England
MODRIĆ PLAYING HARD IN THE DERBY
There were doubles all across Europe this week: both in domestic leagues and Cup play. Tottenham had a pivotal match Wednesday night as they took on North London rivals Arsenal at White Hart Lane. Luka Modrić started for the Spurs and played the entire match as Niko Kranjčar and Vedran Ćorluka were unavailable due to injury.
Modrić played his usual game in the 2-1 Spurs win which keeps them in Champions League qualifying contention. He distributed the ball to all sides of the pitch while drawing fouls that kept the game tempo in Tottenham’s control. Modrić most importantly played well on defense, especially when Arsenal were making their comeback during the last 10 minutes of the game. Eduardo remained on the bench as an unused sub because Robin van Persie made his return from injury. Will Dudu get anymore playing time with Arsenal this season?
Eduardo wasn’t even in Arsenal’s squad for their last minute 3-2 loss to Wigan on Sunday. This knocks Arsenal out of the title race. Eduardo needs to be loaned out!
As well as Modrić played in the midfield and on defense, he was just as bad attacking in the box. Modrić blew two prime goal scoring opportunities; one in each half. He could have put the game away late when Arsenal was pressing but choked inside the box. As much as we love the guy, he has no eye for goal inside the 18. When he finally does have a good look, there is no power behind the ball. CSR has sent Modrić some spinach so he can get strong for the last few games of the season.
THE GOAL THAT SHOOK NORTH LONDON
19 year-old Danny Rose stuck a thorn in Arsenal’s side Wednesday with a 10th minute goal that ended the Gunners title dreams for the time being. Tottenham added another one in the second half and it proved to be too much for Arsenal as they go down to their North London neighbors for the first time in 11 years.
MODRIĆ ZIPPING THROUGH THE CHELSEA MIDFIELD
Tottenham Hotspur have shaken up the entire Premiership in the past four days. Spurs ended Arsenal’s title hopes earlier in the week by defeating the Gunners, threw a lifeline back to them on Saturday by beating league leaders Chelsea and saved Manchester United’s dreams of lifting a fourth consecutive Premiership crown. The kicker: Tottenham travel to Old Trafford and will take on Manchester United this Saturday.
Luka Modrić played beautiful ball against Chelsea as he took on defenders and created space for the rest of the Spurs. Let’s pray that Tottenham qualify for the last Champions League spot as they now control their own destiny with four games remaining. Vedran Ćorluka did not play as he rests a knock sustained in training and Niko Kranjčar is out for the rest of the season due to minor ligament damage in his ankle that developed from a tackle late in the FA Cup semifinal with Portsmouth.
PREMIERSHIP TABLE. 4 GAMES LEFT.
Nikola Kalinić played the entire match in the Blackburn Rovers 3-2 home loss to Everton. Kalinić was in the mix during the game but never got a prime look at goal. He did however put a perfect pass to Roberts in the 83′ for the equalizing goal. Everton won it in injury time with a goal scored by Cahill.
KALINIĆ WITH A PINPOINT PASS
On Tuesday, Ivan Klasnić was substituted into Bolton’s match with league leaders Chelsea in the 83rd minute. With Bolton only having 37% ball possession during the match, Killer was introduced to spice things up in a game that was still within reach. Klasnić managed to get one shot off that rolled past the post. It was a fantastic effort but not enough as Chelsea walked away with a 1-0 victory.
Klasnić began Saturday’s match against Stoke City on the bench. He came in at halftime with Stoke up 1-0 and managed four shots. One was blocked and the other three were off target. Matthew Taylor scored two late goals giving Bolton a 2-1 victory. Klasnić hasn’t started for the Wanderers in months and even though he did not have a direct impact on this match, it sure looks like Bolton plays better when he’s on the pitch.
