Before we get to the squad, I would just like to apologize for this post being published so late. I have been busy and Denis is currently computer-less. We have been aware of Bilić’s picks and are glad some of you got started without us commenting on the squad.
So to the team…
GOALKEEPERS
Stipe Pletikosa (Spartak)
Danijel Subašić (Hajduk)
DEFENDERS
Robert Kovač (Dinamo Zagreb)
Josip Šimunić (Hertha Berlin)
Vedran Ćorluka (Tottenham)
Ivica Križanac (Zenit)
Hrvoje Čale (Trabzonspor)
Hrvoje Vejić (Hajduk)
MIDFIELDERS
Danijel Pranjić (Heerenveen)
Darijo Srna (Shakhtar)
Ivan Jurić (Genoa)
Niko Kranjčar (Portsmouth)
Ivo Iličević (Gruether Fürth)
Luka Modrić (Tottenham)
Nikola Pokrivač (Monaco)
Ognjen Vukojević (Dinamo Kiev)
Ivan Rakitić (Schalke 04)
STRIKERS
Ivica Olić (Hamburg)
Mladen Petrić (Hamburg)
Eduardo da Silva (Arsenal)
Nikola Kalinić (Hajduk)
Mario Mandžukić (Dinamo Zagreb)
To answer croatiafan:) from a previous post and comment he left on why Kalinić and Mandžukić have been preferred over Mate Bilić and Ante Rukavina. The answer is money.
Bilić and Rukavina do not play in the Croatian Prva Liga. They are outside Croatian jurisdiction and get their own exposure from their respected leagues. However, the HNS still controls what happens to Kalinić and Mandžukić because they both currently play for Hajduk and Dinamo. Therefore, giving Croatian Prva Liga players exposure on the international level, albeit a friendly, can only increase their value where clubs around Europe can scout them and ultimately bid on them.
And who makes money when Croatian players are sold? The clubs and the HNS. So giving Kalinić and Mandžukić a shot against Romania is not really a tactical move compared to the business side of it. It’s a free commercial that the HNS is putting on for the rest of Europe to see.
Calling up Rukavina and Mate Bilić is a no-brainer, we all know that. But there’s that one little word we always hear come up in situations like this- and that word is MAFIA.
I would also like to welcome back Darijo, who has been away from us for quite some time as well as make sure that Australian heat wave hasn’t fried off Joze just yet.
he put Juric in the lineup and petric olic to start first
Bilic just announced his lineup.
I agree with everything but Juric starting ahead of Vukojevic. I know Juric is having a great year, but, I think Vukojevic offers a bit more steel in the midfield. Arsenal didnt have much of an answer for him when they played home and away matches in the first round of the Champions League earlier this year. When Eduardo returns to full fitness I wouldnt mind seeing a 4-5-1. Since we have such an amazing midfield, why not deploy them all. It could also be seen as a 4-4-1-1.
Pletikosa
Corluka Simunic Krizanac Pranjic
Srna Vukojevic Modric Rakitic
Kranjcar
Eduardo
They tried the same formation against Germany in the Euros. We had some great posession that game, it would be 6 midfielders on the field. I trust Eduardo there ahead of Petric. Petric can get the start when we play Andorra. That seems to be his goodluck charm.
Petar vs. Vlad
Ding!
Good round Gentlemen. Good Round.
Good stuff… Take a few days off and we will pick up talk after the match on Wednesday
Petar: Im George bush, was that supposed to hurt my feelings. I think that was the gaiest comment anyone has said on this web site. seriously this debate is over you make no sense. First off you say im george bush, Ok, your the one that makes up a debate when their wasent one to begin with. I said i rather have rukavina than kalinic and mandzukic and u turned that into im against youth, dont know where you got that. Once again prove that your idiot.
Then you say all these players are gonna be the next big thing, ok with what basis, because their the top on the hnl.
You say i pick favours in which players are legitmate good players, i dunno the future of every player in the hnl but i do know this, i Watch Soccer to decide in my mind who’s good or whos not. Once again you compare modric to sharbini and kalinic to modric and da silva. Not once have ive seen sharbini play like modric or even close. Did you watch modric out play farbegas when was at dinamo did u watch modric play against ajax, modric in europe at dinamo was their best player, every game kalinic has played in uefa cup he was terrible that is not my opinion that is a FACT. You make no sense, dominate the croatian league and what you should be in the squad, every year is diffrent, some years you have a great generation of players in the hnl like the last couple of years and some years you dont. you go by the basis of whos good and whos not. And if sharbini is so good why is ilicevic in the squad and not sharbini.
See Petar you are one of those dillusional croatians that go on croatians websites and believe every thing they hear without knowing anything. You think because bilic brought sharbini to euros that know hes the next big thing, this is also the same guy that brought veijc and let krizanac stay at home. Mr bilic is not god.
As for the im a bitter dinamo fan, funny how you say that when the one player i think should be in the squad is a ex hajduk player, and mandzukic a dinamo player i think should not. I think kovac should retire and i think krizanac who at heart is a hajduk fan should take his place. Once again you are a idiot. Thats it im done you can reply with your made up statements and youre dillusional beliefs.
Wow, what a debate we have going on here!
Can’t wait to see how Vlad comes back.
I don’t see the trash talk escalating between these two, but who knows.
Also, everyone knows that we must groom young defenders. How is that applicable to this debate? You cannot ignore one section of the team just because we need defenders. We also need strikers. Olic is almost 30, Klasnic never takes the opportunites presented to him. That leaves us with Petric, who you never know what you will get from game to game. Fine for club but for country he is still a mystery. Eduardo, who I will also give a spot to. Mandzukic is nowhere near the finisher that Kalinic is, the striking rate speaks for its self. Rukavina and Kalinic as well.
Vlad – You are an uneducated fool who does not know how to form an argument, it’s as simple as that. Once again you prove it with you foolish rational. I offer a fair way to integrate young players into the squad, IE – Once they are head and shoulders above the rest of the class in the Prva Liga. You seem to only believe they should get in the squad when you think they are good. So, let us recap, youth development is okay for you when its guys you like, and you list Pranjic, who is 24 or 25, yeah, really young. Also, you list Modric, Corluka and Eduardo. So, it’s okay when its guys you like. You seem like a bitter Dinamo fan. I offer the fair way, dominate the Croatian league like Sharbini and Kalinic. I will not even respond to your criticism of either player. To even criticize their game shows you know nothing of football. Both are called up at the ages of 20 and 21 respectively, yet you claim they are junk. Hmmmm, Sharbini is called up to the practice squad for the Euros, Perhaps you should give Bilic a few pointers then. The same hype that goes with Kalinic and Sharnini went with Eduardo, Modric, Corluka and Kranjcar, it will also continue in the future with other generations. So, who decides when the hype is legitimate, you?
