Germany
Ivica Olić continued what Mladen Petrić started last week for Hamburger SV; and that’s scoring another fantastic goal for the BundesLiga side. With the match tied at 1-1 in the 74th minute, Olić ripped a shot from the corner of the penalty box which beat the Werder Bremen goalie high and far for the 2-1 win.
As much as I love seeing the two play well for HSV as they have been scoring fantastic goals recently, it crushes me to know that they can’t duplicate their efforts for Croatia. Call it stage fright or call it the BundesLiga being over-valued, but the Olić-Petrić combination just hasn’t cut it for Croatia.
Any thoughts on this? I mean look at this goal. Has Olić ever scored a goal like this for the Vatreni?
In other German BundesLiga news, Ivan Rakitić was back in action for Schalke playing the full 90 minutes as they beat Borussia Monchengladbach 3-1. ‘Crazy’ Joe Šimunić received yet another yellow card in Hertha Berlin’s 3-2 win over Bochum and Robert Kovač served the last game of his suspension for receiving a red card 2 weeks ago. Borussia Dortmund beat Karlsruhe 1-0.
Netherlands
Danijel Pranjić did not score a goal for his SC Heerenveen side as the whole club went cold in a 6-0 loss to Twente Enschede. Pranjić has been playing fantastic ball for his Dutch club who now sit in 9th place and 7 points behind Eredivisie leaders AZ Alkmaar.
Dario Cvitanich is still nowhere to be found. He has not even been placed on the available substitution list for Ajax in recent weeks when Klass Jan Huntelaar has been unable to play, which surprises me. Can you say ‘BUST’ ladies and gentlemen?
England
Eduardo return talks are really heating up now. He has been involved in light training exercises but Arsene Wenger released Monday that Eduardo is expected to join Arsenal teammates in full training in as little as a week. We all know that Arsenal desperately needs a morale boost; and hopefully Eduardo can give it to them when he finally makes his return.
Vedran Ćorluka helped Tottenham get back on track with a clean sheet 1-0 win over Blackburn on the weekend. Vedran of course played his usual 90 minutes while Luka Modrić sat out due to a minor knock he received in the Spurs previous game.
All the critics said Modrić was too small to play in the Premiership and now I’m starting to see that everything they said is quickly unfolding. Hopefully he’s gotten all of his nerves under control playing under the bright lights of Britain and will come out strong in 2009 for Tottenham. I don’t want to be hearing “MODRIĆ TO SIT OUT DUE TO MINOR KNOCK” again in the near future. I’d like to see him grow and prosper in the Premiership but I fear that anymore minor knocks will have him out the door.
France
Darijo Šimić and Nikola Pokrivač both played the full 90 for Monaco in an important 3-0 win over Le Mans to keep them well-clear of the drop zone.
Ivan Klasnić played 74 minutes for Nantes but could not muster up a goal as they lost 1-0 to Nancy. Klasnić has not yet scored this season for Nantes and has only 1 assist in 11 games. We can now officially put him on “BUST” alert after leaving Werder Bremen for the French league this past transfer window. Ouch!
Vedran Runje posted yet another shutout for Lens as their stint in French Ligue 2 looks to only be for one season as they currently lead the table. Looks like that pinky finger is doing fine Vedran. Maybe we’ll see you between the pipes in a couple months in Andorra?
Italy
Igor Budan started for Palermo but only played the 1st half before being subbed at halftime in a 1-1 draw to Bologna. From all that I’ve seen in my soccer days, a striker being subbed at halftime is not a good sign. So stay tuned on a possible move for Budan in the upcoming winter transfer window. Keep your eye on the ball Igor and you should be fine.
Russia
Ivica Križanac and his Zenit St. Petersburg club put 3 past Stipe Pletikosa and Spartak Moscow for a 3-1 win. You can’t really blame Pletikosa for any of the goals. The Spartak defense is horrible. But from goals scored against Pletikosa in this game as well as the last battle with England, it looks like players have figured Stipe out and shoot low and far when they have the chance. Pletikosa simply can’t get down fast enough.
Check out Križanac’s blunder on defense which leads to Spartak’s only goal.
Vlad,
I’m not to sure what you mean by “first team and second team” when you have Eduardo, Modric, Vukojevic, and Pokrivac on both teams.
