Croatia Starting XI vs. Mexico: L. Kalinić – Vrsaljko, Ćorluka, Vida, Pivarić – Rakitić, Badelj – Pjaca, Kovačić, Rebić – Kramarić.
Croatia will face Mexico in a friendly match on American soil for the second time in 11 months when the two World Cup sides meet in Dallas at ATT Stadium Tuesday night in Arlington, Texas. The game has officially been sold out and can be seen on FS1 in the USA.
Croatian manager Zlatko Dalić has already stated that the six veteran players (Modrić, Mandžukić, Perišić, Subašić, Brozović, Kalinić) which were excused after the 2-0 Peru loss on Friday was planned all along. However, there’s more to the story than meets the eye.
It will be a foregone conclusion that Rakitić, Kovačić, Pjaca and Kramarić will start tonight for the Vatreni, but how else will Dalić play with the squad. A majority of Croatian fans would like Bayer Leverkusen’s Tin Jedvaj play on the backline as the defense is looked at to be weak with Ćorluka coming back from a lengthy injury and Lovren always giving us the Jekyl and Hyde treatment.
Rebic the good:
1) Tracked down tiny Mexicans like ICE in Oakland! Had a good motor, unlike Pjaca in this past game.
2) Was in great positions to receive the ball.
Rebic the bad:
1) If Mandzukic shot the ball like his two horrid attempts, the forum would be asking for Mandzukic’s head.
I am on record asking for Rebic prior to the Peru game, but his finishing needs to tidy up. I think it was just jitters, as he is on the cusp of getting back into the National Team’s first team.
We know he is better at finishing, as we can see in his Frankfurt games.
@The Truth-All of a sudden you like Rebitch?
Everyone is satisfied but this group failed to finish in the final third
I’m very glad Croatia won. I always tell people..Croatia? great team..great great team. I’ve always said it i always will
i think this team could had done ALOT better. hmu suker i miss u
Pjaca was disappointing and often out of position. Probably why he cannot play at Shalke.
Vrsaljko is not the best option, we have better.
Bradaric has to go. Just too clumsy.
Team is better with Rakitic or Modric but not both together. One cancels out the other.
Some good comments here, I agree with a lot what I see except the Perisic comments that he could play left wingback and we have Rebic on the wing. I’m not so sure even Perisic thinks he could uphold the defensive responsibility that goes with playing that position? Maybe, but we’ve never seen him play that role in his career…at least not that I’m aware of.
Rebic was great but I did notice his temperament can get the better of him. I’d rather see him channel his aggression in the play and not after a play or when he’s being whistled for a foul, that can end up working against him. Some emotions are good but to be throwing his arms at the refs doesn’t seem like the right type of energy and it can end up throwing him off his game.
Our guys were fearless for the most part and that type of aggression was beautiful to see! I really enjoyed watching them press the Mexicans and make them panic, they didn’t have a solution for that.
Overall it was a good game but we still have work to do. We need to convert on our chances and be more lethal in the final 3rd of the field! We are getting there but need more focus and finishing. The good thing is that we had some chances, but we need more quality to call ourselves a threat!
This was one step forward. We saw we have potential…and to me, that’s far better than the usual we’ve seen on and off for the past few years. I remember a few years ago when we played Italy in Milan, we were dominant and composed, until our fans decided to sabotage the team…I’d like to see them get to that type of confidence and then add a scoring element.
@adame
Kova je bog!!! Man he was displaying some cheeky dribbling and possession….
…………….Kramaric………
Rebic……..Modric………Perisic
……….Rakitic…Kovacic
Pivaric…Vida… ????….Vrsaljko
………………Kalinic……….
Anyone notice how Kovacic is slowly becoming more confident and is keeping possession of the ball way more than hes not. He’s facilitating nicely in the middle. Him Rakitic and Modric should be our three middies. then throw three attackers in front of them (Kramaric, Rebic, Perisic) and we’re gunna be scary. The defense,,,well there’s vida.
Number 1. As I already told you -> efficiency with Perisic position far from 2018, this came originally from my mindset.
The idea of being efficient is when everyone can covering area without worry about counter once you lose the ball!
…………A Rebic……..Kramaric…..……..
….Perisic………Modric…..…..Vrsaljko….
….……..Kovacic……….Rakitic……………
..…….Vida…….Corluka……..Jedvaj……..
…………………L Kalinic…………………..
to be honest, Rebic and Kramaric still aren’t good at their finishing when it comes to 1 0n 1 vs keeper/defender, but surely they can run faster and covering the area on time when we need a player to stand right there!
Number 2. You will not get anything unless you prove it vs a Big team like Brazil. I am waiting for the time and take a closer look how they can handle that!
Number 3. Remember about LAknat premonition…
match 1 vs Nigeria, you got upset by their cheating
match 2 vs Argentine, you like our team performance
match 3 vs Islandia, they repeat their bad habit (showing a low-level performance)
not at all. we froze at the world cup. tactically outclassed too
Isnt this Ironic or fishy that we defeated Mexico without our best player Modric Mandzukic Perisic. But at the World Cup in 2014 with our full squad we lose 3:1 to them.