Germany
PHOTO: Bayern; Ivica Olić celebrates opening goal against Hannover
Bayern thrashed Hannover 7-0 to regain top spot in the Bundesliga standings on Saturday after Schalke had beaten Gladbach 3-1 earlier in the day and temporarily overtook Munich. 69,000 packed the Allianz Arena to see Bayern register its largest Bundesliga victory since 1990 against Wattenscheid.
PHOTO: Bayern; Ivica Olić(center) heading in the opening goal
Ivica Olić opened up the scoring for Bayern Munich in the 21st minute of play, heading in a Diego Contento cross. Bayern would put in two more before the break to make it 3-0. Five minutes after the break, Ivica would find himself unmarked in front of the goal to head in a “typical Ivica Olić goal” to put the hosts up 4-0. Bayern would go on to add three more unanswered to put Hannover closer to relegation and Bayern flying high going into the Champions league semifinal first leg on Wednesday.
PHOTO: Bundesliga.de; Ivica Olić celebrating second goal against Hannover
Ivica scored his ninth and tenth Bundesliga goals of the season and assisted on another bringing his assists total to six. I will be the first to admit that I thought Olić was closer to retirement after signing with Bayern last summer. The 30 year old Croatian international has not only impressed me, as EPL clubs have been asking Bayern for his services. Olić has squashed any transfer rumors by saying, “Not only do I want to stay there for a long time, I see myself finishing my career at Bayern.”
“Unbelievable! 7-0, lots of goals, lots of chances, lots of fun. We’re ready for Wednesday.”
~Ivica Olic
Olić double
GERMAN BUNDESLIGA STANDINGS
PHOTO: Gloria; Danijel Pranjić
Danijel Pranjić came on in the 69th minute for Bayern Munich after the match was out of reach at 6-0. Danijel has now at least made an appearance for Bayern in the last six matches. Hopefully Louis van Gaal will feature the 28 year old Croatian international in Champions league on Wednesday against Lyon.
PHOTOS: AP; Mladen Petrić can work on his golf game for the next few weeks
Hamburg continue to struggle and lost ground in the race for a European spot next season losing at home against Mainz 1-0. Mladen Petrić was out of action for Hamburg after picking up an injury in training on Wednesday. Mladen will miss Hamburg’s Europa League semifinal clash against Fulham on Thursday, but should be back for the return leg. Hamburg continues to sink in the Bundesliga now five points back of Borussia Dortmund for the last Europa League spot.
PHOTO: Schalke04.de; Ivan Rakitić celebrates opening goal
Ivan Rakitić returned Schalke to winning ways on Saturday, scoring his sixth and seventh Bundesliga goals in a 3-1 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach in front of 61,673 at Veltins Arena. The victory briefly put Schalke at the top of the Bundesliga only to be brought back down to second after Bayern’s 7-0 win over Hannover.
PHOTO: Schalke04.de; Ivan Rakitić celebrates after first goal
The 22 year-old Croatian international opened up the scoring in only the eighth minute of play, connecting on a Jefferson Farfán pass just outside the box, sending it upper left corner.
PHOTO: Schalke04.de; Ivan Rakitić scores off a penalty kick
Ivan would score his seventh Bundesliga goal on a penalty kick in the 47th minute of play to seal the three points for Schalke. Felix Magath is “convinced we have a good chance of winning the league. Three wins would give us the opportunity to clinch the title. That will be our aim.” Bayern Munich have an easier schedule, however, Champions league might play a roll in the fight for the Bundesliga crown.
Rakitić double
PHOTO: Bundesliga.de; Josip Šimunić(right) showing off his captain’s band against Borussia Dortmund
Croatian international Josip Šimunić carried the captain’s band for Hoffenheim in a ‘come from behind’ 1-1 draw against Borussia Dortmund in front of 80,100 at Signal Iduna Park on Sunday. Joe played the full 90 and received a yellow card in the 39th minute of play. With the draw, Hoffenheim still remain 7 points clear of relegation.
