Join CroatianSports.com and Croatian Radio Program Friday morning in Downtown Los Angeles at St. Anthony’s Church for Croatia’s last match before the summer break as they take on Italy in front of an empty stadium at Poljud in Split in Euro 2016 qualifying.
We will host the watch party in the big hall which can easily fit 300 people. All are welcome and there will be no cover for the 11:45AM kickoff.
Croatia can take strangle hold of the group with a victory and maintain first place with a draw. The top two clubs automatically qualify for France next summer. When Croatia last met the Italians in Milan last November, the match ended in a 1-1 draw after multiple disturbances from the Croatian section. The game could have easily ended in a 3-0 forget for the Vatreni.
Where will you be watching the game?
Sure, let’s play guys who haven’t done anything at the club level and hand them a position on the repka. What ever happens to earning a spot. There is reason the half bosandzero won’t play, he has not earned it. His play in practice this week has not warranted playing time for the repka
http://www.ebay.com/itm/WALL-STICKERS-FOOTBALL-Soccer-Luka-MODRIC-Croatia-Wall-Decor-Vinyl-Sticker-/271520705976?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&var=&hash=item3f37e52db8#ht_2353wt_1188
I’m buying one for the jock-sniffer, Ziva.
http://www.vecernji.hr/nogomet/hajduk-bi-htio-dovesti-milica-i-roguljica-1010082
Hajduk trying to get Hrvoje Milic and Ante roguljic
Pjaca, Halilovic, or Rebic
One of them at least will become world class and take over at RW. no need to worry about the future at that position.
Heres to Olic being on the national team for 2016 Euro, 2018 world cup, and 2020 Euro lol.
We need a big game from Kovacic tomorrow, if he creates then I think we’ll be ok….Rakitic and Brozovic will have to be solid as well!
@Allen “I always felt that Croatia could maybe run a 4-1-3-2, but that would leave Perisic in an awkward situation.”
You don’t think Perisic could play a forward position, or a secondary striker role? What quality does he not have to be one? Personally, if we had better wingers, i’d play Perisic over Mandzukic.
He’s quick, strong, two footed, and good in the air…what else could you ask?
Least amount of chatter before a qualifier that I can remember on this site. WTF is going on?
@ Maminjo
To je to!
Istina !!!
Throw the talent out there because they fill a role we desperately need. Attack winger cannot hurt you, if they shit the bed sub them off or sub them on in the second half.
Azzurri will be tired physically and emotionally.
Uvijek vjerni
Two questions I’ll always pose for that hole at winger. If Eduardo never got his leg shattered or Kranjcar didn’t give up his career for ….., they would have been fine playing Olic’s spot for another year.
I had some hope for Jelavic in 2012, although that faded quickly. Jelavic-Mandzukic together up top was fun for a bit. I always felt that Croatia could maybe run a 4-1-3-2, but that would leave Perisic in an awkward situation. If only Kramaric can adjust to playing on the wing instead of being strictly a center forward. I’m just over Olic misplacing passes and not posing any sort of threat on the ball.
Perisic been Croatia’s best player through qualifiers and deserves to be put in a proper situation. I guess 4-2-3-1 is Kovac’s formation and that’s it. Here’s to Billc signing Rebic or putting out a loan for Halilovic and unleashing him.
Halilovic is already good enough to start on the wing.
Just like how Klose and Podoski were good enough to start for Germany, despite them struggling at club level. Heck, half of Mexico’s and Portugal’s players don’t play regular club football, but will get the start on their team over other players that do. If they fit into the system, then it will work.
A player like Halilovic is exactly what we need on the wing. Rebic has also showed us what we lack on the wing as well. He’s played well in every game that we’ve put him out there.
Now, we don’t have to play these two 90 minutes a game each, but absolutely at least one of them should get 15 minutes per game during all our friendlies and qualifiers (especially if we have a 37-year old non-winger starting in that role).
Perisic on one side for 90 minutes easy (nobody will dispute that), and trying out one of these two on the other. It’s a friggin’ qualifier, not the actual tournament. If these guys really struggle and begin to choke (which they won’t) then sub then out.
Halilovic will turn 20 when Euro 2016 rolls around, and if he hasn’t dethroned a 37 year old Olic from that wing spot by then, oh dear me, so much for our midfield “talent!”
So how much money did you put on Italy Ziva?
That is the thing, nobody has come along to claim that spot. Rebic has regressed. Everyone else is young and experienced and hasn’t done anyone that makes you think they deserve the chance.
true…he got injured… but that really wasn’t my question Maminjo.
I agree with everyone about him now, we need another option from what he can bring. I think his place needs to be challenged before he’s is removed from his duties….which is why I asked who can immediately step in?
@Slavonac
Re: Olić
He wasn’t part of the Euro 2012 squad, and look how well we played. He’s not some irreplaceable asset. He has both positives and major flaws that can impact the team positively and negatively. But due to his age, we MUST move on. Unless we want his final appearances with us to be as memorable as Pleti’s
Horvat, I do agree with your suggestions that they are good and could have worked…but its been years since Srna tried that position.
Srna was the best right winger Croatia has ever had when he played in that position.
