In their most significant jump in the FIFA world rankings since taking third place at the 1998 World Cup, Croatia have moved five spots in April’s edition, up to #4 in the world. Wins over Serbia and Wales in March propelled the Vatreni past Portugal, Columbia, England, Italy and the Netherlands.
We can argue all day about the inaccuracies of the FIFA world ranking system, but that’s besides the point right now.
What does it mean for Croatia at the moment? If they can qualify for the 2014 World Cup and remain in the top-7 by the time the draw comes around in December, Croatia will be seeded for the World Cup in Brazil. That would mean avoiding being grouped with the likes of Spain, Germany and Argentina, to name a few. Croatia have four matches remaining in qualifying: vs. Scotland, vs. Belgium, @Serbia, @Scotland.
It’s definitely doable.
@Horvat
Eduardo before the injury was fucking brilliant, i think that he was better that Mandzukic right now. But, beware cause’ Mandzo is just starting up, it’s his first big club and yeah, i know hes not young anymore, but if he stays like that for a couple years more he could be winning a top prize or something.
At this point of the year, this means nothing, if we want to qualify as a seeded team we have to mantain a top place till the end of the year.
Our next games are easier that Belgium’s games. We get to face the lousy scottish at home and away. Against Serbia if will be tough, a tough crowd in Belgrade but we have to keep our heads in the game.
But all this games ain’t mean shit, the real deal will be at home against Belgium. If we get to that match with the same points (Meaning two wins more for both teams) it will be crucial to get a win because with a draw Belgium may qualify with more goals, they have a great scoring level.
So, how does the FIFA Rank’s help us if we are unlucky and we go into the Playoffs? It will place us in a easy game against Bulgaria or Romania, i don’t think that Croatia will have a problem with a second spot in Group A (I just fear Montenegro). The only thing is that with Croatia qualifiyng by Play-offs may lower a little bit our F.R.
If we qualifiy by winning the group then we will have to mantain a good performance till the end of the year when the draw is scheduled and hopefully we will enter an easy group in WC 2014.
Is not Columbia is Colombia, by the way Colombia Won the Copa America in 2001.
i keep watching that highlights of us smashing the serbs over and over.. it seriously makes me so happy u cannot believe.. fuck i hate them
#4???? watch us implode now, every Croatian knows how things kinda go wrong when they are so good
Iggy, a 12 pack of Coors light , & 5 Viskey Coke’s + 2 packs of Marlboro 100’s is a Good Day !
i dont so much drink beer i drink straight vodka but i have 1 and a half bottles per night so about 30 standard drinks a night its good for me im going to die ah well bye bye lol
If your a beer drinker how many liters can you drink what your record?
life via cirrhosis ? LOL
@Iggy
If Smoking stops Alzheimer’s what does alcohol stop.
@Luka i didnt do anything but the thing takes some time to load your new pic apparently
Also smoking is good for u it stops alzheimers so THERE
@iggy
You went back to your old cuntish picture. Bring back James Dean.
Thanks guys i like the name link things Thompson’s cool
My favorite Thompson albums are Vrijeme Skorpiona Moli Mala Geni Kameni,
Those are solid and Bosna is Solid too.
BOG I HRVATI IS SOLID! That reminds me of a song that’s played at the end of the night. The other fist pumping songs from this album:
UVIJEK VJERNI
NEMA PREDAJE
However my favorite album is still Vjetar s Dinare
BOG I HRVATI IS SOLID! That reminds me of a song that’s played at the end of the night. The other fist pumping songs from this album:
UVIJEK VJERNI
NEMA PREDAJE
“malo ga je dodirnio i taknuo kad je udario loptu”
hahaha funny, that wasent the worse miss out there tho seen way worse.
@nije bitno
Bog i Hrvati just went up a hour ago. Hopefully the official video(s) will come out soon. I loved his video from last year. Uvijek vjerni tebi. Amazing bird eye views of the Croatian landscape plus the HNS soccer clips. Priceless.
@Idemo
The results against Scotland do not count for the second place rankings, but for the total points it sure does.
Run up the score if we can and please show no mercy!