You know who you are, George Bush!! Another man who forms an argument like you. Terrorism is wrong, but, it’s okay when I see fit. The law of Universality is the most basic and fundamental moral truism, something that I would like to apply because it offers us a fair and impartial way to select a national team squad. For one to act, is to give all the licence to act.
I pray to God you do not procreate.
WEll there is one place called livefooty type that in google. where you can watch it but you also need to install Zango and soapacst. thats where i watched my matches.
Does anyone know where you can watch the game online?
IF Bilic is allowed to call someone up i put call rukavina
LOL after all that quarrelling and Kalinic is injured. I think there is a lesson in this somewhere 🙂
Kalinic is out injuried
petar: your on crack,
you dont get anything i say, i dont care if youre 19 or 30 i have nothing against olders players, ive never said anything diffrent.
the problem you no nothing about soccer, how i know this, is you compare sharbini, and others to modric and corluka. I dont care how old you are ive never said that, all i care is how good you are. And i dont care if you have croatian satiliate, kalinic is nothing in comparison to those two. i watch alot soccer and modric is simply better, what are you trying to prove.
you claim i am against youth development which im not, your an idiot, i love modric, who is young i love corluka i love rakitic, i love pranjic, i love da silva, and etc you DONT GET IT, we dont need kalinic, you know what we need we need a youth defender, to groom, not a striker. You read to many croatian web sites that hype croatians players too much. Im not for nothing, all i stand for is the best croatians available, i want the best team available, not youth or elder i dont care we have so much youth in our squad, which i like your simple an idiot.
My starting lineup:
Pletikosa
Corluka – Krizanac – Simunic – Cale
Srna – Juric – Modric – Pranjic
Petric – Olic
Prediction: Draw 1-1 (Pranjic)
Petar Radman
Thanks once again for the websites.
Looks like Kalinic has been ruled out of the Romania match. Now the question is, Does Bilic call a replacement? If not Mandzukic is almost guaranteed playing time.
Denis, Thank You, Glad I can help. I will send the links to others that I feel are just as good.
I generally use the following for news on Croatia;
Sportnet.hr
Nogometni-magazin.com
Index.hr
slobodnadalmacija.hr
The following are to follow other leagues.
Kicker.de
Soccernet.com
Guardian.co.uk
Skysports.com
Uefa.com
Goal.com (This site is mostly rubbish)
BBC.co.uk
english.gazzetta.it
marca.com
If anyone else has some interesting ones, would be happy to check it out.
Romania squad for friendly
Keepers: Lobont, Pantilimon
Defenders: Ogararu, Tamas, Contra, Chivu, Radoi, Rat, Nesu,
Midfielders: Goian, O. Petre, Dica, F. Petre, Codrea, Cocis, Bourceanu, Tames
Strikers: Bucur, Mutu, Marica, Costea
Game Time: February 11, 19:45 Local time Bucharest, Romania
Darijo
Thanks for clarifying this.
Petar Radman
Great articles!
Yes, but Bochum is his club. They also have no special players. It should not be a hard squad to get into. Ilicevic should really shine in such a squad if he was Croatia standard. At the end of the season Bochum reclaim him. The fact he’s making no impression there and that other Bundesliga sides are not wanting him to me suggests he’s not a Croatia player AT THIS POINT IN TIME ONLY. A solid whole season at Feurth and maybe things change. With Jerko Leko’s injury and Marko Babic not being ready yet and Vranjes lack of games i can perhaps see why Ilicevic is being brought along to gain experience for THIS squad. However i am more of the theory that people like Cale and Juric should be called up as they worked hard for their places, rather than Ilicevic being selected without having done much. Some good games in HNL1 and German Second Division shouldn’t really be good enough for selection. I know you have mentioned Eduardo, Corluka, Modric however they were really brought in to resolve a crisis in the team – i.e cos we had no young centre back in squad (thus Corluka appears), no deadly striker cos Balaban, Olic, Klasnic had mediocre World Cup 06 (thus Eduardo plus Petric appears) and cos Tudor was covering midfield as we lacked midfielders (thus Modric appears). Yes young players need a chance and we are currently crying out for another young centre back (hopefully Dejan Lovren). However there is no way Croatia can select a squad which has Srna, Kranjcar, Modric, Rakitic, Pranjic, Ilicevic and Sharbini in it. That is far too many creative midfield types that can’t defend. Squad needs balance. At present you can’t take Ilicevic and Sharbini over the other five. That position of Ilicevic’s is best being given to another centre back or Babic (gives balance on left as when Rakitic/ Kranjcar play there they cut inside) or Leko when he comes back. We don’t need 4 playmakers in the squad. I also think it is Kalinic V Rukavina. Bilic has dropped form. He’s out of contention. Mandzukic has to do something wrong to go out the squad in my opinion. He scored against England with a neat finish. Mandzukic has also produced some good form in European football V Ajax, Sparta Prague, whereas Kalinic hasn’t cut it yet in UEFA Cup football. Kalinic also is too similar to the other strikers. However Rukavina’s status as a bench player at Panathanikos might perhaps be why Kalinic has the run on him at the moment besides HNS issue. Might all be different for next squad. But yeah now Kalinic is in V Romania squad, can;t change that. Lets see how he does.
To – CroatiaFan. I can definitely see why you are concerned. You make very good points. However, sometimes footballers do not get the chances that others do, their is no blueprint to life. I read a very interesting article about the Fulham manager Roy Hodgson. He was asked why Fulham never went ahead with a much anticipated move for a very highly thought of midfielder, Ryan Delphs I believe. He plays for Leeds United. Hodgson replied and went into great detail of the current state of the club. Fulham are always trying to avoid relegation, and cannot afford to blood in youngsters into the squad. Hodgson said he needs experience. Perhaps thats what is happening at Bochum. Lets look at it this was. Bilic called him up for a reason, this is now 2 call ups in a row. He does not play for any Croatian team, so, their is no financial benefit for him to be there. They don't stand to make any money off a high profile move. Personally, I love the kids game. I thought that Sharbini deserved the call up based strictly on form. Ilicevic was injured for a long period during the first half of the German season.
