ENGLAND
NIKO KRANJČAR PLAYING SOME D
Niko Kranjčar arguably had his finest day in the Premiership Saturday afternoon as Tottenham Hotspur traveled north to Birmingham to take on Aston Villa- and he didn’t even score a goal. Kranjčar started for the Spurs at Villa Park in a battle that ended in a 1-1 draw. Tottenham controlled the ball for 64% of the game but still could not stop Aston Villa’s lone attempt on frame. Kranjčar was absolutely masterful in the midfield and was taking on Villa defenders like it was nobody’s business. He managed to fire two missiles on goal which were stopped by the quick hands of American Brad Friedel. Kranjčar even made a goal line to goal line sprint to aid his defenders on an Aston Villa counter attack. It was a success.
Kranjčar received a 9/10 rating from Skysports for his play and was labeled the Spurs’ best player. Jermain Defoe scored five goals last game and received a 9 grade. That should be an indication of how well Kranjčar played on the day. Niko was subbed after Tottenham’s equalizer in the 79th minute for some added firepower from captain Robbie Keane. The fire never came and the game ended 1-1 with Tottenham dominating the second half.
We’re in for a real treat if Kranjčar keeps this form up when Croatia starts qualifiers in August. He seems possessed in recent weeks and I can only imagine what he and a healthy Luka Modrić could do at club and international level together.
FULL MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
ĆARLI
Vedran Ćorluka was once again a rock at defense for Tottenham as he played his usual 90 minutes. Ćarli was not to blame for the sloppy goal Tottenham gave up in the box as he was on his man like white on rice. In recent weeks, Ćorluka has been including himself in the Tottenham offense by bringing balls up the right flank as well as sending in crisp passes to teammates in the attacking third. He is becoming one of the elite right backs in world football right in front of out eyes. Ćorluka received an 8/10 rating for his solid play.
Luka Modrić has finally returned to light training with Tottenham after breaking his leg against Birmingham nearly three months ago. If everything goes well, expect Modrić to be at 100% and ready to go once play resumes after the winter break.
IVAN KLASNIĆ AKA KILLER
Ivan Klasnić made the most of his first ever start for the Bolton Wanderers as he opened up the scoring against Fulham in the 35th minute with a nice strike from inside the box with his back to goal. The goal didn’t stand up as the winner as Fulham equalized late in the game to force a 1-1 draw. Klasnić has been impressive in recent weeks for Bolton and should earn more starts this season based on his production. He was subbed out in the 61st.
On the flip-side, Klasnić needs to learn how to celebrate goals at the Premiership level. What was he trying to do? And why were teammates trying to break his back when he went to the ground?
FULL MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Eduardo had another horrible game as English leaders Chelsea traveled across London to face Arsenal at Emirates Stadium on a rain soaked afternoon. Eduardo got the start in place of injured strikers Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner but did not use the opportunity to impress Arsenal and Croatian fans alike. Yes, Chelsea are firing on all cylinders right now and will win the Premiership and Champions League titles this season, in my opinion, but Dudu was absolutely shut down in Arsenal’s 3-0 loss. The Chelsea defense did smother him but Eduardo is playing scared, to say the least. He’s dribbling into three defenders at a time and not taking shots on goal when the window presents itself. He still hasn’t scored a quality goal this season and I don’t see how Arsene Wenger and Arsenal could have extended his contract on this current form. Hopefully 2010 will be a better year for Eduardo.
DROGBA’S GOALS WERE RIDICULOUS!
Nikola Kalinić remained on the bench as an unused sub for the second week in a row as his Blackburn Rovers side played out a scoreless draw versus Stoke City at Ewood Park Saturday.
GERMANY
PHOTO: fcbayern.t-home.de, Caption anyone?
Bayern Munich defeated hosts Hannover 96 3-0 from a sold-out AWD-Arena to move into 4th place in the German Bundesliga standings. Ivica Olić and Danijel Pranjić both started the match, providing stellar performances for their Bavarian side to contribute to the crushing victory. Thomas Muller scored Bayern’s opening goal in the 19′, converting a cross from Olić for his eighth tally of the season. In the 47′ (already up 1-0), Pranjić was given plenty of space on the left flank, setting up a perfect cross for Olić at the back post which was headed in past goalkeeper Florian Fromlowitz.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
PHOTO: fcbayern.t-home.de, Danijel Pranjić
After an exhausting yet terrific performance from both players, Pranjić and Olić came out of the game to standing ovations in the 76′ and 85′, respectively. Bayern Munich host Borussia Monchengladbach this Friday in German Bundesliga action.