I think he would do a better job taking on defenders and creating some scoring chances from the wing.
Olic is fast and works like a horse, however, he doesn’t cross the ball or create as many chances as well as Srna would.
Another option would be to use Vrsaljko as the RW and Srna behind him.
These may not be the ideal solution, however, I think they would work better than playing Olic on the wing.
???
a sta ako bude nerijesenoÉÉÉ
Uoci utakmice sa zabarima svima zelim dobar provod!
Pijte puno! Ako pobijedimo, odlicno! Ako izgubimo, alkohol pomaze!
BiH/ZDS!
Fuck…he’s being arrogant all over again, I thought he would have learned something against Mexico!
http://gol.dnevnik.hr/clanak/nogomet/kovac-split-je-vec-sada-nadmasio-moja-ocekivanja—388953.html
Srna on RW????
So, you want us weaker in another spot.
Horvat…you mentioned: “Srna is not the same player he once was, however, de’s still O.K. Better than Olic on the wing.”
can you tell me when Srna played RW in a season or a period?
I would use Srna as a RW and Vrsaljko behind him.
Srna is not the same player he once was, however, de’s still O.K. Better than Olic on the wing.
Teams always change formations, it doesn’t depend on the the beginning, middle or end of the cycle, it has more to do with where you stand in the table and who your opponent is?
I guess I want to know what formation and strategy Allen suggests…ohhh…and who should have replaced Olic 4 years ago…and where that player is today?
Name me a team that is going to chnage their formation in the middle of a qualifying cycle where we lead the group. You chnage formations and playing styles depending on the players available and the situation of the game.
If Italy scores early goals, then you switch your formation. If you are chasing the game and looking to tie it up, you change your formation. But, you don’t change a formation in the middle of qualifying when the team is in first place.
hahaha….Allen, I think your comment about the formation is fair and so is the comment about Olic, although I do not understand why. My question to you is what formation should we play, how will it benefit the team, how does it matchup vs Italy…and…who, in these last 4 years would you have played in place of Olic?
No idea what to expect from this game. It would be nice if Croatia changed their formation and tried something new. It would be refreshing to see Olic not in the starting lineup. Sadly I’ve been waiting to see that for the last four years (except Euro 2012, when Croatia played their best!).
A win would be nice, but a draw wouldn’t be the worst. If it’s similar to the game last November, where Croatia controls the ball and dictates the play. That should be a positive result, especially with no Modric and Corluka. 70 percent of my friends are Italian, so this game does mean a lot to me.
Vida-Schifo in the back is going to be interesting to say the least. Vida has looked great during the qualifiers, but Schifo is a huge question mark. Can’t remember the last time, when he played 90 minutes for the NT in a major game. It might be Euro 2012.
Wish I was in Cali. Today is the one year anniversary of that Croatia-Brazil game. What a terrible ending, but being at St. Anthony’s was incredible. Drinking the cold beer at 1130 in the morning eating cevapi. The good life.
Euro 2016, I’ll def be back unless something drastic happens and I’m in France next summer.
this morning I read the Croatian players have played more games than Italian players…Juve guys will be ready.
I wanna see a good game, I just hope we have a good plan and are mentally prepared.
@Rob………..why would the fans want to sit outside the stadium?????? Makes more sense to watch it at home or at a cafe than sitting outside the stadium with no TV.
@slavonac…….I have no clue what to make of this game. It is coming at the end of the season and we have some players who have not played in 2 or 3 weeks. Then you have Rakitic coming off the biggest high of his career. Then you have the Juve contingent and what their emotions are having to play less than a week after losing in the finals. I don’t think there is any pressure on either side. Regardless of the result for either team, both are in very good shape to qulaify for the Euros.
Italy coach Antonio Conte has suffered another injury blow after Daniele De Rossi received a knock in training on Thursday and was ruled out of the qualifier against Croatia in Split. It is the latest in a string of setbacks. Marco Verratti left the squad this morning, with Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli and Simone Zaza earlier withdrawals.
http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuro/qualifiers/news/live-coverage/liveblog=10/index.html#
I might be able to make it.
U Boj U Boj
This is looking like it will be a far different game than the first one we played in Italy. Both teams have had some key changes and while we are missing Modric, they do have Pirlo back in the line-up.
I’m not as convinced this will be an easier game. Italy have the knowledge and experience to get results and we, although on paper are the better side, have been inconsistent and do have a weakness at left back.
I am really curious to know how we will setup against them and what Kovac’s game plan will be. when we played in Italy, we maintained possession but had few good chances…we pressed their defenders up high and up until the charades in the second half, they had little momentum.
Its gonna be interesting to watch this game where the Italians have been forced to make changes due to injuries, several players have something to prove and in the media, they’ve played the “we are weaker” card, portraying themselves as the underdog. I think its bullshit and they know it, they have always played the media well…from being victims and losing in penalty shots to showing up at Euro 2012 and stating that was one of the weakest teams in recent history…its their way of relieving the pressure…
Can the fans sit outside the stadium or is there a restriction how close they are allowed to be to the ground?
Even tho this is 4.45 am Brissie time, i will be up and on the vodskies already 😉 Time to smash dem italians ! yosha !