DRAGO SOPTA/CROPIX: IT WAS A FRUSTRATING DAY FOR CROATIA IN IRELAND
There’s not much to say after that Croatia-Ireland friendly. Not much happened. The ball was kicked around and Croatia couldn’t put any quality chances on frame. Ivan Perišić was left on the bench and Niko Kranjčar squandered two chances in front of the net. Ivica Olić is nowhere near top form and Darijo Srna still doesn’t look like his crossing-self on the wing. 90 minutes were played in Ireland and zero goals were scored. Croatia was solid on defense but we cannot say the same about the attacking core.
Croatia has played extremely conservative in the past 18 months and desperately need to snap out of it. The Vatreni hold the ball in possession the entire game but take too long to set up opportunities in the offensive third. Yes, it was just a friendly, but this game mimicked the way our U-20 squad played at this year’s World cup in Columbia.
Do we need an infusion of more young players in the squad? Are we prepared to tackle our last four games of qualifying coming in the next two months? What did we learn from this friendly with Ireland, if anything?
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
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LIVE COVERAGE OF THE MATCH AVAILABLE ON CSR TWITTER
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WHICH BEER WILL BE USED TO CELEBRATE?
Croatia take on Ireland in a friendly from Aviva Stadium in Dublin Wednesday night: 2:45 PM (ET) kickoff. What should we expect from the Vatreni in this tune-up match before the final four Euro 2012 qualifiers in September and October come around? Many questions will be answered in Ireland.
Will Slaven Bilić start a strong squad or let some youngsters play?
Who will guard the pipes? Stipe Pletikosa, Vedran Runje or a new face?
With domestic leagues starting their seasons, how ready is Croatia going into their last four qualifiers against Malta, Israel, Greece and Latvia?
DRAGO SOPTA/CROPIX: CROATIA TRAIN IN DUBLIN AT THE NEW AVIVA STADIUM
Croatia squad to face Ireland:
Goalkeepers:
Vedran Runje (without a club), Stipe Pletikosa (Rostov), Danijel Subašić (Hajduk Split)
Defenders:
Vedran Ćorluka (Tottehnham), Josip Šimunić (Hoffenheim), Darijo Srna (Shakhtar Donetsk), Gordon Schindelfeld (Frankfurt), Šime Vrsaljko (Dinamo Zagreb), Dejan Lovren (Lyon), Ivan Strinić (Dnipro)
Midfielders:
Tomislav Dujmović (Dynamo Moscow), Luka Modrić (Tottenham), Milan Badelj (Dinamo Zagreb), Ivan Perišić (Dortmund), Ognjen Vukojević (Dynamo Kyiv), Danijel Pranjić (Bayern Munich) Ivo Iličević(Kaisterslautern), Niko Kranjčar (Tottenham)
Strikers:
Mladen Petrić (Hamburg), Mario Mandžukić (Wolfsburg), Eduardo Da Silva (Shakhtar), Nikola Kalinić (Blackburn), Ivica Olić (Bayern Munich)
Photo: Scott Varley, Daily Breeze. 600 people on hand at Alpine Village tuning in to the World Cup
JOIN THE CSR ‘ALPINE VILLAGE’ VIEWING PARTY FOR THE CROATIA-IRELAND FRIENDLY
No Cover Charge
Come join Ante Kvartuč, TheGoldenChild, Denis Svirčić and some real life Irishmen from Alpine Village in Torrance, California on Wednesday, August 10th 11:30AM (PT) for a Croatian Soccer Report viewing party. Guinness will not be allowed on the premises.
CSR will have a live gamecast of the Croatia-Ireland game through CSR’s Twitter account, where you can follow and comment. This should come in handy for those of you stuck at work or school.
@JP…..wow, where to begin. So, in your mind, you think Srna can play the left side as well as he plays the right side. There are players that can play both wing positions and there is an increasing # of coaches who prefer left-footed offensive players on the right side, but they are rare.
All of you make some very good points. Some of you feel that Pranjic should just sit tight, wait his turn, and be professional. Others feel that Bilic has outworn his stay and someone(Pranjic) finally stood up.
As i wrote under the Pranjic article, "its difficult to comment when we dont have all the details in front of us."
I am with JP on this one:
"you can't tell me that Pranjic is the only one with complaints"
"Anyone can see that other coaches have figured us out… sit back, let our defenders slowly pass the ball around back like a walk in the park… make the mids come back deep for a hand-off from our defenders… the largest irony to me is actually that Pranjic is exactly what our team needs more of… speed."
Also, to expel Pranjic completely from the squad and not telling him face to face before the media finds out is inexcusable and unprofessional. Lets see what unfolds over the next few hours.
@Ziva
I'm not exactly sure what I know about nogomet, but I know enough to know that left and right defensive positions are essentially the same position.
Tell me with a straight face that they are not. The position on the field closest to left defense is right defense… this isn't rocket science.
Ziva Istina doesnt also mean "stalno istina" too, does it…?
@Andrej
I agree with you but the problem is… "when is enough, enough?"… how many tournaments do we miss before we make a decision…?
Everyone complains, but nothing is done… with Ziva's "ekipa" in charge, at best you'll get what he predicts… mediocrity at best.
In regard to Kranjcar coming back, frankly I'm all for it. Any change is good at this point, and he's proven that he knows how to win. Bring it, I feel that we qualify for sure with that change. It's obvious I don't feel the same with Bilic at the helm.
the Zlatko Kranjcar comment about coaching Croatia after the Bilic term? Would be needed as we can all see how well he's doing with Montenegro at the moment.
Croatia needs to lower the age average ratio on the team regardless, Pranjic leaving should be filled by a younger player.
As an Olic fan if he can't produce in the next 3 months at either club or national team level he should be fallen out of favor even dropped from the National squad.
Along with Runje (who should be dropped), Simunic, Dujmovic, Petric, Klasnic.
Much rather tie 0-0 or lose 1/2-0 with a bunch of younger prospects then 30 plus year old players who are out of prime and in decline.
If we continue on this path our younger players wont strive as much as they could.
@ Ziva
maybe we are a side without some major playmakers but we still get some chances…i think our biggest problem is we aren't getting behind opposing defenders often enough, the creativity going forward is limited and we don't have a goalscorer!
@JP….so you think Pranjic should be Srna's replacement????? Honestly, time for you to leave these baords. Srna plays on the right side. pranjic plays on the left. If you want to discuss soccer, then do so in amnner that does not resemble a 10 year old. At least replace Srna with someone who can play his position.
At this point, its not all on the coach. The players have to take responsibility. We are a side without major playmakers. Modric is as close as it comes.
Remind me again how many guys we have starting at major clubs???????
Pranjic just said he had no idea that he was off the team until he heard it through the media. He said he will sleep it off and basically talk about it later when he knows more….
Zlatko Kranjcar himself believes he will be Croatia's next coach once Bilic's term is up.
For those who want to see Bilic replaced, who do you want coaching instead? Do you really think there is someone outside of Croatia that is better than him?
We are not as good a team as he we were before Eduardo's injury. At that point, we had a legitimate world class striker and a goalkeeper who played regularly.
No matter who the coach is, you will disagree with who is in the starting lineup (ex. Vukojevic). I don't think he's a skilled player either and just accumulates stupid fouls and yellow cards. However, the next coach will do something else fans will disagree with.
Overall, he's still our best option.
JP,
I am not defending Bilic he is not a god he will be gone after this campaign anyway and the damage that is done is done…cant go back now but have to look forward.
No Pranjic probably isnt the only one thinking this way but you cant be unprofessional about it. Bilic can't put an arm around his favorites and then expect them to show him full respect when the players feel he starts to fall out favor. I don't know what happened within the team obviously but it wasn't good. Either way when you are a manger at international level this long and results like this start stringing up and a similar displeasure is shown in our style of play than things will come up.
I don't dislike Pranjic he acted like a jackass and is going to pay for it but Bilic has some to do with this as well…you cant be a friend and a manager always…i didnt see this coming not from pranjic! but i guess it was only a matter of time till somebody said something.
Ziva, I didn't know we had an option C.
Corluka?
Its a killer on our depth at LB because the chances of Strnic being healthy each match…not going to happen. I don't blame Bilic for kicking him off but we are on bare bones…
I've got to say that it's a pretty interesting coincidence that I bring up Pranjic as being Srna's replacement, and a day later he's kicked off the team… I guess Pranjic is seeing the same things I am…
Anyway, at this point I'd have to say that this situation is obviously indicative of greater problems in the team… you can't tell me that Pranjic is the only one with complaints… nonetheless, the proof is in the pudding, as we see it in the teams continual lacklustre performance.
Pranjic don't worry, shortly after we fail to qualify, Bilic will be gone, and the next coach will call you back. It's just a shame that he will have squandered the prime years of a lot of players.
