Markus:
Sigh. Another disgraceful result. It’s embarrassing that we scheduled this friendly to use it as an “easy win to gain confidence” but then we went out and put on this display. Let’s hope this is similar to that Peru defeat and Brazil spanking, after which we dominated the 2018 World Cup. However, I think this is different. Armenia, Slovenia, Cyprus and Azerbaijan aren’t Peru or Brazil. The Vatreni played this game half-assed, they couldn’t finish and were shaky on defense. Same old story. Our squad craves an injection of youth, needs fresher tactics and better management. We can complain about all these things but ultimately, absolutely none of this is up to us. Croatia just drew to a team who’s right back is a Colombian immigrant who used to be an Uber driver. Their captain looks like a 50-year old village butcher. I mean, so does Škorić, but here’s my point; the Croatian National Team lacks quality. It’s as simple as that.
We have hungry youth players who are skilled, fast and ready to play but they never even get called up. I doubt the ones who even did will touch the field this summer. Vida, Lovren, Škorić, Juranović, Badelj, Barišić and Pašalić’s technical abilities aren’t even better than Armenia’s. It’s time to stop making excuses and hyping ourselves up more than we deserve. The harsh reality is that our players just aren’t good enough, and that we need to get our priorities together or we won’t even make it out of the group stage. We can have a perfectly skilled and youthful defensive core of Bradarić, Sosa, Gvardiol, Ćaleta-Car, Pongračić, Vusković, Vrsaljko and Uremović. But Dalić refuses. In fact, the veterans have become so comfortable that they know that no matter how badly they perform, their spot in the XI is still locked. At the end of the day, we don’t have any ruthless finishers to get the job done up top, and this game was an example of that. The way we play does not suit the strengths of our players and the tactics deployed (if you will even call them that) are nonexistent. After Perišić’s goal in the first half, he missed at least three surefire opportunities. Rebić missed some easy goals as well and so did Kramarić and Pašalić.
Player Ratings:
Livaković 6.5/10- Didn’t get any action and the one test he did get was a banger in the top left corner.
Barišić 2.5/10- Useless.
Ćaleta-Car 5/10- Worst game in the Croatian shirt. Almost let up a breakaway and wasn’t progressing the ball like he usually does. No better than Lovren after today.
Vida 6.5/10- Our best defender today.
Vrsaljko 4/10- You can tell he’s so rusty. Juranović has a good shot at starting the Euro campaign.
Modrić 7/10- One of Modrić’s less impressive games, yet he’s still our best player out there. Irreplaceable.
Brozović 4.5/10- Back pass after back pass.
Vlašić 4/10- Was he even on the pitch? All he did was his signature low shot early in the match. I mean, this guy dominates the best players in the RPL, but can’t put on a decent showing against Armenian farmers?
Kramarić 3/10- Another disappointing night for him. Only good play was that thread pass to Rebic who bottled it.
Perišić 6/10- The only reason his rating is this high, despite the countless missed opportunities, is because he was the only one trying to create things out there. A+ for effort.
Brekalo 5/10- Can’t give him more because he hardly played. Was decent while he did.
Subs:
Pašalić 4/10- I think he made the worst header I’ve ever seen.
Juranović 6.5/10- Was working hard and had heart. Missed a decent chance.
Petković 3/10- Forgot this guy was on the pitch.
Škorić- I would say 7/10 before he messed up allowing their goal, I was genuinely impressed. Once Armenia equalized, his confidence was shot and was playing like a 4/10.
Rebić 4.5/10- Was in the mix getting chances but none accomplished anything. Horrible first touch today.
Badelj 3.5/10- Once again, did this guy touch the ball?
June 6th against Belgium, it will be Luka Modrić and Co’s last chance to give a glimmer of hope to Croatians around the globe. If we continue like we have been, brace yourselves for disappointment this summer, ladies and gentlemen. Onwards to Euro 2024, by which we will still be waiting on Gvardiol and Sučić’s first caps…
CroatiaU14
Today’s friendly between Croatia and Armenia was nothing more than a training exercise for the Vatreni. Just about every key player for Croatia is coming off a fantastic club season. With the likes of Belgium, England, Czech Republic, and Scotland on our upcoming schedule, why the hell would any of our players even put 50% effort into this match? Why the hell would some of Europe’s best players risk injury or fatigue in a friendly match against Armenia?
There’s no need to freak out. It’s not the end of the world. Chances are we won’t exit the Euro in the group stages. So what? We played cute against Armenia in a preparation match. No one is going to have a successful day in the office at 50% effort.
We easily could have bagged five goals in today’s match. With just 80% effort from the boys, we’d be slotting those chances easily. The chances were there, and although the finishing wasn’t, it really does not matter. We know that in important matches, players such as Ivan Perišić, Andrej Kramarić, and Ante Rebić have been some of the most clinical scorers in the world.
Let the boys have a little fun. It’s a training match, I can’t repeat that enough. We lost to Peru and got smacked by Brazil before the 2018 World Cup, and look what happened! We lost to Hungary, tied Wales and Azerbaijan in 2020 Euro Qualifiers, and we topped the group! One loss is not a meteor strike to Earth. It’s called a preparation match for a reason.