🙂
yaaaaaaaaaaaa, results against scottland dont count
lovrens issues seem to continue. out of favor in lyon line-up. looks like some people weren’t happy with his comments against lyon
http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1410169/dejan-lovren-falls-out-with-lyon?cc=5901
Iggy = James Dean Cool , Very Cool !
Luka – the album came out last night, i’m sure by the end of the day all songs will be uploaded on youtube. Just type in Thompson Ora et Labora and filter the search for today. The song he wrote for his wife is already up (Samo je ljubav tajna dvaju svjetova)
@nije bitno
I know in the past you have posted the links for Thompson videos, if you come across anything new please do so. thanks.
Ante B – The Album is SICK! It’s a little more on the heavier side, but the message is the same! LOVE IT!
Looks like it worked fine Iggy… Although I preferred your first, better fro pic IMHO. Also lose the cig (unless its MJ) for your own good
ugh.. i dont get it
test.. icle
oh it doesnt work lol
do u like my new display pic, you bunch of cunty sammirs ?
i mean itsw not like hes a Sammir or anything !
well there is that factor yes but im happy to have him as an adopt-a-cro
Iggy,
I mentioned dudu, but theres an asterik cause he is NOT CROATIAN.
and if u dont agree u can go suck my cunt
best striker since boksic/suker is dudu for sure i would say
@ Matesic
While we all debate how good Vatreni are, the ultimate test will be against Belgium. Now that’s a Real Team. Then we can measure how good they are.
@poglavnik
Mandza has produce both for club team and national, he is a great finisher, he is not mean to be a scorer out the box, but in the box he is a huge threat and tough to mark.
ahh i havent played soccer in about 6 months since some cuntrash broke my nose in a match : /
@ 19Miro50
Istina!
We are going to be stronger after June.
Prso was skating against Brazil at WC 2006.
Belgium is a blessing for us as they are a worthy opponent that will bring forth our best. If we can’t beat them in Croatia, then we deserve to be second.
We will hit Brazil sharp and ready.
I am looking forward to seeing our young boys in Turkey this summer. It is a big opportunity for some of them to show their talent.
i’m glad to see the results of the stimac era vatreni. he’s a foreward and he’s clever. #4 is something to be proud of. that loss to the swiss had me doubting him but he’s turned around. belgium have to go down in zagreb. modric is pissed.
Off topic…are there any Hrvati that play soccer in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area)…such as Toronto, Mississauga, Brampton, Vaughan, etc that need players? I am sick of playing with the team that I am on…I want to play with Hrvati that have a soccer brain…right now it feels like I am playing indoor soccer with children…I want to play indoor and outdoor…if anyone has spots on their team(s) give me your contact info…thanks…
@Ante B.
Love the album plus he has Bog I Hrvati as a song as well. Gotta love that.
@ Poglavnik and Horvat
Best Forward: Olic
Best Striker: Mandzukic
You can’t compare Ola to The Baron. They play 2 different positions.
@Ziva Istina…”all depends if we make it and who we draw. Let’s say we make it to Brazil and are drawn with Mexico” – Have you seen the Concacaf qualification group recently? Mexico may not qualify…
“Either way, to advance you have to beat quality sides.” – Agreed, yet this principal applies to any nation
“For this squad to be considered better than 96 and 98 they need to win games in the knockout stage. In 96 we lost to the eveutual Euro champs and same thing in 98, we lost to the eventual WC champs. This current group has done nothing, so far.” – The current squad tied with the Euro 2012 finalists (Italy) and tied/beat the Euro 2012 Champions (Spain)..the 1-0 so called win was gifted to Spain…Croatia should have been awarded a penalty and the Spain goal was questionably offside…
@Poglavnik
“None of it means shit if we don’t win our group though.” – None of it means shit unless we qualify…we are second in the group…we still have to play Belgium once more and Serbia in Belgrade…both will not be easy games…and after the horrible display in Wales (lucky win)…the Vatreni better ignite…if we finish second in the group we could be paired with a tough team for home and home qualification for the WC…although I cannot agree that this current squad is better then 1998 team…if Boban didn’t gift an assist to Thuram…we would have been the WC 1998 champions…France had to win in 1998 it was fate ($$$)
@Horvat
Seriously though, it’s got to be Olic.