Rebic very promising. another big talent. love his attitude. some poor decision making at times. can we find a player with the talent AND the focus AND the discipline AND the desire AND the brain???????????????????? please? guys? anyone want to step up and boss it?
@maminjo, Pjaca still looked good, he just faded after a while because the midfield couldn’t get him the ball in the situations he favoured. he lost 10% focus which you cannot do. but i think people should realise that tactically there was a big change from previous games. to combat the movement and possession of the mexicans, Dalic went with a super tight constricted 433 using a false 9 in kramaric and pushing the wingers high and central. demanding plenty of energy all over the pitch to press and win the ball back. what it also means however is that when the ball is won back there is very little space to play. its the opposite of how we usually play (slow and open). so when you play super quick and narrow, press high its very difficult also to keep the ball. therefore i think Dalic and all the players did very well. it was a win. thats all we need. wins. if dalic can get the right balance in terms of selection, but also in terms of tactics, to keep us lively and aggressive but also able to slow the game down and control possesssion……IF he can do that. WOW. then we’ll be a force
pjaca lost concentration and focus during the match. thats why dalic took him off. the pair of them could be seen arguing after. not arguing…but dalic explaining to pjaca and pjaca looking embarresed and shrugging his shoulders as if to deny it. it makes sense now. because when you see the talent pjaca has. i know he’s had injury problems. i love the guy, i think he is our biggest talent. but seems he lacks a little bit of that focused drive. wants the game to come to him. needs to go get it
As i predicted, this team required fresh legs and we saw the improvement with it today
Rebic was motm for me and i thought showed a lot more than pee-ass-a who i thought was a bit disappointing
Rebic was a constant threat down the side and a real physical thorn/pain in defense
Still concerning though is no real goals. This marks 270 minutes Croatia has played without scoring a real goal…. Still not a good sign
But i definitely found this game more enjoyable to watch. Was bored at the previous one
ps- Rakitic did tell his Barcelona boss to pound sand. Somebody mentioned it in the other thread, but some trolls tried to debunk it. 100% true, badass move. He knows this is likely his last run, and we can do this. Pure class on that pk too. Ochoa guessed correctly and early, but the shot was perfectly low and wide.
@Mali Ante & DannyJ- welcome aboard the BZ bus. Perisic at LB puts us as a serious contender for the 2018 World Cup.
In the past, I have steadfastly been the only one to say it, to comments like “great idea, take our best offensive weapon, and put him at Left Back.” Perisic is our most talented overall athlete. He is a perfect LB, and is pretty much the only guy who could make that transition, and thrive.
Imagine Perisic and Rebic coming at you on the left flank with Vrsaljko and Pjaca coming at you on the right.
Now a few people in this thread are actually saying we should bench Perisic? How is that not crazy?
Pivaric got away with 2 hand balls. Unintentional, but his arms were away from his body in both cases. I could see one of them having been called.
@NK Susak- I can’t believe I had to scroll that far down to read someone gove Kovacic his props. Unreal, besides Rakitic, he was man of the match. Brilliant on several occassions.
@Soul Champ- brate! Dalic will finally see the light after tonight. Rakitic, Modric, and Kovacic are must starts! Our wishes will finally come true, Kova had his NT breakthrough.
Ps- Vrsaljko is back at World Class RB level.
Ps- your boy Rog though, still in my doghouse.
@Maminjo-regarding Pjaca. Not his best game. Still needs to recover form.
@all-
Corluka was still slow, but better this game.
Vida poured it out again. To block a laser like that, with your head, and in a friendly no less. That’s my guy!
Still don’t understand how I was the only guy supporting Rakitic during our dark days last fall. The guy is good, but of course everyone sees that now.
Anybody catch that move Kovacic made to split two Mexicans in the second half? – nasty!
Does Rakitic always play that well when Modric isn’t in the team?
@Goku – didn’t know about Krovinovic, thanks. Benfica fans think he’s going to be a star.
How about that penalty against Mexico? That was one of the most flagrant I have seen in a long time, it actually looked comical. Damn, first time I didn’t see the Mexicans causing one of their typical complaint scenes – I think even they were shocked.
Wow let’s hope he rocks the boat
Who said dalic asked perisic to play LB?
He should and leave rebic up front
Pjaca on the right
Remember when peeps thought rebic was washed up
Glad he found his way again
Would love to see halilovic go the same route
btw nikola moro is out for the season too after their u21 game vs moldova
https://www.24sata.hr/sport/gotova-sezona-nikola-moro-pretrpio-je-stravicnu-ozljedu-566496
@Bobby V Hopefully the young players you named make it but i think they were all out because they had U21 qualifiers. Krovinovic is out for the season with an injury unfortunately
Apologies if it’s been mentioned, however today’s line up/effort/win has a lot of similarities with the Spain euro 2016 match, where we won.
A lot of heart, with youngsters.
U boj!