Mladen Petrić is back in full training
Mladen Petrić is back in full training with Hamburg and should be ready to return to the lineup in the coming weeks. His return couldn’t come any sooner, as Hamburg has been hit hard this season with long term injuries to striker Paolo Guerrero, winger Romeo Castelen, defenders Collin Benjamin, Alex Silva and Bastian Reinhardt.
PHOTO: scfreiburg.com, Ivica Banović (#20) waves the SC Freiburg colors
Ivica Banović played the entire match for SC Freiburg in a 1-0 win against FC Nurnberg from the EasyCredit-Stadion with 40,824 spectators in attendance. The game-winning goal came in the 12′ from Stefan Reisinger and SC Freiburg never looked back despite only having possession of the ball for 31% of the match. Banović and company, who are in 13th place in the German Bundesliga standings, are away next week at VfL Wolfsburg.
PHOTO: achtzehn99.de, Josip Šimunić in the background
Borussia Dortmund secured a 2-1 victory over TSG Hoffenheim in the 79′ of the contest when Nuri Sahin converted a disputed penalty, awarded when Josip Šimunić was flagged by the referee for pulling down Neven Subotić. Šimunić, who played the entire contest for his team, was also given a yellow card on the play. Are we seeing the Šimunić of old, or was Joey given the short end of the stick on the play by Subotić’s acting skills? The loss keeps TSG Hoffenheim in 6th place of the German Bundesliga standings as they head into next weekend’s clash away at Hamburg SV.
Penalty? You decide at 1:17
PHOTO: skysports.com, Ivan Rakitić
Ivan Rakitić played a disappointing half of soccer on Sunday against Borussia Monchengladbach before being subbed in the 45′ for Jan Morávek. Schalke 04 lost the contest 1-0, retaining 3rd place in the German Bundesliga standings as they head into next week’s contest against guests Hertha Berlin. Could today’s short appearance by Rakitić be the final case for him to ship out come January?
FRANCE
PHOTO: om.net, Vedran Runje earned the shutout this weekend
Hosts FC Lens defeated French giants Olympique de Marseille this weekend by a final score of 1-0 thanks in large part to a stellar performance from goalkeeper Vedran Runje. A header from Marseille forward Brandao allowed Benoit Cheyrou to fire a shot to provide a potentially troublesome deflection in front of Runje’s goal. The Croatian goalkeeper read the play well and made a solid save to further frustrate the French powerhouse. Marseille’s best effort came from Niang, who made his way past defender Yohan Demont before having his shot deflected off target by Runje. This win is easily the high-point of the season for FC Lens, who are in 15th place in French Ligue 1 and are away at Boulogne next weekend.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
At the point in his career where most players begin to show their faults, Runje seems to constantly fool us all and show that he can still play the game very well against some of the best competition in the world. Slaven Bilić looks certain to add a few more new young players to the Croatian NT before the start of EURO 2012 qualifiers. Considering this performance, does Vedran Runje still deserve a spot on the NT, or has he already seen his last major game?
ITALY
IVAN JURIĆ
Ivan Jurić made his long-awaited return to the Genoa lineup on Saturday, playing the entire contest in a 3-0 win against a stellar Sampdoria squad at the Comunale Luigi Ferraris with 31,000 in attendance. Genoa, despite having ball possesson for only 41% of the match time, capitalized on their chances effectively. For Jurić, time will tell if his 35 year old body will be able to cope with being thrown right back into the mix of things. Genoa will be looking for inspiration from the veteran Croat as they cling to 5th place of the Serie A standings. On Wednesday afternoon, Genoa take on Slavia Prague in the UEFA Europa League.