He’s had more memorable goals for us in the last 10 years than all those other strikers combined.
Also, less than a year ago Mandzu was the butt of a lot of jokes on this sight. Now he’s on a great team and people want to call him one of Europes best strikers. He’s the new king of “6 yard box goals.” At least Olic scores the rare one from outside the box.
@Horvat
2 words – Bosko Balaban!
I was gonna say Kalinic but the Dalmatinci on this site would probably think I’m serious…
What do you guys think about the new Thompson album?
Who’s the best striker we’ve had since Suker & Boksic?
Prso, Eduardo (before injury), Olic, or Mandzo?
I dont get why u guys like prso so much, that guy was decent to good at best. He choked balls in the brazil game, missing right in front of the net multiple times. Mandzukic is the best striker croatia has had since boksic/suker. The best thing about mandzukic is u can count on him to score when he gets a good scoring chance, others choke like prso. Dudu in his prime was a beast but we all know he is not real croat, so he doesnt count.
That old grease-monkey had a ton of heart!
re: qualifying directly
The first tiebreaker is goal differential, not head-to-head. Hopefully we can put 3 or 4 in on Scotland in June and the Serbs can hold off Belgium somehow that same day.
Ideally, Croatia wants to be up on Belgium goal differential-wise going into that October match so a draw would still keep them alive.
But let’s say Cro and Bel are still tied on points going into the last match.
Check this out: Croatia @ Scotland and Belgium vs Wales. Both teams would be playing for a W and tons of goals against 2 lackluster sides. It’s gonna suck if Croatia goes to a playoff again. But you know what? The ball is in their court and Belgium still has to come to Maksimir.
Ill say this if everone played like Prso did for Croatia alway hurt back problem knees always gave 10000% 2004 euro and world cup 2006 he was our best player.
Prso had skill cannot say that he didnt he brought some legitimacy to that 2004 team attack wise as for Mornar i agree.
After the june scotland game some things should change Radosevic should play in napoli or go on loan and play some football Lovren will leave lyon maybe he improves, and other talent will come from the under 17-21 so we look good can Stimac hold it all together?
@19Miro50
God haven’t seen hi-lites from that era in a long time!
Mornar/Prso has to be the most intimidating forward combination we’ve ever put out. And I’m not talking about their skill…
As long as we can win at Serbia and at home to Belgium then we really shouldn’t fear anyone come 2014.
@ VC
Time to go for it!
Arsenal playing it safe for almost a decade with ZERO silver ware.
We have a good crew that needs to beat Belgians on our soil.
If not now when?
Jebi ga , if Prosenecki gets a half against France in 1998 we win the World Cup .
I am all in right now.
Save the cagey crap for the golf course.
Uvijek Vjerni
Ziva = Mr. Negative – Pizda . I don’t say antthing Negative . Give me an example . Everything U write is Negative ! Ask Jarac, & 90% of the people on here! I Love Hajduk , but i talk shit about them Always ! I Love HNS , but they suck too . Your a great fan of Croatia ! I hate to see who U don’t like. U fake Croatian dirt bag !
My worst Croatia tactics at tournamnets post 98
Wc 2002-Zivkovic? and needing a win agianst Ekvador Jozic starts 7 defenders nice
Euro 2004-Heir otto plays Bjelica Mornar Sokota but has Kranjcar Srna Babic Klasnic to choose from.
WC 2006-Pijanac after we lost 1-0 mislija that we won that game agianst Brazil he didnt hear of Eduardo Modric Carli
Instead we got Tomas Leko and Bosnjak.
Euro 2008-That prokleta minuta Bilic used best he had
Euro 2012-No complaints did our best maybe Eduardo should have statred agianst the zabari.
oh yeah i remember that miss.. nice turn anyway at least.. lol
@ Sismiss
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQ4zb59oPWE foward to 1;27 Mornar if it were a slut zabijabi ga! I agree
@ Ziva i know but base it on these teams now not on history thats is true all respect to the USA 2002 2010 quarters and second round, but for other team they will love us to be seeded.
