CROATIA BARELY WINS 1-0 ON A STRIKE FROM BOY WONDER IVAN RAKITIĆ
REFRESH PAGE FOR NEW UPDATES
re: Denis I think i said Klasnic should have had playing time against Belarus, rather than England. It was not the game for Mandzo or Petric. It was a game where we didn't need Mandzo's hardworking physical display or one of Petric's occasional spectacular efforts. It was game we needed to kill through a penalty box scorer. Lets forget all this about Klasnic being in second division. We all know why he went to Nantes – that's week to week football which is more demanding on health that one off international matches. Klasnic is proven in big games. Also recently i;d say Klasnic's performances in a Croatia shirt have been better than Petric and Mandzo's. I thought he definitely deserved some playing time. I'd have basically thought you know what Petric and Mandzo had enough playing time of late and not done much with it. Klasnic should have been given a chance as the first sub we made. In the England game – i think in the last minutes Klasnic can be useful. We'll know about Klasnic's form a bit more when he starts playing for Bolton. I can't see why giving him a go against Belarus was a risk though. Regards Leko and Pokrivac i agree they didn't deserve to start due to lack of playing time until all these injuries came around. However first thing is you never select Kranjcar in central midfield. That was just wrong. Since Modric wasn't there we should have gone with Juric or Pokrivac or Leko cos that is all Bilic called up to the squad. The only reason it worked enough to overcome Belarus was purely on Kranjcar's and Rakitic's natural ability, but they we're both woefully out of position. To be honest i'm not all that worried about Pokrivac and Leko playing now they are in the team cos firstly getting sick of other players being moved out their position. Also Leko and Pokrivac have hardly failed in a Croatia shirt. Pokrivac played well in his outing against Poland in Euro. By all accounts he played well in his last game for Red Bull. Leko also had a wicked long distance shot which is an asset to have from central midfield. Not even Modric has a long distance shot in his locker. I'm concerned about their lack of playing time, but not really about their ability. I think Juric also is far more ultra defensive than either Leko or Pokrivac. Maybe with Vuko and Juric we may have sat back far too deep. Regards this comment about Pokrivac being at Red Bull. Who really does have money these days. Pokrivac actually said Red Bull increased his wages, so its not really a step down. Financially that is not really a small club.
Ivica came out as a man and admitted his doubts of Runje. Still, it was just one game. Lets not jump ship if Croatia gets bombed tomorrow.
@Croatiafan:)
"We always think we cannot change a single thing cos of fear it might not work"
I agree with you 100%. However isn't that natural human behavior.
I also agree that Pranjic needs to play wing and give someone else a chance at LB. The English will exploit that right side if we leave Danijel in the back.
Leko hasn't played at all this season. Up until the Juric injury he doesnt deserve time same as Pokrivac.
Petric is like a light switch, some days he's on, some days he just walks around the pitch. He might have woman problems.
Cale deserves a chance. He might get the call tomorrow, unfortunately, it might be the biggest qualifying game for Croatia in 10 years.
Klasnic is starting to score in second division France. What will happen against world class England?
Good stuff nevertheless. I agree on Bilic. Dude needs to take a gamble on some of these bench players.
As for these players couldn't find a club who do you think Belarus players play for????? Do you think anyone in Belarus that squad has hit the heights of Klasnic at Bremen, Leko at Dinamo Kiev and has the flair of Anas. Thats why they said at the end of the game – we did our best but was missing Vitaly Kutuzov. And who does he play for. He's on the bench at Bari. LOL!
Re: Ziva Why are you twisting things. That all related to the Belarus game, not the Wednesday game and as usual you suggest no alternatives. Prob your idea was that everyone out of position idea Bilic came out with.
I for one categorically said Petric and Klasnic should not play against England. Anas was not mentioned either. Anas, Pokrivac, Klasnic prob should have had playing time against Belarus cos Kranjcar did not shut down Belarus's midfield leaving Vuko high and dry, Pranjic left holes in the backline and prob played Hleb onside for the disallowed goal and as Petric and Mandzo didn't even get in the penalty area which is why Klasnic would have been a better alternative cos we needed a penalty box scorer. Also try looking at Ivan's goalscoring record against such sides as Belarus. He prob would have scored if he had playing time. As for Anas, its like one minute you are for youth development and then you're not. Rakitic was struggling all night on that left wing which is not his position. Again which foot did Ivan score his goal with??? He is not left sided, so the only other left winger in the squad is Anas. If your scared to play Pokrivac, Klasnic and Sharbini against Belarus you must spend most of your time hiding under the bed watching Croatia in international football. Its only freaking Belarus mate, not Brazil.
I firmly believe that our group's 2nd place spot will not go down to goal differential. If it does, I will personally call Blatter and Platini and get you a verdict on what the deal is.
3-2-3-1 is the way to go. Juric would finally get to play the role he is accustomed to at Genoa. He will bulldog the English by playing very physically. You guys will see. Rakitic will have to ride the pine.
man oh man do i get a good laugh from some of you….
Pokrivac, klasnic, leko and sharbini are being mentioned that they should play……all of these guys had a difficult time in finding a new club or playing time…..so, what makes you think any of them weill do anything for the nat team on wdnesday.
