England
MODRIĆ DOES HURDLES TOO
Luka Modrić started for Tottenham Hotspur in a pivotal match that would decide their Champions League fate. Needing maximum points to stay in front of Manchester City for the last spot would mean Spurs would have to beat Bolton Saturday afternoon. They got the job done, barely winning 1-0, on a rocket of a shot by midfielder Tom Huddlestone. ‘A Top-5 English Premiership goal this season’. -Ante
Modrić had a very poor first half and did not look like himself. Hopefully the loss of fellow Crottenham teammates Niko Kranjčar and Vedran Ćorluka to injury has not affected Modrić too much. He was sloppy in the midfield and rushed when he had plenty of time. Modrić also rolled another shot to goal, but that’s been the norm as of late. Modrić played much better in the second half with pinpoint passes and lobs. Tottenham escaped with the win but missed three solid chances to lock up the game late. They have been soft in the striker position lately. They’ll be making some phone calls this summer.
DOWN TO THE WIRE
Tottenham play Manchester City in Eastlands this Wednesday. If Tottenham win, they lock up a Champions League spot for next year. A draw would benefit the Spurs as they would still be on top of Man City with one game left in the season: an away match at relegated Burnley. A loss would surely end their season as Manchester City plays West Ham next weekend. The game on Wednesday will be televised nationally in America on ESPN2 @ 3PM (Eastern).
KLASNIĆ(L) TAKING ON THE SPURS
Ivan Klasnić got the start for Bolton as the Wanderers travelled to White Hart Lane to take on Tottenham Hotspur. Klasnić played well, especially with his back to goal, but couldn’t get his Bolton teammates to finish for him. Klasnić appeared very upset when he was taken out of the game in the 61st minute. He still had plenty of juice in him and was combining well with teammates. Will Killer get one more start in a Bolton jersey when they host Birmingham this Sunday?
HUDDLESTONE RIPPER
Nikola Kalinić and the Blackburn Rovers will host Eduardo’s Arsenal side on Monday, May 3rd. CSR will update this post later in the day.
Germany
PHOTO: Bayern; Ivica Olić(center) in action against Bochum
Bayern Munich and Ivica Olić celebrated a place in the Champions League Final on Tuesday with a Bundesliga title on Saturday. The Bavarian Giants smashed soon to be relegated Bochum 3-1 and combined with Schalke’s loss to Werder Bremen 2-0 gave Bayern Munich its 22nd Bundesliga title. Ivica started and played 79 minutes in front of an energetic crowd of 69,000 at the Allianz Arena.
Olić leads Bayern to Champions League Final
Danijel Pranjić was left on the bench for Bayern Munich against VfL Bochum. Danijel should be available for the last three matches of the season for Bayern Munich.
PHOTO: Schalke04.de; Ivan Rakitić in action against Werder Bremen
Ivan Rakitić and Schalke failed to extend the race for Bundesliga title to the final day after they fell to Werder Bremen 2-0 on Saturday. Ivan started and played the full 90 as Schalke finished second in the Bundesliga and are guaranteed a Champions League spot next season. The 22 year old Croatian international will have one more chance next weekend to add to his 7 Bundesliga goals this season.
PHOTO: HSV.de; Mladen Petrić(right) celebrates goal against Nuremburg
Mladen Petrić and Hamburg were in action twice this week. On Thursday, Hamburg were in Fulham in the second leg of the Europa League semifinals. Mladen started and played the full 90 minutes, opening the scoring in the 22nd minute on a wicked free kick over the Fulham wall and passed keeper Mark Schwarzer. However, it was little too late as Fulham scored twice in the second half to book a place in the Europa League Final ironically in Hamburg.
PHOTO: HSV.de; Mladen Petrić scores against Nuremburg on Saturday
Hamburg were hoping to bounce back on Saturday against Bundesliga bottom dwellers Nurnberg after the disappointment against Fulham on Thursday. Mladen Petrić helped Hamburg bounce back, scoring twice in a 4-0 romp. Mladen scored his seventh and eight goals of the season in the 19th and 25th minutes of play before being subbed out for Ruud van Nistelrooy in the 61st minute.
Petrić first goal
Petrić second goal
PHOTO: Hoffenheim; Josip Šimunić(left) celebrating victory on Saturday
Hoffenheim secured back-to-back league wins for the first time since late October, celebrating a 2-1 victory at Eintracht Frankfurt. Josip Šimunić played the full 90 minutes yellow card free. Josip has had a great season at Hoffenheim earning the captains armband late in the season.