@19Miro50
That Olic header miss against the Swiss in 04 was bad, but I still say that Vida’s was worse against Belgium. It was as if someone tossed the ball to him and said here ya go, put it in the net and then all of a sudden… Ooooops!!!!! His reaction after the miss says it all.
I agree, the Croatia vs. Swiss game @ Euro 2004 was probably the dullest and worst games I have ever watched!!!!! I was there and the only thing that helped was the booze. Barely!
Although this example is not from a header, nothing beats the Mornar miss against France. At least not for me. That was hideous! How does his miss that????? LOL!!!!! He puts that in and we beat France!
Well, the US has been to the knockout stage of a WC more recently that Cro.
Croatia’s better than France now imo. I’m hoping we get easybeats like New Zealand in our group. That being said they WERE the only undefeated team at the last wc…
Another thing out of all the seeded team if we go to Brazil winning this group we will be seeded for the december january draw in rio and everone will want us thats a positive lets say we are seeded just for fun 1)Croatia 2)France 3)USA 4Egpt they will say france win the group USA fight for second with croatia or in USA eson soccer morons USA advance easy
Although I have always thought the FIFA rankings were pretty messed up, you’re right Bobby V….for a nation with the population of Croatia, this is a huge accomplishment that other soccer nations are taking notice of.
After Croatia beating Serbia I stated that the only thing that could make me happier as a football fan would be to witness (in my lifetime) Croatia WINNING a major tournament.
That should be our #1 goal from now on (not just to qualify which is what used to satisfy us)
And to see Croatia ranked 4th in a list like this…why shouldn’t we think the goal can be acheived?
i mean for heavens sake it says “a friend of his said on facebook he made up his mind”.. LOL
Correction. Yanks don’t give a shit about soccer. It’s for the other morons around the world too.
yeah u cant compare this team to 96-98 teams, no way.. we were abso world class back then.. this team is good but i wouldnt say great just yet, i hope they prove to be so in brazil tho..
the rankings mean shit all agreed, as i said brazil is 19th… obviously that’s inaccurate.. but it’s a good reward for good recent performances nonetheless and helps our cause re seeding as others have said.
Also that “allen picks bosnia” story is heresay from about 6 months ago so disregard that
These Fifa Ranking are more for dumb Yanks so they can go to google and wiki to find out where certian counties are like Croatia 4th wheres that for some its whats that a lobster croastatian hahahaha.
Worst header miss ive seen was at Euro 2004 Croatia v Swiss one of the worst games ive ever watched at that time Bjelica or Kovac with a shot defelected and Olic with no goalkeeper beacuse he was caught off guard no defense smack it against the post wide open net.
@ Denis
The time to Strike is when the Iron is Hot! Vatreni are certainly hot and Argentina is within striking distance.
If we do well in our next 4 games, we can overtake Argentina for 3rd. While the rankings are BS. The only thing they are good for is seeding.
With “Il Poni” pulling the strings from midfield, and “The Baron” leading the line, I think we can do well enough to be seeded.
@Ziva Istina
LOL!!!!!
That Vida miss was much worse than the Rakitic miss in terms of difficulty levels, but I hear ya!
@SišmiššĆovjek……….How did Vida miss that header, you asked, Simple, he was sitting next to Ivan “shootgun wedding” Rakitic and he offfered him free advice..
@ Ante B 2002 We lost to mexico thanks to Zivkovic penal and red. Also this team is not better than 1994-1999 team in no way shape or form IMO, until they make a world cup run but ill even take getting out of the group stage man we didnt do that since 1998 man.
Against Belgium last september that team stimac put out were going for a X he still didnt have a team now he does so lets just see how things play out, Scotland is the weakest team in this group and we play them 2 times make the goal difference up get a point in Beograd and Belgium croatia for who wins group.
Shoot I forgot that Vida miss.
@Elvis
If Strinic would have let the corner go over his head than the whistle would have blown but since he played the ball directly to a Belgium player the ref had to let the play continue.
Vida also missed a wide open net in extra time. Still trying to figure out how he missed that?
Belgium is a serious threat. However, they scored their goal in the phantom extra 2 minutes in that game. The whistle should have been blown.
Belgium scares the crap outta me
@Ante B.