This reminds me a whole lot of what happened against Austria in Euro 2008…Croatia looked terrible and then really showed up against Germany…..I hope the same thing will happen this time around.
Dinamofan/ Croatiafan one of the same. Thus see solutions under Croatia fan. I prob should stop switching my name around.
Basically thats always our scared mentality. We always think we cannot change a single thing cos of fear it might not work. Cale is a left back. Pranjic isn't. Isn't playing a left midfielder at left back against England more of a risk. The guy cannot defend. He's fundamentally an attack minded mid and we are not getting the best out of him whilst he plays there.
Also a while back you complained about the bench looking disinterested. Are you surprised. Its Bilic creating poor team spirit by having his favorites and the others that are just there to make up the numbers. Petric has played so many bad games for Croatia now that i think its about time he just stayed on the bench now and then. Last night we lost our way when he came on as well. Klasnic has impacted during all his recent outings. If a sub comes in they are supposed to make an impression. Bilic's subs at times make us worse. Since when was Mandzo a left winger. He's got Anas on his bench. He has Cale he can drop to left back and Pranjic to left wing. He has Leko or Pokrivac he could have put in central mid and moved Kranjcar to left wing. What Bilic did nearly lost us the game.
His selection of Vejic and Drpic has also come back to haunt us. The mans a moron. Its about time he started using Pokrivac, Cale, Klasnic, Sharbini and Leko more cos at the moment he's showing them he has no faith in them. Until they do something wrong i don't think Bilic's attitude is justified. Its high time we put people in proper positions. If we do this against England we'll get hammered. Left back is where its all gonna go wrong if Pranjic is there.
this game spelled the end of Pletikosa. after watching the highlights, runje is our guy without a doubt. i cant say it enough, sorry i doubted you Vedran Runje
Thanks for admitting that you doubted Runje. It shows character.
JP
Yes, Bilic looked Coked out. I think his stock has dropped in half since Euro 2008. Bilic is a nervous reck. However, I can't see him like this managing a Portsmouth in the EPL. Bilic put his heart and soul on the line for Croatia and his emotions are taking over.
Alex
"For all the Pletikosa lovers on this site, you do know that we would have lost that match without any doubt if Pleti had been between the sticks, right?"
I was a big Pleti fan, especially since he's a Hajdukovac. However, his time has come and gone. I wish him luck.
Bilic would be stupid to use the same formation against England. Well, now with Corluka out, chances are Srna drops down to his natural position at Shakhtar and play RB.
Matthew
"I had my doubts with Runje prior to the game,"
The truth shall set you free.
We should have wrote a post on when and where you could catch the match. Just a little miscommunication.
Thanks for having our back.
Croatiafan
A little too soon to panic. Starting Hrvoje Cale in the biggest game of the year for Croatia is a sign of panic. Even a loss at England is not the end of the world. We can afford one loss. Ukraine has to go into a confident Belarus on Wednesday.
The rest of your lineup is solid. I also agree with you on our defense. I'm not confident in our defenders as i was in 2008, due to the loss of the Kovac brothers.
Adrien
3 STRIKERS!!!
Are you serious? We are playing England not Andorra.
JP
"Dude needs to calm down. Get out the straight jacket for him."
zivcen je u picku materinu
Dinamofan
I agree with your problems with Croatia. However, where are your solutions? We dodn't have replacements for these players that you are throwing out. Who are you throwing in to play defensive midfielder with Vukojevic?
Thanks Matthew, but I'll take the shit talk. It makes me laugh. Only gives me more ammo to use.
I know to put live stream websites all over the site for next time. Obviously, England v. Croatia will be able to be watched on any television worldwide on Wednesday.
I definately would've brought on Klasnic instead of Petric- he's been in form lately. I think Pranjic did better defensively today- perhaps it helps that he's playing/training at LB with Bayern. Still, it was only against a poor opposition, so…Yes, I agree, Olic must play out left in 4-2-3-1. Trying to be positive, at least they didn't tire themselves out for the next match…
Yay Kramaric scored for Under 21's:) Ibricic scored for Bosnia. Blazevic looks like he wants to make one last impression on world football, before he heads for retirement. I think Bosnia got a good side. Hope they make it. Two defenders Dinamo should have signed were Slovenia's Bostjan Cesar and Bosnia's Emir Spahic. Both absolute quality should never let them get away to other clubs.