I'd rather be wrong, as I called it a very long time ago… but it's obvious that we're on the path to miss our second major tournament because of our coach… despite what all you apologists like Ziva say, lining up to make excuses for Bilic…
Not to worry, Bilic will be in "shok" once more when we don't qualify. It's insanity to expect a different result from the same formula and team make-up.
Anyone can see that other coaches have figured us out… sit back, let our defenders slowly pass the ball around back like a walk in the park… make the mids come back deep for a hand-off from our defenders… the largest irony to me is actually that Pranjic is exactly what our team needs more of… speed.
Fatih Terim and Fabio Capello publicly undressed Bilic, and made him say "Yes sir, may I have another". He was out of his depth then, and he still is.
I'm most amazed that all of you, and the rest of the people in HRV just go along with the continual embarrassment.
Name a great win that we've had since Germany in Euro 08…?
He should have been fired after the 5-1 debacle at Wembley… end of story.
Losing Pranjic hurts the depth of this team.
If Strinic gets hurt, oh boy, we are down to option C.
shinobi,
i have to say i agree with you on that. I wouldn't say he is poor but average….he has been poor now…but he has had better days which seem out of sight now.
I like Pranjic and its sad because you have to show respect to your coaching staff so I cannot disagree with Bilics move. I think it sucks because Pranjic is a great player but you cannot go out and ruin the chemistry or diminish the amount that is left in the room. I understand some of the players are getting frustrated with the style of play…if you would have asked me if i could see this coming…no but its the right move we are not england/france and i dont want our players showing that attitude whether i like or dislike the player.
i agree with you on that….
@ziva
yes you are correct, Bilic did get us out of the group stage at a major tournament, something Otto and Zlatko were not able to do. And i commend him for that, even thou it was a sour ending, but the blame cant rest solely on Bilic's shoulders, the defense should take some of the blame for that aswell, maybe he should have put Klasnic in earlier, maybe it was due to a bit of stubbornness? i only calls what i see from my point of view.
You are also right, he has made some out of character changes as of late, but that may be because he feels that he is at the end of his shit rope.
One thing you cant deny, that there was a period where his formations and personal(his favourites) was becoming a tad predictable, or do you do deny it?
Look i may not know the inner circles, or inside information as you may know ziva, but i do watch the games the NT are involved in, and it hurts to watch such an incompetant coach in charge of the reins. Stubborn or not, that doesnt change the fact that he is a poor coach, who built his name on depriveing england a spot at the euros, and someone who the savez is reluctant to let go. If this mans name was something other than Bilic, his head would have rolled long ago.
just my opinion:
when Bilic first came into the National Team he had a little more creativity…he brought in a few new players and was constantly trying to improve his side. He is definitely a very intelligent man with a great mind.
Over the past few years I think things have changed for him quite significantly. He now has a better reputation as a coach so his conscience for losing has become an obstacle to his attacking style…this has been proven many times when you look at his formations and lack of forward play!
as per Pranjic…I thought him playing at LB was a good decision. Definitely not for his defensive abilities but moreso for his quality of crosses, overlaps and the threat of his speed! He may not have been my first choice but I honestly think he served a good purpose there.
Now Bilic has kicked him off the National Team for a lack of respect to the coaching staff…although I don't like it I have to agree with Bilic. This isn't American Football or Basketball where coaches fear their players…he has to stand his ground and make a statement!
Bilic Releases Pranjic
http://www.index.hr/sport/clanak/bilic-izbacio-pranjica-iz-reprezentacije/566090.aspx
backbone in terms of players he is relying on…..i don't rate Vukojevic high, but Bilic must or at least there are no other options. Since he took over, look at the amount of starts he has.
You don't like or think Bilic is a good coach, which is fair enough, but that clouds your judgement. You are not able to take the emotion out when discussing Bilic.
And regarding Kalinic, he has played much better with the repka than he has at the club level. And trust me, Bilic is not playing him because of comments he made about him a few years ago. Bilic has overpraised more than half the team.
oh by the way, back to the stubbornness comment….Bilic just kicked Pranjic off the team. Seems like a stubborn coach would not do something like that. No predictability in that, eh?????
Bilic is what he is, a decent coach who will get jobs based on his name and playing career. His results are mixed, he got us out of the group phase at a major tourney (weak group sure helped) and no other coach not named Ciro has done that, but he failed to qualify for the WC.
@zivica
i did say he was good at the begining, pranjic at LB was great, and whats more important it worked.
Back then he was more flexible in his approach. I feel he is not doing enough at the moment, and the things he does do, usually dont work. I know he may not have the cattle to be as flexible as he would like, but i do believe he can make better decisions.
And you mentioned playing kalinic, with that crucial goal, yes thats true, but that was after playing him without reward many times before that, eventully he has to pinch one. Somehow i feel the reason he goes with kalinic, is because he made that claim that kalinic is the future of croatian football, and doesnt want to look like he backfliped on the claim.
You also said 1-0 loss or 5-0 loss its still a loss, yes technicaly it is but the level of loss can mean the difference of qualifying or not, or the difference between confidence sapping loss or honourable loss.
what bs are you spewing forth saying vukojevic backbone of NT.
Get a kleenix and wipe away that dribble.
Golden child
Never said dujmo was world class, dont know where you got that. I think he's better than vukojevic, just my opinion. Wouldnt mind seeing badelj be given a chance in the mid either. As for srna i dont care about a team in ukraine. Big players play in big clubs. Bottom line. I dont care about how much money he makes, id be hard pressed to find one player that plays in germany, england,spain,italy,france, brazil,argentina,basiclly any top ten team that plays in ukraine.
Im not saying just because he plays in ukraine that he's not good, guy's like kalinic go to ukraine.
@Andrej
"Modric is forced to play deep at Tottenham because he is surrounded by a weak partner. Huddlestone, Jenas, Palacios."
He's still right behind the two CB's while both wingers are placed slightly above his position in the 4-4-1-1 formation.
".only until Sandro did Modric get to play a "little" more free"
Little, not exactly a lot. He does for a fact work the ball from the back of the midfield to the front, hence the reason why I would believe he would be good for this spot, there's also Srna & Corluka also.
As you can see no matter how good Modric is, we still arn't getting the results we could be, we need a little more improvision and possibly Modric for the CDM role could bring a new light on our 4-1-4-1 formation.
"Modric is stuck playing very disciplined because of the width they play in Lennon and Bale so he has fairly limited freedom to go forward."
Well as you stated below, "His best qualities are his speed" (Srna) and as most of us know, speed on the wings stretch out the opposing defence, which is crucial for our national squad and what were also missing at the moment. Modric set up goals from far out of the box all the time, creates holes in the defence, why have him in an attacking midfield role when he's not known for scoring goals.
"I am not saying he cant work in CDM but RM is preferable."
As I do agree but stated above in my posts three canidates for the CDM role, Modric, Srna, Corluka.
"When you have genius like Modric he should be making his trade behind 2 strikers or at least more advanced in the field not right above the CB"
He has been lately at Tottenham and has been brilliant.
"If you followed his career he was not ever playing this deep…im glad he can and im glad he does it well but he isn't a natural CDM he is a play maker who can play deep…he is a good defender but not a ball winner. "
Mainly CAM role prior to joining Tottenham, since joining Tottenham he's gotten better and better has he not. He's adaptable, an improvision.
"You are fantasizing to much here man."
The possibility of Modric fitting the CDM position which clearly isn't too off from what hes playing now at Tottenham, Kranjcar playing the LM position which he plays for both national and Tottenham, Rakitic in the CAM position which is one of his areas, and Srna on the RM where he's played most of his career? Fantasizing, not quite.
@Vlad
"The back bone of this team corluka vukojevic really. If either of those two guys werent there this team wouldnt miss a beat. "
Corluka slighly agreeable, Vukojevic isn't bad but definatly not the backbone on the National team.
@Goldenchild….good point….
The phrase "world class" gets thrown around too much…..Only world class player we have is Modric.
The rest of very good to average, but no studs. When the top 2-3 teams in Spain, Germany, Italy and England come looking for our players, then we can call them world class.
you can bench srna when he is not one of the best 11. A bit different until that happens.
Until Srna is not one of our best 11 he can keep acting like a baby or diving or listening to cajke or doing whatever he wants, because he is still one of our best 11. I don't like his antics, but who is better than him. Germany can tell Ballack NO, because they have talent to replace him. We do not. But, keep telling yourself that we do. Last I checked Srna was playing for a team and having a leading role for a team that makes deep runs into Europe. The rest of our guys watch on TV.
Ozil shows up, they don't miss a beat.
@Vlad
Dujmo…really? I don't see much "world class" out of him on the pitch.
Ziva
The back bone of this team corluka vukojevic really. If either of those two guys werent there this team wouldnt miss a beat. Now if you said three years ago the kovac brothers and simunic were the back bone that would have some merrit. Bilic "developed and nutured these guys", wow really how by coaching them 5 times out of the year during their u 21 days give me a break thats such a load of crap. He may have helped a little but thats it, nothing too drastic.
srna's earned the right to dive,youre making him sound like he's zidane. I dont know any player whos earned the right to do whatever he want's. That might be the dumbest thing i ever heard.