As for my dear friend Vlad. I thought about it while at work, this is best way I can explain my point. You are either for something or not. Either for free speech or not. That means also defending the right of those who choose to express views that contradict yours. In this case, you are either youth development or not. Claiming that you are for Rukavina, Modric, Corluka, Edurado, then, suddenly, not allowing the same chance to Kalinic is a contradiction of your claim. Remember, this is not some marginal talent. We are not arguing over Drpic or someone else. This a kid, that is widely regarded as the best player in the Prva Liga. I have Croatian satellite, I watch Croatian League Football every Sunday morning. I am more than aware of the Kids skill set. If you are not a fan, fine, but to claim he is Balaban? Thats insane.
Anyways, I am including some interesting articles that I have in my little Croatia folder. These three deal with much of what we have talked about. The first two are from the Guradian. I dont know what you guys read to keep up to date with Croatian soccer. The Guardian doesnt deal with Croatia very often. However, the writer, Jonathan Wilson, is in my view, the best football writer on the planet. I am sure you all have seen the Football Factories episode with Croatia. Jonathan Wilson was the Englishmen talking about the riot in Zagreb. The guys is soooo well referenced. Its like Read Noam Chomsky. The first one deals with the prospect of a United Yugoslav League, the second is about Kranjcar, another great read. Also, there is a great one that outlines the corruption in the Bosnian FA. The fourth is from Nogometni-Magazin.com. It talks about the great youth prospects in Croatia. Check out what they think of Ticinovic. My fathers best friend is the cousin of ex-Hajduk coach Goran Vucevic. I had drinks with him during the summer, when his cousin was first appointed coach of Hajduk. He went on and on, raving about how his cousin says, that the then 16 year old will be our Pavel Nedved. I pray to God he is correct.
These are some of my favorite articles. I will share any more if I feel that they are as good.
Here are the links Gentlemen.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2007/jul/18/europeanfootball.sport
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/jul/22/2?gusrc=rss&feed=football
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2008/jul/01/bosniaherzogovina.worldcup2010?gusrc=rss&feed=sport
http://www.nogometni-magazin.com/newspro/coranto/viewnews.cgi?id=EkFpAAEplusIFMqPJp&tmpl=coranto_hrv_news
RE: Peter Radman
This also goes for all of you on CSR.
If you ever find yourself watching an international Croatian match, a Prva Liga game, or just a Croatian Around Europe playing, you are more than welcome to send us your pictures, movies and even a write up on what you think and saw.
We will publish it.
This site is all of OURS! So with that, remember that you can be reporters when you enter that stadium.
(Disclaimer: CSR does not yet have the funds to pay you, so please don’t ask.) 🙂
I don’t mean to be critical Petar, but Ilicevic.. i’m sorry the guy belongs to BOCHUM yet he is being loaned out because they don’t believe he is good enough to play in their side in the Bundesliga. Doesn’t that mean something to you. He’s a promising player, but there is no reason for him to be fast tracked. Once he starts appearing in Bundesliga 1 then we’ll see, but if Lakic doesn’t get looked at whilst scoring 10 in 16 for Kaiserslautern why should Ilicevic. Seems to me Ivo just has friends in high places. Also the guy is 22. He is only one year younger than Modric. Two years younger than Kranjcar and he’s two year OLDER than Rakitic. However look what those guys have done in their careers already in comparison to Ilicevic who is yet to hold down a first team place in a mediocre team and been loaned to second division and been linked with return to Croatia. He’s one for the future, but we don’t need to fast track him. I don’t think he’s a bad player, he’s a talent, but i don’t agree with your play young players for the sake of it policy. There is barely a 30 plus year old in our squad. We don’t worry to have baby bottles on stand by at half time rather than energy drinks 🙂
Okay, like always, we disagree. Again, the original debate was not you talking about Rukavina, The debate was over Mate Bilic over Kalinic. You chose to bash Kalinic. That is when the edbate started over his qualities.
I will show you why you are a Hypocrite. You are only for youth developement when its a player you seem to fancy. Who says that Modric was one of the best Midfielders in Europe? You? So thats why he deserves the shot at that age and not Kalinic. The fact is, the one thing that all these young players have in common is that they are all recognized by the world wide football community as being the best prospect in Croatia. Modric, Edurado, Corluka, Rukavina, Kalinic and Sharbini are the best players, by far, in the Prva Liga. You claiming that one is better than the other is only your opinion. When a player reaches that status, he must get a chance to show his quality, challenge the kid and see if he rises to that challenge. Why has a youth policy worked so well for Arsenal? Lets not look at this year, where they have been ravaged by injury. Arsene Wenger, much like Bilic when he first entered as coach was willing to give young men their shot, and most made the most of it. Dude, read some Noam Chomsky, learn how to form a argument.
I will defend Kalinic, just as I will and youngster in Croatia that deserves his chance. I dont care if they play for my Favorite team Hajduk, or Dinamo, Rijeka, Osijek or Varteks. What matters most is Croatia. My love for Croatia surpasses any other feeling. Even my love for Brasilian Lingerie Models
To answer Ante – I will be flying to Split via Munich in a weeks time. I will be more than happy to write about what I see during the game. I will try and take pics and videos if possible. It will be a quick visit. I will be attending the Lyon vs Barcelona match in Lyon a few days later, followed by the Bayern Munich match a few days after that. The trip will end in Holland where I am hoping to watch either Ajax or go see Pranjic play for Heerenveen.
As for my comment with regards to the 8 year period that followed 1998. Yes, it looks nice, we qualified for all but one tournament. However, honestly, can anyone say those squads were any good? We were lucky to be there. Look at our 98 squad, our squad today. These are complete rosters that can challenge anyone in the world. The squads in that 8 year period were filled with youngsters or old veterans that played way above their true skill. They gave it all for their nation, I am proud of them. I just dont feel the teams were good. We had to import allot of talent from outside of Croatia, it worked, but we needed far to much help. Did you guys see some of the guys that suited up for us? Mornar, Bosnjak, Tapalovic, come on.
As for Ilicevic – Mark my words, the kid is freaking sick!! I still remember the day when I first read about his transfer a few years ago, followed him ever since. Dont let second division Germany throw you off. Marko Marin almost made the German 2008 Euro squad a second division player. Look at the Hoffenheim team. Most of those players were all playing in the second division last year. When ever I have read anything about him, its always been praise. His game is a throw back to the 1960’s – 1980’s classic number 10 midfielder. He has tight control, nice vision and passing and loves to go on long runs through midfield. He is also good from Free Kicks.