LOL!!!!
Exactly. He’s our biggest legend. Better than Boban Suker Modric Boksic combined.
@MB13 re: Belgium having an easier road
Belgium has Srbija, @Scotland, @Hrvatska, Wales
Hrvatska has Scotland, @Srbija, Belgium, @Scotland
I think our road is easier. We play the best opponent at home, and play the weakest team twice! Belgium has to play the best opponent (us) in Croatia and only plays the weakest team once and on the road. Granted we play in Srbija where they have the Serbs in Belgium but the other games we have better opponents or advantages like home field
@Ante B.
@ Approximately 1:25:35
http://tinyurl.com/cx7jj3j
Allen picks Bosnia
http://scsport.ba/vijest/47362
Now if only Mamic would force Allen to make his choice.
Marko has the call up
http://www.football-italia.net/32951/livaja-targets-croatia-call
Columbia…fucken blackberry…
We have four games left and if we can win all them we have first place and go to Brazil. That is the goal (which will not be easy) and the rest will take care of itself.
That 2002 still hurts. LIke Ante said we beat Italy and lost to fuckin Ecuador. In sports nothing is certain.
Sorry lol..portugal and colubia have?
Yeah but there was one player that made the entire team back in 98 the absolute best. One name: Petar Krpan. Without that guy we don’t make it past Romania. Remember that goal in 90th minute from 2 inches away?
Ziva,what title does portugal an ol
FIFA rankings don’t mean anything besides a seed for a tournament or qualification. I would rather be seeded than unseeded. great news for Croatia!
Croatia are 50-50 for topping the group. You can’t say that we’ve had a better qualifying campaign than Belgium. Yes, we played 1-1 in Brussels, but Belgium was clearly the better side. We will have home cooking and the fans on our side in Zagreb, but anything less than a win and we will see the playoffs. We will need to score at least twice as Belgium will get one into the back of the net.
Also, EURO 2016 will have 24 teams instead of 16 teams in the past. Qualification will be just about guaranteed. Depending on the draw, you might see teams like finland, Iceland, Hungary, and Albania get in.
Dont forget our depth which is weak. Luka goes down we are fucked.
Yeah that’s why I said 21st Century…but comparing them to ’98 and ’96 in terms of ability (as opposed to achievement) is not unrealistic at all.
2002 and 2004 were the worst.
For this squad to be considered better than 96 and 98 they need to win games in the knockout stage. In 96 we lost to the eveutual Euro champs and same thing in 98, we lost to the eventual WC champs. This current group has done nothing, so far.
Lets start with the weakest. The WC 2002 squad that drew against Mexico, beat Italy and lost to Ecuador. Jozic was simply terrible as was that entire squad as a whole. The best?
1996 and 1998 teams were legendary but I think this current squad is the best.
It’s nice to see, doesn’t mean much to neutral fans but it could mean a lot in future seedings.
I have a question for all…with this current squad of players that we have, where do we rank compared to past Croatia squads that we’ve had in the 21st century? I think this is the strongest squad we’ve had, stronger than 2008, even though we could do with a Kovac in midfield.
F***in Beautiful!!!
None of it means shit if we don’t win our group though.
@jarac…all depends if we make it and who we draw. Let’s say we make it to Brazil and are drawn with Mexico, a S. American side and another European side or top African side. Mexico would be tough, playing a S. American side will basically be a road match for us. Based on the FIFA rankings we would be favored to get out of a group like that, but I wouldn’t say that.
Either way, to advance you have to beat quality sides.
@ Zach
Brazil will be seeded #1, hvala bogu.
Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves shall we?
Ziva,
I agree rankings dont mean shit, but come on u set the bar real low. This is a damn good team we got here. I would say the best since 1998, anything less than making it out of group stage is a bust for croatia.
I’m not downplaying anything. We are one of the better saides in the world and that is a huge accomplishment.
But, I put more stock into performance than polls/rankings. We have only made it past the knockout stage and won a match once in our history. 1998. That’s it. I’ve always stated the goal for us should be qualification and anything after that is a bonus.
@ Zach,
Brazil is an automatic seed as hosts. That’s why the top-7 in the world will round out the eight seeds.