Olic wasn't offside second time though – he was on. He did a absolute wander turn as well to set up that Eduardo to Srna chance. He was also a threat whereas the others didn't really do anything. One of our best forms of defence is Olic cos he really pushes the team up the field and sets the tempo. We simply cannot afford to pull this guy off when he's not even injured. He nearly scored a blinder at the point where Bilic put up his number. Pranjic was excellant going forward tonight, but defensively he's just no good. We saw all this at Dinamo in our worse ever year in HNL1. He's just not a left back. I like Kranjcar, but not as a central mid. Listen to his interviews on Youtube with Portsmouth TV. He says he's either a left midfield or prefers playing off a main striker, but cannot play anywhere else. He's definitely not a central midfielder or a one of a central three. Rakitic also hates playing that position for Schalke. 4-2-3-1 is the only way to play. At the end of day look now we have Corluka out nobody is saying we should put Drpic and Vejic in the team. Why the heck are they there. We should have proper defensive cover. I watched England team V Slovenia today. First goal they cheated, but they created numerous chances from the right wing. They are just gonna bomb down that right hand side and Pranjic will be exposed. Slovenia's left back Djodje Jokic actually played a blinder today to limit the threat, but Pranjic positionally won't be able to cope. I'd prefer to see Pranjic to not have to do the left back role on Wednesday. Time for Cale. Pranjic should be one of the forward 3 behind Eduardo. Tonight i also wouldn't have brought on Petric or Mandzo. Tonight we need a deadly finisher in the box like Klasnic. It was not the night for the other two. At least i'm glad i can relax on Wednesday and watch the game on my TV. This streaming business is a nightmare.
Croatiafan:), I know the tendency of everyone to make huge, emotional exagerations about the performance right after the match, but please, let's not get carried away. Yes, It was a lazy, uninspired performance, but, as JP said, we've always tended to play to the level of our opponents. I most definately wouldn't try to read to much into it in relation to the England match. Our defense was decent until we went to 10 men, with Pranjic looking better than he has ever in defending (at least from what I saw of the match). If Olic had been a little more focused(about being offside), we wouldve likely been 2 or 3 up. This match doesn't change my opinion from before; we cannot play England with this formation. We must play 4-2-3-1. Now that Corluka's out (what an idiot…) we'll get to see Srna in right back, hopefully with Rakitic on the right…
Petric.. no way should he start the England game. We lost our way up front when he and Mandzo came on. They were horrible decisions. We need to seriously tighten up against England. We can't risk Pranjic at left back. Its gonna be bad enough playing Srna at right back. Also never wanna see Kranjcar there again. Can you imagine.. Vuko looks one side he sees Kranjcar and the other he sees Rakitic trying the stop Lampard and Gerrard breaking from midfield. I think he'll throw in the towell and walk off the pitch. Lets not engage in persecution on the poor guy. Vukojevic will need a proper defensive midfielder partner against England. Lets put an end to these ideas of thinking that Niko can replace Modric cos its just not gonna happen. We need a proper midfielder in the centre that can run.
Runje yes is a great shot stopper, but he's scary. There was one moment when he was watching on from behind the touchline whilst Corluka had possession. I can't cope with some of the scary things Runje does. Its like Drazen Ladic all over again. Basically lets at least draw the England game and win the Kazak game and then we need to revamp this whole side. Rakitic never ever ever should play left wing. Pranjic never ever should play left back. If this means dropping Kranjcar to bench sometimes so be it. If Srna wants to play that negatively as a right winger, then test him as a right back. I also not sure how Corluka at centre can be much worse than the two we have in there. Also get Simunic over the left again cos he scares me in the centre at times. I finally seen today how bad the defence is without Kovac, Simic, Tudor, Tomas, Zivkovic and Mario Cvitanovic. Maybe we never really appreciated how good they were in their prime. They never made me feel as unsteady as this where a side like Belarus had us on the ropes.
The Athletic keeper certainly paid-off, but man they need to work on the simple stuff at the back. We got the minimum result we needed, and in typical Croatian fashion we played to the level of our competition. Since we can't play much worse, I'd anticipate a better performance Wednesday. Being away, and the being the underdog will help.
Belarus are a bunch of thugs, and their physicality took its toll on the team in the second half. We were soft, and usually we win the physical battle.
Corluka… what an asshole. He showed-up his keeper. If I was Runje, as a teammate, I'd slug him after the game. That was selfish, and I'm glad Corluka won't play. If I was Bilic, I suspend him. But of course he'll be too busy chasing the dragon to think of that. Dude needs to calm down. Get out the straight jacket for him.
The second half was horrifying. It's frightening how we just fall apart when down to 10 men. The only positive was Runje who has alayed my fears of him somewhat. However with Corluka out we're in a sorry state for the England match. I don't expect us to win the match but of course I'm hoping we will. England had an unconvincing victory against Slovenia so who knows.
I would opt for a 4-3-3 with Olic dropping back to occupy a ML to make it a 4-4-2 whenever he can, he's got the legs for it
Runje
Srna….Krizanac….Simunic….Pranjic
Rakitic….Vuko….Kranjcar
Petric….Eduardo….Olic
I just hope that Bilic doesn't put Mandzukic in ML as he made stupid errors and I'm unconvinced by him, especially in that postion.
I was expecting a comfortable victory but that was far from comfortable. I only hope the team will step up their game like they did the last time they had to fight for a slender victory against lesser opposition, i.e. vs Austria Euro 2008.
I dread to think what team Bilic will put out against England. I actually think Ukraine will blow it against Belarus by drawing, but we have a lot of problems. The depth of our team needs sorting properly cos we've got players playing in all sorts of bizarre positions. I got no idea how we play defensively when Krizanac and Simunic are not solid. Srna just keeps wacking the ball around aimlessly, Pranjic nevers looks like he even understands left back. I think we can't even risk him there against England.