For crying out loud, Mile Škorić was the reason Armenia scored. We won’t see that in the Euro. Player Ratings:
Luka Modrić: 7/10 Mediocre performance. Completed some passes, created some opportunities but looked a little sloppy in doing so. Obviously wasn’t at 100%, but you can’t blame him.
Ivan Perišić: 7/10 Solid. Looked happy to be on the pitch, scored a wonderful header, but also bottled a very, very good opportunity in the first half. Changed the game on the offensive end.
Dominik Livaković: 6/10 We would have lost if he didn’t save a finesse shot at the end. Quiet, but solid on the ball.
Domagoj Vida: 6/10 Showed some pace on the pitch, worked hard to win tackles. Not bad.
Marcelo Brozović: 6/10 Eh.
Nikola Vlašić 6/10: Had a couple opportunities. Nothing good, nothing bad. Coming off an injury, so his performance was understandable.
Josip Juranović: 6/10 Looked hungry. Solid on defense and offense, showed a good amount of pace.
Josip Brekalo 5.5/10: Was good while on the pitch, sadly left early due to an injury.
Duje Ćaleta-Car 5.5/10: Looked a bit shaky. Couple errors, won lots of headers.
Mario Pašalić: 5/10 Definitely should’ve had a brace. Sloppy in his finishing. Bad with his head.
Šime Vrsaljko: 5/10 Rusty. Very rusty. Coming off an injury, it would scare me to see him against England’s front line.
Ante Rebić: 5/10 Half-fit. Can’t blame him for playing slow.
Bruno Petković: 4.5/10 Almost played as an attacking mid. No offensive threat.
Milan Badelj: 4/10 Why is he in our squad?
Mile Škorić: 4/10 Seems like a nice guy. Lol.
Andrej Kramarić: 3.5/10 Where was he…
Left back especially …. Center defense and center forward are 3 positions Dalic will try and find an answer to..
With Lovren out I expect Gvardiol to be tested at LB/CB as well as Caletta Car to start… think it would be good idea to have Bradaric be tested at LB Because we are playing highly offensive team……Kramaric will start but Budimir needs a shot from the start I think as we know what we get with Krama..
Midfield more or less we have juggled over the years… so the trio of modric vlasic and brozovic complement the midfield best…so in essence not much would change 3 players tops to see and will not take away much from our game
To Start against BELGIUM
see what dimension these two defensive wing backs can give us with 2 centerbacks that can control the play well I think
4-2-3-1
——-‐‐————Budimir‐——————–
—–Perisic‐–(Petkovic)—–Rebic—–
———————-Vlasic————————————-Modric—Kovacic————–
Bradaric—————————-Vrsaljko
————–Gvardiol–Ca-Car————–
——————-Livakovic———————
Subs options 2nd half
4-1-4-1
——————–Kramaric——————–
—-Orsic——(Ivanusec)—-Brekalo—
————-Pasalic—–Brozovic———–
———————-Badelj———————–
–Barasic————————-Juranovic
—————-Skoric—-Vida—————–
———————Kalinic———————–
Lovren is not fit which gives room for some other guys to show. I like Petkovic he has everything but fitness speed and sometimes will! We need fighters.. think hes best as (joker) We know what Vlasic can bring.. think that position is soldified as he most likely is that guy behind our centerforward but
This is who and what we need to try against Belgium 1st half and make some subs for second half with the guys in these positions.
I think Gvardiol is great with the ball can pass press and defend..Ideally if we go with a potent attack then we need to solidify the back let Vrsajko make those runs and leave 3 other defenders on the pitch to be more central defenders which would make a back 3 of
GVARDIOL CA-CAR VIDA
Modric or Kova(BROZOVIC) can link with Perisic and hold the ball well on eitherside where we would most likely not get burnt as much playing Gvardiol instead of Bradaric who is more offensive then Barisic or Bradaric… but we can test that part out
Now is not the time to experiment. We had a year to experiment and we always do a shitty job of it.
A 13yr old Serbian soccer star that I teach is being scouted by 2nd Division teams in Spain, England who knows a great deal about soccer told me his predictions for euro saying Croatia Portugal final lol – I thought he was screening with me but he believes it so why can’t we lol
Portugal Croatia Final I’d like to see that considering we haven’t beat either side.
I like the prediction but seriously who is going to believe a 13 year Serbian kid hahaha
anyone else see this Biuk interview?
Kako je došlo do tvoje eksplozije, opiši mi kako si ti doživio taj put.
“Prebrzo, to je sigurno. Nisam mogao ni zamisliti da ću danas biti u ovoj situaciji i da će me netko zvati zvijezdom Hajduka. Zaigrao sam u Šibeniku u prvenstvenoj utakmici, pa sam nakon toga sljedeće četiri utakmice bio izvan ekipe. Došao je derbi s Dinamom, nije bilo Marka Livaje, a trener Tramezzani je odlučio da ulazim u sastav. Srećom, odigrao sam dobro u derbiju, kao i u posljednjih par utakmica prvenstva. Sve se odigralo stvarno jako brzo, nisam stigao puno razmišljati. Ali sad itekako moram razmišljati o tome da nastavim istim tempom i da zadržim kontinuitet. Ne mislim da će biti lako, ne zavaravam se. Napisi u medijima su jedno, a za mene je važan samo teren i ono što na njemu pokazujem. ”
This interview doesn’t convince me this kid is ready. He was flukily offered a chance to play…read how he sat on the bench for 4 games at Sibenik.