Also, what about Kranjcar. Despite his struggles on Croatia, he deserves a first team place. Rakitic has struggled and can’t even hold a place in the Schalke squad. I like Pokrivac, however, he needs time. If he doesnt start at Monaco, no more than a bench spot on Croatia.
WC2010 Croatia
goal
Runje, Pletikosa, Subasic
defenders
Corluka, Krizanac, Simunic, Srna
midfielders
Vukojevic Pranjic
Modric Kranjcar
strikers
Da Silva Petric/Olic
or 2nd team
Subasic
srna corluka Krizanac simunic
Vukojevic pokrivac
Rakitic Modric pranjic
Da silva
This would be my 2010 world cup team
Runje
Corluka Krizanac Simunic Seric
Vukojevic Pokrivac
Srna Modric Pranjic
Da silva
I know seric is out of the pic but i think he is the best natural left back we have maybe cale in stead. Pranjic has to be pushed up it’s a shame hes scoring too many goals and in to good of form to stay back. And i always like croatia in five man midfield but four on the back line.
And bring back Dario Simic and Bilic should force Marko Babic to get out of Betis even if it means joining us at Dinamo Zagreb 🙂 We need a in form and in condition Babic back in the squad
I think the arguements about our team go further than the strikeforce. I think Bilic has got a bit complacent since the Euro’s and not placed Kovac brothers and left Pranjic at left back against England. Olic and Petric can’t play together thats why Jol plays Guererro with them. Both play in a different system to Croatia’s. Olic or Petric will play much better with Eduardo. I think to pin all our hopes on a player who had his leg smashed to bits is not a great idea either. We need Eduardo back, but we need to find a alternative for Eduardo in case he cannot manage the amount of games we need from him. I really like Mandzukic and as much as i support dinamo i think he needs to move abroad to become a even better player. At present the rest of the team is not great with only pedro morales of the standard of mandzukic.
Klasnic and budan look like they are going backwards. Kalinic unfortunately looks a bit like a young Bosko Balaban and may not end up being much better than him, though i may be wrong. Dario Cvitanich seems a good player, but Huntelaar and Suarez deserved to get games ahead of him and Croatia are going to have to wait for Huntelaar to leave so Cvitanich can get first team football. Then we can select him.
I also think playing Pranjic at left back harms us as he is a terrible defender but fantastic winger. We need to make a decision on who to play out of Pranjic, Srna, Rakitic and Kranjcar and where to play them. Continuing to play Niko Kovac and Robert Kovac is also going to damage us if we persist with it.
Team should be
Pletikosa; Corluka, Krizanac, Simunic; Srna, Vukojevic/Pokrivac/Leko, Modric, Kranjcar, Pranjic; Eduardo alongside any of Rakitic, Petric or Olic (all same as each other).
System is going to have to be 3-5-2which is not best system to get best out of Srna, but unfortunately we have too many playmakers and Srna is the most disciplined and hardworking. We also need to find room for Trabzonspors in form Hjorve Cale in the squad and drop average players like Drpic and Vejic. Maybe Mate Bilic in for Klasnic is possible too. Klasnic can’t score 0goals and hold his place. Even Pokrivac has scored twice in France already from defensive midfield. Also watch out for Ilicevic and Srdjan Lakic.
I used to hate Olic but in the last two years I’ve developed a genuine respect for what he brings to a game. It’s become a cliché but he does stretch defenses and create space for others- skills that aren’t sexy and headline grabbing but are needed in a team. Most people who only ever watch the game on tv don’t see all the movement involved in an attack. This is where the idea that Olic just runs around the pitch aimlessly comes from. A perfect example of what I’m saying is when people talk about how Olic only scores “easy” goals. Thing is- scoring “easy” goals requires spot-on positioning. Again, not a sexy skill, not one to be shown on You Tube, but one which is a sign of a skillful player…
So, should Olic lead the line up top alone? No. But on the left(or right) in a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 or as the “mobile” striker in a two man partnership, he is an effective and dare I say, dangerous, player…
chances for rebounds 🙂
Vlad,
I’m not sure about “he likes money.” If someone is worth 20 million or 30 million not much of a difference in my eyes. I’m sure that Olic would give up all the millions and play for Dinamo for a Euro cup championship.
I always liked Olic off the bench. His can fly by tired defenders and hit the post a few times.
Also, look at Petric’ goal record. As I mentioned previosly, more than half his goals came against Andorra! His only goal came from a beauty against the Brits. He is “li-la” with Olic. The only difference is that Petric misses wide and Olic hits the post.