One thing i agree with you is one day we will stop qualifying for tournaments but it wont be because lack of talent. The biggest problem is our old boys club mentality with our savez.
look at germany dosent matter past glory, your not good enough bye. Now some of you will say its germany easy for them. dosent matter, big ballack wants to come back to national team, they say no thanks and thats it, during 2010 qualification same thing to frings, he was a big part of germany's team but, they had no problem with putting their young players in, i think germany's average age is 22.
But for hrvatska holly god forbid you benched srna, god forbid you benched niko those are world class players.
Dennis you ask who would have i played, well with the players available i gueass
dujmo
srna modric ilicevic
but i would like to see this:
dujmo
modric
perisic ilicevic
Raketa
Jelavic
All 3 Croats lost at the Rogers Cup today. Can't get on Dodig as he just had a huge upset victory in a grueling match less than 24 hrs ago. Karlovic has a monster serve, but a soft 2nd serve and everything else. Cilic needs a new coach, he should get Tiger Woods' ex-caddie, hahaha.
Black Z,
Modric is forced to play deep at Tottenham because he is surrounded by a weak partner. Huddlestone, Jenas, Palacios….only until Sandro did Modric get to play a "little" more free but Tottenham "does not" play 4231 rather a 4411. Modric is stuck playing very disciplined because of the width they play in Lennon and Bale so he has fairly limited freedom to go forward.
Also, moving Srna into CDM? His best qualities are his speed(regardless if he isn't Lennon he is one of our faster players) and his ability to take players 1 on 1 and win free kicks or put the ball into the box! That is his trademark over his career. I am not saying he cant work in CDM but RM is preferable. Also, Modric can be a box to box midfielder but at RM he is at his very worst. When you have genius like Modric he should be making his trade behind 2 strikers or at least more advanced in the field not right above the CB. Sure, he is great there but it does not mean we get the best out of him there. If you followed his career he was not ever playing this deep…im glad he can and im glad he does it well but he isn't a natural CDM he is a play maker who can play deep…he is a good defender but not a ball winner. Rakitic, Kranjcar, and Modric do not work in the same midfield they are all to similar and move into the same spaces far to often. If you play soccer you understand that regardless of what level its just instinct. I know Rakitic and Modric can play defensive duties well but all 3 cannot fit into the same midfield. You are fantasizing to much here man…maybe 2 can play in a 5 man midfield in a interchanging free roaming way but that is only if we had a strong CDM who can protect them and we dont have that now.
@ziva istina
Srna couldn't swing a ball in the box to save his life yesterday. He looked slow. He got beat to/on the ball more than a handful of times. I used to love the guy, and yes his age is showing. Should he be starting…ya sure. Do I always expect way more from him…ya (should be).
The real problem I have with Srna is a double edged sword. His excitement, demeanor, animation… whatever you want to call it. Srna is very verbal, as a captain should be, and very animated. But when it comes down to doing what he needs to do consistently, I seem to find myself not seeing it. A flare for the dramatic vs consistent production is pretty tilted to the dramatic side.
Last note, Illecevic looked pretty good..when he got touches. Mind you, he was coming off the bench against a tired defense. But whenever he got the ball, there was that "this kid is going to do something" feeling. Wish we got to see the ball swung to his side a little more often.
@shinobi……….
Bilic is stubborn????? This is the same guy that surprised everyone by using Pranjic at left back in the Euros and got it right against Germany and Lowe. Same guy who inserted a young and unproven Strinic in the lineup and same guy who gave a chance to kalinic in a crucial qualifier and was rewarded with a game winner off the bench. What stubbornness do you speak of???? He does not use the same structure. Over the last 4 years he has tried different combinations with lineups and formations. The success has not been there with everything, but he has varied his approach. Some of them work and some of them do not. But, he is not stubborn. Quite the opposite. If you want to state that Bilic is an average coach, fine, no argument from me. But, don’t make up lies. I think Bilic is an average coach, but it’s not just the other coaches that are reading Bilic. Anyone who has a clue about soccer can see we struggle to score with teams that play behind the ball. We all see it.
Are we still back on the England debacle…..go back and look at the players we had available for that game and you tell me how we were going to beat a full strength England squad. 1-0 loss or 5-1 loss, its still a loss. He took a big risk with his lineup, which by the way deflates your argument that Bilic is stubborn. Look at the crappy lineup we had that day, what stubbornness do you speak of? Are you 18 years old, because you sure write like someone who is naïve on the game of soccer. Eventually, Croatia will stop making these tourneys and we will be a national side that qualifies one in every two or three times out. Look at the domestic league, look at the youth level, look at the level of corruption and the fat asses who are lazy and do nothing. Only think that has saved us is the diaspora. Without those guys we would have been down a long time ago.
Slovenia, bosna,crna gora………one of the teams you mentioned has qualified for anything and have they been able to get out of group play? The other countries have not done shit on the international level.
The future is not on Bilic……..The national team coach is not responsible in developing players for the repka, that falls to the youth system and clubs. Not his fault about the domestic league and the youth level. You want facts, I’ll give you facts instead of BS that you spew. The backbone of this team is lead by guys who Bilic coached/developed/nurtured at the youth level in Vukojevic, Modric, Corluka and the Brazilain-born-Hrvat. Rip him for his bad decisions, because there have been some, but give credit for his successes.
Bottom line……..We’ll qualify for the Euros and then go home after the first round unless we get a nice draw like Euro 2008.
Again, how is Srna my boy? Anyone who thinks he should be on the bench is a complete fool and quite honestly should not be on this discussing soccer. Let him dive and bitch all he wants, he has earned that by his play over the years and his current level of play with his club.
@JP
"I think Kranjcar or Modric with the armband would be worth trying. Don't get me wrong Dario has overall been a good player for us, with some flashes of brilliance, but that's about it. "
Even as a big fan of both of these players I would have to disagree most part, maybe for a friendly or two to see if it puts Kranjcar into the game a little more is worth trying other then that it should be Srna or Simunic.
"We need something to get us out of this rut that we're in"
X2
"and Srna with the armband is the one constant post Kovac's. If nothing else it gets the embarrassing flopper off of the field."
Taking Srna off the pitch wouldn`t be the best idea at the moment, slowly decline his playing time to free up space for the younger players, same goes with Olic and Simunic.
@Andrej
"Its awesome to have a box to box midfielder like him but he needs to be freed up more to get the best out of him. Maybe when I play FIFA I would use Rakitic, Kranjcar, and Modric but in real life."
Tottenham uses a 4-2-3-1 formation often and Modric is in a defensive midfield placement, he's everwhere on the pitch (RM.LM,CM) except the CAM position. Modric is brilliant and adaptable, he is the one to replace Niko Kovac without a doubt & can control the midfield from that position.
To throw out an example of 4-1-2-1-2 to be on the safe side we could use:
GK:
LB: Strinic – Sub: Pranjic
CB: Simunic – Sub: Vrsaljko
CB: Lovren – Sub: Schildenfeld
RB: Corluka – Sub: Vida
CDM: Srna – Sub: Dujmovic
LM: Kranjcar – Sub: Illicevic
RM: Modric – Sub: Badelj
CAM: Rakitic – Sub: Perisic
LS: Jelavic – Sub: Mandzukic
RS: Eduardo – Sub: Olic
3 possibilities filling the CDM position would be Modric, Srna or Corluka. Though I would rather see Srna thrown into the CDM position then Modric or Corluka.
Kranjcar can play the LM position quite well, I think better then the CAM position. His long shot cabability is excellent, more shots on net.
ziva@
you dont think bilic is stubborn??????????????????? man the guy is 1 dimensional, and is unwilling to change it. He has constantly used the same structures, without getting the rewards. Other coach's can read him like a book.
Bilic is responsable for croatia's heavyest defeat in history, missing out on the world cup for the first time since croatia became a republic, making a once impenetrable fortress, into point collection paddock, and on his way to missing out on successive tournaments, the list goes on.
Im not saying we should be world beaters, far from it, but we should be on top of this euro qualifying group. I cant help but think if we had someone else leading us we would be. But instead we have bilic with his outdated adventureless tactics. And to stubborn to change, when things dont go right. Thats what seperates good coach's from the bad, changeing with the times, if you dont, your dead in the water. Dont get me wrong when bilic first came on to the scene, he was a breath of fresh air for the team, he brought new ideas, new tactics, enthusiasm, but since then he has become stale, and past his useby date.
Where other teams with less talent are improveing(Slovenija,bosna,crna gora) croatia has become stagnant.
I wasnt upset with yesterdays performance, i thought they did ok, but who cares, it was a friendly against good opposition. What worrys me is the future, and that doesnt look good under bilic.