Were we presented Biuk pre-maturely or was he already a massive prospect? I’m a bit confused by this.
Actually, this reads to me like Tramezzani was so convinced by his talent that he pushed for him to be included into the Hajduk first team. Hajduk may have made a mistake letting Tramezzani go, if he can scout talent like this.
Whether Biuk was a big prospect before all this is irrelevant. We saw that Jozak interview. Kids younger than 18 years of age are pretty much a wash. Talent is talent and he’s done extremely well in the few games he has played.
Him being grounded and not overhyping himself in this interview gives me more confidence that he’ll continue to work hard and have an upward trajectory.
There are lots of Adnan Januzaj types, who make a big splash as a teenager then level off early. But Januzaj was cocky. Biuk seems more humble.
I think if he does what he says he’s gonna do and leave everything on the field, then he should be fine. So long as he’s not too humble and soft (like Kovačić) he should be fine.
The new Hajduk coach is extremely good when it comes to youth as well. Not sure why they let Tramezzani go in the first way but it’s not the worst replacement…
I wanted to put this at the top of the conversation for Vuk and Maminjo…and anyone else that wants to comment:
I’m not so sure Lovren is who we say he is. Yes, he’s overly confident and cocky. Yes, he behave’s as if he’s better than he is. Yes, he’s one of those “me, me, me” guys but I’d have to think that Dalic is completely mentally retarded that he’d sacrifice the entire team over 1 player. Also, I’d have to think that Dalic consults with others, not just himself! This is why he has Olic, Corluka, Ladic, Krpan….
I keep saying this and I’ll say it again. As an example….soo many here were extremely outspoken about Sosa not being called up to the senior team. Once we all look at the situation closer and take the analytical approach, the soccer approach and look at the situation with 20/20 vision, its VERY CLEAR that Sosa was not even in the cards for 2 FULL YEARS. It was not even a discussion. Then….he had 1 assist and was not showing any real signs of good form right up until December break…and yet, everyone seemed to think Dalic was a complete idiot for not bringing him to the senior squad.
Why is this important to bring up you ask? Because we see things for a 60,000 foot view while Dalic is at the ground level! Yes, Dalic get’s mentally blocked and makes some poor decisions but overall, we all make our opinions, suggestions and fake lineups based on very little true and important facts.
I’ll also repeat this. How many times did we talk about Barisic and Bradaric being the left back starter…and then…once they play…how many times have we realized that they just aren’t producing what we need? Its as if we don’t want to believe what we actually see on the field…we make shit up and tend to over exaggerate how good some of our younger guys are!
In my opinion…only Gvardiol, Caleta-Car, Ivanusec, and maybe Juranovic deserve to be on the first team…I’m not saying in the starting lineup, I’m saying on the roster! The rest of these guys have a lot more to prove!
Hey Slavonac, the thing I don’t care for about Dalic and his regime is that I don’t think they’ve given guys like Bradarić a fair shake to know whether they are first team material or not. He played Bradarić out of position and gave Meljnak way more of a chance. I think he was always going to go with Barišić in the Euros, which at least it’s not Meljnak. Barišić is a known product and serviceable. But he had ample opportunity to give Bradarić meaningful time in the first team to see what he can do and he didn’t. Maybe Bradarić would have shown that he’s better.
He wasted time in evaluating options like this in the CB position too as Maminjo has pointed out. We know what we have in Lovren & Vida. Most would agree that one of Gvardiol/DCC/Pongracic would be better options, but for the most part we’ve stuck with Lovren and Vida since 2018. Not only would it have been nice to see what we have in the prospects, but we could of had time for them to develop chemistry as they integrated into the first team.
Having said that, I actually think he’s done a decent job with our wing players. For the most part, I don’t have a problem with how Brekalo has been used and developed further with the first team. Some has been as a result of injury, but at least he didn’t put in the Meljnak of RWs.
Good comment about Igor Biscan. I was also wondering about whether he is a good coach or not.
Our U21 team has a lot of talent, and you can see it on the field with their technical ability and some of the screamers a few of them have put in on goal each game. Lots of coaches would kill for that level of natural ability.
But from the games I watched (vs Czech, Swiss, England, Spain…) I am not really impressed with how these games have gone for us.
It seems like each game is a complete 50/50 and Croatia cannot assert themselves as the dominant team. Some of that was tactics with Biscan, and I’m not sure if it benefitted the talent we had on the field.
Biscan did do well in his short club coaching spells with Rudes, Ljubljana, and Rijeka…but I wonder if he’s one of those coaches who tends to overachieve with less talented players (turning bad teams to decent ones) than actually achieving higher results with talented teams (turning good teams into great ones).
It’s way too soon to talk about him replacing Dalic, but I am worried that he would be placed ahead of a real talented coach like Nenad Bjelica simply because of how the Dinamo thing went down with Bjelica.