Dalic has finally come out and said what, I think, we have all been waiting to hear:
Što sam rekao Meksikancima? Da nam nije bilo šest igrača, ali da su ovi bolji. I to doista mislim. Pokazali su da nitko u momčadi više nije siguran, da dolaze mlađi. Godinama imamo sjajnu momčad, ali nemamo rezultat. Hoću naći rješenje –
Thank God he’s open to change – to the young talented players with speed and desire. Only Modric and Perisic were missing from the six who left after the game in Miami.
The only other issue I’d like to see him raise are the positions 18-23 on the WC roster. How about Caleta-Car, Sosa, Krovinovic and Halilovic and Brekalo? Enough with Cop, Santini, etc. The aforementioned 5 bring the same type of youth, speed and desire we saw tonight.
If Dalic truly thought that this was his second team and the Mexican coach was truly upset that he thought this was not Croatia’s best, then the few of us predicting that this would be a better side than the one in Miami know more than both coaches.
I mean, is this actually possible, or did Dalic absolutely know this team tonight would be his better side and let a few of those selected for the Peru game purposefully play themselves out of a starting position.
Im the first to be hard on kovacic, but thought he played well. Was very calming with the ball and got us out of a few hairy situations. Pivaric was ok, which is pretty good for him. Rakitic stepped up big time and played like a veteran should. Rebic reminds me of Olic and at times is too fast for his own good, but definately puts teams on their heals. He had some horrendous touches in 2nd half but not worried about that.
On another note, I was at both games in Miami and Dallas and knew we would be outnumbered both. Just didnt realize how bad it would be. I understand times are tough and money is an issue, but the lack of diaspora support was disappointing.
Professor Amadeus LAknat’s Assertion:
1) when everyone badmouthed to Modric before and see nobody today can deliver the ball properly!
2) when people expecting some players such as Pjaca Kramaric Rebic and see them not even better than U-21 Brekalo Halilovic in their recent performance!
3) Today 1-0 triumphing of Mexico more likely to turn down the present of The God of Halilovic, and sticking with the current squad until WC begin! aka – Nothing Changes –
here is my rate for our 2 days friendly ->
Danijel Subasic ——- [4.5]
Lovre Kalinic ———– [6]
Domagoj Vida ———– [5.5]
Sime Vrsaljko ———— [7]
Zoran Nizic ————— [5.5]
Vedran Corluka ———- [5]
Ivan Strinic —————– [4]
Tin Jedvaj —————— [6]
Josip Pivaric ————— [5.5]
Luka Modric —————- [7]
Ivan Rakitic —————– [6]
Milan Badelj —————- [5.5]
Marcelo Brozovic ——— [3.5]
Marko Rog —————— [5.5]
Mateo Kovacic ————- [6]
Mario Pasalic ————— [4]
Filip Bradaric—————- [5]
Mario Mandzukic———— [4.5]
Ivan Perisic ——————- [5]
Nikola Kalinic —————- [4.5]
Andrej Kramaric ————- [4.5]
Marko Pjaca —————— [4.5]
Duje Cop ———————- [5]
Ante Rebic ——————– [4.5]
I feel so sorry for this, but we would be annihilated by the super teams like German Brazil Spain if we still perform like that 🙁
remember LAknat almost right (88% for his accurate)
Once again the obvious is really obvious.
Throw the old players out of the squad.
@Iggy , Cro plays brazil and senegal before the world cup
But on a serious note…that first half was great with the wing play…perisic get ready boi.
GUYS IT WAS ALL A FLUKE AGAINST PERU… GREAT WIN VS MEXICO…CROATIA IS WINNING THE WORLD CUP FOR SURE!
Mandzo would be useful off the bench if we ever have a lead and want to maintain it by resorting to a bunker (and have our striker be involved in the defence).
He’s still got a great header…but the big problem is the fact that we don’t play that game and do not make our strikers the focal point of our offense.
This is why neither Kalinic nor Mandzo can start for us up top. Kramaric doesn’t need any focus. He comes back and links up with our midfielders (as if he was playing midfield).
The only difference between him and them is that he has the testicles to take a shot on net.
^^^^^ i agree
Wouldn’t it be great if Mandzukic was just left home for the world cup, my god that would make the team so much better. Him and his rugby wrestling bullshit, constantly crying at the ref, falling on the ground, acting, it’s actually despicable to watch this guy anymore, I can’t fucking take it.
we have pjaca, rebic, perisic, and even halilovic and vlasic as natural wingers. If mandzu ever plays winger again….
Mam:
I watched the game and thought Pjaca was pretty good, he didnt worry about his injury and slid in to tackle ppl
he was also aggressive and full of flair up front
that’s my assessment, i could be wrong, but that’s how i saw it
The least likely change is the goalkeeper change.
Subasic will start, even though Kalinic is probably better now.
Unless Subasic gets injured, or loses his starting spot at Monaco AND makes a ton of errors in our remaining friendlies…he will start.
Not a big deal. We have other starters in Kalinic, Mandzukic, Lovren, and potentially Brozovic and Strinic that we have to replace in the starting eleven.