Dario Knežević
Livorno once again tasted defeat this weekend by a score of 2-0 at the hands of Udinese with a modest crowd of 15,000 in attendence at the Stadio Friuli. Dario Knežević, who received a yellow card in the 28′, played the entire match for Livorno but was unable to help contain the Udinese attack. This most recent loss keeps Livorno in the relegation zone of the Italian Serie A as the head in to their Tuesday Coppa Italia contest with Sampdoria before next weekend’s league match against Chievo Verona.
Igor Budan
Palermo was defetated 1-0 by Chievo Verona with 18,000 in attendance at the Stadio Marc`Antonio Bentegodi on Sunday afternoon. Igor Budan started the match on the bench for Palermo but was brought into the match as a substitute in the 70′ for Edison Cavani. Despite having ball possession for a whopping 66% of the match, Palermo was unable to get on the scoreboard. With the loss, Palermo sit in 14th position of the Italian Serie A standings, flirting dangerously close to the relegation zone. Next weekend, Budan and company take on Cagliari. Does anyone else feel Igor Budan might want out of Palermo come January?
Mato Jajalo
Mato Jajalo was an unused substitute for AC Siena in a 2-1 loss to Bari. Siena remain dead last in the Italian Serie A standings and host Catania next weekend.
SPAIN
MATE BILIĆ HEADS SPORTING’S VICTORY AGAINST VILLARREAL
THANKS TO SIEMPRE SPORTING FOR THE WRITE-UP
Mate Bilić did not start the match but his performance was crucial for Sporting de Gijón. In the 21st minute of the second half and the game still scoreless, Sporting coach, Manolo Preciado, decided to make a striker’s change and bring Bilić onto the field.
Sporting played exceptionally well but were missing many of their chances. In the 75′ a Villarreal defender was charged with a penalty and red card. Sporting midfield player Rivera took the penalty kick but Villarreal’s keeper cleared the ball. However, Bilić appeared suddenly to get the ball and score the only goal of the match from a difficult angle. Once again he showed himself to be the cleverest inside the penalty area.
This goal meant victory for Sporting. After his successful strike there was another penalty kick for Sporting in the 89′. Bilić took it this time but the goalie guessed right. In the end it was not important as he had already scored and Sporting won an important match to get closer to European League positions.
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
This surprising Sporting Gijon side (unbeaten through their last six matches) currently sit in 7th place of the Spanish Primera standings, looking sure to challenge for a spot in Europe for next fall. The club recently rewarded head coach Manuel Preciado with a new two-year contract as a result of the spectacular current form. Sporting Gijon are away at Tenerife next weekend.
UKRAINE
Darijo Srna started for Shakhtar Donetsk in an easy 3-0 away win against Tavriya Simferopol. After Shakhtar went up 2-0 midway through the second, Srna was subbed out in the 70th minute. Shakhtar gains some ground in the Ukrainian table as current leaders Dynamo Kyiv could only manage a draw on Sunday. Shakhtar will play five games within 13 days in December between domestic and Europa League competition before going on winter hiatus.
Ognjen Vukojević played the entire match in a yellow card filled 0-0 draw with Metalurg Zaporizhya. The scoreless draw lets Shakhtar Donetsk and Metalisy Kharkiv creep up in the standings as winter break approaches.
RUSSIA
On the last day of the Russian Premier League season and with a Champions League spot on the line, Ivica Križanac was not listed on Zenit St. Petersburg’s squad list for their home closer against a tough Spartak Moscow side. With Spartak already locked into second spot in Russia, they had nothing to gain from this game. It is not known why Križanac was not part of the team. With a 2-1 over Spartak, Zenit earned themselves a 2010-11 Champions League playoff round birth beating out fellow compatriots Lokomotiv Moscow on goal differential.
Tomislav Dujmović played the entire match in Lokomotiv Moscow’s season finale against FC Khimki. Lokomotiv won the match 3-1 but it was not enough for a Champions League playoff spot as Zenit won as well. Dujmović does however receive a consolation prize: a 2010-11 Europa League playoff round birth
Have a nice, long vacation boys, we’re counting on you both next year..
2009 FINAL RUSSIAN STANDINGS
(?EX)-CROATIAN GOALIE STIPE PLETIKOSA
Could Stipe Pletikosa have gotten Spartak Moscow to the Champions League group stage? It’s been a rough year for Pleti as he was benched early in the season and then tore ligaments in his knee the day he was supposed to be transfered to Tottenham Hotspur. Watch for Pletikosa’s name to pop up this upcoming winter transfer window.
