Both Luka Modrić and Mario Mandžukić are chasing the European ‘treble’ this season in club play before the World Cup kicks off in June. Real Madrid dismantled Schalke in the Round of 16 and will play another German club in the quarterfinals, Borussia Dortmund, who prevented Los Blancos from playing in the final last year. Bayern Munich made easy work of Arsenal and will head to England again to take on a confused Manchester United side, who skimmed by Olympiakos.
The other two draws are Chelsea versus PSG and Barcelona versus Atletico Madrid.
In Europa League news, Ivan Rakitić’s Sevilla came back from a 2-0 first leg loss to Real Betis to force penalty kicks and an ultimate victory Thursday night. They will have a tough quarterfinal test when they face Portuguese club FC Porto in the next round, a perennial Champions League team.
I like Vrsaljko for Srna’s replacement, post WC – but I don’t see NK making the switch before the WC, unless Sime plays amazing in the last two friendlies and trains really well prior to Brazil.
Plus I don’t know how big Srna’s ego is… but imagine your captain of an NT and you have to switch positions for some kid that sits on the pine all the time in Serie A
zdravko mamic needs some serious psychological help, I think it would be best for him to move to serbia and stay there, he can take his velcro heads with him.
@Nepoznat:
I can see that.
Faux Cro in your lineup for Brasil I would move Srna up to RM and have Vrsaljko play as the RB
Story about Woody not true, exaggerated a bit.
@Jarac:
Funny link
@Ivica:
I think he was talking about playing Kovacic on the wing in the future.
Wings and defensive midfield selection will definitely be interesting.
—————————–Jelavic————————————
Pranjic———–Rakitic————-Modric———————???
—————————-Badelj—————————————-
Corluka——-Lovren—————Schildenfeld————-Srna
————————-Pletikosa—————————————-
I suppose Perisic, Olic or Kovacic could be used there(???). None have been tearing it up in that position. You know what you are going to get in that position from Olic. Kovacic would be a wild card and Perisic is inconsistent.
@Jarac
LOL. Is that for real?
Dubrovnik has some serious MMA clubs. The ‘gang’ was probably a dude and his friends from one of those gyms there. They probably wouldn’t have killed him. Just crippled him a bit wit a couple of arm bars and head kicks.
i find better articles
http://www.contactmusic.com/news/harrelson-cheers-saved-my-life_1116284
lol
@Faux Cro
Yea. I read that one. But I don’t recall when we played Kovacic on the right wing.
It would be nice to try him out over there, and have Olic (with Rebic as a sub) on the left wing for our next friendly. See if they can create some chances for Mandzo in the middle (since Perisic has been cold for a long time).
Maybe try out Radosevic as DM this time (see how hungry he is) and start Schildenfeld as a CB partner with Lovren (maybe he can help Dejan control those mistakes).
Nepoznat always finds the articles.
The one on Kovac’s tactics and the HNS strengths and weaknesses seems pretty accurate.
@ nepoznat
Brate you are the king of web links!
@ Svima
What a blessing to have our two best players competing for all the marbles. A few years back we were under represented at the higher stages of the CL.
Bayern is going to blitz ole trattford.
Real v Dortmund will be epic!
Pure attacking football.
I am going to sit back with Stari this Sunday and enjoy Modrić in El Classico !
Call him Serb, yugo, whatever all the same shit and as Poglavnik said he is against us.
^ ^
Fuck if I know.
If he’s not with us then he’s against us, so fuck him!
Is Holiga a Serb?
His last name is Hungarian. Maybe on his mom’s side he’s Serbian and that’s what drives him to write up articles that associate Croatian pride with extremism, nationalism, or nazism. He probably feels excluded from the whole ‘proud to be Croat’ thing, (by not being one ethnically) so he poses as one online and bashes it.
TheGoldenChild-
“Arsenal gives no service to their forwards. If anything, they are the tika taka of England”
who are you going to service? Podolski? Giroud? none of these guys play inside the box, they don’t have the physical presence or positional player that commands the 18 yard box….they have fast outside players that can give service but nobody to play the role inside the box!
Poglavnik- I respect Mourinho a lot, but I think his entire system right now doesn’t work with Mandza…it doesn’t mean he can’t change it…I just see the players he is choosing are NOT the “target” man type!
If Mourinho thinks he needs a “pure” striker then Chelsea wouldn’t be a bad fit.
Mourinho tends to get the most out of his players so i doubt Mario would be any different.
@Slavonac.
Arsenal gives no service to their forwards. If anything, they are the tika taka of England. I don’t see Real putting up the cash for him. Chelsea is where it’s going to be. Hazard & Oscar are probably the best tandem in the Prem right now.. Matic and Lamps aren’t so bad themselves.
Mourinho said he wouldn’t be picking up a pure striker this season, but he’s always usually lying to the press. Mandza will end up in blue, and cause fits next season.
yes, I understand but at the end of the day he will not be measured on his hustle, it’ll be his goal contributions that keep him on the field….so if we go back to the question of…how will he score…the answer with Mandza is service…I don’t see the service on Chelsea quite the same as it is with Real and Arsenal….and…Wenger and Ancellotti will work with him and the team…I just don’t see Mourinho doing the same…..
Just a hunch really.
I know Chelsea have had so many failed strikers in the last decade (Mutu, Kezman, Crespo, Shevchenko, Torres) but something about his hustle and finishing would make him a good fit just about anywhere.
As long long as he can hold up the play a bit at times, and play in his midfielders, I could see it being successful.
Poglavnik- why?
if you notice, Arsenal, Bayern and even Real tend to service their forwards through balls into the box…I don’t see as much of that from Chelsea or Man U…which is why I think he’d be more successful away from Chelsea. Also, I’m not sure Mandza would get the patience he may require at that club…where I think Wenger and Ancellotti would both make changes to accommodate Mandza I don’t see Mourinho or Moyes doing the same…they have several options!
@Nepoznat
Decent write-up from that Serb.
I actually think Mandzukic would do well at Chelsea.
As much as I hate them…
Ziva – werent u carrying on about tomic ya kinky so and so ?
He’s not going to spain. His agent just landed in London to talk with Arsene Wenger. He’ll go to Arsenal.
So, after years of being able to access this website from work, it is now being blocked by the company firewall. It says that CroatianSports.com is a pornography website.
Did I miss a good thread recently?
I always find it ironic when a fan of another team talks about the opposing fans from the opposing fans viewpoint. It always seems to kill credibility.
I said it on the last thread, and I’ll say it again…
Bleacher Report has really stepped up with their new writers.
Some very good and well informed articles coming from them in these past six months. Lots of great Cro related ones.
hahaha…I think from a soccer perspective he should stay away from Man U and Chelsea…I think he wouldn’t do as well with their system of play.
nepoznat – nice articles!
he should go to Spain……the taxes are too high in England.
the reports are coming in from several sources now claiming that Mandzukic will end up at Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal and even Real Madrid…I’m a believer that he’d do well at any club other than Chelsea and will continue his goal scoring trend!
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1999474-tighes-2014-world-cup-tactics-board-analysing-niko-kovacs-croatia
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2000869-hajduk-vs-dinamo-croatias-eternal-derby-is-europes-fiercest-grudge-match?search_query=holiga
Hope Modric gets this one.
Go Chelsea!!!
Good to see fag Tomic putting in a typical lionhearted performance today in the shortest EVER atp match that only lasted 28 mins.
Sheesh.. and he was happy with his performance? What a POOF
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-21/tomic-ousted-by-nieminen-in-shortest-ever-match/5335900?section=sport