Having followed Armenia and after watching their three WC qualifying matches, I can tell you that this result should not be a surprise. Caparros has transformed the Armenia team. They are playing with resolve and passion, and they lead their qualifying group because of that. Croatia can learn a lesson from what the Armenians. National team success depends on developing a team dynamic that is greater than the sum of the individual talent, and that seems to be missing for Croatia right now.
“National team success depends on developing a team dynamic that is greater than the sum of the individual talent, and that seems to be missing for Croatia right now.”
I couldn’t agree more with this statement. The team dynamic is missing at the moment, just like it was right before WC2018. BUT its not too late.
If Dalic can figure this out fast, then we can make another great run. If not, we are screwed.
In my opinion Croatia likes to hunt, they don’t like being hunted, it’s the reason you take some big scalps but are never one of the big teams that qualify for tournaments easily but rather make hard work of it every single time.
Yes it was just a friendly, and you created chances, but poor finishing is poor football, so if you’re missing those sort of chances in a “meaningless” no pressure friendly I don’t see that improving against the big boys in tournament play.
I also think England should watch the Euro ’16 Croatia game vs Portugal, and the world cup final vs France. Never have I seen a team that can have so much of the possession and not look threatening at all. You can’t hunt when you’ve got the ball.
So I think England will beat Croatia, I can see Scotland intimidating you guys physically, so that leaves the Czechs (I don’t know much about them), but that will probably be a 50/50 game, so can possibly 1 win & 2 losses get you to the next round, where you will more than likely get knocked out anyway?
I was hoping for France vs Croatia, but that wont happen now.
So who do you guys think France will play in the Final?
And my French brother @Markus knows what he’s talking about! Very dissapointing Croatia, and I see you guys not being relevant for a while now, I hope I’m wrong though, because I’ve enjoyed watching you guys in the past.
The scots shoulda beat a full strength dutch squad today if not for a bogus call like grease man dive on brozo ala WC final… we better be ready for a battle cause the scots if I’m not mistaken-like Brazil, portugal and France are teams we have never beat !
Count me in for Kovačić starting and Modrić playing closer to a 10 roll.
He still has the world class quality in the final third.
Let Kovačić and Brozovic run their legs into the ground.
I like Budimir or Rebić up top pressing.
Kramaric off the bench against tired legs.
Dalic is getting paid to create a winning game plan. We have enough to compete and I want to see him step up his tactics and bring out the best in this squad.
The youngest guys weren’t available because they just had the U-21s, although Brekalo, Vlasić, Juranović, Caleta-Car, and Livaković are pretty young still, and Pasalić still isn’t old.
Those bashing Kramarić are forgetting that he put a few shots on goal and a well-placed header that the Armenian keeper saved
I for one, am not worried about the Euros. I have said many times I think the quarters is the best we are likely to do. Also, I didn’t think Kramaric had a bad game. He actually got to play deeper like he prefers and was decent in link up play and set up both Perisic and Rebic for open nets and they both skied their shots. The only time he went into what I call “hero mode” (playing more selfish and trying to do too much to score) is when we conceded. We were absolutely unlucky to not have score 4+ goals and while Armenia did get in behind more than I liked, their goal was also somewhat unlucky on our part. Skoric scuffed at it and then one of their guys scored an absolute screamer. I will say that Skoric was alright before that play and made some decent stops.
Other than not scoring goals, we also took out pretty much all of our creative players after Perisic was subbed off. We had a front 4 of Petkovic, Kramaric, Pasalic, and Rebic with Brozovic and Badelj in the midfield. Who’s going to be the one creating chances there? Pretty much only Brozovic and he’s not used to playing the more advanced of the two mids anymore. Badelj did nothing because there was nothing for him to do. We were just getting to Armenia’s end of the field, losing it, then getting it back, and repeat. As much as Kovacic usually doesn’t perform for us, I think he would have been good for this game like others have said. We needed that player who could play the Modric role and advance the ball forward.
I’m also seeing a lot of Budimir to start at striker. I’m all for trying him out in the Belgium game. I think he’s a decent player, but he’s never really seemed to fit our team either when he’s gotten the chance to play. He is a target man, but he is not physically strong, not dominant in the air, and not a hold up player. He does find a way to score for a bad team in La Liga so he’s obviously decent, but I just don’t think he fits. I would like to see Petkovic up top with Kramaric in behind but with actual creative players on the field at the same time. I agree with Slavonac that Petkovic is very talented, but so lazy. I’m hoping that once these tournament games come he will be motivated to actually play like he did when he was banging in goals in qualifying.
I’m not even going to be worried if we get smashed by Belgium, personally. The guys might be slightly more up for it, but the game is a week away from the game against England. Why go all out and risk injury right before the tournament. It’s going to be another game of testing different players together and seeing how they mesh.
I would like to see our young defenders play some minutes together in that match and see how they cope. Gvardiol was solid in the U21s game against Spain at CB, but after watching that game and the Armenia game, Barisic is still the starting LB over Bradaric for now. Bradaric is still super young, but he gets himself caught too high forward a lot. If he wasn’t fast he would be beaten way more than he is. Barisic is limited with his speed, but has a fantastic cross, good set pieces, and usually decent defensively. I used to be on the Bradaric hype train too, but I think that FOR NOW Barisic is the starter. I do think Borna Sosa will end up being around the squad after this tournament whether people like it or not so we will have a true competition for that spot. But he also basically plays left midfield for Stuttgart so I’m not sure how solid he is defensively.