Hoffenheim 1 Borussia Dortmund 1
Ivica Banović continues to sit in the doghouse for Freiburg, watching his teammates hang on to a 2-1 victory in front of 24,000 at Badenova Stadion. Ivica hasn’t started in the last six matches and came on as a substitute only twice for Freiburg. The victory leaves Freiburg on 28 points in a three way tie with Nurnberg and VfL Bochum in fight for relegation, while Hannover is only a point back. Two of these four teams will be playing in Bundesliga II next season.
France
PHOTO: RCLens; Runje beaten by Monaco’s Moussa Maazou in extra time on Tuesday
Vedran Runje and Lens gave it their all on Tuesday, falling 1-0 in extra time to Monaco in the Coupe De France semifinals. In front of only 10,382 at Stade Louis II in Monaco, Runje didn’t have enough reach to keep out a Moussa Maazou game winning header in the 111th minute.
Lens-Monaco Highlights
PHOTO: RCLens; Runje signing autographs for the kiddies during a RC Lens training session on Wednesday
Vedran Runje was with RC Lens on Thursday signing autographs instead of training for the next match against Nice. The 34 year-old Croatian international cannot train due to a rib injury he suffered against Monaco on Wednesday. Vedran will be out of action for at least 3-4 weeks.
“I was gasping for air, and now I can barely breathe. Right after the duel with Alonso it didn’t hurt as much. I remained in the goal until the end of overtime for sixty minutes. I couldn’t disappoint my teammates in such an important match. They were telling me, ‘suck it up, we need you’. Team doctors still don’t know how long I will be out for. It is possible that I must sit out the rest of the season.”
~Vedran Runje
Runje sat out Saturday’s 0-0 draw at Nice. Lens remain in 14th place, 11 points out of relegation. Let’s see if Lens will struggle without Runje.
LIGUE 1 STANDINGS
Lovren injured last week for Lyon
Dejan Lovren was left out of the squad by Lyon on Saturday in a 2-2 draw at Bordeaux. Dejan is resting a sore knee and should be back in training for Lyon this week. With the draw, Lyon find themselves in third place, hanging onto the final Champions league spot just one point ahead of Montpellier.
Ukraine
SHAKHTAR CAPTAIN DARIJO SRNA
On Thursday, Shakhtar took care of Karpaty Lviv, easily winning 2-0 on two late goals. Darijo Srna started the match but was subbed out in the 39′ due to an injury. In the past week Srna has been rumored with transfer interest coming from Italian club Fiorentina.
SRNA(L) LEADING THE HAND SHAKES
Srna was not listed on the roster Sunday as Shakhtar defeated Zakarpattya 1-0. It is not known how serious Srna’s injury is but no Croatian papers are reporting anything so it shouldn’t be that big of a deal.
OGNJEN VUKOJEVIĆ
Ognjen Vukojević played the full 90 minutes in Dynamo Kyiv’s 4-0 win against city rivals Obolon Kyiv. On Sunday, Vuki once again played the entire match in Dynamo’s 2-1 victory over Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. The win means Dynamo and Shakhtar are still tied on points with only four games left in the season. The two Ukrainian giants meet in Donetsk on May 5th, the second to last match of the season.
Spain
On Tuesday, Mate Bilić entered Sporting Gijon’s home match against relegation candidates Tenerife in the 67th minute with the game still scoreless. Three minutes later, the visitors got their goal and added another one in the 87th minute giving Tenerife a 2-0 win. Sporting has not looked sharp in recent weeks and neither has Bilić.
Sporting took on Sevilla on Saturday losing 3-0. Bilić started but had to leave the game in the 32′ after receiving a second yellow. He committed five fouls in as many minutes in what was yet another sloppy Sporting Gijon performance.
VAYA CON DIOS
Italy
PHOTO: AP; Igor Budan(right) celebrating Palermo’s tying goal against Cagliari
Igor Budan has failed to fight off Edison Cavani and Abel Hernandez for the right to start up top for Palermo, coming off the bench in all but one game in 2010 for Palermo. The former Rijeka star came on in the 89th minute for Palermo on Sunday in a 2-2 come from behind draw at Cagliari. With the draw, Palermo drop into the Europa League spot, two points back of Sampdoria for the Champions League qualifying spot. Palermo are at home to AC Milan next week and face Sampdoria at home in three weeks time, which should decide the final Champions league spot in Italy.