Well a couple things i took away from the game. Rakitic still good nevermind the pk i coulda scored that but he played well. The most important is kalinic has to be oùr goalkeeper now! Love subasic and stuff but lovre reminded me of a calming general back there. Aka. Young buffon. Gotta start in Russia!
How did Pjaca play? (you stupid fucks)
3 mexican players went down with injuries..bad news for them and not sure if they were key players.
Kvartuc, is there really more to the story though? Honest question. I could be wrong but everything I read says there isn’t more to the story and it was decided well before who would go home.
Once again, as I previously predicted, pace and youth was the ticket to victory. Just call me Nostradamus.
Very, very encouraging performance here
makes me happy
Good stuff, Dalic just needs to somehow sort out the best from the rest and we’re cruising
Now let’s all hope Coric wins and makes it 2 semis in a row in the fine US of A 🙂
How was Pjaca this game btw?
He was pretty much subbed off once I tuned in.
I like this Mexican rivalry we have now.
We lost to them twice in World Cups…but (for some reason) these Mexicans value friendlies just as much as tournament games, and they can’t seem to ever beat us in friendlies.
I think we’re beaten them four times in friendlies without even trying, lol.
I would LOVE to see guys like Pjaca, Rebić, Kramarić be on our starting line up ..then we bring on guys like Mandzukic and Perisic on later in the game off the bench.
It would really show the depth of the team and send a message to opposition.
Good win for morale!
Guys are trying to avoid injury now.
Kovacic looked poised to make a slalom run, but saw a hard tackle coming and let the Mexican have it (as he jumped over him).
No point in pushing this further. But yea, it would’ve been great to see this lineup with Perisic and Modric included.
Pasalic combines the speed of Kranjcar but with none of the skill lol. Overall, I was happy with the first half.
We should be winning by more for sure
but let’s keep this in context
it’s a friendly to fuck around
pretty good result and performance so, can’t complain
looking good so far
do we have any more friendlies before the ones like in the week of the WC ? that’s the bigger Q? Can we arrange some friendlies in the next 2 months ?
If Kramaric becomes our starting striker, I’m happy.
Dalic can fuck up the rest of the lineup all he wants, but the biggest impact for us is Krama starting up top. He honestly makes us 50% better.
Lol, our offense has been effectively destroyed by Cop and Pasalic.
Probably could be 2-0 by now otherwise.
Yeah agree maminjo
imagine if we had the best of the departees and also the best of this team?
Would’ve been an awesome performance
pretty good overall tho either way so can’t complain too much
at least we know the B team is really quite good
Yea, this game is hindered by the fact that Dalic just wants to let the remaining bums on our team play.
Bradaric, Cop and even Pasalic should probably not be on the National Team. Pasalic is still young, so I’d only call him up as a 23rd player.
Bradaric is really bad lol
Pasalic could have taken a sip of coffee and then shoot!
YO PASALIC i could seriously have finished that
fuck me
LOL, Mexico’s coach was pissed before the game cause it was a lose-lose situation for him.
If they lose, draw or barely beat Croatia without its best players…it’s a failure. They would have to win convincingly to satisfy the massive home crowd.
Mexico goes through coaches like a HNL team. Wouldn’t even be surprised to see this guy fired lol.
i was watching HRT news yesterday – and the mex coach was saying oh what’s the point of playing HRV when they dont have their best players
well, here’s the point, fella, our b team is gonna beat ur a team so just simmer down
LOL @ Pog totally racist yet hilarious joke 😉
I wish Nizic started this game. He could have potentially shown something.
Dude is probably hungry for a contract and has great physical traits for a CB.
yeah it does look like we’re trolling now with those guys on the field, must admit
Maybe they were accounting for how many Mexicans can fit in there? 😉
LOL, Duje Cop in the game.
With Cop and Pasalic in there, it looks like we’ll be nice and sterile in attack.
Rakitic takin a well deserved rest, good job new el capitano
Nizic for old man Charlie.
This is a backline for the future!
79,128 fans…official word just came out. I thought this place could hold 100k…i don’t understand where else they could put 20k.
Looks good to me.
Made a run to the goal line to draw that pen.
Only caught the last 30 min….How’s Jedvaj been playing?
Pasalic for Rebic.
Time to lock it down.
Be nice to send home 99,800 fans unhappy.
BASTARD @ Pog
😉
hehe
but yeah a well deserved lead
this team looks good man
BEAUTIFUL!
HAHAHA!
Beat ya to it Iggy. 😉
GOALLLL GOALLLL GOALLL GOALLL GOALLL RAKITIC RAKITIC RAKITIC RAKITIC
to quote the spanish commentators LEL
RAKETAAAAAA!!!
GOL GOL GOL GOL GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!
Jedvaj earns a penalty!!!
PENALTY FOR SURE
PENALTY!!!
http://www.soccerjumbotv2.me/1/ch-3.html
This is what I’ve been using.
The game turned off on my satellite…wtf?