I’ve seen people say Biscan should be the new coach after Dalic as well, why would he deserve that? What has he done at any level? The U21s barely made the Euros in a qualifying group that was not at all difficult, almost blew a 3-0 lead vs. Switzerland, made it to the knockouts by scoring a last minute Bradaric banger in a 2-1 LOSS to England, and then in the game against Portugal where he said he would play a more attacking lineup he set the team up with 3 defensive midfielders (Babec, Franjic, and Moro), and Ivanusec and Majer on the wings. I will say they didn’t play horribly and with some quicker shots maybe they win, but that lineup didn’t make sense just like sometimes Dalic’s lineups don’t make sense. Maybe he is better than Dalic, who knows. But I haven’t seen anything spectacular from him.
Let’s just put it this way, if we go to Wembley and get embarrassed by England, then we can complain about how Dalic is not a good coach, the whole squad needs revamped, etc. Let’s just relax until then.
One more thing, do we realistically think this is Modric’s last tournament? I heard the announcer asking if it could be, but why not just stick around for one more year and play one more World Cup (provided we qualify)?
“I’m also seeing a lot of Budimir to start at striker. I’m all for trying him out in the Belgium game. I think he’s a decent player, but he’s never really seemed to fit our team either when he’s gotten the chance to play. He is a target man, but he is not physically strong, not dominant in the air, and not a hold up player. He does find a way to score for a bad team in La Liga so he’s obviously decent”.
Yeah, Filippo Inzaghi was a skinny rat and he could find ways to score as well…while always being dangerous. Once again, Budimir is one guy I don’t see as a good fit other than his scoring record in Spain. My comments go against everything I believe but from what I see vs his Spanish league record….I think we will all be praying Krama, Perisic, Rebic, Petkovic are scoring goals because if we count on Budimir…we are done!
I hope I eat my words. I like Budimir but I don’t have faith in him doing much for us.
@Slavonac from Canada I agree but none of those guys stepped up in nations league when we played teams like France and Portugal. Two teams we can’t beat. Why not take a chance and start time in the England game? That back four will be hard to break. Ok so if Perisic, Rebic and Petkovic are all chosen to start. Then we lose 2-0 or 1-0. Why not juggle the squad against a do or die game? I don’t have faith in Perisic because he misses opportunities, Rebic is slow from his injury and Petkovic doesn’t impress me.
Yeah Krama had one or two nice through balls but other than that I found him invisible.
On another note, Modric has said he will continue to represent the vatreni until his services are no longer needed. Expect him at 2022 and possibly even after if he’s still good by then lol
“One more thing, do we realistically think this is Modric’s last tournament? I heard the announcer asking if it could be, but why not just stick around for one more year and play one more World Cup (provided we qualify)?”
Although he’s clearly the best player our nation has ever produced (even pre-independence) we have to eventually move to a life without Modric. And while that is equal parts sad and scary, the longer we kick the can on that, the further it will put back our NT development. I mean the body of work is pretty large now as to how we play when Modric is on the field vs. when he’s not. We’re a substantially different team when he’s not in the squad – but we need to figure out what that new normal looks like without him. We have a huge crop of promising youngsters coming through the ranks (many of the them midfielders) and I think post Euro, the focus should be on integrating these young pieces slowly into the fold.
I just get the feeling if we ride the Modric coat tails until he retires (and the team is still buillt around him) the wheels will come off once he’s gone and we’ll go from a top Euro NT and become a Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Czechia, etc. i.e. a decent NT that still makes major tournaments but doesn’t do dick once they’re in a tournament.
I didn’t see the game but I’ve been reading several opinions and articles…seems we all believe we are deeper and better than we truly are.
There a few things I’ll say about our squad that I’ve said before. I tend to get challenged on this often but I think I’m right about this.
We are soo hell bent on criticizing Vida and Lovren. Every week I read about how shitty those two are…I can’t understand it. They are average or better but we keep on hammering them and I just don’t see the point. Yes, I want to see Caleta-Car and Gvardiol take over…but I don’t think they are completely ready to do so just yet.
Maminjo…you brag about Vlasic like he’s the second coming of Christ and he just doesn’t deserve to have any type of praise close to that. He’s often lost in our lineup! Maybe he fits in better with his club lineup and maybe his role is more involved…but with us, he’s more often non existent in almost each game he’s played and I have said this over and over…I’m not yet sold on him.
Krama is God at his club and his presence with our National team is far different. He’s a great goal scorer and he does well with the system his club plays and the players he is surrounded with…but with our National team…I feel he plays as if he just started playing with these guys for the first time. Never really in sync with anyone.
Bringing in youth is important and we must do it but we also need to bring in the right players that are not only physically ready…they have to have a maturity level and be mentally prepared. Some of them need to assert themselves more and I do believe some are fragile mentally. These are things we don’t see. We often comment about their poor performances but we never see things from the ground level and we don’t know how well they execute the coaches instructions. Between Bradaric and Barisic, I’ve seen each of them being labeled as our starter and then a week later, one or both of them have horrid performances.