No, but i think he likes money and dosent want to go back to playing in zagreb. It’s not harsh ya he runs and plays hard but, goals is all that matters, in ukraine he ran all game and played hard but missed two good headers, final score o-o. I watch all croatia games just as im sure as most people on this site does, and he dosent play well for croatia,In competition play between qualifiers and tournaments he’s scored 4 goals. when da silva comes back, if we play with one stricker then i would play da silva alone, if we play with two id give petric another shot to partner da silva, as those two played mostly during euro qualyfing and olic first sub
Vlad,
I think you’re a little too harsh on Olic. Yes, “international and Bundesliga are two different levels.” Do you think Olic cares about how Hamburg finishes in the Bundesliga? A lot easier to play for someone that you could care less about.
Who would you start besides Olic? Unfortunately, we don’t have anyone. Kalinic, Mandukic, Klasnic, Cvitanich, etc… not even close to Olic today.
All players feel pressure, its human nature, did da silva not feel pressure to perform infront of his BBB fans yes,just because hes brazilian dosent mean he dosent feel pressure, the reporters are always in his face. his kid, wife,are half- full croatian. olic dosent score goals because he sucks bottom line, not because he’s croatian. International and bundesliga are two diffrent levels. Obviously croatians feel more patriotic, you can’t expect that from a foreginer, but when your infront of 40 thousand people in euro cup watched by most the world dosent matter what u are pressure gets to u, its the good players that deal with it and its the shitty players that hit the croosbar aka olic.
Ante,
“we will never know and there is no way to prove it” is correct. And yes this is a debate.
The topic of this debate is “pressure on Croatian strikers”
I’m arguing that Eduardo doesn’t have that same pressure as Olic and Petric face day in day out for the national team for the above reasons.
Denis,
That’s unfair to say that he wouldn’t cry after the Turkey match. You’re only basing that on what you would personally expect him to do/not do. It’s in the same discussion as “How would have Croatia done if Eduardo did in fact play?” We will never know and there is no way to prove it. Everything else is left to debate and speculation.
Joze,
thanks for the confirmation. I agree with you, once again, good stuff.
Marko,
No worries about getting mixed up. We are all on the same page here. We learn from each other. This isn’t just another “news” website.
I agree with you too. I remember the first time I listened to Eduardo speak Croatian sometime early last year. Unbelievable!
Keep up the comments fellas. Always a pleasure.
Also about the whole thing about him being teary eyed…Not many players do that. Of course, Croatians are very passionate compared to other countries. They all where their heart on their sleeve, including Bilic. I wouldn’t be surprised if Eduardo didn’t, but considering the passion his team has it wouldn’t be surprising if he did. I don’t know its kinda up in the air. Its not like he cares, I’m sure he does.
Oh I see never mind must of gotten mixed up with his wife for his mother, lol. Yeah he does live in Croatia. So, unlike most of the others he has a very close “relation” with the country. He speaks Croatian so well also. I’ve seen a couple interviews when Bilic announced he’ll be recovered by December.
Both Eduardos parents are Brasilian.
I used to hate Eduardo. When he played his first games for Croatia me and my tata would be saying “its only because he wouldnt make it for brasil” or “he’s not Croatian”. He is now one of my favourite players.
He will always be Brasilian but the difference between him and Deco is that Eduardo has actually made a life for himself in Croatia. Hes married a Croatian woman, His child is born in Croatia and he will most likely retire in Croatia after football.
But like you said Denis national anthems can be learnt but not felt.
I’m sure Eduardo feels Croatian in some ways but lets face it his family never went through the problems, the wars and all those years fighting for Croatian independance like our families have. It probably is just like another club team.
Marko,
From the information that I have, Eduardo was born to Brazilian parents in Brazil. Maybe I’m wrong.
Can someone confirm?
Also, I’m not knocking on Eduardo. Great person, fun guy, enormous talent. I wish him all the best. “pressure on Croatian strikers” was the reason I brought up Eduardo.
Marko, can you picture Eduardo’s face filled with tears after the Turkey match? I’m sorry, I just can’t. Don’t get me wrong, he would be hurt, but not even 10% as much as others.
Well I don’t know Eduardo’s mother is Croatian correct? So its not like he moved to a country and started playing for them after he gained citizenship (as other do if I’m correct).