Mandza and Kalinic are only as good their service. Krama, Rebic and Pjaca can take you one v one with pace.
Remember dudes, recent results:
Iceland 0 – 3 Mexico
Iceland 1 – 3 Peru
Argentina 1 – 6 Spain
Serbia 2 – 0 Nigeria
Looking good for us in our group tbh !
Pretty sure I’m not imagining it…
Yeah where’s Kovacic?!
This should be a perfect game to put your stamp on.
Nice and open.
Probably Poglavnik but I’ve never seen him play while he was in Croatia.
bit of friendly fire there, i think jedvaj kneed l.kalinic in the head, sigh
Kovacic is nowhere to be seen!
Mandza played a lot of right wing for Dinamo and HNS early.
pivaric actually looks decent this game. pjaca had some good passes, kramaric should have finished, rebic is fast strong and running around like a madman. rakitic looks to be doing better without modric. overall first half looked good, just the finishing was horrible.
Haha…Mandzukic isn’t a winger but plays there with Juve cause they have several scoring options. I’d never play him on the wing with Croatia, I feel Dalic made a mistake with his lineup vs Peru!
Pivaric did frustrate Vela a few times, I hope he keeps playing that style!
Rebic did more in this first half than Mandzukic ever did on the wing in his entire career.
I say we try Rebic on the left and Perisic on the right. Not his best position but he is still good on the right.
hehe. wow. now that is what i’ve been waiting for. dont pay any attention to the missed chances, that what happens when you dont have a settled team and style of play. its fresh so its a little bit off the cuff. but the aggresion is there. the trust in team mates. the 1 – 2 play. the pressing. the running. loving pivaric at LB, he’s showing some serious aggression and confidence. even rakitic is awake!! this is so good. come on guys. win 5-0….
Agreed Bobby V
Rakitic best player on the pitch, Rebic causing trouble, Kovacic needs to get more involved.
I gave Ante the link to the game and he didn’t post it, obviously as he’s at the game lol.
FUCKKKkkkkk…Badelj is injured rip
hey
Much better play, but just missed opportunities. Better speed and attack than vs Peru!
Pretty good half.
Better than the Peru game and 2014 vs Mexico.
I’ve sprained my huge cock looking at this match so far as it’s been pretty good ! hehe
Badelj looks to have sprained his knee.
Our forwards are fucking terrible!
Couple of good counter attacking chances if only they had a first touch on em. This feed is tiny but I’m pretty sure that was Kramaric on both.
I’m happy we’re playing well at 0-0. I hope Vrsaljko is fine and he’s not injured however the only negative thing I will say is Rakitic is only still here because his wife probably wanted to do more shopping in Miami. Ok I’m done, I wont say anything else that’s negative.
Jedvaj in for an injured Vrsaljko
Yeah it’s a pity we didnt play either of these games with the best midfield AND the best forward combo
but this is good to see, at the very least these guys’ enthusiasm should light a fire under the arses of the guys who started v peru
btw speaking of Peru they did finish 3-1 over iceland
Perisic as a wingback on the left may not be a bad idea…
^ ^
Agreed!
Perisic isn’t in my shit-books yet but Rebic looks good in his place.
It’s amazing when you add some speed and some hungry players will do. This Rebic, Kramaric, Pjaca combo looks good. We do need to figure out this left back situation…
Mandzo perisic and kalinic need to ride the bench in the World Cup. Pjaca Rebic and Kramaric are firepower. Kovacic Modric and rakitic in the middle.
Yeah the Spanish ones great.
Just don’t forget to yell PU-TOOOOO after every goal kick.
God dayum if we could finish we could already be up 2-0
missed chances from Krama and Rebic, but they’re looking alive which is great to see
Yeah Rebic and KRama are looking WAY more lively than the team in the last game
we’re looking heaps better already, dominating even with the away ground disadvantage
looking good, impressed so far
rebic doing more in the first 10 mins than perisic did in the whole game vs peru
with a free HD quality
https://goo.gl/GA5dcz
Aaaaand a Mexican just tore his ACL…
We’re starting to come to life though.
Already looking better than against Peru.
yeah u got it pog, that’s the site to go to
unfortunately the english link is dead on my end but the spanish one is good quality so it’s not so bad overall
Yeah sorry guys, my link-posting is not showing up as those comments are being moderated so i can’t post u a direct link
what i can say is if u search reddit soccer streams
pick croatia game at reddit and pick the most uprated stream (the english one doesnt work – only spanish does, sorry) it will work
Found my link on “reddit soccer streams”
Thanks Iggy!
Kalinic woulda buried that..
Looks like the field is tilted.
i did post a link but it isnt coming through
maybe Ante needs to mod the comments, i’ll try in the next comment (if it appears)
KRAMARICCCCCcccc…good cut poor finish
Anyone with a link please?
god they nearly scored off yet another astray backpass
our defence is shakier than Vrsajlko after cocaine withdrawals
Any one have a stream link to the game.
anyone with link?
hvala!
