Croatia

Written by Marc Sabljo As the HNS enters a transitional phase in the upcoming months, it's an opportune moment to spotlight our emerging talents across Europe. Presented below are ten U21 players to keep an eye on in the 2024-2025 season, listed in no particular order. To be eligible for this list, these players must be born after 2002 and not yet represented the Croatian … [Read more...] about Top 10 Croatian Prospects To Keep An Eye On

This post is not to make excuses or play the "victim" card. I promise. Croatia did not play good football in Germany this summer. However, I'm taking a look at some Euro tournaments our beloved Vatreni have played in from a macro POV. And my question to you all: is Croatia the unluckiest nation to ever play in the Euros? Croatia has three World Cup medals but has yet to win … [Read more...] about How Unlucky Has Croatia Been At Euros? 1-10

After Croatia's surprise exit from Euro, rumors started to swirl regarding the future of Zlatko Dalić's position as head coach of the Croatian national team. Dalić took the position nearly seven years ago in 2017 during a do-or-die bid to qualify for the 2018 World Cup. As everyone knows, from there, the rest was history. Despite winning three international medals (2nd WC 2018, … [Read more...] about Dalić To Stay On As Coach Until 2026 After Euro Exit

Everything that could go wrong for the Vatreni at Euro 2024, did go wrong. -2.5XG vs. Spain (0 goals) -concede 95th minute equalizer to Albania -concede 98th minute equalizer to Italy -miss 2 penalty kicks in the tournament -Petković scores off missed penalty, Perišić called for encroachment Were the tactics and starting XI that put in place a recipe for … [Read more...] about Euro 2024: Murphy’s Law For Croatia

Final Time: 1-1. Absolutely unreal. You can't make this stuff up. Croatia get bounced out of Euro conceding late goals in two straight matches-- 95th minute goal against Albania and 98th minute strike versus Italy. This was the true Murphy's law tournament for Croatia. There's good luck. And then there's bad luck. A disastrous 1st half against Spain. A disaster ending to … [Read more...] about ‘Group Of Death’ Kills Croatia In Injury Time…In 2 Straight Games

Written by Branko Tomasović Officiating bias against small countries in soccer has been a topic of discussion amongst fans and analysts, who argue that referees may unconsciously favor more prominent teams. This bias can stem from various sources, including the high stakes of the matches and the immense pressure on officials to ensure that marquee teams progress, … [Read more...] about The Fix Is In: When Will Referees Stop Favoring The Big Boys?

Croatia's first knockout match comes early this time around as 3 points against Italy is the bare minimum for the Vatreni to advance in 2nd place from Group B. What changes is Dalić rumoured to make in order to improve the squad from the lacklustre Albania match? Dalić is rumoured to start a defensive pairing of Martin Erlić and Josip Šutalo while moving Gvardiol back to … [Read more...] about This Is How Dalić Should Start vs. Italy

Marcelo Brozović has definitely not enjoyed great performances at the 2024 European Championship against Spain and Albania. His role as the central defensive midfielder in Croatia's iconic, and six-year long, 4-3-3 formation seems to have come to an end and fans of the Vatreni are calling for a change of identity on the pitch. An attacking midfielder, of which Croatia have … [Read more...] about Brozović Starting Against Italy?! Dalić With CONCERNING Remarks In Post-Albania Press Conference

So much good in this game (2nd half offense) and so much bad to unpack. This match is on Dalić. Absolutely no reason he needs to be playing Broz in this game. This was not only a game we needed to win, but it was a game we needed to score some goals off the bat. I would have said the same thing if we won 2-1. Whatever. 96': WOW. 2-2. Albania score on the last kick of the … [Read more...] about Cardiac Croatians Can’t Hold Off Albania In 2-2 Draw, Euro Still Alive With Win Over Italy On Monday