I was never expecting semi finals or cup victorys, but i do expect partitipation in these events, but even that seems like a pipe dream nowadays.
oh and ziva dont say srna is not your boy, your in love with the guy, dont deny it.
HOT OFF THE WIRE!!!
KALINIC HAS OFFICIALLY SIGNED WITH DNIPRO. WILL JOIN STRINIC IN UKRAINE.
Srna ain't my boy. I don't care for his flopping, but that is not the reason this is an average to an above-average side.
You can appoint whoever you want as captain. True leaders on the field don't need an armband to be a leader. I seems like you guys want someone who is demonstrative on the field to be the captain, well, if so, then Kranjcar or Modric are not your answer.
Again, to me, I don't care who has the captaincy. The leaders of the Vatreni generation were Suker and Stimac and neither were captains.
@Ziva
We all know that Srna is your boy, but I wonder what it would be like if he wasn't captain.
I think Kranjcar or Modric with the armband would be worth trying. Don't get me wrong Dario has overall been a good player for us, with some flashes of brilliance, but that's about it.
Frankly, if we were to replace him with Pranjic I don't think we lose very much, if anything at all, and it would bring a completely different tone to the entire line up.
We need something to get us out of this rut that we're in, and Srna with the armband is the one constant post Kovac's. If nothing else it gets the embarrassing flopper off of the field.
Thoughts?
Denis S,
We have a big problem of moving the ball. I do agree there but that essentially leads to the problem of not giving the strikers service. What is Lovrens and Simunics passing completion rate to each other yesterday? I cringe my teeth when I see them move the ball so slow back and forth to each other. 65% of the possesion we possessed was basically just behind the midfield line….
Dudu did well when he was on for 45. He moved deep picked the ball up and tried to get it up but its ridiculous that we cant move the ball faster than that. Patience my ass…its just inability to do it consistently. We did it for 10 minutes and then couldn't for 80…
The positives…Srna did bad offensively but defending worked hard and protected Corluka…that right side looked solid defensively and had Srna put in a cross like he does for Shaktar this wouldnt be an issue. We had far more balance in attack from both sides when he plays at RM. He wins us corners and takes players 1 on 1 and wins free kicks. Flop or not…one of our best and our only true RM currently. This also made our defense look much better. We never looked like we were going to lose.
Even Mandza impressed me at times yesterday. Took players 1 on 1 and beat them and was very hard working. Almost olic-esque when he was chasing players back to defense to win the ball back at times.
In the end it was an awful game to watch but Ireland never looked like they were going to win even at home they played with 10 behind the ball and that truly made it a boring match. Teams may be glad that we are in the WC qualifying group like Scotland, Belgium, and Macedonia but the fact is they will all approach us fighting for 1 point rather than 3.
BlackZ,
I don't like Modric in the CDM. He reads the game well and hardly ever gets beat and intercepts play and does a great load of work on the defensive end but he shouldn't be forced to play that role in the NT. He isn't a natural ball winner and having him work that hard on that end of his game will restrict him to do what he does best. Its awesome to have a box to box midfielder like him but he needs to be freed up more to get the best out of him. Maybe when I play FIFA I would use Rakitic, Kranjcar, and Modric but in real life…they all revert to playing fairly central and as some of you say it would be like having a very stagnant offense of play makers wanting the ball but not wanting to do the chasing of the ball.
There are positives but you can't hide the negatives either. I know those 3 are awesome players and some of our best and its truly hard to have to bench 1 if not 2 but I cant see that working. Georgia was an example of all of them reverting to the same spot. I know its just 1 match but even yesterday you saw Kranjcar and Modric bumping heads in CM and if we threw Rakitic in the mix there would be fairly little space. Barca does it but we are not Barca….433 which essentially is a 352 when the wing backs go into attack and basquetts goes back into a CB type position…
I know on paper it looks nice but we don't have the supporting cast to play so complex…we can play maybe a 541 which is basically 2 of the wide man as wingers but it all depends on coaching and that is not Bilics style.
I have shit on Bilic before and there are flaws to him just like every coach but the guy does not lose games regularly. We have not played as good as we can but we have also came to nowhere near as bad as we can be either…take the good with the bad and the guy is a young coach! He has done a great job and he has experimented a lot and give youngsters a chance…just because you dont always agree with which youngsters does not change the fact that you are right and he is wrong.
What Bilic stubornness?????? He keeps playing a bunch of guys in these friendlies. Some of you seem to think Srna should be on the bench, which is a joke itself. Olic is still a few months from regaining form. Some of you praise Kranjcar and some others hate him. Just what are some of you watching?
I think some of you guys have unrealistic expectations for this team. We have one player on this squad that everyone in europe wants and the rest are average to very good players, but not studs. There is a reason none of our guys are starters with any of the BIG clubs in Europe.
I mentioned it yesterday, we are worse at 3 or 4 positions since the height of our play with Bilic during the 08 qualifiers. The people who have replaced the Kovac brothers, our GK player and our starting forward because of the injury to the Brazilian-born-hrvat are not the same. 4 of the 11 positions on the field are weaker now then they were 3 years ago. And the replacements are not as good. So, Bilic is dealing with a weaker team. We are a team capable of beating anyone, but also capable of struggling against any team, especially when they play behind the ball.
Qualifying for the Euros is success, anything more is extra.
should bring in zlatko kranjcar to manange NT. He can lead NT to WC easily in 2006 despite a weaker team of players in that year. And team play with purpose unlike bilic's predictable style.
cant complain about the game, it was a friendly, just before, or start of season football. Would have been nice to see more urgency to score, but thats typical of the boys lately. Defenceive improvement, but then again they werent tested. Bilic's stubbornness not to change, is becoming very predictable.
Hopeing they get their act together before the real deal games begin, and play with fire in their bellies, like they really want to be at the euros. Because failing to qualify out of this lesser group would be embarrassing.
Gotta still wonder what FIFA's deal is with these penalties, but the scoring production really should be there and this one should have ended 1-0 at the least. Nevertheless it was a sleeper and yeah, everybody is injury-conscious/cautious so can't expect much as far as playing with heart is concerned, still that guy Hunt got a fly in his eye in the first few minutes and that was interesting. Anyway, love your reporting here at CSR keep it up boys.
@Allen19,
One of your better post game analysis. I like your observation on Mandzukic, "he needs to learn how to bend the ball". I agree. He tends to panic right before he takes a shot. Unless its an "Ivica Olic goal" or a header, this guy will never score.
Lovren got caught a few times in the box picking his ass. That header from Ireland.. the only header.. but all in all a good game from Lovren and the defense.
"urgency"
Its a friendly on the first week of the season. An Ireland friendly will not bring out any urgency.
Also, you cant play Rakitic-Modric-Kranjcar together. That combination doesnt work. Its like having three Shaq O'neals out there. That team(2011 Lakers) would make Stojakovic look like an all star
@Mishko
Klasnic will still get his chance I feel. No point putting more miles on this classic Ferrari. I dont think Bilic has forgotten about Klasnic.
@Croat
thanks for the update from Irish TV. I agree with Stimac. Even though Stimac has some bad history, the guy knows his shit.
@dinamoDennis
damn thats a long list. Just a friendly buddy. Don't tell me that you expected Croatia to win 3-0(as I did against Guatemala)?
@Vlad
Who would you have started instead of Srna, Kranjcar, and Vukojevic today?
9Arsenal
thanks for coming out today. Nice turnout at Alpine once again. However, all the noise we heard was the Germans downstairs after they put three past Brazil. As I went downstairs to check on the Germans, the score was 3-1 Germany, one of them said to me, "wait, wait, you wanna see another one(goal)." Been a long time since a Croatian said that.
@Mishko
dude, we missed you at alpine today. Make sure you leave the dog at home.
@Andrej
"We have one big problem and that is giving service to our strikers. They can't score when they font get the ball. "
I disagree with you here. One of the biggest flaws for Croatia is the movement without the ball. Watch the game without looking at the ball. Most of the players are look like shaq O'Neal in the post. No movement what so ever.
our strikers are not running, cutting, beating the offisdes trap.
@Mark
you could have had Ante Kvartuc in goal and you would get the same result. Pleti wasn't tested today.
After all this, I'm looking forward to tennis tomorrow. Cilic/Karlovic/Dodig one win away from semis. Where are my Croats out in Montreal?
@Andrej
"its hard to play rakitic, modric, and kranjcar together…on paper it looks great but they all play in similar position."
4-1-2-1-2 formation:
GK: Pletikosa
LB: Strinic
LCB: Vrsaljko
RCB: Lovren
RB: Corluka
CDM: Modric
RM: Srna
LM: Kranjcar
CAM: Rakitic
LF: Eduardo
RF: Jelavic
Bench:
Subasic, Simunic, Vida, Schildenfeld, Persic, Badelj, Illicevic, Pranjic, Vukojevic Mandzukic, Kalinic, Olic.