If we don't play that line up we're stuffed. Get Pranjic off left back and onto left wing. If Kranjcar plays as lazy as that i'd even consider swapping him with Pokrivac or Leko.
let's not blow this out of proportion. 'off days' are inevitable; we've been out of commission for so long it's not really any surprise. I hope the cobwebs are knocked off, because there is no way we can take this type of play to wembley and expect a positive result. I'm disappointed in Srna; eduardo fed him a golden ball late in the game and I'm still trying to figure out where he [Srna] was trying to place it. I have to admit, I had my doubts with Runje prior to the game, but he was our saving grace.
also, whats up with this ante hostility? do you want him to spoon feed you? he runs a great website; if you want to see the game online, maybe you should do a better job of scouting and go to 'atdhe.net' or 'myp2p.eu' to catch it, rather than be an incompetent asshole.
That was painful…although I only caught about 2/3rds of the match due to problems with the stream, we got out of first gear on only a few occasions. For all the Pletikosa lovers on this site, you do know that we would have lost that match without any doubt if Pleti had been between the sticks, right? Yes, Runje can be "eccentric" or "unorthodox" at times but he is one of the top keepers in europe for one-on-ones. From the parts of the match I saw, Pranjic looked better than I'd seen him since the Euro's- hope that helps his confidence for the next match. And I hope Bilic doesnt play the same formation v England…
That was painful…although I only caught about 2/3rds of the match due to problems with the stream, we got out of first gear on only a few occasions. For all the Pletikosa lovers on this site, you do know that we would have lost that match without any doubt if Pleti had been between the sticks, right? Yes, Runje can be "eccentric" or "unorthodox" at times but he is one of the top keepers in europe for one-on-ones. From the parts of the match I saw, Pranjic looked better than I'd seen him since the Euro's- hope that helps his confidence for the next match. And I hope Bilic doesnt play the same formation v England…
Totally agree. Rather embarrassing performance all around, but what should we expect with a team that has a raving lunatic as a coach. Was Bilic coked out? He was unsettled, and so was the team the entire game. Whatever the reason for his antics, that energy permeated the team. Did you see the look on Rakitic and Dudu's face the entire game? What did he tell the team before the game?
Basically Runje, Vukojevic, Olic and Pranjic hold your head up high. The rest of the players hang your head in shame. That was a total disgrace. Slaven Bilic was a disgrace. He took our best player off and we lost the plot. That is the worst performance i've ever seen from Dario Srna. He was dreadful. Krizanac and Simunic looked edgy all night and Kranjcar was not performing the role of a central mid properly. Some of his touches were lazy and his workrate wasn't good enough. That's why he's on left midfield. Rakitic for Mandzo was pointless. Why didn't he swap Cale for Rakitic or Juric for Rakitic. Rakitic needs to come over to right wing as he can't play there. As for Corluka sorry but what an absolute wally! Just kick the ball you dope! This was a mess. I don't know how we move forward from this into the England match. England either have the refs playing for them and yet here we are haven't even got our own house in order. As for Vedran Runje, everyone buy this guy a drink tonight.
try atdhe; streams are free but often have drop outs and buffer problems…I'm watching it on iraqgoals.net (not a joke)- it carrys the atdhe stream. Hope that helps…
u gota be kidding me..ur web site sucks…u r a fuking idot..im asking u guys for a live steam n ur head is up ur ass…check ur own website ..dumb as wana be croatian
On a positive note, Slovakia beat serbia today in Belgrade. We are currently leading Norway 2 – 1. I am curious why Ladic called up both Vida and Lovren if both began the match on the bench. Oh that Ladic. Perhaps we can circulate a rumor on the net that Ladic, Markovic and all the other corrupt gang members in Croatia that are ruining the country insulted the Quran. Get a Fatwah ordered against all of them.
The noose just got a bit tighter. Ukraine won 5 – 0. That makes them even on goal differential, with us having scored one more. They still have to play Andorra once more as well. We have to pray that Belarus takes a point off them, or, that we beat or tie the English.
re: Denis
I think i said Klasnic should have had playing time against Belarus, rather than England. It was not the game for Mandzo or Petric. It was a game where we didn't need Mandzo's hardworking physical display or one of Petric's occasional spectacular efforts. It was game we needed to kill through a penalty box scorer. Lets forget all this about Klasnic being in second division. We all know why he went to Nantes – that's week to week football which is more demanding on health that one off international matches. Klasnic is proven in big games. Also recently i;d say Klasnic's performances in a Croatia shirt have been better than Petric and Mandzo's. I thought he definitely deserved some playing time. I'd have basically thought you know what Petric and Mandzo had enough playing time of late and not done much with it. Klasnic should have been given a chance as the first sub we made.
In the England game – i think in the last minutes Klasnic can be useful. We'll know about Klasnic's form a bit more when he starts playing for Bolton. I can't see why giving him a go against Belarus was a risk though.
Regards Leko and Pokrivac i agree they didn't deserve to start due to lack of playing time until all these injuries came around. However first thing is you never select Kranjcar in central midfield. That was just wrong. Since Modric wasn't there we should have gone with Juric or Pokrivac or Leko cos that is all Bilic called up to the squad. The only reason it worked enough to overcome Belarus was purely on Kranjcar's and Rakitic's natural ability, but they we're both woefully out of position.