Peru beating Iceland 3-1 late in the game btw
To be fair to Kalinic in the huge game that mattered vs Greece, Crnkovic is right, he back-heeled set up the pass for the goal and then side-foot flicked it in himself so he has his moments.
I prefer Krama but jesus Slavonac ive never seen u so harsh on a dude who, tbh, still has his moments and isn’t a complete waste of space haha
Any good streams yet? Idemo’s was great last time
my guy at the savez told me slavonac has personal beef with kalinic
I’m not negative, I see the good in most players but when there are expectations and the same guy over and over disappoints then I have to call it like it is. I watch Italian soccer every week, I follow Juve, Napoli and AC Milan…sometimes Inter just because of Perisic ( I’m not a fan of Brozovic although I do realize he has his strengths)!
I enjoy observing how players move off the ball and with the ball. I see their value in many aspects, not just in goals or assists…I’m pretty fair.
When you describe Kalinic, I know why you say those things but I also look at his effectiveness and lack there of. He’s not dangerous EVER, not one on one, in the box, outside the box, back to the goal, facing the goal…he is a streaky player that hasn’t had a streak in over a year…and you seem to find that needle in a haystack?! I’m a realist!
You describe his as having “silky first time backheel”, dude, what are you saying? He’s played his entire life, how else should it be? Is his backheel more silky than someone else’s? You said he has great movement off the ball….answer this: does he ever get to the ball first? HARDLY!!!
Olic was criticized more than anyone I’ve ever known and I always saw his value! Mandzukic always made himself a presence in his prime, Dado Prso was a smart and skilled player, Dudu was a clear poacher and goal scorer, how do we define Kalinic? A streaky player that hasn’t scored in months, his last streak was over a year ago, he can’t get to a through ball, he flops, he struggles…where do you see what your seeing? From a few glimpses? Is that how we base a player nowadays? From a once in every 4 or 5 or 6 games situation?
The proof is in his results, not in your opinion. Players like Suker could sleep for ‘89 minutes but he’d get you that goal in the 1 minute he woke up, Kalinic doesn’t do that, he doesn’t do much of anything.
I prefer kalinic to mandzukic
Even in this last game, kalinic had a couple dangerous moments in front of goal even with little service
He scored one that was called off
And deflected another one on target
I trust his goal scorer instinct over others. Let’s not pretend we have Ronaldo and messi sitting on the bench behind him
Hopefully he was giving Kalinic a chance but then saw how he went and now will use Krama moving forward, let’s hope. Krama by far looks our most lethal striker
i can’t pick a lineup i seriously have no clue who is left in the squad at this point lol.. let’s hope we do better than iceland did vs mexicans
good thing is everyone in our group is doing shit not just us
Iceland getting flogged, Argentina being humiliated, Nigeria losing to Serbs
maybe our group is just full of no hopers LOL
just kidding! But it’s good that the others are struggling too! WE simply have to be less shit than 2 of the other times and we’re good fellas; we’re good !
lineup as expected, lets now hope its a 4-2-3-1 and not 4-4-2
nice line up. can’t wait
How Kalinic started over Kramaric in the Peru game blows my mind.
L. Kalinic…Vrsaljko…Corluka…Vida…Pivaric…Rakitic…Badelj…Pjaca…Kovacic…Rebid…Kramaric lets go!
Illyrians 3 Mexico 1
slavonac i share your frustration with the guy..with many of them. they look like such a bunch of losers half the time, it really does my head in
kalinic 3 goals tonight. or did dalic send him home already?? hahahaha…
the thing with kalinic. he needs plenty of energy around him so that he can pick his movements in the shadows, suddenly bang he scores, where did he come from? the same with rakitic. the same with mandzukic. they need energy around them then they can pick the holes. for example put kramaric and pjaca either side of kalinic up top and see which player of the 3 scores a couple. if on the other hand perisic has to start, then i’d rather have kramaric and/or pjaca before kalinic because YES the are simply much better players. but then i rate them both very highly from day 1
bale vs kalinic? ok i take bale
confidence. the guy lacks it, also the squad has a funny dynamic. they dont seem to give each other confidence. they seem to drain each others confidence. when you look at some of the comments on this site i’m starting to realise that there is a massive negativity issue with croatians in general. in the blood or in the culture. like ziva always used to call the players mental midgets, but there he was making gloomy predictions the whole time, proving that the mental midgetry isnt confined to the repka roster but is more a national pastime. As for losing my credibility Slavonac, it’s not going to happen. I give analysis. you can take the analysis and stay ok but you still wouldn’t have him in the team because of a, b or c. but until someone can show that my analysis is wrong…I’m saying kalinic has some excellent qualities. he’s never going to be a harry kane or an aguero or a lukaku. i’m not surprised gattuso doesnt like him. gattuso likes fighters. i think a lot of people on this site also favour more physical attributes. probably due to the north american cultural influence. when i first posted on this site i remember having a debate with someone who was saying that bale is superior to modric, i was saying no way modric is the superior player. bale only looks amazing if you miss the subtleties of the game. i think that may even have been you Slavonac? tell me i’m wrong…. ;_)
Kalinic had a decent few seasons in Ukraine and one in Italy, I wouldn’t call him much of anything but a second rate attacker. Ukraine league is nothing special, even though Srna played there, he (Srna) was a much better player and should have tried a higher league.