AUSTRIA
PHOTO: skrapid.at, Nikica Jelavić
Nikica Jelavić scored in the 16′ for Rapid Vienna in a 2-1 victory for his squad against Gordon Schildenfeld and SK Sturm Graz on Wednesday afternoon at the Gerhard-Hanappi Stadium. Each player started for his respective squad and played the entire contest. Tempers flared towards the end of the contest, as three SK Sturm Graz players received yellow cards in the final seven minutes, one of which being Gordon Schildenfeld.
On Sunday afternoon, Schildenfeld and SK Sturm Graz were at it again with LASK Linz, a match with a 2-2 final score. The Šibenik native played the entire match for his team, this time without any incident. This week’s results put SK Sturm Graz in 4th place of the Austrian Bundesliga standings with 28 points. The Austrian outfit travel to Romania on Thursday to face Dinamo Bucharest in a meaningless UEFA Europa League Group F game.
PHOTO: skrapid.at, Nikica Jelavić
Sunday afternoon saw the top two teams of the Austrian Bundesliga meet in a hard fought battle. Nikica Jelavić of guests Rapid Vienna and Nikola Pokrivać of Red Bull Salzburg played the entire contest for their teams in 0-0 draw. The draw means the two teams stay deadlocked atop the Austrian Bundesliga standings with 35 points each. Both teams will be participating in UEFA Europa League games this Wednesday, as Rapid Vienna are guests to Hamburg SV (Group C) while Red Bull Salzburg host Lazio in Group G action.
TURKEY
PHOTO: trabzonspor.org.tk, Drago Gabrić
Trabzonspor defeated guests Eskisehirspor K 2-1 from the H. Avni Aker Stadium in Turkish Super League Play. Both Drago Gabrić and Hrvoje Čale started the match for Trabzonspor, with Gabrić playing the entire contest while Čale, who received a yellow card in the 60′, was subbed in the 90′ for Baris Memis.
PHOTO: trabzonspor.org.tr, Hrvoje Čale
With the victory, Trabzonspor sit in 9th place of the Turkish Super League standings, tied at 18 points with Gaziantepspor. Next weekend, Trabzonspor take on Ankaragucu.
BELGIUM
PHOTO: clubbrugge.be, Ivan Perišić battling for possession
Club Brugge defeated Royal Charleroi SC 1-0 today on a goal from Rostand Dorge Kouemaha in the 77′ at the Jan Breydel Stadium. Ivan Perišić played the entire contest for his Belgium side, who remain in 2nd place of the Jupiler League standings behind Anderlecht. Club Brugge travel to Ukraine this week for a UEFA Europa League Group J contest against Darjio Srna and company at Shakhtar Donetsk.
~Ivica Peroš reporting from Cibalia headquarters with Ante Kvartuč writing from the ‘Swollen Tonsils Suck!’ convention while Denis Svirčić is on assignment in Croatia.
http://theoriginalwinger.com/2009-12-02-blackburn-vs-chelsea-highlights-carling-cup
Blackburn highlights
I know, wtf?
Suarez missed twice for Ajax today. He kicked the same way… twice.. never seen anything like it…
Why cant we make penalties???????
Kalinic just scored against Chelsea 9 minutes in the Carling Cup.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=706088&sec=england&cc=5901
Luka Modric is back in training with Spurs youth squad
Kranjcar rarely played this well for Pompey(and I watched them every week), and he never exhibited the work-rate and (effective) tackling/recovering that now seems part of his game. Now he's playing on a team with some depth and has learnt( after being benched for a few matches) that he needs to up his game if he wants to play. At Pompey, his starting place was assured whether he played well or not. Another thing is that Kranjcar's not a natural athlete- he's got to work harder than most players to up and maintain his fitness. The fact he's lost probably 5 lbs also has helped him run faster and longer. Of course, part of the problem was Pompey's style of play- it never suited his abilities. Spurs is probably the ideal team for him(in the epl, at least) with their attacking, slick-passing style of play. He's the type of player who needs good players around him in order to thrive, otherwise he gets lazy, sloppy and looks disinterested. You could see this alot at Pompey, particuarly in his last year.
re: banovic
interestingly he plays the luka modric role, but is aged 30 now. bilic prob is looking for younger players now. think budan and banovic missed the boat.