To be honest i'm not all that worried about Pokrivac and Leko playing now they are in the team cos firstly getting sick of other players being moved out their position. Also Leko and Pokrivac have hardly failed in a Croatia shirt. Pokrivac played well in his outing against Poland in Euro. By all accounts he played well in his last game for Red Bull. Leko also had a wicked long distance shot which is an asset to have from central midfield. Not even Modric has a long distance shot in his locker. I'm concerned about their lack of playing time, but not really about their ability. I think Juric also is far more ultra defensive than either Leko or Pokrivac. Maybe with Vuko and Juric we may have sat back far too deep. Regards this comment about Pokrivac being at Red Bull. Who really does have money these days. Pokrivac actually said Red Bull increased his wages, so its not really a step down. Financially that is not really a small club.
Ivica came out as a man and admitted his doubts of Runje. Still, it was just one game. Lets not jump ship if Croatia gets bombed tomorrow.
@Croatiafan:)
"We always think we cannot change a single thing cos of fear it might not work"
I agree with you 100%. However isn't that natural human behavior.
I also agree that Pranjic needs to play wing and give someone else a chance at LB. The English will exploit that right side if we leave Danijel in the back.
Leko hasn't played at all this season. Up until the Juric injury he doesnt deserve time same as Pokrivac.
Petric is like a light switch, some days he's on, some days he just walks around the pitch. He might have woman problems.
Cale deserves a chance. He might get the call tomorrow, unfortunately, it might be the biggest qualifying game for Croatia in 10 years.
Klasnic is starting to score in second division France. What will happen against world class England?
Good stuff nevertheless. I agree on Bilic. Dude needs to take a gamble on some of these bench players.
RE: Ziva
As for these players couldn't find a club who do you think Belarus players play for?????
Do you think anyone in Belarus that squad has hit the heights of Klasnic at Bremen, Leko at Dinamo Kiev and has the flair of Anas.
Thats why they said at the end of the game – we did our best but was missing Vitaly Kutuzov. And who does he play for. He's on the bench at Bari. LOL!
Re: Ziva
Why are you twisting things. That all related to the Belarus game, not the Wednesday game and as usual you suggest no alternatives. Prob your idea was that everyone out of position idea Bilic came out with.
I for one categorically said Petric and Klasnic should not play against England. Anas was not mentioned either. Anas, Pokrivac, Klasnic prob should have had playing time against Belarus cos Kranjcar did not shut down Belarus's midfield leaving Vuko high and dry, Pranjic left holes in the backline and prob played Hleb onside for the disallowed goal and as Petric and Mandzo didn't even get in the penalty area which is why Klasnic would have been a better alternative cos we needed a penalty box scorer. Also try looking at Ivan's goalscoring record against such sides as Belarus. He prob would have scored if he had playing time. As for Anas, its like one minute you are for youth development and then you're not. Rakitic was struggling all night on that left wing which is not his position. Again which foot did Ivan score his goal with??? He is not left sided, so the only other left winger in the squad is Anas. If your scared to play Pokrivac, Klasnic and Sharbini against Belarus you must spend most of your time hiding under the bed watching Croatia in international football. Its only freaking Belarus mate, not Brazil.
I firmly believe that our group's 2nd place spot will not go down to goal differential. If it does, I will personally call Blatter and Platini and get you a verdict on what the deal is.
3-2-3-1 is the way to go. Juric would finally get to play the role he is accustomed to at Genoa. He will bulldog the English by playing very physically. You guys will see. Rakitic will have to ride the pine.
man oh man do i get a good laugh from some of you….
Pokrivac, klasnic, leko and sharbini are being mentioned that they should play……all of these guys had a difficult time in finding a new club or playing time…..so, what makes you think any of them weill do anything for the nat team on wdnesday.
This reminds me a whole lot of what happened against Austria in Euro 2008…Croatia looked terrible and then really showed up against Germany…..I hope the same thing will happen this time around.
RE: Denis
Dinamofan/ Croatiafan one of the same. Thus see solutions under Croatia fan. I prob should stop switching my name around.
Basically thats always our scared mentality. We always think we cannot change a single thing cos of fear it might not work. Cale is a left back. Pranjic isn't. Isn't playing a left midfielder at left back against England more of a risk. The guy cannot defend. He's fundamentally an attack minded mid and we are not getting the best out of him whilst he plays there.
Also a while back you complained about the bench looking disinterested. Are you surprised. Its Bilic creating poor team spirit by having his favorites and the others that are just there to make up the numbers. Petric has played so many bad games for Croatia now that i think its about time he just stayed on the bench now and then. Last night we lost our way when he came on as well. Klasnic has impacted during all his recent outings. If a sub comes in they are supposed to make an impression. Bilic's subs at times make us worse. Since when was Mandzo a left winger. He's got Anas on his bench. He has Cale he can drop to left back and Pranjic to left wing. He has Leko or Pokrivac he could have put in central mid and moved Kranjcar to left wing. What Bilic did nearly lost us the game.