As for the debate on the mafia and the size of our nation. Well, its not one or the other, rather, a mixture of so many different variables. Yes, the distribution of power is slanted far to much to the Mafia or the corrupt elite. The size of the nation also has to be considered since it goes hand in hand with the potential revenue streams the clubs use. Why cant they negotiate great television contracts? well, the nation is againt to small and the viewership is to small, that also has to be looked at with regards to attendance as well as shirt sponsorship and any other marketing opportunity. Its a combination of so many problems. Some bigger than others.
We will have to agree to disagree, allot gets lost through words over the Internet. I will still stand by our youth policy. When Bilic was first appointed, one of the first policies he implemented was to bring one young player along to every friendly and competitive match. The purpose, to show them whats needed of a Croatian International. Obviously he shares my views on intergrating the youth with his senior players. It hasnt failed us yet, so why change it? Players like Kalinic, Rukavina, Sharbini, Ilicevic, Mandzukic all deserve a chance.
By the way, I also fight tooth and nail in basketball. Why are my home town Raptors not giving Roko Ukic a chance? With limited minutes he shows sime nice skills.
Well if people think – Mandzukic – he’s in the team at the moment as his performances against England and Ukraine was not too bad. To drop him is a little unfair. I believe he also adds physical presence. However if he drops form in HNL he’s out – simple as that. Kalinic – the reason i would not vilify his inclusion is cos i want to see him first. Ok his technical ability might not be great, but we have Modric, Petric, Eduardo, Kranjcar, Rakitic for that purpose. If Kalinic scores goals then we’s worthwhile. If he doesn’t he’s pointless being there. Want to see him tried though so that’s why i would not be too hard on Petar’s opinion. Mate Bilic – has as Ante’s has pointed gone on a goalscoring drought which has probably played his way out of contention. In Bilic’s defence he is playing with a spirited side, but are none the less mainly second division players giving it there best. They are doing great though. Things aren’t easy for Bilic at that club as he doesn’t have fantastic players around him. He has to work hard for every goal. Another negative though is Bilic has not been that effective against the bigger clubs in Spain. However Petar how is 28 a veteran. So that makes Olic at 29 over the hill. Don’t agree with you there??? Rukavina could have made this squad – not only for Kalinic or Mario, but also ILICEVIC didn’t need to be there. We are struggling to fit Vuko, Juric, Modric, Pokrivac, Rakitic, Pranjic, Kranjcar, Leko into side at the moment. Midfield is crammed enough without making room for Ilicevic as well. As i said before Leko’s injury i guess means if Bilic really wants to give Ilicevic a place then that’s fine. I’d rather he not be there however for the next squad and if Babic shows fine form then would like him back in squad. As explained i’d rather see Ilicevic and Kalinic in under 21’s for another year as the Under 21’s need help. Its a long time since the Under 21’s had a really strong tournament. Rukavina perhaps needs more games and more goals to really secure his place. If HNS are currently looking for a reason to not select him for a HNL player, then simply more goals will put more pressure on them and then they will most likely let him in. He’s needs to get to 8 – 10 before next squad.
“I remember reading on that young now Serbian player. I forget his name. Because his father is Serbian, he was born in Serbia, spent his youth in the United States and now lives and plays in Germany, all four countries were interested in the young prodigy. Unbelievable!”
Denis, you must be referring to Subotić?
Ante
“The answer is money.”
I agree with you 100%. Why Rukavina and Bilic will be sitting at home for this friendly is unbelievable. To tell you the truth, I’ve seen it coming.
When Prosinecki returned to Croatia from his visit to Spain to track Bilic, he had nothing to say. When Bilic returned from Italy after watching Juric play for Genoa, Bilic hailed him a “niko replacement”. Rukavina wasn’t even looked at. Let’s be optimistic however, Rukavina will get his shot one day, especially if he continues to score regularly. How about a goal in champions league 2 weeks after the friendly…. Bilic on the other hand, the window of oportunity is closing. With Eduardo returning, and Mandzukic and Kalinic in the mix his chances are limited.
Petar Radman
“Kalinic is a better finisher than Bilic”
Kalinic is 21 and playing in a league not ranked in the top 50. Bilic is playing in a top 3 league in the world.
Last I checked, its harder to finish against Barcelona than Dinamo Zagreb.
I agree with you on Ladic. He’s just not the right fit for our under 21s.
“Granted, we will never be on par with 90 percent of the leagues in Europe. Thats more to do with our size as a nation.”
I beg to differ. It’s mafia. Where does all this money go? Why is it that Zadar has a concrete wall close to the pitch leading to the unfortunate incident last year.
Yes, the league has grown and progressed steadily. However, the mafia runs it. Look at all the sportsbooks around Croatia. One on every corner. Where does this money go? How many games are fixed?
“We cannot go through another period like the 8 years that followed the 1998 World Cup.”
World cup 2002 we qualified, Euro 2004 we qualified, World Cup 2006 we qualified. We are a nation of 4.5 million people. Even qualification is a great achievement. There is so much pressure on our players.
The Croatian handball team got silver last week. The entire country is in a deep deep depression. This is our mentality. “mi imamo sampiona” Its first or nothing.
“youth development” is very important for obvious reasons. Players like Kalinic and Mandzukic need to put in time abroad to be considered for the national team. Score a couple of goals in Europe and get rewarded for your blood sweat and tears. Why are Mandukic and Kalinic rewarded? for scoring against Kamen Ingrad? This is like buying a brand new car for your son for getting a good grade in high school. Why not get him a car for graduating college?
“Do we really have to debate about giving the 5th striker role on the National Team to the countries top rated striker? “
I’m sure that Bilic doesn’t want to be a fifth striker. Maybe a Bilic-Eudardo or Bilic-Petric combination would work. We will never find out until he is called up and shows what he has to offer on the pitch.
I say give Bilic a chance. It’s just a friendly. Maybe we can use his for WC 2010. Maybe not. Remember when Prso got called up? How old was he?
Are you flying to Split just for Dinamo-Hajduk?
Would you be interested in giving us an eyewitness write up after the match? Whatever you want to write about, its your call, a few pics a few videos?
Croatiafan:)
Excellent point on “I personally think you should select strikers with different qualities.”