Vrsaljko has been fragile for a very very long time. he somehow found it within himself to raise his game at the World Cup but before than and after that he’s has some confidence issues as well as performance issues. He often looks unsure of himself.
Petkovic is a lazy SOB…PERIOD! He gets soo much praise because he’s very talented/skilled but fuck me does he ever ruin his potential with his “klošar” attitude! He can win a game on his own and then we can see him playing as if he doesn’t realize we need to perform and win. It bothers me a lot to see guys with his potential behave like he does.
Pasalic? Honestly, in my opinion…he’s just not my type of player to have on my team other than to put him in and ask him to be physical and be responsible. I don’t see him as creative or productive….but he scores…so its hard to not include him.
I think we can’t put too much value into yesterday’s performance. From what I’ve read, we had several chances…and thats incredibly important. I’ve seen games where great players miss tons of chances…it happens and doesn’t scare me that much. It would be far worse if we didn’t create the chances.
Vlasic may not pass the eye test for you, but he scores key goals in games that matter.
He’s not your typical Croatian midfielder (and no doubt his dad put a lot of focus on his physique when developing him) but you can’t argue with results.
When Rakitic left us hanging, that could have been it for our qualifying campaign. He really could have screwed us.
Vlasic stepped in, and scored the most important goals in four key games against our direct competitors (Slovakia, Hungary, Wales, then Slovakia again). They were all go-ahead goals that changed the game for us.
I get that he may seem invisible out there, but so was Perisic at times during the World Cup…then BAM, a goal out of nowhere.
Similar to Perisic, both Brekalo and Vlasic are both talented and play with no fear. Perisic was also criticized at Euro2012 (when he was the same age as these guys) then he became our best player very shortly afterward.
We always need guys like Vlasic and Brekalo, and they could break out at any time.
Re: Guys like Lovren and Vida…
They are good as depth players, but they have been handed a starting role until the day they decide to retire.
This is part of the reason (I think) that people criticize them a lot.
They haven’t shown that they are head and shoulders above our younger players (based on their performance for both club and country) yet we all know that a player like Lovren will never be benched and will walk away from the team before doing so (as he has done before with us).
I would love to keep Lovren and Vida on the team…but not with the condition that they are automatic starters.
I personally think that Duje is better than them (despite making mistakes as well) because of the other elements of his game that we’ve been missing from our back four for decades. Same goes for Gvardiol, Pongracic, and Bradaric. No defender is perfect, but it’s not like Lovren and Vida make LESS defensive errors than our young guys.
At best, it’s about the same…but with the younger guys we get to have long ball passes, crosses up the flank, technical ability and dribbling, being able to initiate the offense without having Brozo or Modric run back to start it…etc.
On top of this, they get to develop chemistry for the next World Cup and future tournaments as well.
Part of our inability to score could very well be from the fact that both Broz and Modric have to run back and initiate the play every single time (giving the opposition so much time to get set and ready). We can’t spring quick counters with Lovren and Vida.
I’m willing to risk leaking a goal or two with Gvardiol back there, if it means that Modric and Broz (and Gvardiol too) can counter with some quick offense and passes forward. It’s not like the risk of leaking a goal or two with Lovren back there is any better, lol.
Yes, I agree with this “Vlasic stepped in, and scored the most important goals in four key games against our direct competitors” – I just don’t see him involved often enough…but you’re right…once he scores that goal, čovjek je završio svoj posao!
I hope this doesn’t happen but what if he doesn’t score and plays the same, not soo involved style? Are the goals saving him from criticism?
Your absolutely right about Lovren and Vida vs our younger defenders…my comment was directed at the constant slandering and criticism of those two older guys. its just annoying to see people throw shit all over them when they’ve done ok…or even very well. It’s Dalic that needs the criticism not them. Dalic makes the decisions.
In 2012 I wanted to strangle Perisic…and even after that at times BUT, he definitely carries us a lot and he scores some massive goals! Funny thing about Perisic is he makes everything look soo effortless when he flying!
Maminjo…why were you criticizing Mandzukic for retiring and leaving his spot for someone younger but you criticize guys like Lovren, Vida, Badelj for sticking around? BTW Rakitic is 33, Lovren is 31 and you criticized Rakitic for leaving and Lovren for staying? I’m just curious.
Probably because Rakitic is miles better than Lovren lol. Also, we have no young guns at striker who can step in yet. So Mandzo leaving hurt us. However Lovren and Vida leaving opens space for younger guys (who are better) to step in.
I criticize all players who retire when they can still provide more to the National Team.
I think Mandžo should have stayed, but came off the bench for us.
I would prefer Rakitić to be available too, as he can still start some games and come off the bench for others (depending on the tactics).
I also think that Lovren and Vida are solid backups for us right now, but neither should be guaranteed starters.
Badelj not so much as I think he should be a fringe callup (as we have a ton of depth at his position).
Ideally, egos should be left aside and the betterment of the country should come first.
Modrić has the best mentality.
He said that he will play for us until he cannot anymore.
He also has no ego, and I can absolutely see him coming off the bench for us too (possibly to support Kovačić’s transition).
Even Ibrahimović is playing for Sweden again as a 40 year old.