His selection of Vejic and Drpic has also come back to haunt us. The mans a moron. Its about time he started using Pokrivac, Cale, Klasnic, Sharbini and Leko more cos at the moment he's showing them he has no faith in them. Until they do something wrong i don't think Bilic's attitude is justified. Its high time we put people in proper positions. If we do this against England we'll get hammered. Left back is where its all gonna go wrong if Pranjic is there.
this game spelled the end of Pletikosa. after watching the highlights, runje is our guy without a doubt. i cant say it enough, sorry i doubted you Vedran Runje
@i banged Antes mom
Welcome aboard! 🙂
Ivica
Thanks for admitting that you doubted Runje. It shows character.
JP
Yes, Bilic looked Coked out. I think his stock has dropped in half since Euro 2008. Bilic is a nervous reck. However, I can't see him like this managing a Portsmouth in the EPL. Bilic put his heart and soul on the line for Croatia and his emotions are taking over.
Alex
"For all the Pletikosa lovers on this site, you do know that we would have lost that match without any doubt if Pleti had been between the sticks, right?"
I was a big Pleti fan, especially since he's a Hajdukovac. However, his time has come and gone. I wish him luck.
Bilic would be stupid to use the same formation against England. Well, now with Corluka out, chances are Srna drops down to his natural position at Shakhtar and play RB.
Matthew
"I had my doubts with Runje prior to the game,"
The truth shall set you free.
We should have wrote a post on when and where you could catch the match. Just a little miscommunication.
Thanks for having our back.
Croatiafan
A little too soon to panic. Starting Hrvoje Cale in the biggest game of the year for Croatia is a sign of panic. Even a loss at England is not the end of the world. We can afford one loss. Ukraine has to go into a confident Belarus on Wednesday.
The rest of your lineup is solid.
I also agree with you on our defense. I'm not confident in our defenders as i was in 2008, due to the loss of the Kovac brothers.
Adrien
3 STRIKERS!!!
Are you serious? We are playing England not Andorra.
JP
"Dude needs to calm down. Get out the straight jacket for him."
zivcen je u picku materinu
Dinamofan
I agree with your problems with Croatia. However, where are your solutions? We dodn't have replacements for these players that you are throwing out. Who are you throwing in to play defensive midfielder with Vukojevic?
Alex
"We must play 4-2-3-1."
Yes sir!
Thanks Matthew, but I'll take the shit talk. It makes me laugh. Only gives me more ammo to use.
I know to put live stream websites all over the site for next time. Obviously, England v. Croatia will be able to be watched on any television worldwide on Wednesday.
I definately would've brought on Klasnic instead of Petric- he's been in form lately. I think Pranjic did better defensively today- perhaps it helps that he's playing/training at LB with Bayern. Still, it was only against a poor opposition, so…Yes, I agree, Olic must play out left in 4-2-3-1. Trying to be positive, at least they didn't tire themselves out for the next match…
Yay Kramaric scored for Under 21's:)
Ibricic scored for Bosnia. Blazevic looks like he wants to make one last impression on world football, before he heads for retirement. I think Bosnia got a good side. Hope they make it. Two defenders Dinamo should have signed were Slovenia's Bostjan Cesar and Bosnia's Emir Spahic. Both absolute quality should never let them get away to other clubs.
Olic wasn't offside second time though – he was on. He did a absolute wander turn as well to set up that Eduardo to Srna chance. He was also a threat whereas the others didn't really do anything. One of our best forms of defence is Olic cos he really pushes the team up the field and sets the tempo. We simply cannot afford to pull this guy off when he's not even injured. He nearly scored a blinder at the point where Bilic put up his number.
Pranjic was excellant going forward tonight, but defensively he's just no good. We saw all this at Dinamo in our worse ever year in HNL1. He's just not a left back. I like Kranjcar, but not as a central mid. Listen to his interviews on Youtube with Portsmouth TV. He says he's either a left midfield or prefers playing off a main striker, but cannot play anywhere else. He's definitely not a central midfielder or a one of a central three. Rakitic also hates playing that position for Schalke. 4-2-3-1 is the only way to play.
At the end of day look now we have Corluka out nobody is saying we should put Drpic and Vejic in the team. Why the heck are they there. We should have proper defensive cover.
I watched England team V Slovenia today. First goal they cheated, but they created numerous chances from the right wing. They are just gonna bomb down that right hand side and Pranjic will be exposed. Slovenia's left back Djodje Jokic actually played a blinder today to limit the threat, but Pranjic positionally won't be able to cope. I'd prefer to see Pranjic to not have to do the left back role on Wednesday. Time for Cale. Pranjic should be one of the forward 3 behind Eduardo. Tonight i also wouldn't have brought on Petric or Mandzo. Tonight we need a deadly finisher in the box like Klasnic. It was not the night for the other two.
At least i'm glad i can relax on Wednesday and watch the game on my TV. This streaming business is a nightmare.
Really ugly guys, though I kind of expected it…our D is pathetic!
I honestly think we are boned to qualify unless Belarus gets a draw with Ukraine. England will kill us and then roll over in Kiev, IMO.
My thought to make best that we can out of a bad situation is as follows:
Olic
Eduardo Kranjcar
Pranjic Vukojevic Rakitic
Cale Simunic Krizanac Srna
Runje
Basically play tight at the back and hope to steal a 1-1 type result with a little luck (of which we really have not had any, of late).