You’ve convinced me on Mandzukic. However, take this into consideration…. You take Mario, but leave Nikola at home. Now you have beef with Torcida and Hajduk. Maybe Bilic just decided to satisfy both. Maybe he thinks that Rukavina needs more time.
My call would have been Bilic and Rukavina for Mario and Kalinic. Now, you dont play favorites. Both Dinamo and Hajduk would be satisfied. It’s just a friendly.
I also agree with you on Ilicevic. Second division bundesliga? Are you serious?
I kind of agree with you on the whole Bosnia-Croatia thing. However, like Vlad said, there’s only 1 love.
Hopefully, you will resolve your computer problems soon. As always look forward to your wisdom and insight of the game.
Vlad
You jinxed the handball team “IDEMO PO ZLATO!”
“Another thing i dont get everyone’s mentality on bilic should play for bosnia, If your croatian your croatian, dosent matter where your born or if your half something else if in your heart your croatian than why would you want to play with a bunch of cigans. If i was him i would play for croatia or no one.”
Vlad, this was huge. Some of the best stuff from you in recent memory. All of you rookies listen up. Its not all about the money.
I remember reading on that young now Serbian player. I forget his name. Because his father is Serbian, he was born in Serbia, spent his youth in the United States and now lives and plays in Germany, all four countries were interested in the young prodigy. Unbelievable!
Great comment!
“always has croatia developed players no matter how good or bad the league is, and it always will, bc we are talented athletes. “
again, you are on point. Let’s look at the African leagues, which are equivalent to the Croatian league. How much talent has come out of these leagues.
Anonymous
“I really like Peter’s idea of a regional league.”
Yes, I would like this as well. However, the Balkan world isn’t up to date with time. Everyone still hates each other in this region. And the ultimate reason it wouldnt work: Which regions mafia will control the league?
Everyone
Croatian Striker Solution:
From Vlad:
“At the momnet we have 2 only 2 strikers olic and petric, who can play at international level, da silva isnt ready, and the future is uncertain. when we start qualyfing again, what happens if one of those two are injured, is kalinic the answer or mandzukic for me it isnt, is kalinic the first sub for petric and olic if da silva isnt ready. I said earlier croatia needs the best player available at the moment no hnl expirement. “
As of right now we have 2 strikers that are ready. I wouldn’t want Mandzukic or Kalinic starting up front for the vatreni at WC2010.
petar last comment:
If you scroll back to my very first comment i said “RUKAVINA” not bilic go look , I never tried to debate about older players vs younger players, you say im a child, your the one who made a debate out of nothing, i honestly think you cant read english, you say im a hypocrite, how because i wanna have rukavina, who’s young. kalinic, sharbini, mandzukic, are not in the same league as modric and da silva. Modric was one of the best mids in croatia , who dominatesd the league,there hasent been a player like that at dinamo for years, a player like that wasent respected by the bad blue boys for a long time, and theres a reson for that. There was no one else even close to him at the time in the hnl. none of the players dominate like he did or da silva, just cause players like kalinic and sharbini are good dosent mean there at par. Have you ever watched any of the players you mentioned, sharbini, isnt that good, he shows flashes but is nothing special.
As for the croatian clubs bringing older players like biscan and seric and kovac and etc if thats progress to you so be it, but i remember not to long ago, asanovic, bilic, boksic,jarni, prosnecki which was a huge transfer fee back in the 90’s, sivio maric all came back to croatia so its not the first time players come back to croatia. Sounds more like a cycle to me than progress.
lastely, i think people should always questions the coach on his selections, it is a big deal. Yeas rukavina has had not as much 90 minutes games so what,either did half the croatian team in wc 98. he’s showing sign of star potential, not only witht the way he scores, but how he carrys the ball and passes he looks like a complete striker.
At the momnet we have 2 only 2 strikers olic and petric, who can play at international level, da silva isnt ready, and the future is uncertain. when we start qualyfing again, what happens if one of those two are injured, is kalinic the answer or mandzukic for me it isnt, is kalinic the first sub for petric and olic if da silva isnt ready. I said earlier croatia needs the best player available at the moment no hnl expirement. Thats only my opinion.
Vlad – I know exactly what I am talking about. Dude, you make up facts and distorte reality. I feel like I am talking to a child here.
You want the best player available, well, were Eduardo and Modric the best available when they originaly got their call up? NO. Someone like yourself would have come up with the same argument that you made, that we need the best player available. At the time they revieved a call up, they had the exact same resume that Kalinic, Sharbini and Mandzukic currently have. They are the best players in the Croatian League, also, consistent members of the Under 21 side. For you to suddenly claim that you are for Modric and Edurado, but not for Kalinic and whoever follows shows that you are a hypocrite. Perhaps Kalinic is a GIANT BUST, maybe not, Only one way to find out. We must give him the exact same opportunity that was given to every other prospect before him. The argument was originally over Kalinic vs Bilic, I believe that we both went on a tangent and may have got a bit too heated. The issue was never Rukavina over Kalinic. I feel that both should be in the squad. You orignally attacked Kalinic, the debate was over his inclusion over that of a veteran that plays outside of Croatia.
As for Romania and Cyprus playing Champions League football. Well, look at the draws. Who have teams from Croatia have had to play the last 10 years to qualify for the Champions League? Here are just a few, Roma, AC Milan, Arsenal, Werder Bremen, Shaktar, Manchester United, also, I am sure that Fiorentia was there as well. Go and check who the Romaians and others are paired with and how they qualified.
As for Biscan and the other semi retired players playing in Croatia. Yes, definitely on the down side of their career. However, look at the revenue streams coming into the clubs and the wages being paid to these expensive veterans. Granted, none of Kovac, Biscan, Seric and Vejic commanded much in terms of transfer fees, but, their wages are still compltetely disproprtionate to that of the income of the clubs. If you look at the clubs 5 years ago, which I alread brought up, this wasnt even imaginable. However, today, the clubs are making slow and steady progress. Dinamo has now made the Uefa cup 2 years in a row. Next year the new qualification structure will be implemented and it will be much easier for Croatian teams to reach tournaments. Next year, under Platinis plan, Croatian teams will only have to play against teams whos country is in the same coefficent. A far more balanced playing field. Also, no, I am not dillusinal. I read allot of Chomsky, so, I can see progress where others do not. You have to look at the margins.