Problem with some of these guys like Budan, Kalinic and Rukavina is that we always seem to talk about them only scoring in cup matches. cup matches are normally reserved for guys who can't get in first team lets face it. i think budan can play every week – teams are already enquired about wanting him as a first 11 player.
i'm watch kaiserslautern at moment. i've watch perisic, badelj, sertic and ilicevic all play now this season and i think its actually ilicevic who deserves the call the most. out of perisic, ilicevic, gabric i think. i'm not babic is quite doing enough to get in at the moment
what position does banovic play for his club
btw Budan scored 2 nice goals in cup play last week.
I saw the Tottenham game and I thought Kranjcar was the best player on the field. Aston was defending the midfield very well to shut down the attacks. Corluka made a perfect volley pass up. Both have so much poise and control when they have the ball at their feet. The one daft commentator kept pronouncing Niko's name Krankyar. With Modric back 100% Tottenham will be a big threat at the top.
Great post gentlemen!
Yes, it hurts to say it but Eduardo will never be the same.
Croatia-Australia friendly in the works
Last week there has been talks of Croatia touring Asia. Australia has offered to host Croatia in a friendly early next year. Croatia looks to bite as long as they can schedule another friendly in Asia. Most likely, Croatia is looking for a big $$$ deal to play somewhere ala Dubai. I will keep you posted.
Australia would be a great friendly for Croatia. Also, Croatian-Australians will show up in great numbers
Eduardo is still a good player but he sure as hell can't play up front on his own in the Premiership. He was doing fine when he had Bendtner or Van Persie to play off. Especially against Terry, Cavalho and lets not forget Branislav Ivanovic is also a centre back who comes across to cover. I mean Ivanovic is a excellant defender. Bosingwa can only defend like him in his dreams. Eduardo has definitely lost pace, but is also rushing things at moment, but his status at Arsenal is not an issue. Hardly like Vela did any better and lets not forget this is Champions elect – Chelsea. Will walk the Premiership this season.
Kranjcar is outstanding at present. He played like this though for Portsmouth as well. What this shows us is that Niko is finally fully fit. He's not been fit in over a year.
I watched Bayern at weekend and Olic was excellant. I think Bayern are starting to take to him now. He's starting to fit in. Pranjic looked good back in his normal position. I think Olic, Eduardo, Petric, M Bilic picks itself. What do people think between Klasnic and Jelavic? I'm still a massive fan of Klasnic and really happy he's playing in England (that was a celebration for his dog by the way:) but i believe you got to have one young striker. Jelavic has 15 in all competitions so i reckon prob got to go with Jelavic on current form. Klasnic is still an absolute deadly finisher, but he does not have the same movement or approach play that Eduardo, Olic, Petric (when in form) and Mate Bilic have and i think that's why he prob is gonna miss out. Slaven Bilic will have to communicate with him before hand on Klasnic's future role in the national team rather than springing it on him at last moment. I think if Klasnic sticks around for when we have injuries then that'd be good. To me Slaven Bilic dropped a clanger by ignoring Mate Bilic and Klasnic during the WC qualifiers. I mean Mario Mandzukic has not played well for Dinamo in months now. He's must be about 8th choice now.
Regards Budan 100% definitely should transfer. Budan maybe should speak to Sasa Bjelanovic. Budan is 30 and had a series of injuries. He's not gonna attract top half Serie A sides no more or play each week in Palermo's team. Sides of the size of Calgari, Chievo, Livorno, Bari all want him. He should just pick one and then he'll start every match. Then he can still have two more seasons playing in Italy. But if he stays with Palermo he'll go stale in the end. He don't even need to sign permanently. Palermo will happily send him on loan. By the looks of the Zenga sacking Palermo regard themselves as a top half team these days.
Da Silva will never be the same after that injury. He is a good player who will do better for the national team than he will for Arsenal. He is the type of player who will perform against the bottom half teams in the EPL and weaker Champions League sides, but he will do nothing against against top european sides.
Wow! Olic finally scored a real goal! That assist from the left side was pretty solid too!