PHOTO: AP; Dario Knežević
Dario Knežević started and went the distance in another terrible performance by Livorno, falling 2-0 at Chievo Verona. The defeat leaves Livorno rooted to the bottom of the table, nine points away from safety, although that gap could become 12 tomorrow with just four games to go, almost guaranteeing them a return to Serie B. The only question now is will Dario follow Livorno to Serie B? Livorno must win their remaining four matches to avoid relegation.
PHOTO: Siena; Mato Jajalo
Siena continue to go without U21 Croatian international Mato Jajalo in its fight to stay in Serie A next season. Mato was left on the bench on Sunday as Siena came from behind twice to split the points with Catania at 2-2. The former Slaven Belupo midfielder has played just a total of 14 minutes in the last six contests for Siena. With only four matches left, Siena must make up six points and somehow pass Bologna to remain in Serie A next season. Will Mato stick with Siena next season if they are relegated?
SERIE A TABLE
Belgium
On Wednesday, Ivan Perišić played the full 90 minutes in a disappointing 2-0 away loss to Zulte-Waregem. The loss gives Gent a window of hope to catch Club Brugge in the Belgian playoff race for the last Champions League qualifying spot.
Those same supporters are full of praise when it comes to your performances. What do you make of your first season at Club Brugge?
“I do believe that I can be very satisfied, as I feel great at this club. I do realize that there is still a lot of progress to be made, but I can hardly complain about my sportive ambitions. I get to play a lot, which makes it all the easier to take that extra step forward. Playing in Europe against teams the likes of Shakhtar Donetsk, Toulouse, Partizan Belgrade and Valencia helped me in gaining a lot of experience. Experience which I will be taking with me towards next season.” -ClubBrugge.com
BELGIAN PLAYOFFS. 4 GAMES LEFT.
On Sunday, Perišić and Club Brugge hosted regular season champs Anderlecht. Perišić played the entire match in a 2-1 loss that saw Anderlecht clinch the Belgian title as well as a Champions League qualifying spot. With the loss, Brugge drops down to third, one point behind Gent for the last Champions League ticket. Brugge better step it up with only four games remaining.
Russia
PHOTO: Lokomotiv, Lokomotiv’s Tomislav Dujmović in action against CSKA Moscow
Tomislav Dujmović played the full 90 minutes leading Lokomotiv Moscow to a come from behind 1-1 draw at CSKA Moscow. Hopefully, Tomislav continues to get called up by Slaven Bilić in the upcoming friendlies in May.
PHOTO: ZENIT, Ivica Križanac(left) leading Zenit to another shutout
Ivica Križanac and Zenit St. Petersburg put up a good fight on Saturday only to split the points 0-0 with Tomsk on Saturday. Ivica played the full 90 and was cautioned in the 71st minute after what didn’t look like much of a foul.
Austria
JELAVIĆ(L) GETS CONGRATULATED ON THE DOUBLE
Nikica Jelavić played the entire match in Rapid Vienna’s scoreless draw against LASK Linz on Tuesday. He made up for the low-scoring performance on Saturday when he scored two goals in a 3-0 win against FC Magna Wr. Neustadt. Jelavić remains consistent in the Austrian Bundesliga and should be challenged with a move to a bigger club next season. Rapid Vienna travel to Red Bull Salzburg on Friday to battle Austria’s #1 team.
Nikola Pokrivač played the last 10 minutes of Red Bull’s 2-0 victory over SV Josko Ried. The game was already out of hand and Pokrivač did not make much of an impact. He has not been receiving enough time in Austria to be considered a squad player for Croatia. Pokrivač only got to play the last 21 minutes in Red Bulls scoreless draw against LASK Linz on Sunday. What’s going on Mr. Blanket?