The one thing we do agree on, yes there is one. The same thing I am sure all Croatians agree on. The Croatian League is run by criminals. Do I like that Dinamo bought two cheap Argentines instead of talent like Sharbini or Ilicevic? No, Hellllllllll NO. Can I blame them? No! They are running a business, and it is damn near impossible to compete with the resources of the rest of Western Europe and their filthy rich Saudi and Russian Pimps.
I will leave it like this. Croatia has always produced great talent. God willing, we will continue to do so. Do we really have to debate about giving the 5th striker role on the National Team to the countries top rated striker? ask yourself that.
Petar once again you have no clue on what your talking about.
First off, all i ever said was the hnl is a terrible league. Thats it, i never said i was against youth, i want rukavina in the squad is he old or something am i missing something here, like can you read english. If you ever read my post in the past i am a beleiver that modric and da silva should have been in the wc 06 team so dont mention to me i dont think croatia needs youth in the team. Youre putting words in my mouth i never said.I dont even remember saying anythig against young players being envolved in the squad, did you make that up. At the moment croatia needs the best striker who can get the job done bottom line and i think rukavina is better than kalinic.
As for the hnl league, the only reason dinamo is secure is because of their other franchises mamic owns, they sell no tickets, no jerseys, i know its croatia ive been there many times, yes its small. And trust me its not getting better as a whole league.
Dinamo has money to buy players bc they probably sold more players over the years than any other team in europe. so bc dinamo sold alot of players know the hnl is a good league. You say theve spent big money on guys like biscan, kovac and etc. Are you kidding me, biscan was basically retired, seric hasent played all year in turkey there buying washed out bums. Im not trying to hate on the hnl but it is what it is and your in denial. When was the last time a croatian team played in the championsleague. Romania has two teams, cyprus has one team and belerus has one team. You say they held on to modric one extra year, you fail to mention, the same year they sold da silva and corluka. If they really wanted to make a run they would have kept them but they couldnt pass it up.
As for the regional league its been brought up before and serbia wanted nothing to do with it.
You know what the real problem is in croatia, its ran buy crooks, thers no money being put into any programs, markovic has made all this money, what have they done with it, no coaches are being developed, no new acadamies, mamic has made so much money off the players hes sold were has it gone, what a couple of south americans, and kovac, ya were taking the champions league next year i can feel it. If there so serious why dosent he try to buy ilicevic, oh he did and he decided two south americans were cheaper.
Ilicevic is in the squad because he is one of our most talented youngsters. After we tied the Italian under 21’s, The Italian coach remarked that Ilicevic was the most impressive on the field, that he reminded him of a young Zola.
Vlad – I know exactly what I am talking about, it is you that has no clue. We were talking about Croatia as a nation. Dinamos exploits prior were not the issue. Dinamo had one year of Champions League football in the 99 season, after that they did not do anything. Look at your history man, they were eliminated in Champions league qualifying.
Also, we always do turn out players, that was never the debate. The point was that we sold players far too young because the clubs were in debt. These players then sit on the bench. Fast forward to last year and this year, Croatian teams have a bit more financing behind them. Dinamo and Hajduk do not have to sell players for the first offer they recieve. Dinamo holds on to Modric for an extra year, Hajduk does the same with Kalinic. It gives these young kids more time to develop their skills so they can compete for starting spots as soon as they move. Today, the top two in the HNL can bring in guys like Vejic, Kovac, Biscan, Seric, older guys that cost a bit more, but add nice experience. 5 Years ago they could barely pay their players. Probably paying them in Lamb meat.
Guys like you probably would have complained when Modric, Kranjcar, Pokrivac and Corluka were first called up, because all played in Croatia at the time and were young. 2 years later, they have all developed because they siezed their chance, suddenly everyone is a fan, and most were not willing to take the time to develop them.
A regional league is the only solution. The Dutch and the Belgians are currently in discussion to join their leagues.
Just watch and see, Kalinic, Rukavina, Tomasov, Sharbini, Ilicevic, Vida and the brightest of all TCINIOVIC, will challenge for starting spots sooner rather than later.
didn’t see it but that sounds like usual Dino Drpic to me. Don’t mind if he stays out of Croatia squad. Lakic scored his 10th in 16 games for Kaiserslautern does. I’m interested to see how this guy does in Bundesliga 1. Ilicevic was on the bench for Grunther Fuerth. I’m really not sure this guy should be in Croatia squad????
Anyone saw Drpic’s debut last weekend against Bochum? I watched the first half on justin.tv and was less than impressed, especially with that foul leading to Bochum’s first goal.
Yeah but Bilic is 28 now and if its not going to happen for him with Croatia in the next months it never will. He possibly only has a 3 year lifespan of international football in him. If he went across to Bosnia then its not a rejection of Croatia. What i’m saying is Croatia has big interests and some powers in Bosnia Herzegovina anyway. They even handed over control of their national side to a Croatian now. If Bilic decided to make a go of it at international football good luck to him. Its better than Tomassic playing for Bulgaria, Strupar for Belgium and Vastic for Austria. At least Croatia and Bosnia integrate and definitely HNL1 and Bosnian league clubs are on great terms and trade all the time. Bilic playing for Bosnia would be normal. He should be given a chance, but its clear the staff don’t rate him.
Regard HNL1 i don’t think Vlad argues Petar that Croatian league is poor. Just that leagues abroad are stronger which is why HNL player go there at the first opportunity. Even fly off to Scandanavia sometimes to get more money and competition. Its not that league is poor but it is purely a production facility. It advances Croatian players and has a fantastic purpose. Dinamo yes are as financially strong as they ever been due to some fantastic player sales. Hajduk getting better and Varteks, Osijek, Zagreb, Slaven Belupo always churn out one or two gems. However any decent player does move abroad after 3 months of fine play and that creates instability and harms the teams quality. Also some smaller clubs get tiny fees for their players and it is impossible to work on those circumstances. I’m not even gonna talk about Hjorve Custic, but that issue was purely down to amateurish of HNL clubs. You gonna have to accept that Kalinic is showing promise in HNL1. Nobody knows what he’ll do outside Croatia. These other guys like Rukavina and Bilic are producing outside of Croatia and it is harder to do that then produce in HNL1. Take Robert Spehar as an example. This guy never bagged so many goals in France, Portugal and Italy as he did when aged 34 in HNL1. I do also feel Kalinic being in squad can be let off. I wouldn’t want him there, but have not seen him yet so will prefer to hold comment. HNS might be showcasing HNL player to gain money which i suppose is not biggest crime in world in the way they do it as its done subtly like as bench players. Regards Ruki and Kalinic. I think Ruki’s lack of playing time is his problem. If he continues scoring i think Kalinic will be out the next squad.