Ivica,
Krizanac to Hajduk or Dinamo would pretty much end his career in Croatia. Even though he’s a new face for the national team he’s 29! A couple of years in Croatia and he’s done.
Adrien,
I have no clue how Galinovic is playing in Greece. However, for the first time ever, Galinovic made news after shutting out an already qualified Inter Milan team. He made a few decent saves and all of a sudden he’s a legend. In my eyes, he’s another joey Didulica. Also, Galinovic is 32, time is running out for him to receive a 3rd cap.
Everyone,
So we agree that Petric and Olic fall under pressure. We also agree that the Croatian national team brings enormous pressure.
so how come there’s no pressure for Eduardo? Maybe Croatia is just another “club team” Don’t take this the wrong way. Eduardo has been amazing for us in qualifiers.
Something to think about?
If Eduardo played against Turkey, and the result stayed the same. How many tears would roll down his face?
Sorry guys, I was one of the lucky few in attendance for Turkey-Croatia. Unfortunately, I was next to the Turkish section. Fortunately, I was right behind the goal where the PK’s were taken. I left this game with “burn” in my heart as if someone close had died.
check this out:
http://articles.latimes.com/2003/mar/15/sports/sp-soccer15
“National anthems can be learned, but they are not felt,” Figo told the newspaper O Jogo. “If you are patriotic, you would only think to play for your nation’s team.”
Portugal’s national team coach, Luiz Felipe Scolari, and his star midfielder Luis Figo have clashed over Scolari’s decision to add a recently naturalized Brazilian-born player, Anderson Luis de Souza, a.k.a. “Deco,” to the squad.
So I think we all agree that Olic and Petric cannot play together on the national team and that Eduardo makes both of them better players. I think that’s safe to say.
Is that even possible for Olic to do? Tire himself out, lol he never stops hes like a machine. I think what he lacks for playmaking in the international level he does with his will to go after the ball.
Olic should definitely partner up with Eduardo. He works hard and stretches the opposition’s defence to give the main striker the room to score. When he tires himself out Petric should come on for him as they are similar players.
What about Galinovic for GK? He is playing champions league football after all.
Is Krizanac signing with Hajduk a really good decision for his career. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Bili, but I think he has the ability to play in one of the top European leagues. I don’t know if coming to the HNL is going to be enough of a challenge for him.
First off, the Bundesliga is strong enough (see: 90% of the German NT. As for their strikers, Podolski scored freely at the Euro’s but not at Bayern, so go figure). No, Olic and Petric choke under the pressure- it’s that simple. It’s the inevitable downside of a genuine, intense, national passion. Eduardo, bless his heart, has an advantage in that dep’t .
As for Modric, he stretched his groin by performing the first quality move of a pitiful game(so much for English “passion”), not because he wasn’t able to “get stuck in”… Modric has really come into his own since Redknap(sp.) took over. As long as he’s not used as a CM in a 4-4-2 he’ll continue to impress.
Cvitanich… Great, now we don’t have to suffer a 3rd rate Argentine mercenary wearing the shirt …we can continue to enjoy Petric and Olic hitting the post. S••t, at least we have Eduardo…
Great goal by Olic. I rate Olic but I dont think much of Petric. Eduardo is playing in a Arsenal reserve match against Portsmouth on 16th of December I think.
Luka, although I admit I though Cvitanich would make a big impact, I doubt Bilic would have ever dropped Klasnic, Eduardo, Petric, Olic or Kalinic for him to have a spot.
Vedran Corluka is such a great player but definately under rated. It looks to me like Klasnic is over but I’m just happy he got to score a couple more goals for Croatia even after the kidney problems.
Runje should replace Pletikosa and I hope Rakitic makes the move to Juventus. I also read that Dinamo and Hajduk might be signing Krizanac soon.
Ante is back! Great post sir.
Adrien,
Thanks for the updates. Corluka, like I said on the post last week, “a top 5 right back in the world.”
Gomes is a clown. Why he remains a starter for Tottenham is mind boggling.
“Bilic just needs to make it all click together come the international games.”
Its kind of dificult to coach when your team doesn’t play(last wednesday’s international FIFA friendly date)
Luka,
Props on “cvitanich”. I was never huge on this guy. Also, as far as strikers are concerned, barring injuries of course, we have Olic, Petric, and possibly Eduardo for the qualifiers and hopefully the world cup. Cvitanich would be called up to give Petric and Olic a scare, “if you two dont show up, Cvitanich will take your place.”