Modric: As most of us has seen, he isn't known for his goal scoring capabilities. He has great endurance, pace, ball/dribbling skills, long/short passing and a growing defensive capability. The CDM position would be excellent for Modric & the national team, keeping the long range/goal scoring players up front in the attack to assist our lacking forward issue (Kranjcar, Rakitic, Persic), Team Captain.
Lovren: Full playing time on the national team, enough said.
Vrsaljko: Needs more playing time on the national team.
Strinic: Great left back player, starter for sure always been impressed with this one on the field.
Olic: If performs at club level then use him simply as a tool to attack and bolster the defence, no red carpet treatment.
Younger players need most of the playing time unless of course they arn't performing at their current club.
This 4-1-4-1 formation Bilic is playing isn't working, for a while he's been using this. It's understandable when you consider our midfield is the strongest aspect of the national team. He should really try out new formations and tactics such as the 4-4-2 or 4-1-2-1-2 as I am a fan of the 4-1-2-1-2 it also did us quite well throughout the Euro 2008. Would rather see us play a 5-4-1 formation listed below then the current 4-1-4-1
GK: Pletikosa
LB: Strinic
LCB: Vrsaljko
CB: Simunic
RCB: Lovren
RB: Corluka
CDM: Modric
LM: Kranjcar
RM: Srna
CAM: Rakitic
FW: Eduardo
There is one point to watch todays game though. If you are suffering of insomnia it will cure it 😉
@Fisto,
thanks for the link. Great result.
@JP,
hope you are enjoying yourself out there. No point watching today's game. I will put Motovin on my list.
I havent had much luck with domace vino outside my hood. I'm not a huge fan of our white, but our red is something you wont find on the table in Zagreb. I cant complain about Karlovacko, however, a crate of those and you are done for the next day.
Ziva said it the best: "You never have drank good domace vino if you think 1 in 10 are decent"
Brazil Anti Antifa came through as well:
"loza is liquid gold – lightning in a bottle, to be enjoyed efficiently."
travarica, loza, and grappa are all fine spirits. The should be treated as fine spirits as a cool aperitif.
For all of you rakija drinkers out there…. dont tell me you never had some Croatian "moonshine" that tasted and smelled like gasoline. Be careful what you drink fellas(and ladies now a days).
@Ante B,
Next time you're in LA, give me a ring and we will hit up that Whiskey bar. However, I can't take credit for this spot, all the credit goes to Nicole.
Prosek is too sweet. Drink too much of that and your head will be spinning all night. I'm not a fan.
@hamilcar,
I am done with gambling. I throw a few bucks here and there just to make things interesting. Cant go to a Clippers game unless I throw a coo 20 spot on someone.
@anonymous
""big news coming for csr nation website""
who said that? Ante? haha.
Website coming. When? God doesnt even know.
Off topic but DODIG Beats NADAL after losing first set 6-1 in Montreal!!!
http://www.sportsnet.ca/tennis/2011/08/10/rogers_cup_men_wednesday/
The game was totally a snoozefest last night, but it's early in preseason and it shows… anyway, its the same thing that we've been seeing for the last 3-4 years of Bilic's tenure… it's insanity to expect anything else…
On the bright side I spent the day in Istra yesterday, and had a few shots of killer Loza in Porec… If you've never been to Motovun, I suggest you all put it on your list of destinations the next time your'e in Ljepa Nasa… simply amazing!
-Good to see Pletikosa getting some playing time. I thought he played decently, although there were a couple of odd clearances.
-Modric did well. He seemed to be involved in most of our chances. Surprising to see his aggressive shots on goal. I like it.
-Overall pretty boring. We seem to be prone to counter attacks which can be common when controlling the ball as much as we do. I think we're more prone than other teams though, so it worries me.
-Hopefully this will tune us up a bit for the qualifiers. We need to shoot on target way more, bottom line.
Vlad huge problem is relying on just our best players in a strick system because of injuries. Our last qualifiers injuries hurt bad and our lack of depth showed. We have great talent but we are not a deep team. Every qualifying will be difficult and going back to 98 our best generation ever will not help us because we are not that team today.
I wish we had wingers but we don't srna and corluka were not awful they defended great and for once we actually had attack from the right side…lets not forget srna isn't a bench payer for us. If dujmo can play cm so can corluka he is just as mobile imo but offers better attacking skills. I still think it won't hurt to experiment there. I thought dudu also played well when he touches the ball he is dangerous. We have one big problem and that is giving service to our strikers. They can't score when they font get the ball. Pace would help obviously but we lack it and outside of modric it seems when he isn't creating nobody moves. We have issues but it could be worse…bilic is at least trying new things.
If we played bad ireland played much worse in the end. 10 behind the ball at all times.
okay, as for the meltdown comment, it has nothing to do with the friendly but for the last 18 month's.
First last time i checked we didnt qualify for the world cup, i agree its not easy but still not a sucsess. Seceond we are not in first place and could easily miss out again. at the momenet our general PLAY is POOR. we cant score goals. And this has been going on for a long time.
so your guys is argument is to do nothing and ride the wave. this is the best what we got. well i dont see it that way just my opinioin!
The same mid that played today, was the same mid that played 3 years ago with the exception of niko and vukojevic. This to me cant be right, to say we have no other options is ignorant, and naieve. Who says ivo cant play, to me he looked better than niko in the little time he played. He has pace skill he scores the odd goal in the budesliga, hes a player. He's not 19 he's 25 so too say he's to young or not ready is wrong.
who's says vrsaljko cant be given a real chance, last time i checked modric, da silva and corluka were all playing hnl and were givan a start at the same time at the start of 08 qualifiers and they were all young and made a huge impact. sime has pace attacks, good defensively, to me best right back we have.
Im no coach or trying to say i no everything all i look are at the facts. we cant win games we cant score goals and we are on the verge of maybe misseing another tournament. and the coach in place stays with the staus quo. im pretty sure no other team would do that. it's a prevlige to play for hrvatska not a right and i dont think any of those players should be given an automatic place.
Adrej and just because some players are inserted isnt gonna change the way croatia play's were still gonna play our style but with a faster tempo. Stop talking about "This is the way croatia plays and its always been like that" To me stanic was one of our best players in 98 he played the wing he challenged guys.
Srna dives way too much, how you gonna bet someone when every time you counter you dive and let the opposing team set up and get organized to defend you. on the other side krunchie is supper slow and same thing. Teams have read how to play us so whats the problem with some changes. Its not like were getting results.
As for the lineup i dunno, all i know to me modric and rakitic is our best players. so make a system that makes our best players fluorish. also would like ivo and perisic and badelj. To be given more playing time.
You see Andrej, I would believe that but in the upset win over Germany. You saw all three players in there and I think it could work. Rakitic is more of a threat than most of your strikers in my opinion, so I hope he can make it happen. Rakitic is easily the odd man out because Luka is the man and Niko is always a threat. This team is a major juggernaut, just got to hope they make it to tournament.
allen,
You make fair points but the strikers we have are decent and olic and dudu are first choice because of what they do at there clubs at higher levels…jela and madzo are the future as you say so is kale.
its hard to play rakitic, modric, and kranjcar together…on paper it looks great but they all play in similar position. For me 2 of 3 at most.
Jack I agree with most of what you said.
LOL I hate all of your players, me I do really? Yet Vlad doesn't know one thing he's talking about. Vlad is out of his mind ripping those guys, oh well. As for ripping the guys, I did it off one game. Modric was pretty top notch out there, I just didn't see urgency. I guess that's the word Croatia was missing today urgency, so I won't go wild about the game. I love all my Croatians, every single on of them..I am just very critical. We are the 10th ranked team in the world, regardless of how false that is.
Olic is a joke, Eduardo has fallen off, Petric doesn't perform for national team when called upon. Kalinic is generic with the game of soccer. For me Jelavic and Manzo are the future. Manzo looked very bright today, if only he didn't look so frail and always cry about little contact. But I was impressed with his movement. Jelavic could have been used today, still got hope for him.
Modric is Modric we know that, of course he's good enough. I don't state the obvious you know. Srna is great obviously but the guy has played TERRIBLE the past few games. The France friendly was brutal and so was today. I just don't think he's worthy of captain. But I won't put expectations on this team. You can't when they got a thickheaded man running the show. So after Euros, I will set expectations. For now, I hope players do best with crappy tactics.
Jelavic
Kranjcar Modric Rakitic Srna
Dujomvic
Strinic Lovern Simunic Corluka
Pletikosa
I love to get maybe Eduardo or Manzo in but Rakitic is a difference maker plain and simple. Simunic did well today although I hope they move on after 2012. Strinic was a bright spot today for the most part.
There are two things that hold true in nogomet.
1 – Score more goals than the other team, and you win.
2 – To score goals you have to try and make goals, and to make goals you need to have shots on goal and we don't do that enough. Plus shots on goal mental mess with the opposing teams defense.