Petar: you have no clue what your talking about, Dinamo has always been playing some sort of uefa cup football pretty much since indapendence. In the late 90s they were playing championsleague football. What progress has it made, the facts are this, always has croatia developed players no matter how good or bad the league is, and it always will, bc we are talented athletes. The attendance everyear is smaller and smaller bc no one cares as much as they used too, thats a fact. Why bc theres only two teams envolved every year in the title race. I never critisized the league all i said its terrible which it is. I have nothing against young players in the squad, but im am a believer that the best players and the best players that fit what you need is who you should pick no matter what age. And kalinic in my mind is not our top five striker. Tell me what for do we need two hnl strikers that both wont play.
croatia fan i never said he shouldnt play for bosnia, at one point, all i said is i wouldnt play for bosna for the sake of it bc i couldnt wear their colors, all im saying is just bc he was born their makes no sense to automatically think he would wanna play for them, the whole croatia- bosna issue its really quite simple, if youre croatian your croatian dosent matter where your born, if you walk to livno or duvno in bosna you wont find one person who will say im bosnian, and they can live there for 100 years, and there kids will say the same thing, they will say im a croat. Im not rasist, i just find it odd everyone thinks he should play for bosna, prso, rapaic, prosenicki, balabn,are just a few players that were half serb but they were croats in their heart, should have rapaic have played for serbia when he wasent chosen for croatia when he was younger, who is anyone to say if he was 100 % in his heart a croat then he never would, thats all my point is.
Also modric had his best game of the year in midweek had a rating of a nine. And on sat he was sub at the half cause he got hurt in the first 15 minutes of the game.
I really like Peter’s idea of a regional league. I think it would do a lot to strenthen brand equity for the top HNL teams, bring more fans to the stadiums, generate more revenue and make all involved more competitive with other European leagues. The HNL is really a minor league, that feeds it’s best players to Europe, so the selling off of the best young players is only a natural business move because of the circumstances. A regional league would me more competative and less “minor.” I am not a big soccer know-it-all like some on this site, bit to me this is an pbviouse one!
Vlad – Guys like you constantly critisize the league. I always hear the same thing, the HNL is a terrible league. The past 5 years we have seen steady growth. Were teams in the position they were in 5 years ago? Hajduk was nearly bankrupt, Dinamo didnt have much of a squad. 5 yeard later, Dinamo makes the Uefa cup here and there, Hajduk is building a very young and talented squad, Slaven Belupo plays some very exciting football, and players have made the transition from the Prva Liga to various European Clubs very nicely. Its steady and slow progress. Granted, we will never be on par with 90 percent of the leagues in Europe. Thats more to do with our size as a nation. Markovic has come out this past weekend and said that a regional league is the only solution, also, that the Serbs were the only ones opposed to the idea. I am ranting now. The purpose of this post was to defend Kalinic, as I would any young Croatian that is selected. Kalinic has shown steady progress, Under 17, 19 and 21, also, the past 2 years he is the leading scorer in the Croatian League, all at the age of under 21. You must give guys like that their shot to prove themselves. Kalinic, Rukavina, Sharbini, Ilicevic, Tomasov, Vida, Pamic, Prahic, Mandzukic, Lovren and Smrekar, these are the future of the national team. Bilic was a great Under 21 coach, knows exactly how to nurture young talent. When he first selected Modric, Corluka,Pokrivac and Kalinic, I am sure allot of people thought it was a mistake to inculde players from, as you call it, “a terrible league”. Kalinic was selcted to the Euro squad for a reason. We must constantly blend our youth with experience. We cannot go through another period like the 8 years that followed the 1998 World Cup. The only way to avoid this, is to focus on youth development. Players in the Prva Liga are not sold at the age of 17 and 18 just to pay off club debts, like Vranjes, Babic, Srna and so many others were before. The clubs in Croatia just have to hold on to these guys untill the age of 21 – 22, giving them enough time to develop their skills, instead of being rushed into Europe at the tender age of 18-19 and then languishing on a bench of some middle size club, where they just rot.
Just want to say regards Bilic, if i was him i’d never put nationality above personal ambition. As far as i’m concerned doing the right thing by yourself comes first and everything else afterwards. He wants to play for Croatia, but is getting a door in the face. Croatia don’t want him. As far as i can see therefore its up to him whatever he wants to do. The whole Croatia-Bosnia issue is confusing anyway. What makes Corluka, Stanic, Tomas, Zivkovic Croatian and what makes Spahic, Radjelic Bosnian. Its just plain confusing. Its more or less same. Croatian enclave – Croatia. Sikori Briceg another totally Croatian club that plays in Bosnia. There is no issue about Bilic playing for Bosnia at all. Both countries seem to be selecting from same pool of players half the time. It doesn’t seem too hard to find a Croatian who is also a Bosnian as well.
i watched Mate Bilic play against Sevilla yesterday. I was quite impressed. He has great movement and leads the line well. I probably can see why Slaven didn’t select him. He seems very very similar to Mandzukic and i guess besides what we’ve already said about HNS in addition it is perhaps sensible to go with the younger guy anyway. Mate has also had a slight goalscoring drought and it showed in his penalty miss and another chance he missed. He probably has to be scoring regularly to turn the coaches head at the moment.
???Got no idea what Cigan’s are. Know there are lots of Bosnia fans in Croatia though and many Croats living in Bosnia and plenty of Croats playing for Bosnia – one of whom Emir Spahic we should never have let go. So we want to reject Bilic, but also stop him playing any international football. That’s a bizarre mentality. Are we sadists? So that means the guy would have not achieve his maximum in his career. It’d be fantastic to see Bosnia qualify for the world cup and if we are going to select Bilic it would be great to see him play for them.
Pranjic scored his 14th goal of the season which i think is amazing. Petric bagged another killer goal. Modric had another off game, but to me it seems Spurs don’t know what they are doing. Pranjic and Petric have got to be in line for Croatia’s best players this season. Both have been outstanding.
Petar: Just cause he scored a few goals as a kid dosent make him the next prodigy. Half his goals came at the u 17 level which dosent tell me anything, so many superstars barely develop until their later years like a example da silva. 11 goals in 18 games is ok, but he plays on the second best team in a terrible league so it’s nothing to rave about he should be the leading scorer.