Modrić is exactly what these idiots should be doing. But Mandžo and Lovren have frail egos, and Rakitić is just too laissez faire about it all (and his indecisiveness could have cost us qualification).
The reason why I’m hard on Lovren, Vida and Badelj right now is because I cannot believe that we have like 10-15 talented players in their early to mid 20s that have still not received a callup because of them.
Ideally I want the BEST 23-man squad mixed with both young players and veterans (with the older vets transitioning to the bench as they get older) but it seems like we are forced to simply play the vets alone (until they say so)…
With some of them retiring way too prematurely, and the others insisting on being starters until they decide to retire (to the detriment of the team).
Croatia comes first.
This is why I can never respect Mandžo, Rakitić or Lovren as much as I do Modrić.
Honesty, as much as we criticize Šuker, he did what he could for us until his last breath (even if it meant coming off the bench).
I don’t know Maminjo, it seems you have two separate sets of rules and they are hard to follow. The weird thing is you are blaming the players that stay and don’t allow the younger guys a chance BUT Mandzo clearly said he wants to give younger guys a chance…so what exactly are you saying?
“The reason why I’m hard on Lovren, Vida and Badelj right now is because I cannot believe that we have like 10-15 talented players in their early to mid 20s that have still not received a callup because of them.”
Vida, Lovren and Badlej are all a few years younger than Mandzukic. Mandzukic leave’s and you say you “can never respect Mandzo”…Lovren, Vida, Badelj stay and you don’t respect them either…you’re all over the place!
In my opinion, the manager/coach should be in charge of these things and in the of Lovren, Vida, Badelj…Dalic should be making the call and it looks like he see’s more from them t their age then he see’s from the up and coming players. Right, wrong or indifferent, its Dalic’s call!
I’m pretty sure if Mandzukic stayed there would be many here saying “he’s useless, he’s old, he suck’s”…people on this site were saying that right up until our first game at the last World Cup! I remember the numerous comments about how people felt he wasn’t a good option for us and I wish we could search for those comments on this site…you have forgotten about all that!
The other side of this is maybe the ones that retire are putting Croatia first since they know their coach will just keep starting them while they are around. It’s not like they will say to Dalic, I think Vlasic or Kramaric is better than me so I’ll come off the bench if needed. If they’re asked to start, they will start.
Now if they were told by Dalic that we’re transitioning and the young guns are going to start and we could still use their support off the bench and they said no, then you’re right.
But in the case of Vida, I sense he would be okay coming off the bench being a depth player. Lovren however is an ego headcase and will throw a fit if he’s not starting. But since we are still seeing Vida start often and probably will in the Euros, I think it’s more of Dalic not knowing how to transition in more talented youth and phase out the guys that got him to the finals in 2018.
I’m not so sure Lovren is who we say he is. Yes, he’s overly confident and cocky. Yes, he behave’s as if he’s better than he is. Yes, he’s one of those “me, me, me” guys but I’d have to think that Dalic is completely mentally retarded and that he’d sacrifice the entire team over 1 player. Also, I’d have to think that Dalic consults with others, not just himself!
I keep saying this and I’ll say it again. As an example….soo many here were extremely outspoken about Sosa not being called up to the senior team. Once we all look at the situation closer and take the analytical approach, the soccer approach and look at the situation with 20/20 vision, its VERY CLEAR that Sosa was not even in the cards for 2 FULL YEARS. It was not even a discussion. Then….he had 1 assist and was not showing any real signs of good form right up until December break…and yet, everyone seemed to think Dalic was a complete idiot for not bringing him to the senior squad.
Why is this important to bring up you ask? Because we see things for a 60,000 foot view while Dalic is at the ground level! Yes, Dalic get’s mentally blocked and makes some poor decisions but overall, we all make our opinions, suggestions and fake lineups based on very little true and important facts.
I’ll also repeat this. How many times did we talk about Barisic and Bradaric being the left back starter…and then…once they play…how many times have we realized that they just aren’t producing what we need? Its as if we don’t want to believe what we actually see on the field…we make shit up and tend to over exaggerate how good some of our younger guys are!
In my opinion…only Gvardiol, Caleta-Car, Ivanusec, and maybe Juranovic deserve to be on the first team…I’m not saying in the starting lineup, I’m saying on the roster! The rest of these guys have a lot more to prove!
We have to figure out a way to have Modric and Kovacic on the field at the same time- definitely not moving Modric from his post but we need Kova to play – the rest of the guys don’t match up to him – bloody shameful we don’t have a coach to figure that out-
I feel like we can mimic the 2018 midfield with Brozovic as a defensive midfielder and Modric as Modric with Kovacic filling in for Rakitic. Surely someone can teach him to play in that role and allow him space to dribble and play a bit more offensively alongside Modric!
Kova can’t live up to Rakitic but I see what you mean.
I know, and I know we’ve tried it but if we can get it working that would be unreal. Took Rakitic and Modric a while to mesh so you never know…
Right on Markus- best idea of I have seen on the site in a long time- Kovacic and Modric have to play at the same time.
Anyone notice that Rebić was wearing Mandzukic’s number?