Flick ons and back heels are nice when they work but when you don’t create, cause turnovers or score you have nothing…and that’s exactly him!
If Dalic was playing him to demonstrate how shorty he really is then great but if his intentions are to start Kalinic then give me Cacic (kidding)!
We need some lethal attacking. Our team thrives on possession and we need players that create and score in the last 3rd of the field.
I’d rather see younger players in the squad that push forward and create than watch the ball switch from side to side without any chances created.
If the goal is to play down the wings then get someone in the box that can score…I see no reason to keep playing players that aren’t doing much when we have a few in the bench that can do something.
Kalinić is a good cherry picker who always looks to beat the offside trap. Problem is, this becomes less useful on a team that generally dominates possession (no offside trap to beat).
He’s an odd striker because he has good technical skill and yet he’s clumsy at the same time.
It’s really frustrating to see a guy capable of nice flicks, cheeky passes, scoring backheels…yet losing the ball at his feet regularly out of sheer clumsiness.
“constant look of disappointment” hahahaha
Nikola kalinic was in form at fiorentina and scored some important goals for us, but milan just didnt work out for him. crnkovic is right though, kalinic’s positioning is legit, also his flicks are a joy to watch.
vlasic nutmegs the goalie off a header lol…
https://streamable.com/rjxts
He’s a professional soccer player, they have to be able to do something at one time or another but there’s a reason as to why they’ve been sending him to China for the past few months…you need to watch him more!
Gattuso just kicked him from the squad last game…not only is he useless but he doesn’t add any element to the overall game.
Crnkovic, we can pick any player and find a few good spots during a game, you are losing credibility bro…Kalinic is shit and most Italians say he is as well!
I’m not gonna waste my time and argue with what you think you saw….in crucial moments, he doesn’t do the job and he flops like a fucking flap jack!
Kalinic is terrible! Anyone that tries to say otherwise is just lost and doesn’t see the game.
Croatia U-21 squad beat Moldova today 4-0 and remains 3 points behind Greece for first in the Euro qualifying group. Two goals from Nikola Vlasic.
..his flick to score against spain last euros. first 5/10 minutes against peru he pulled off a beautiful first time flick to release modric in midfield. modric put him through later but he messed up the chest control under pressure. ok but his movement off the shoulder of the defender created the chance…kalinic IF he can get some confidence is a player who could have a great world cup. a player who can score goals in a game PLURAL. he needs some confidence
Mexico starts paying for the Wall tonight!
nikola kalinic has great movement off the ball. i watched the whole peru game again. he lost the ball a few times but on each occasion it was his perfectly timed movement which allowed the pass to him in the first place. he also has a silky first time back heel flick which he pulls off at least 2 or 3 times a game, either to unlock space or to score. it was his movement and flick which created the move which lead to his goal against greece and his flick which finished it. 2 seperate flicks, one great goal. he is a subtle player. he doesnt have aggression or personality, but he is an intelligent striker with good off the ball movement and an exquisite touch at times. he is still our best 9. lay off him. watch the game more closely
Livaja has a lot of potential, he always did…but his attitude screwed him.
Yup
By retard who plays in greece did you mean Livaja?
@CiganJeCigan
I think Serbia did us a favor today.
Nigeria does play a random style of football. Their ‘palm wine’ football relies a lot on speed, box to box running, technical ability and individual decisions made in the moment.
This style of play is dangerous in the sense that it is wildly unpredictable, and they can score off an error or a lucky bounce and beat us in that opening game. The worse news is that this style of play is not really sustainable or consistent, so they can easily get trounced 3-0 the next game (giving our other group opponents a points advantage against us).
The reason why the Serbs did us a favor is that this style of football is effective only when played with a lot of confidence. Since the Nigerians seem to think us and the Serbs play the same (which we do not at all) they will approach us the same…and now they will probably be more hesitant and less confident against us since they have this 2-0 loss as a reference.
I didn’t watch this game, but my guess is that the Serbs were a bit physical, didn’t play with any creative flair, and (as per your post) really took advantage of deadball situations.
Ok sorry guys!
I’ve wanted to like Nikola Kalinic but he just deflates me with his constant look of disappointment! The guy is late to every single pass, he’s so damn shitty in front of the net and he looks defeated…all game long! I know he had decent form in Fiorentina but to me. He should have stayed there and not fucked with what he had going.
I swear I’d rather have some U21 kid or even that retard who plays in Greece ( his name escapes me), at least he fights hard and is competitive.
Krama may be selfish but I don’t mind that from a striker, that’s ok by me.
I’m hopeful we see Krama with Pjaca and Rebic on his wings tonight! It would be nice to see these guys work hard and give us fans something to feel positive about!
I like Lovre Kalinic, I think he’s a decent goalie but needs more experience.