Rather unfortunate that our only true legitimate D is out (Corluka)….but what a bone head play, he deserved it.
Oh well, onwards and upwards, and let's hope for the best (thought I'm braced for the worst, as I have been for some time).
=(
Croatiafan:), I know the tendency of everyone to make huge, emotional exagerations about the performance right after the match, but please, let's not get carried away. Yes, It was a lazy, uninspired performance, but, as JP said, we've always tended to play to the level of our opponents. I most definately wouldn't try to read to much into it in relation to the England match. Our defense was decent until we went to 10 men, with Pranjic looking better than he has ever in defending (at least from what I saw of the match). If Olic had been a little more focused(about being offside), we wouldve likely been 2 or 3 up. This match doesn't change my opinion from before; we cannot play England with this formation. We must play 4-2-3-1. Now that Corluka's out (what an idiot…) we'll get to see Srna in right back, hopefully with Rakitic on the right…
Petric.. no way should he start the England game. We lost our way up front when he and Mandzo came on. They were horrible decisions. We need to seriously tighten up against England. We can't risk Pranjic at left back. Its gonna be bad enough playing Srna at right back. Also never wanna see Kranjcar there again. Can you imagine.. Vuko looks one side he sees Kranjcar and the other he sees Rakitic trying the stop Lampard and Gerrard breaking from midfield. I think he'll throw in the towell and walk off the pitch. Lets not engage in persecution on the poor guy. Vukojevic will need a proper defensive midfielder partner against England. Lets put an end to these ideas of thinking that Niko can replace Modric cos its just not gonna happen. We need a proper midfielder in the centre that can run.
Runje yes is a great shot stopper, but he's scary. There was one moment when he was watching on from behind the touchline whilst Corluka had possession. I can't cope with some of the scary things Runje does. Its like Drazen Ladic all over again.
Basically lets at least draw the England game and win the Kazak game and then we need to revamp this whole side. Rakitic never ever ever should play left wing. Pranjic never ever should play left back. If this means dropping Kranjcar to bench sometimes so be it. If Srna wants to play that negatively as a right winger, then test him as a right back. I also not sure how Corluka at centre can be much worse than the two we have in there. Also get Simunic over the left again cos he scares me in the centre at times. I finally seen today how bad the defence is without Kovac, Simic, Tudor, Tomas, Zivkovic and Mario Cvitanovic. Maybe we never really appreciated how good they were in their prime. They never made me feel as unsteady as this where a side like Belarus had us on the ropes.
i watched match,why was Corluka taking so long? i seen him talking to Dudu
The Athletic keeper certainly paid-off, but man they need to work on the simple stuff at the back. We got the minimum result we needed, and in typical Croatian fashion we played to the level of our competition. Since we can't play much worse, I'd anticipate a better performance Wednesday. Being away, and the being the underdog will help.
Belarus are a bunch of thugs, and their physicality took its toll on the team in the second half. We were soft, and usually we win the physical battle.
Corluka… what an asshole. He showed-up his keeper. If I was Runje, as a teammate, I'd slug him after the game. That was selfish, and I'm glad Corluka won't play. If I was Bilic, I suspend him. But of course he'll be too busy chasing the dragon to think of that. Dude needs to calm down. Get out the straight jacket for him.
The second half was horrifying. It's frightening how we just fall apart when down to 10 men. The only positive was Runje who has alayed my fears of him somewhat. However with Corluka out we're in a sorry state for the England match. I don't expect us to win the match but of course I'm hoping we will. England had an unconvincing victory against Slovenia so who knows.
I would opt for a 4-3-3 with Olic dropping back to occupy a ML to make it a 4-4-2 whenever he can, he's got the legs for it
Runje
Srna….Krizanac….Simunic….Pranjic
Rakitic….Vuko….Kranjcar
Petric….Eduardo….Olic
I just hope that Bilic doesn't put Mandzukic in ML as he made stupid errors and I'm unconvinced by him, especially in that postion.
I was expecting a comfortable victory but that was far from comfortable. I only hope the team will step up their game like they did the last time they had to fight for a slender victory against lesser opposition, i.e. vs Austria Euro 2008.
I dread to think what team Bilic will put out against England. I actually think Ukraine will blow it against Belarus by drawing, but we have a lot of problems. The depth of our team needs sorting properly cos we've got players playing in all sorts of bizarre positions. I got no idea how we play defensively when Krizanac and Simunic are not solid. Srna just keeps wacking the ball around aimlessly, Pranjic nevers looks like he even understands left back. I think we can't even risk him there against England.