Turkey
Trabzonspor got the result they needed on Wednesday in their Turkish Cup semifinal second leg match with Antalyaspor . Although Antalyaspor won the match 1-0, Trabzonspor will play in the Turkish Cup final against Fenerbahce because of their 2-0 win in the first leg. It is not known if Hrvoje Ćale played but Drago Gabrić received a yellow card in the 86th minute. Trabzonspor is guaranteed a Europa League spot for next year through the Turkish Cup since Fenerbahce have already secured a spot somewhere in Europe.
On Monday, both Čale and Gabrić started for Trabzonspor in a 2-0 home win over Kasimpasa. Both Croatians received a yellow card during the match as Gabrić was subbed out in the 79th minute. Trabzonspor are in good form as they have collected 14 points in their last seven matches with four more to go in the season.
Next Matches:
Wednesday, 4/21
Lyon at Bayern Munich(Champions League Semifinal)
Thursday, 4/22
Fulham at Hamburg(Europa League)
Friday, 4/23
Rapid Vienna at SV Salzburg, Club Brugge at KV Kortrijk
Saturday, 4/24
Manchester City at Arsenal, Tottenham at Manchester United, Blackburn at Wolverhampton, Portsmouth at Bolton, AS Monaco at Lyon, Bayern Munich at Borussia Monchengladbach, Schalke 04 at Hertha Berlin, AC Milan at Palermo, FK Tom’ Tomsk at Lokomotiv Moscow, Dynamo Kyiv at Karpaty Lviv
Sunday, 4/25
Valenciennes at Lens, Hamburg at Hoffenheim, VfL Wolfsburg at Freiburg, Lazio at Genoa, Siena at Udinese, Catania at Livorno, Valladolid at Sporting Gijon, Terek Grozny at Zenit St Petersburg, Trabzonspor at Eskisehirspor K, Chornomorets Odessa at Shakhtar Donetsk
~Ante Kvartuč and Denis Svirčić reporting from ‘Everyone’s Favorite Uncle’s’ House
HAHAHAHAHA You should've read the crap that went on for the Thompson concert in Toront.
Those Serbs hate everyone. Every Serb I know is untrustworthy. Everyone that conquered or ruled them or who don't rule them…they hate everyone equally. It's funny how they ran out of Krajina with their tails between their legs after killing unarmed civilians for years.
Croatian Soccer Report makes Serbian news. boo hoo.. For the wrong reasons of course. These people make me sick. All they get out of Bogut interview was "Bogut priznao da sluša Tompsona!" and "Australijski košarkaš voli ustaše". What a bunch of idiots. Oh, and they wrote that Bogut plays for the Pheonix Suns….hahaha..
Thanks for the link Marko.
http://www.alo.rs/sport/26145/Bogut_priznao_da_slusa_Tompsona
The national team is starting to pick itself of late
Keepers: Runje, Subasic
Defenders: Lovren, Corluka, Cale, Simunic, Krizanac, Knezevic
Midfielders: Dujmovic, Rakitic, Srna, Vukojevic, Modric, Kranjcar, Pranjic, Badelj, Perisic, Gabric
Forwards: Olic, Eduardo, Petric, Jelavic, M Bilic
I think Klasnic, Budan really need to be searching for more games to push in. Gavranovic and Kalinic also could be in there if they have good seasons.
Pokrivac has to be holding his place in Salzburg. Can't be in otherwise. I'd put him on a par with Vranjes and even Andric at moment.
Badelj has to come in. There may also be possibilities for Vida and Ilicevic next season. Depends how they do in a top flight foriegn league.
I think Luka Vucko may be ready for a step up next season to a better league or club. He's had a sound season in Turkey. Mikulic also has had a respectable season, but should stay where he is.
Jajalo would not exactly suffer in Serie B. Alternatively we'd be more than happy to take him.