Another thing i dont get everyone’s mentality on bilic should play for bosnia, If your croatian your croatian, dosent matter where your born or if your half something else if in your heart your croatian than why would you want to play with a bunch of cigans. If i was him i would play for croatia or no one.
i’m willing to hold judgement on Kalinic till i seen him have a game of Croatia, but personally i don’t see why he and Ilicevic are in squad. I think it should be harder than that to get in Croatia squad than to play second division or to hit a few HNL goals. People like Vranjes and Bilic must be thinking their international careers have ended. I understand that Ilicevic and Kalinic are the future, but personally i think they are needed in Under 21 team and need a year more before being considered at national team. The next level up is top flight football in a big club or big league and both Bilic and Rukavina meet those criteria. Ok i think in general Croatia fans won’t be too angry at the current squad, but if Rukavina continues to score then he must make the next squad. As for Bilic chance to play for Bosnia is there, he should take it. Also regards Ilicevic being there i guess this shows theres a position for Marko Babic if he plays well at Hertha. Playing well for Hertha grades above playing well for Grunther Fuerth in my opinion.
Regards my computer problems i can comment again if i click on the title and then click post comment, but not any other way. Also can’t download video’s at moment. However this is my computer which is problem rather than website.
Thanks for the concern Ante but I’m still alive =)
It would have been great to see Bilic and Rukavina in the squad but atleast Eduardo is back!
Will Kranjcar be ready?
35 goals in 40 games throughout his International youth career. I challenge you to find a Croatian prospect that can rival that production.
The only thing kalinic will turn out to be is anothter bosko balaban, and even he scored more goals in dinamo when he was younger. The guy is not fast but slow, and awkward when dribleing with the ball. The truth is rukavina in my mind is the player that can be a all around good striker, hes’starting to score with playing limited minutes, we dont have a striker like him, fast, tall and could run with the ball or be a pocher bottom line kalinic has no bus being there.
on another note croatia playing in the finals for handball worldcup on sat, IDEMO PO ZLATO!
i seen that smile Bilic 🙂 in the begging when he said finally everyone is coming back. and he was in training to see Eduardo today!
To CroatiaFan – I must disagree with you my friend. While I do agree with what you say about taking players that offer different variables, I do not agree with your analysis of Kalinic. Kalinic is a pure finisher, something that was sorely missed once we lost Eduardo. Unlike Eduardo, he offers an aerial threat and can also use his large frame to position himself well. Mandzukic to me looks like a hybrid, a cross between a winger/Forward, leaning more to a forward. I like Mate Bilic’ game, just not enough to slot him ahead of Kalinic. Let’s face it; Bilic is not the future of the National Team. Why waste the number 5 striker slot on him then? There is allot of experience ahead of him. I like blending youth with the veterans. It at least shows these youngsters what is needed of them, helps raise their game.
With regards to Rukavina, Yes, he did not play to the level that was expected of him at Hajduk. Let’s be fair, he was their only significant purchase, plus, he was being touted as the saviour of the club. Hardly fair for a 21 year old. He was directly involved in the most of Nikolas goals last year. He was called up once for Croatia, that was only as a member of the practice squad. He was the first of the juniors that accompanied the team, part of Slavens plan to bring one junior to every friendly, to show them what’s needed to be a full International.
Either way, it’s a very strong squad. I personally think that Kalinic will blossom into the most complete striker that we may have, as well as Rukavina. The Prva Liga resumes in three weeks, I will be flying to Split to watch Hajduk and Dinamo. I am sure that now that Hajduk has strengthened the squad through the middle of the park, and finally have a creative spark in the centre of midfield (Tomasov) you will see a flood of goals for Kalinic (Hopefully from more than the penalty spot).
All the best from Toronto Gentlemen.
Anyway regards Mario, we’re keeping him so HNS can tout him as much as they like. We should not let him go for two years. We have our ambitions and he’s our striker. We have fetched enough money over the years from Modric, Corluka etc so we should build a team to advance in Europa league. Hajduk are not on the same financial status as us. They will drive Kalinic to any club who pays lots of money for him. What we need to do at Dinamo is shed our squad players i.e Tomic (needs first team football), Sokota (good player, but never fit), Balaban (in summer), Chago. That’s what we should be doing not selling Mandzukic.
You won’t find me arguing about Kalinic and Mandzukic. In Mandzukic’s defence though i guess at least his performances against England and Ukraine merit being kept in the squad, whereas regards Kalinic he belongs to the Under 21 team. Their seems a bit of a campaign to get Kalinic a move. He’s claiming he’s a 15 goal striker in Serie A. I don’t buy into that for a second. Kalinic should move at the end of the season. If i was him i’d look at gradual progression in the vein of Olic and Pranjic. Smaller club then to bigger club. Would be great if Zenit took him. All that Valencia nonsense is bad news for him. As for the fact Kalinic scores more than Bilic. Bilic plays at a much higher level. Bilic scored his goals in HNL1 too. As did Sasa Bjelanovic, Srdjan Lakic and many others, but its not a pretext to playing in the national team. I personally think you should select strikers with different qualities. Mandzukic is a player who is interesting for us cos of his build. He is tall and athletic, so he gives us a different option to Olic, Petric and Eduardo who are all smaller guys. Therefore i can understand Mandzukic being on board. Again though Kalinic doesn’t give us anything we don’t already have. Small, quick and can sniff out chances in the box – sounds like Petric, Olic and Eduardo to me. I agree with Vlad and Denis on this cos we called Rukavina once when he was rubbish at Hajduk (prob to get him a move) and now Rukavina is playing good at a strong club and HNS are not interested. Strange …. As for Bilic if he accepts Blazevic’s call then we can hardly moan cos we rejected the guy.
Drazen Ladic also called up his Under 21 squad the same day as the senior team was announced. You guys should give a bit more love to our Youth development. We should come together as a worldwide Croatian community and try and get Drazen Ladic replaced, before he stunts the growth of another promising generation of young footballers. All Hail Ivan Gudelj, If it were not for him guiding the Under 17’s, we would be lost.
Hmmm, not sure I agree with all your assumptions. I do agree that the HNL does try and influence player selection. That is evident with the Klasnic vs Petric fiasco during the England match. I do not see Kalinic as being there to appease anyone in the HNL. Kalinic is a better finisher than Bilic. I do not see eye to eye with Mandzukic being called up ahead of Rukavina. Also, Sharbini should have been called up rather than a injured Kranjcar