Basically i think
Runje,
Srna, Simunic, Krizanac, Cale
Juric, Vukojevic
Olic, Kranjcar, Pranjic
Eduardo
If we don't play that line up we're stuffed. Get Pranjic off left back and onto left wing. If Kranjcar plays as lazy as that i'd even consider swapping him with Pokrivac or Leko.
let's not blow this out of proportion. 'off days' are inevitable; we've been out of commission for so long it's not really any surprise. I hope the cobwebs are knocked off, because there is no way we can take this type of play to wembley and expect a positive result. I'm disappointed in Srna; eduardo fed him a golden ball late in the game and I'm still trying to figure out where he [Srna] was trying to place it. I have to admit, I had my doubts with Runje prior to the game, but he was our saving grace.
also, whats up with this ante hostility? do you want him to spoon feed you? he runs a great website; if you want to see the game online, maybe you should do a better job of scouting and go to 'atdhe.net' or 'myp2p.eu' to catch it, rather than be an incompetent asshole.
That was painful…although I only caught about 2/3rds of the match due to problems with the stream, we got out of first gear on only a few occasions. For all the Pletikosa lovers on this site, you do know that we would have lost that match without any doubt if Pleti had been between the sticks, right? Yes, Runje can be "eccentric" or "unorthodox" at times but he is one of the top keepers in europe for one-on-ones. From the parts of the match I saw, Pranjic looked better than I'd seen him since the Euro's- hope that helps his confidence for the next match. And I hope Bilic doesnt play the same formation v England…
That was painful…although I only caught about 2/3rds of the match due to problems with the stream, we got out of first gear on only a few occasions. For all the Pletikosa lovers on this site, you do know that we would have lost that match without any doubt if Pleti had been between the sticks, right? Yes, Runje can be "eccentric" or "unorthodox" at times but he is one of the top keepers in europe for one-on-ones. From the parts of the match I saw, Pranjic looked better than I'd seen him since the Euro's- hope that helps his confidence for the next match. And I hope Bilic doesnt play the same formation v England…
@Tom
Totally agree. Rather embarrassing performance all around, but what should we expect with a team that has a raving lunatic as a coach. Was Bilic coked out? He was unsettled, and so was the team the entire game. Whatever the reason for his antics, that energy permeated the team. Did you see the look on Rakitic and Dudu's face the entire game? What did he tell the team before the game?
Basically Runje, Vukojevic, Olic and Pranjic hold your head up high. The rest of the players hang your head in shame. That was a total disgrace. Slaven Bilic was a disgrace. He took our best player off and we lost the plot. That is the worst performance i've ever seen from Dario Srna. He was dreadful. Krizanac and Simunic looked edgy all night and Kranjcar was not performing the role of a central mid properly. Some of his touches were lazy and his workrate wasn't good enough. That's why he's on left midfield. Rakitic for Mandzo was pointless. Why didn't he swap Cale for Rakitic or Juric for Rakitic. Rakitic needs to come over to right wing as he can't play there. As for Corluka sorry but what an absolute wally! Just kick the ball you dope!
This was a mess. I don't know how we move forward from this into the England match. England either have the refs playing for them and yet here we are haven't even got our own house in order. As for Vedran Runje, everyone buy this guy a drink tonight.
I seriously doubted runje. No corluka no modric wednesday.
That was terrible. Thank God for Runje or we would have been screwed.
Croatia looks rather unimpressive. 'Time to tone down expectations heading into Wednesday's game at Wembley?
thank you runje… MOTM
Runje is saving us…
Yep Thanks JP and Alex both link to the same stream!
thanks JP best link yet… I paid for the game on livesport and I couldn't get it to play
try atdhe; streams are free but often have drop outs and buffer problems…I'm watching it on iraqgoals.net (not a joke)- it carrys the atdhe stream. Hope that helps…
Ukrain vs Andorra
19' [1 – 0] A. Yarmolenko
25' A. Voronin
34' M. Pujol
45' [2 – 0] A. Milevsky
73' [3 – 0] A. Shevchenko (pen.)
90' [4 – 0] A. Milevsky (pen.) J.M. Ayala
90' [5 – 0] E. Seleznyov (pen.)
how the hell did ukrain get 2 penalties in the 90th minute!!
This one is working. free!
http://www.atdhe.net/9029/watch-croatia-vs-belarus
live stream…videosport.com
ante u gota be kidding me here..ppl r sitting here waiting to watch game and no one can give me website for live video stream?
http://allsport-live.ru/tv.php?channel=1333 was working but now it's not
u gota be kidding me..ur web site sucks…u r a fuking idot..im asking u guys for a live steam n ur head is up ur ass…check ur own website ..dumb as wana be croatian
ante kvatruc what was the live stream dude..u had the website before..what is it!
no one wants to give the website!!!!??? helloooo
@peter radman
I don't think goals against the last place team don't count toward the goal differential.
any live streams??????
what was that website u had on before to pay and watch it live?
whats the web site to watch it live?
On a positive note, Slovakia beat serbia today in Belgrade. We are currently leading Norway 2 – 1. I am curious why Ladic called up both Vida and Lovren if both began the match on the bench. Oh that Ladic. Perhaps we can circulate a rumor on the net that Ladic, Markovic and all the other corrupt gang members in Croatia that are ruining the country insulted the Quran. Get a Fatwah ordered against all of them.
The noose just got a bit tighter. Ukraine won 5 – 0. That makes them even on goal differential, with us having scored one more. They still have to play Andorra once more as well. We have to pray that Belarus takes a point off them, or, that we beat or tie the English.
ROONEY DOVE!!!!!!! WON THE PENALTY!!!!!!