At the end of the day, it's a pretty fricken easy equation.
All the best.
I did not care for the timing of the friendly or the 15 year old Norwegian referee.
On our end, I think it is time to start relying on the younger forwards. I hope Olic works off the rust and gets back into form, but I fear that may take a little bit of time.
I would love to see us mix up our measured attacks with an occasional quick counterattack / long ball to the likes of Jelavic. Hopefully, Kalinic finds some decent playing time and Jelavic can bring his SPL prowess to the HNS.
Srna can't win. He was decent defensively, and now many of you are trashing his offensive work. Like it or not, Corluka and Srna are the best we have for the right side of the field. Many nations & clubs would kill for either of them.
Additionally, I feel that other national teams are approaching us differently than they did in the past and this affects how we play.
Srna not good enough?
Kranjcar not good enough?
I would love to know who is more proven. Please offer some insight as who can play over them. Like ziva said you guys act as if we are better than before but nobody is good enough and you can provide no replacements…
I do agree this was a very boring game to watch and more than I expected but its a friendly. Our style of play hurts us more than players but we will be fine. Some of you want to be taken serious well act like you can talk normally. I can go say everything that sucks to…big deal!
Allen, you seem to hate everyone of our players…why support us? I am just curious no offense but nobody seems good enough for you besides kranjcar. Who is you 11 if you were coaching?
Vlad, you are on your own there. What wingers do croatia really have? None. Maybe pranjic and olic who have great speed and mandza. We have never played this brand of soccer so I an just curious what croatia team you have watched before…we don't have players to play that style. I agree we have to speed up play but its not going to be by having genuine pace…it would be nice but there isn't that in our squad
The game sucked today but it was fun hanging out with all of you at Alpine Village. Good food, good beer and good company.
I feel good with the draw. Didn't have to choose sides as I am half Croatian/half Irish.
i really do enjoy the meltdown on this board when things don't go our way. Some of you guys add value with your comments, but others, oh boy….Makes me think you guys are 17 or 18 or really have no clue when it comes to the game.
Over the past few days and today I read about how this team is not the same since the Kovac brothers left and our forwards are not the same since the Brazilian-born-hrvat had his foot destroyed. I don't doubt any of that. So, follow me here…..If that is the case, we have not been able to replace those guys with better parts, meaning their replacements or their form is not the same. So, if we have less talent on the field than what we had during Euro 2008 qualifiers, you would expect the style of play and results to suffer. And they have. So, why is everyone shocked we struggle to score goals. We are a worse team today than what we were 3-4 years ago.
To me, it was not all doom and gloom today. I actually liked what I saw from Ilicevic when he got in. He showed a willingness to move forward and made attempts to create. Pletikosa looked OK with no game experience. I prefer him as the #1 with no game experience instead of Runje, Subasic or even Keleva.
I did not like Modric playing as many minutes as he did and I would have preferred to see Perisic.
Other than that, typical friendly.
Thanks for the highlights, CSR. You guys rock. I'd buy you a Karlovacko any fucking day of the week.
I feel confident with Pletikosa in net. Those serb loving russians (little do those fucks know) tried to spoil his career on the bench but he's still the best and most underrated goalie evAr!
Georgia & Israel lost today & Greece had a scoreless draw. Just fuckin qualify, Bilic should acquire a samurai sword and drive it thru his heart if this team with this talent doesn't get to promised land.
I know it's just a friendly but with bilic as coach and srna and kranjcar getting every game gurantee starting spots this team will never go anywhere!
Srna cant play rb and he cant play rightmid, so why does he play?
Kranjcar brings nothing to the table again, i know im on my own island on this one but oh well!
I would really like to know why vukojevic is playing, honestly have no clue, would never play him.
once again slow, no pace, easy to defend against us, nothing will everychange unless some personel changes are made and with joke of a savez! and coach that will never happen!
Does anyone have any links of the entire game on replay? Sometimes they're on JustinTv, but I can never locate it by doing a search by word, unless it's a link (wonder why?).
Thanks.
typical Croatia performance…65% possession or so but 1-2 shots on target. They are so bad in the final third, especially Srna's crosses. The play itself was better than against Georgia, but still nothing in the final third
One more thing Stimac also said about the two penalties. He said thathe does not care about the two penalties that were not given becuase he knows Croatia can do much better then that and the replays show that they were penalties but Croatia can do much better then penalties.
Dujmo? World class….man what a difference he made in his 6 minutes he played…
im sorry for the spam. But Igor Stimac was also talking about our next coming games and he said that he feels good about finishing on top of the group 1st. He thinks that we have good chance and we have alot of home games at the end. The guy questioning him asked Igor Croatia not qualfiying for the world cup 2010 what would happen if Croatia does not make it to the Euros Igor replied by saying That can not happen it would be a disater for Croatia (his face was SERIOUS LOL)
late subs, poor selection of starters..ireland are unbeaten with us in 6 or 7 matches now. i agree with you dinamo.
Olic is a waste.
Srna is getting worse and worse as teh years go buy.
Vuko is bad.
I expect more from Modric.
Kranjcar was kranjcar.
I like Corlukas new hair.
Mandzu was surprisingly okay.
dudu was not good.
Lovren and simunic were good.
Olic is a waste
Hard to score when Ireland has so many players behind the ball, but goalscoring continues to be a problem (no suprise).
Im watching analyist view from the ireland channel.. i think and Stimac was the guest and another person i forgot sorry.He said that i am disapointed about the match, we seen the same Croatia for the past two years, alot of poession not alot of chance and lacks the final ball. He also went on how Modric is playing to defensivly instead of attacking. Another question was how can Croatia improve becuase Croatia has so much talented on paper, he said something about how the strikers arent making the runs behind strikes untill olic came on. He als said that he liked the last 15 minutes of the game becuase of the youngsters coming on specially iliveic.
I was only able to watch the first half until I was kicked off the computer.
Croatia seemed to play better, but whenever they had more possession, they took up too much time trying to set up players; fewer shots on goal then ensued.
Strinic's placement in the 15th minute was goldeb. Very nice. Too bad for Ireland's challenge.
Kranjcar missing two shots by a bit won't improve his chances to stay on the main Tottenham squad. I don't want him to stay as a reserve.
How was Ilicevic the second half?
I don't know why Ivan Klasnic was removed from the squad. Kinda pissed me off to be honest.
Another friendly, another snooze fest. Croatia was the much better team, Ireland weren't very consistent and I wasn't saying "Wow" at their chances. Modric was top notch, but still like to see him dribble more. Srna was painful, how is this guy our captain? He had about five awful crosses that weren't pressured. Corluka played well with his new haircut, I swear I think he does this every year with the hair.
Kranjcar had some moves, but bombed two chances away. Olic was well Olic, sorry for being evil but I was hoping he stayed down. He is such a waste on the field and just makes me sick. The guy literally had so much space for a cross but dribbled out of bounds. Kalinic isn't much better, whoever rates him high is funny. He brings little dribbling, can't really pass, and his shooting is bad. Manzo looked really lively, he made Dunne look silly twice. He needs to learn how to bend the ball though. Still he looked much better than Eduardo. We need Jelavic…
Lovern was great out there despite the missed chance. He's a centerback so I won't give him much grief. As for the penalties, well there should have been two but this is a friendly so I won't get all edgy. Croatia looked good, but it's obvious strikers are lacking and Srna's crossing was terrible. Hopefully Rakitic brings a spark and Ivo gets more looks. Ivo looked great out there, no idea why everyone is pissed no Persic. If you have me on facebook, check out my photo. It's checkered out!!
Well, that was a performance that seems to be typical of Croatia lately. Easily controlling posession, awful final balls, no pace or urgency. Would've liked to see Perisic and Pranjic. Strikers very poor (Kalinic was alright)
Olic is usless….people stop defending him
Dont understand ilicevic over perisic
what kind of tackle was that on Olic? almost broke his leg
Vukojevic is a walking yellow card 🙁
Halftime substitution predictions?
-Ilicevic or Perisic
-Kalinic
-Dujmovic
@Anon
Glad that's the first thing on your mind during the game. Are you the same person who posts about it every other day?
Modric played really well in the first half, and overall they were good. Srna cannot put in a cross, which he's usually great at. Strinic is good going forward but can't defend well. Eduardo and Mandzukic got nothing going. Offsides trap was awful as well.
what ever happen to the "big news coming for csr nation website" i thought this site was getting revamped
nvm espn 3 has got it!!! Interesting lineup so far, Manzo starting is a bit odd but Ill take it.
Allen, I'm watching it at this link.
http://atdhenet.tv/38497/watch-ireland-vs-croatia
ESPN 3 doesn't work no more… those bastards!!!
http://www.myp2p.eu/broadcast.php?matchid=125864&part=sports
you will find multiple links here. the ones that say "other" will work for you but the others like veetle and sopcast you have to have the software downloaded than you can use them.
ps. thanks anon for bringing your godly knowledge of Dujmo. Maybe he changes my mind today!!! i doubt it but you seem to have knowledge of the russian league.