I think we’re gonna get belted 3-0, sorry to say guys!
@Slavonac
I don’t think there is a single person who posts on this site that actually advocates for starting Nikola Kalinic. Most of us (if not all of us) want him glued to the bench permanently.
If you ever see anyone write that Kalinic should be starting, they are referring to Lovre Kalinic.
@Slavonac from Canada
Kramaric needs to start!! Period!
I’ll answer your question with another question:
Why was Kalinic even called up? He does not even have a team.
Slavonac, I think they mean Lovre starting, not Nikola. Mexico will be a tough opponent today; they always play well as a team unit.
Kramaric makes way more happen
He needs a legit shot
Rebic pjaca kramaric up front really like to see
Throw perisic back at lwb Like whoever keeps suggesting
This pivaric strinic gong show needs to stop
I didn’t watch last game tho some said strinic was ok??
If vrsaljko went to the left side who would go to the right?
by Corluka’s best moment at LB did u mean his little run and dribble vs Turkey in the 3-0 away win? He scored a goal that game too tho keep in mind.
Anyway Coric won in 3 v Shapolalovalovalovalov
so we have avoided a trifecta of losses today! Yay team! 😉
@Rafael
And Icardi.
They’ve got an embarrassment of riches up top.
Let’s be real serious here for a minute! Seriously!
Tell me what exactly gives Kalinic merit to start? Don’t bring up Mandzukic…just talk about Kalinic!
He’s so damn shitty I have no clue wtf any of you are talking about?!?!
And I forgot Dybala didn’t play either! The Mexico test will be in front of 100,000 Mexicans. Good for the team and we test ourselves without Modric. We know what we have with Luka. Testing the squad without him is positive.
Very curious to see if he tries Vrsaljko on the left. I watched Jedvaj a couple of weeks ago and he looks good but not yet a complete package. Injuries have been an issue for him though. I definitely don’t want to see Vida or Corluka back on the wing positions. Although, Corluka’s greatest moment may have come while playing LB for those who remember it.
I still don’t understand why Brozovic and Kalinic were let go while Rakitic stayed behind. Everyone else I can understand but those three decisions baffle me. I just hope that Kovacic and Kramaric force their way back into the starting line up.
Well it will be a test for those tonight looking outside the starting eleven
I’m excited to see some new blood replace stale legs. Beware of another Estonia situation though
Argentina had no Messi, Aguero, Di Maria, Lanzini. Romero their GK got injured after the 1st goal. I wouldn’t judge Argentina based on today.
Hrvatska ties the Mexicans 1-1.
Regarding Messi, he will also be beat down by the end of Barcelona’s quest for 3 titles. Argentina is collectively shitting bricks that he doesn’t get injured. I don’t want him to get injured, but if he does, a “great” team should be able to survive the loss of their best player.
Will be interesting to see if Dalic starts Vrsaljko on the left again. Much easier to find a decent RB replacement.
Agreed Bobby V, but we were pretty horrible against Peru. Arg had their likely starting 11, less Messi so I’d be pretty worried if I was them.
Two teams in our group looked poor today – Argentina got their asses handed to them by Spain 1-6 and the Serbs outplayed Nigeria. Friendlies or not, things looking better for us already.
I watched the serbia vs. nigeria game.
Nigeria looks a bit all over the place. the players are prone to dumb decision making. They have speed and some players have nice footwork. They do have the ability to string together multiple passes and when they do manage to get the ball in the attacking third, they can be dangerous.
Serbia’s defense is better than ours. Serbia’s two defensive mids do their jobs well. they’re attacking players are decent. serbia have a more aggressive play style when attacking, they seem to usually get the shot off and they don’t excessively pass the ball around like we do. We use modric and rakitic to play the ball out while they ping the ball up from their back four.
Not sure if Serbia is amazing on corners or Nigeria is just really unorganized, probably a bit of both. Serbia scored in the first 15 minutes off a corner, the ball went over the line but the referee didn’t see it.
Cilic lost disappointingly, Coric is up one set to love tho so hopefully we dont have a trifecta of losses today in the States lol
Serbs 2 up on Nigeria.
Also the boys looked jazzed. Team spirit looked high. Dalic was happy and hilarious to be honest… Suker kept running around yelling about the dallas cowboys and rodeo drive… Definitely hittin’ the slivo
Just met the team at hotel Adolphus. Dalic said 4-2-3-1. I think it will be
………………….kalinic………………
Vrsaljko..corluka..Vida..pivaric
…………kovacic…..badelj……….
Rebic……….rakitic……….pjaca
………………..krama………………
Got pics to prove. What lot is the friggin’ party at?
Croatia 1:3 Mexico.
Sorry to be a sour puss, but I just don’t see any fight or spirit in this team at this time. This USA excursion is little more than a holiday for this lot.
@crnkovic
i like ur lineup. although i want to see rog play i would rather have badelj start so we can see how well kova-badelj midfield works.
kalinic; jedvaj, corluka, vida, strinic; rakitic, kovacic, rog; pjaca, kramaric, rebic