Hazard is shit. Hope Vida puts a shoulder on him so he can spend more time eating donuts in bed. 2-1 hrvati. Rebić bangs in a late winner
I’d be shocked if Belgium doesn’t pummel us 3-1, 4-1. If I were Roberto Martinez and I’m watching how Croatia play (even with our starters), I’d view the friendly vs. Croatia as a ‘morale booster’ i.e. go close to full speed, bag a bunch of goals and give the Belgians a confidence boost that they can obliterate most top 20 sides and go into the first group stage game on a high note. Their offensive players will be like a hot knife through butter when it comes to our backline.
You heard it here first, boys.
Is Hazard and De Bruyne gonna be ready for the Euro?
I think Belgium has to worry about their golden generation maxing out at the last World Cup, rather than going balls-out in a friendly against the team that finished ahead of them in that same tournament.
These guys are 30 now. Hazard is fat, and De Bruyne has a broken face right now. Lukaku is still solid, but his game won’t age well once he’s in his 30s.
This tournament and next year’s World Cup are pretty much the last run for the Belgians.
Their backline is already getting pretty old, and I’m not so convinced of their youth prospects being better than ours.
They have like 5 good prospects, kind of worried for them in the future
@Maminjo Hazard will be but he’s been carrying an injury all year. Rumour is De Bruyne will be out against Russia in the opener (played in Russia). The defending is weak and old too. What’s the big hype with Belgium? They had the 2014-2018 period to get a major trophy and that window of opportunity has vanished. I think Denmark will win the group. Belgium doesn’t impress me as they used too.
So, the Croatian and Czech National Teams cancelled their plans to stay in Scotland (because of their overly aggressive COVID rules) and will be flying into each game.
Hopefully our players don’t get flagged as having to isolate when they enter the UK for their group games.
I said it before, but it will be absolutely insane if there is some safety protocol that forces multiple players to isolate midway through the tournament.
This could be Macedonia’s chance at winning their first Euro tournament. 😉
The NT camp is in the heart of Croatia and dare I say, the most ‘Croatian’ part of Croatia – Istra 😉
Hvala bogu that I am able to access the site via my laptop.
I can fully appreciate the U14 vs Markus throw down!!
Bradaric and Ivanusec are needed for their young legs and dynamic play.
Say want you want .. BUT .. Kovacic was missed as well.
His speed dribble and slalom runs and ability to track down the middle is much needed against England and plus he knows all those players.
Brozovic looks cranky?
Budimir > Petkovic
Could you imagine the janjetina you could get after the match in Veliki Gorica!!
It was a practice scrimmage.
Belgium is the real dress rehearsal.
Dalic needs the veteran core for this Euro and the crazy pandemic club season we just came out of. We still go as #100 caps Perisic goes.
World Cup crew needs to be refreshed around Luka the legend.
Badelj should and will be a starter or sub. Played solid for Geona and for the clubs first season back in Serie A. I don’t think this guy gets enough credit.
lol Skoric should be sent home… absolute garbage. Call up Pongracic, Meljnak. For all I care bring up Corluka or Strinic. Anybody but him.
Ok if this is the case because I agree that these players mentioned above have a tendency to do this. Why not fucking start Budimir? He’s had two solid seasons on poor quality La Liga teams. Had almost as many as Greizmann which is sad. I’ve watched him quite a bit the last two seasons and he could be a game changer. No big goals or cannons but great headers, always in the right place, positions himself well and finishes. Fuck I’d put him in over Kramaric, Brekalo, Perisic or Rebic. How’s this as a Euro lineup?
Livakovic
Grvardoil-Bradaric-Meljnak-Jurnaovic
Perisic-Modric-Ivanusec
Vlasic-Brekalo
Budimir
I mean you have a CAM at CM, 1 winger and 1 centerback with 2 LB and a RB. I think some of the positions need some twisting around lol.
Ok but these other guys play different positions.
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Yea, I’m worried about out out of form players.
Vrsaljko, Petković and Rebić are not 100%.
Vlašić and (possibly) Brekalo now too.
Oh… and Lovren I guess.
Hahaha it’s like Markus and croatia u 14 watched two completely different soccer matches
I haven’t missed a Croatia game since 2005 – tournament, qualifier, or friendly. I’ve seen every single Croatian emotion expressed after those matches. If we would have won this game 4-0, everyone would be pumped saying EURO is ours. Now we drew Armenia in a friendly where our A-squad was taken out at halftime and we’re not getting out of group stage.
I hate in-season friendlies. They’re dumb. Only the tournament games in the UK matter. And we’re two weeks away. You can complain after those. (kissy face) -Ante
So true Ante but the stakes are much higher now- we can’t hide as an underdog anymore- we made the finals of the World Cup and we can’t retreat from that post – we went to the end of the World tournament and I’d say this is the first major tournament where Croatia isn’t seen as an underdog but a respected soccer nation and we better start playing like it- we have talent up front but the backend is very weak and we haven’t been able to fix it- we can’t play like we did in 2018 or we will be trounced- it will have to be a far more cautious approach with less turnovers- picture how Italy plays defense historically- win 1-0 and move on- we’ve never played like that- so your right – we’ll have to see but it’s really outside Croatia soccer style but if we don’t – it’s going to be a rough road
@Markus great stuff mate!
😉 You too brate