Sunderland or Tottenham…sideway step either way both clubs are playing similar mid table. Tottenham may be higher now but sunderland is willing to spend for years to come so who knows…i could careless if he played at either as long as he is playing 1st team. Still think he would shine best outside the PL being around better technical players.
Well I hope Niko plays with a chip on his shoulder cause Sunderland want him!!! Steve Bruce said they like him to be there replacement. That would be a great move for him, even if they are around a top ten team. EPL is where it's at and give him two years there, then he will try to get a bigger move. With Gyan and Wickham starting up top, I think it's fair to see Sunderland has just as good if not better strikers than Tottenham minus Van Der Vaart.
I'm still with Team Rakija, esp. from the ZG/Zagorje area and those delicious sljive they naturally grow up there. Nema boljega. I can't do wine because it always gives me headaches. For me, it's: rakija, whiskey, scotch, beer, wine. When I was in Dalmacija last time, I had prošek (think I'm spelling that right) and my head is still killing me.
Svircicu,
I'm beyond down to go to a whiskey bar next time we're in LA.
loza is liquid gold – lightning in a bottle, to be enjoyed efficiently.
You never have drank good domace vino if you think 1 in 10 are decent.
Best way to go is domace vino and loza. Not together, but sperately, if they are the good stuff, no chance at a hangover.
Denis: "33-1 is good odds. i just dont see them getting past Real Madrid or Barcelona."
There are a number of teams besides Real and Barca of whom you can not get nearly as good odds compared to Dortmund. I don't bet anymore and am still learning football, this just seemed like best value on the board; plus as I'm sure you know winning $ from a futures bet does not necessarily require the team you bet on to win the final – it's called a hedge fund – alltho personally I always let it ride, which for me turned out to be beneficial in the end.
@all the drunks
What r u guys smoking, domace vino, about 1 in 10 taste decent, or maybe 1 in a 100. The rest taste like kvasina, kiselo vino. By far nothing beats those .5 liters of karlovacko, get a crate from the store and ur set. Rakija, to strong and still gag when I think of travarica. I do like the grapa.
Andrej, your opinions are average at best.
RE: Ozujsko vs Guiness
You know, there's a fantastic stout brewed in Zagreb called Tomislav Pivo. I humbly suggest it's even better than Guiness.
It will be interesting to see whom bilic lines up on the day, lets hope he gets it right. The match itself may not be important, or the result, but for the team to get some cohesion, fluency and confidence before the final four make or break group games.
I also believe Eduardo and Olic are proberbly the best pairing up front, Corluka should always be RB and Srna RM. I never imagined the hole that Niko Kovac's departure would leave, in his position and leadership. But our biggest affliction at this point is the defenceive line, with no quick fix solution foreseeable, just to get some more caps under their belts, would be a step in the right direction.
FIFA's scheduleing for this round of internationals is awful, couldnt have picked a worse time.
@ Denis – I think having Olic and Eduardo up front together would be the best. With both of their speed and vision, they compliment each other well plus it would be beneficial to see how they perform after their injuries.
@dunk bastards – no matter what we drink, we will all be having a good time im sure. 🙂
Croatia 1(Kranjcar) as he still has plenty to prove, will be highly motivated to impress Harry Redknapp
Ireland 1, as I dont trust our defense and a "flip a coin" keeper to hold the shutout.
As much as I would like to see Corluka at RB and Srna at RM, its not going to happen. I wouldnt mind Vrsaljko to start at RB as well.
This is Croatia's last friendly before their final 4 Euro qualifying matches. No time for new faces. Also, besides Modric and Srna no one has cemented a place in the starting lineup. Bilic will experiment with about 15 players or so as to who will start in September.
I really want to see Eduardo and Olic up front. Olic is coming off an injury and I want to see how fit he is. Eduardo has struggled after his injury but has shown flashes of his old self. In the second half lets bring in Mandzo and Perisic/Kalinic/Petric.
Here are my strongest 11
pleti/Runje flip a coin
Corluka, Lovren, Simunic, Strinic/Pranjic
Dujmovic
Srna, Modric, Kranjcar
Olic, Eduardo
@Andrej,
I wouldnt mind trying out Corluka at CM, but I prefer him at RB. I dont rate Dujmovic, but I dont see a replacement. I like Dujmo at CM.
@Vlad,
Yes, I think Lovren to start is a no brainer. I'm not sure about Vrsaljko. I just dont see him ready in time for the final 4 qualifiers. Simunic should still have enough juice to start these last four qualifiers.
@Ante B,
"Makers Mark and Woodford Reserve"…..
Thats like drinking Ballentine in Croatia. Hit up BevMo up north and pickup a decent $40 bottle of scotch. You wont go wrong. Next time you are in LA, I will take you to a Whiskey bar downtown. Get you a cool 6-sampler.
@Hamilcar,
33-1 is good odds. i just dont see them getting past Real Madrid or Barcelona.
@all of you drunk bastards,
Dalmatinsko domace vino is the way to go. Talk about never getting a hangover the next day. However, I don't miss the dalmatinsko vino living in Cali. Napa Valley can stack up with any wine region in the world. Chilean and Oregonian wine is very underrated and in most cases a steal as they dont have a name yet.
Rakija is too strong for me. My skinny ass gets faded real quick and then I'm done for the night.
Scotch is my liquor of choice. I have to go on a "Scotch island tour" once in my life. A light bulb just went off as I am typing this. Croatia-Scotland World Cup qualifier! Hopefully, the pound drops by then and the dollar picks up a bit.
Anon-
Lol ok you are entitled to your opinion but to question my knowledge of the sport because I don't rate dujmo makes your knowledge even lower….
He is average at best imo…sorry
As for guinness..good beer but very weak in the states. Don't mind it in irish car bombs or black and tan.
Andrej, RE Dujmovic, you just confirmed my point about your observation skills in watching soccer. No idea.
It will be tied 1-1 late in the game…
Who will score the winner? Perisic in the 85'!
——
Also, we like putting links up for the feeds as the game closes in. Just added eSPN3
——
Guinness is a very acquired taste and I love it. 2-3 pints and you're good. However, I don't know if it was me being a puss at the end of a 2-week, every night drinking, European adventure last summer, but the Guinness is WAY stronger in Ireland. With a proper pour and a nice head, nothing is better. After a pint and a half I was put on the HARP by the big boys. Didn't represent well as they all called me a Croatian cunt that night…jebiga.
badelj looks like he's out with a knock! so there goes that idea!
The game is on ESPN3.com, why isn't that listed on this page? Also, if you choose to view it on said feed, you might get asked what 'service provider' (i.e. cable or satelite co) you have and may need to set up an account with the provider to recieve the feed. Just FYI so you can prepare ahead of time.
Looking toward the game i would like to see a few thihngs.
1)lovern must start, to me this is a no brainer. only centre back playing 90 minutes every game and in a good league and good team. plus he's simply a good player, like his intensity, something lacking on our defence.
2) I would like to see vrsaljko start, big fan of this player, i think hes the real deal, i may be naieve, but i think he's the best right back we have. Thing i like about this guy also very intense, strong on the defense and not afraid to attack the final third.
I think our back line needs some life as its too soft and not mobile enough!
3) As for the so called defensive midfield position, i would like to see badelj be given a chance. Seems to me he's a very intelligent player, with a great pass, maybe one of the best pure passers on the team, blessed with average speed but reads the game very well. The thing i like when i watch him is he always seems to read off other players.
As for the kovac comment earlier, i agree we havent been the same since. I think it has to do more with because he was such a smart player, and leader where he told people where to be on the field, more than his tough tackeling skills.
Vukojevic is such a beautiful last name though; I can't quit him. I'd give him a chance based only on that. Probably not the best for the team tomorrow..
anon, the only thing i will say about dujmo is that he deserves a chance over vuko…to say i rate him as a good player i dont. He has had good games and been a ghost in some as well. I wont say anything more than that. I dont watch russian league but in NT he has been just OK.
Andrej you obviously haven't even noticed the impact Dujmovic makes on the NT. Who gives a rats ass about anything in the russian league? They have a quota for how many of their own kind is on the field at any given time. That's why Pletikosa rode the bench at the peak of his career in Moscow.
Anon 1:38 PM, that's what we've been saying here for the last couple of years. Kovac had more pace playing defensively when he retired than rookies do.
Dujmovic has a lot of speed in defence and attack. He deserves a spot ahead of Vukojevic.
rakitic and modric both in central midfield with whatever formation deployed must be stratigized.
@Ante B, I have a bottle of 1995 TOMAC-rakija bought in Croatia several years ago.
And the tomatos I speak of are picked from my garden of course – not store bought. The quality was always there, but the yeild this year would make jesus blush with envy, haha.
Can a fit rakitic play cm with modric? He plays there for Sevilla.