Vlad, Ivica, Marko, and Matt
Petric and Olic will continue to score regularly in the Bundesliga. However, international football is another league. In club football you can afford to be off one night, not show up another night, or put up a half ass performance. However, try doing this playing for the vatreni. Strikers are expected to score every time they throw on the shirt, which brings enormous pressure.
Olic is excellent off the bench. Players off the bench dont have that pressure. In most cases they aren’t even graded because they aren’t on the pitch that long. I will never forget world cup 2002 when Olic came off the bench and Croatia scored 2 goals to smash the Italians.
Petric, lets face it, he hasn’t done much for the national team. Ok, he’s scored 10 goals in 31 games. However, 6 of those goals came against Andorra! 2 in friendlies, one against Kazakhstan and one that England will never forget.
Hopefully, Eduardo will be close to 100% by the Ukraine game in June, otherwise I see another “Euro 2008 Turkey” in our future. Bottom line: You dont score, you dont win.
petric and eduardo have to be put united once again, that was the tandom in the euro qualifiers, and it worked, i say give petric one more chance as i think he’s a better all around striker. Even though olic works hard he never scores for the vatreni, i think he has like 4 goals since korea 02 could be wrong but i no its not much more.
Have I not been saying from the beginning that Cvitanic is a no one? The Croatian media and you guys all jumped on him like he was some prodigy or something.
Matt,
Definitely take out Petric. Olic is a workhorse and he can easily return to being a setup man for Eduardo (and vice versa).
Initially, I had a lot of faith in Petric when he joined the Vatreni, but he has been so ineffective in recent memory. At this point, Petric should only be used as a late sub. He can get it done in the Bundesliga, but he is a totally different player on the national stage. Not saying that Olic is any better in this case, but beyond his maniacal work ethic, Ivica Olic offers so many important intangibles. If I had a teammate like Ivica Olic, I think I would feel compelled to make an effort to match his game-play intensity (if that is at all humanly possible). His effort and intensity has a positive effect on everybody, teammates, coaches and fans.
If Eduardo manages to get healthy and partner with Olic. Petric and Olic can sub in for each other like in the past. Both relied on Eduardo immensely previously for setups. He has so much skill its unbelievable. As for the whole Modric thing. Yes he has a groin injury. It isn’t a minor knock. Any type of groin or hamstring injury can really linger, pushing it can create sever prolongation or worse a tear. I think Modric has played excellent and has really settled in before he got injured. He’ll be back don’t worry, I think the English media is harsh on him because of his big transfer, Euro 08 praise, and various performances against England.
What a goal for olic, petric bicycle kick last week was sweet too, if only they played like that for croatia. Also who would you take out petric/olic to play with eduardo when he’s back?
Well when Eduardo returns it will surely be impossible for Olic and Petric to be on the pitch at the same time. Apparantly the federation never scheduled a friendly for last week. No one knows why. And I guess I under-stated Corluka when i said “his usual 90 minutes”. He’s a rock on D and is slowly approaching his prime. My favorite Croatian player by far…
Olic: That goal was beauty. While it’s true that Olic-Petric has never really worked for the national team, they haven’t had much of a chance to prove it for Croatia since their partnership started at Hamburg. I’d give them a few more chances during fiendlies (what happened to Croatia during last week’s friendlies anyway?). In any event, hopefully in time for the qualifiers, Eduardo will be back which brings me on to my second point…
Eduardo: I’ve read that Eduardo has resumed full training and will play for the reserves during the second week of Dec. With any luck, he’ll be back in full swing by the end of Jan.
Modric: His injury was little more than a “minor knock” as he’s torn his groin muscle. Despite this he’ll back in a week. I wouldn’t worry about Modric’s place in the Premier League, he’s showing his class more and more every week and is highly regarded. He’ll be fine.
Corluka: I only wish to remark, as I don’t think it’s mentioned enough here, how well Corluka is currently playing for Spurs. He’s becoming a firm fan’s favourite and is repeatedly lauded for his cool head and versatility. Considered at times to be their best defender, he’s saved Spurs’ error-prone goalkeeper Gomes a few blushes several times.
I think the future’s bright for the Vatreni. Bilic just needs to make it all click together come the international games.