently have a team with the potential to do a little something at the world cup, no need to put a ceiling on how far we can go
either way i am gonna get fucking SMASHED every game we play soi can cope better with whatever happens.. STARTING this sat morniing at 8am when we play aussies.. LOL 😛
Have faith.
Look at the last Euro group.
We did well against Spain and Italy, which coincidentally are the two teams that went far in the tournament.
Second in this group is completely possible. They have the quality and just need to make it happen.
i dont think we’ll get thru
sorry guys but that is my feeling
i have an ill-fated feel about us like we’ll never ever get out of a group – maybe cos it’s been so fkn long since we have !
we’ll fuck up one of those 2 games like we always do and manage to lose and get a red card or something stupid im sure
i dont think mex OR cam is easy for us tbh ?? u make it sound likes it an easy group but i mean there are no shit teams in our group.. i mean, if we had algeria in our group then okay we could prolly get thru : P
the stupid Ko fuck .. have not seriously to take our courage
on friendly match againts only Mali >
i have disappoint with their attraction on pass and control ball
vs Aus could be demand to show their good quality !!
Trust me.. if Cro defeated then will simultaneously to their next game vs Brazil Cameroon and Mexico !!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xtw5vlfodKY Where’s Stimac?
😀
I am hoping that somehow Spain ends up second in their group so we can face Netherlands/Chile in the round of 16. Doesn’t seem likely though
Thanks for the write up and videos!
Key is not to get smashed by brazil.
After that we are fine.
Id put modric in def mid role and kovacic ahead of him.
At least you can count on modric to run back.
At least v brazil