I'll be sipping some Cockta instead, yum.
hercegovacki loza beats all sry ppl. 2-1 cro, modric (pen.) and dudu.fantastic strike from duff for 40 metres on pleti
@Anon ^^^ LOL what???? Just saying that I drink a lot of Guinness. Did I miss something?
@Anon ^^^ LOL what???? Just saying that I drink a lot of Guinness. Did I miss something?
Colin said his "blood runs black with guiness" – guiness is a liqued food colored black (which was invented by whites); doesn't have anything whatsoever to do with knee-grows. Colin, I know that's not what you were saying, I just can't stand when people relate things that are completely unrelated; it's just utter stupidity.
Like when some jungle aboriginal savages see airplanes for the first time, and those airplanes bring food and medicine. Then the airplanes stop coming, so the savages erect replica airplanes on top of their mountain so that the "airplane god" will come back and bring more food and medicine.
form & (function), duh!
We need a rough and tough midfielder like niko kovac…notice ever since he left croatia played garbage football
Brazil Anti Antifa,
If the rakija is good rakija, you will never have a hangover…which is one of the reasons it's my #1, no hangover-ever.
You obviously know what you're talking about.
1:1 (Eduardo)
My blood runs black with Guinness, but my fridge is PACKED with Karlovacko right now. Either way, I will be drinking and watching this match. 3-1 Croatia? The half bottle of Rakija in the cabinet may play a part in that as well, depending on who's winning. 🙂
Anon,
Its not crap talking. If Dujmo is a world beater he aint playing in Russia and he isn't hold on by a string for a NT call up. He is a decent player but realistically whether he does or does not get a call up will hardly be a worry to the coach. There is an option to using him some matches outside of that he is an average player…
@Denis, what you think about borussia @ 33-1 to win the champs-league? You might want to look into that.
"Rakija trumps all"….TRUE! 'old #7' aint bad either. the best high I ever had was from a few shots of rakija under the trees at bol beach, and no come down and no hangover to boot!
Whoever talks crap about Dujomvic doesn't know anything about soccer.
Rakija trumps all, my friends. Whiskey is a very, very close second (read: Jameson, Makers Mark and Woodford Reserve).
Never was a beer man but one Tomislav Dark in Zagreb usually puts me under. I had a six pack of those huge Ozujsko bottles at a a game once and couldn't feel my toes or teeth.
Croatia 2
Ireland 1
Will have to try guiness a few more times – it seems to be an acquired taste. Croatian beer is fine, but the wine is supreme. I prefer becks all the time, and pound new castle in the winter time. The best american beer in my estimation is sam adams – which is my second or third choice overall. Thee best tho is jersey tomatos, fresh mozzerella, olive oil, salt (& pepper) – then clean up the plate with top notch bread!
Ziva,
Corluka anyway plays CB for the NT which I personally think he has been dreadful at and at club level he does not play there either. I still think he is our best RB defender and he has the skills to cut it there if anywhere in this squad but the only reason I have been saying he should be given a run at CM is because NOBODY who has played there outside of Modric has made the other CM spot there own.
Like I said though I may be completely wrong with Corluka at CM and that is fine he would join the list of people who have failed there but he moves the ball quick! He is slow runner but his vision and passing isnt. He actually tackles great for a man of his size. Currently our biggest problem is movement of the ball and it really seems that Vuko and Dujmo have had that problem as they lack everything Corluka has in his technical ability. Corluka is younger and can only get better in his skills cause he aint losing any speed. I know what the negatives are….he is slow…he cant shoot…i can go on….but that isnt the point. He is one of our best 11 I just dont see him as a CB for the NT…
In a perfect world Vukojevic and Dujmovic are bench players on the national team. They are the type of players you bring in from the bench for the final 15-20 minutes to protect a lead if you have a defensive-minded coach.
I would not be opposed to Corluka at CM, but I am always careful about playing guys in a spot they don't routinely play with their club. Some can do it at a high level and some can not. I would be inclinded to think Corluka could because I am always in favor of playing your best technical players.
pienaar is injured for several weeks.. i guess HR will not let kranjcar leave spurs now..
VDV say modric will be staying at spurs…i wonder if it is true..
anyway, i think dujmovic has made some impact for NT for last couples of games against czech and georgia.
(with one assist in each game)
Anon,
I am being logical. How is that not logical? Tell me what in the world Vuko and Dujmo or in fact any other player who has played the CDM spot has done to make it there own since Kovac? I mean its been a position that nobody even cares who gets it because nobody has been great in it.
Corluka is playing CB for us…he can't do any worse in any other position because that is not his place. Also, international play is nothing compared to PL and it really does not matter about how fast the guy is because he is still a better defender, passer, and overall better player than any other competition he has to fight with in that position! So be logical and tell me why Corluka isnt a better choice than Vuko or Dujmo? He can do NO WORSE than that of his competition.
How often does Modric get circles ran around him? He was 2nd in the PL in interceptions and I dont see to many people labeling him as too lightweight anymore. I dont think clubs like Chelsea would offer 22 to 27 mil for a lightweight pushover and as I have watched him he rarely is responsible for any defensive mistakes. As for Corluka being slow…soooooooooooooooooooo. Since when have Croatian players used speed as there main or top attributes? Never…really. Considering that only speed is his big weakness I am not to worried because with the other options that can play there they hurt us far more because A)they are slower mentally that anyway it slows down our play moving the ball and B) they are hardly close to being world beaters in there position.
Maybe Corluka fails at CM but Vukojevic, Pokrivac, Dujmovic, Leko, and others have hardly set the team alight when being given there chances…so he would just join that list! Its better to try then to sit back and watch what is failing fail even more.
2:1 Karlovacko, Ozujsko; Guinness
Petric, Kranjcar; Gibson!!
Enjoy at the Alpine Village!!
Valentina
3-0 Hrvatska
Kalinic,Eduardo and Srna
http://www.hrsport.net/vijesti/422431/nogomet-reprezentacija/bilic-probat-cemo-sto-vise-kandidata
I really hope so.
I can't wait to see this match, I always liked the Irish team.
i care more about how we look/play than the result. I think having friendlies at a time when all or most european leagues have started or about to start is just dumb on FIFA's part.
We are getting closer and closer to a situation where the top european clubs are going to launch their own super league and tell FIFA and UEFA to go screw themselves. The clubs take all the risks with these type of games but get no reward. Their players might come back tired or hurt and the clubs receive no financial reward for allowing their players to leave for national team duty. This being a FIFA date is just idiotic.
guys be logical…corluka in CM…theoreticaly I guess it would be work…strong on the ball a good tackler deccent vision….but practically hes just way to slow to play in CM…modric and charlie in CM would be defensive disaster…i know corluka has played cm in a few pre-season games and modric is improving constantly defansivly…but how how many times during the season will corluka actually play cdm? not many i guess…so id prefer vuko 🙂
as in the old 442 i mean with new faces in…so technically not the old 442 just a new look to the 442
Ante,
I wouldn't mind Kalinic and Eduardo up top either. I think they would compliment each others game to be honest. Both move well off and on the ball but my only question is the formation we are playing. I hate playing 3 strikers or even two when we are playing 4231…
I dont think outside of Eduardo anyone really is disciplined to play in that formation. Its almost like sometimes we mimic Spain and Barca but instead of it being a 433 with two interchanging players we have nobody in certain areas because we just simply dont have what it takes to play that possession play in the final third and thats where we break down. It will be really interesting to see how we can do this match. I really think we have to make some changes in the side. We are good but friendlies are there to discover new things and Bilic understands that now…or so he is making me believe. I wouldnt mind seeing the old 442 to be honest.
Jelavic has a little knee knock. At least that's what has been reported. Rangers most likely asked Bilic not to play him. And Bilic doesn't have to…just a friendly and Jelavic has been scoring. Let Kalinic play up top with Eduardo and then move Mandza in. Everyone should get 45 offensively.
He just scored against Chelsea, but let's keep him out? Is he injured?
Jelavic is out…. 🙂
No guiness, this is an outrage. That's my favorite beer all time screw that, ill celebrate a croatia win with a guinness if anything. I love the creamy taste, its top notch. As for game, Its interesting but ireland seems to be having chemistry issues. Lots of injuries and clashes in locker room. I got Croatia 2 1 here, think they step up and play a solid game. Kranjcar Jelavic magic..take it to the bank.
Should be a very good match. Ireland is no pushover and we are two teams on fairly similar levels. Tie? Not a bad result imo. Would love to see Vrsaljko from the start and corluka in cm. wishful thinking? Probably…but bilic has been experimenting and anything is possible. I think we have to move corluka out of cb his future is not there and he is better in every aspect than vuko and dujmo and we should make lovren the starter cb as he is that. Also rb is simes future and I want to see how good he is against a good side with quality players also we really need srnas qualities at rm I think he is great there. Overall those are the things that interest me the most come wednesday.