Why do FIFA rankings suck??
Croatia hasn’t made it out of group stage since 2008 and are ahead of Portugal (Euro 2012 semifinalists), Italy (Euro 2012 Finalists) and the Dutch (World Cup 2010 Finalists).
Might make sense to the computers…but to the average fan, no way.
typical Ziva,
Come on man, we have only been around since 1998, how about those other sides, they’ve had a lot more goes at the world cup. Give us some time and we will produce one of those titles
All to play for DECKI !
Need to run the table to ensure qualification AND as a seeded team.
These next 4 matches could stabilize Croatia as a power in the international footballing world.
We have a stable of players in their prime with some young studs on their way up.
Now with our top players competing well in the money rounds of the Champions League, we will gain that killer instinct for success at major tournaments.
Again you can blink and Croatian nogomet can slide down into oblivion.
We need to seize the moment right now. Will be like Argetina where there best export are world class footballers.
At least until as a people we can gain our collective sense and start to build together as a community a modern nation state with our traditional core values.
Bog i Hrvatska !
Watch us get a top seed and then draw Netherlands and Brazil
While its good to see Croatia so high up, these rankings to me are bush and are as about important as preseason wins and losses in the NFL.
These ranking systems are all more accurate. Average them for the best idea of where we stand.
ELO: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Football_Elo_Ratings
SPI: http://espnfc.com/spi/rankings?cc=5901
CDG: http://chancedegol.uol.com.br/rksel.htm
RF: http://www.rankfootball.com/less
LOL @ these rankings.
Very unlikely we play England, Portugal or France in the playoff round if it comes to that. That being said, there are many tricky opponents in the playoff round. Hopefully Croatia avoids this all together. I’m not getting my hopes up though – Belgium has an easier road to 1st place. Croatia can help themselves a lot by beating Belgium in Split. I fear a draw will give the group to Belgium.
With respect to the FIFA ranking – Croatia always being drawn in the most difficult group helps our FIFA ranking as the strength of opponent is a factor in calculating points.
Agreed it’s meaningless in determining the strongest squad. Some might argue a tournament is also meaningless in ranking the squads.
FIFA ranking is very important for our team. If things stay the way they are, Cro will not only be seeded for Brazil 2014, but also for the draw for 2016 Euro qualifying groups.
Some people are already celebrating Croatia’s qualifying for Brazil. This is imprudent. Yes our team is doing well, however, Belgium is doing just as well. If Cro finishes second in the group, we could end up playing against teams like; France, England, Portugal, or Sweden. Anything can happen!
@ Toni: Good one regarding the economy.
With Mandzu earning the nickname the “Baron.” (Playing in Germany, winning aerial battles).
Now Modric, has earned a new nickname. They are now calling him the “Pony.” Looks like he has finally endeared himself to journalists. Check it out:
http://www.marca.com/2013/04/11/en/football/real_madrid/1365662059.html
@Toni,
No kidding.
Not Sure HSportst So High But I Won’t complain. Thi Will Provide Some Good Ammo For Me When People Ask If Croatia Is Good At Any sports. Does One Dare Ask Where WeD Be Ranked If Rakitic Had Headed The Ball Down Against Spain?!
If only our economy could be ranked in the top 10…
Whooooooooa!!! Next month let’s jump to first.
@Ziva
All we need is some luck for that title.
It’s a nice honor, but ultimately means nothing. These rankings are a bit flawed and award consistency more than anything.
We are also the highest ranked nation on that list without a major title.
Still, nice to see being ranked up that high.
Wow must be that Turbofolk music.
Croatia – 4th best soccer team in the World – with a population of only 4.4 million.
1) Spain 47 million, 2) Germany 81 million, 3) Argentina 40 million, 5) Portugal 10 million, 6) Colombia 46 million, 7) England 53 million, 8) Italy 60 million, 9) Netherlands 16 million, 10) Ecuador 15 million
First person that says “Yeah, but it only takes 11 to make a team” gets called a cunt by Iggy.
Woot!!! We have a golden chance to qualify and qualify as a seeded team, lets do this Hrvatska!
brazil down in 19th ? odd.. cool for us tho.. smashin’ em