PHOTO: Hoffenheim; Josip Šimunić(left) thanking the fans on Saturday
Ivica Banović was once again looking on from the bench for Frieburg and cheering on his teammates in a 2-2 draw at FC Cologne. The precious point guaranteed Freiburg a place in Bundesliga next season, up four points from the relegation play-off spot, with only a game to go. Hopefully, Ivica will get a shot with Freiburg next season. Manu if you are reading, we are all looking forward to your Freiburg party pictures.
BUNDESLIGA STANDINGS
France
PHOTO: RCLens; Runje will be in street clothes the rest of the season for RC Lens
RC Lens turned a 1-0 halftime deficit at St Etienne into a 4-1 victory on Sunday. Vedran Runje is out for the rest of the year as Lens can lose the rest of their three remaining games and still finish clear of relegation.
Dejan Lovren(right) in action against Montpellier
Lyon gave themselves a chance of qualifying for the Champions League with a 1-0 win over Montpellier on Sunday. Dejan Lovren returned from a knee injury, and played the full 90 in a shutout. Lyon are now two points behind third place Lille for the final Champions League spot, and still have a game in hand. On Wednesday, Lyon are at home to second placed AJ Auxerre, where a victory would really make an interesting finale.
Dejan received Ligue 1 Team Of The Week honors for his performance in week 35 from goal.com:
“The young Croat’s first appearance in Team of the Week since signing for les Gones in January. Didn’t put a foot out of line as he more than adequately replaced Jean-Alain Boumsong in the heart of the defence. Showed a great deal of potential for the future in the 1-0 victory over Montpellier.”
LIGUE 1 STANDINGS
Austria
JELAVIĆ IS ON FIRE IN AUSTRIA
Nikica Jelavić scored two goals on Friday in Rapid Wien’s 5-3 win over Kapfenberg. Jelavić has now brought his goal tally up to 13 goals for the season in Austria, which is tied for fourth most. It’s definitely time for Nikica to leave for a bigger club in Europe as he has mastered the Austrian Bundesliga.
Watch the match highlights below. There is absolutely no defense in Austria. At the end, Rapid score an insurance goal while on a 4-on-0 break. I’ve never seen that in soccer before. Not even in the Croatian HNL!
JELAVIĆ DOUBLES THE FUN WITH HIS HEAD
Nikola Pokrivač started Red Bull Salzburg’s match against FC Magna Wr. Neustadt on the bench Saturday, but came in with 18 minutes left when the game was already out of hand. Red Bull ended up winning 4-2 and look to repeat as Austrian champions. Pokrivač is barely getting any time in an already weak Austrian league. Should we expect to see him called up for Croatia come this fall: my magic 8-ball says “Don’t count on it.”
Ukraine
SRNA TAKING ON METALURG
Darijo Srna captained Shakhtar Donetsk for 90 minutes on Saturday as the Ukrainian leaders beat Metalurg Zaporizhya 2-0. With the win, Shakhtar stay three points in front of Dynamo Kyiv with only two games left in the season. On Wednesday May, 5th, Dynamo travel to Donetsk to take on Shakhtar in a game that essentially decides the 2010 Ukrainian championship as well as which club gets an automatic entry into next year’s Champions League group stage. Fasten up those Ukrainian Premier League seat belts!
UKRAINIAN TOP 3
VUKOJEVIĆ SPORTING THE PIN STRIPES
Ognjen Vukojević helped Dynamo Kyiv post a 2-0 shutout win against Zakarpattia on Saturday. The win ensures that this Wednesday’s match against Shakhtar is for all the marbles as Dynamo currently hold a better goal differential. The Ukrainian Premier League might be just as bad as the Croatian Prva Liga. Sure, the quality of play is much better, but it’s Shakhtar and Dynamo 1-2 every year. With only two matches remaining this year, the two Ukrainian giants have only lost three games combined this season.
Belgium
IVAN PERIŠIĆ
Ivan Perišić played 90 minutes as Club Brugge reclaimed second spot in the Belgian playoff table after beating St. Truiden 2-0 on Sunday. With only two games remaining, Club Brugge need to stay in that second spot in order to qualify for Champions League. Brugge have a double this week and play at Gent to close out the season. They control their own destiny.
BELGIAN PLAYOFF TABLE. 2 GAMES LEFT.
Spain
MATE BILIĆ TRAINING WITH SPORTING
Mate Bilić returned to the Sporting Gijon bench after serving a one game red card suspension. Bilić came into the match in the 83rd minute, moments after Malaga scored to equalize the match at 1-1. Bilić couldn’t get anything going as he did not manage one shot on goal in the short time he had on the field. The match ended 1-1, with Gijon earning their goal with the help of a Malaga own goal. Sporting are slipping towards the relegation zone but should be safe with one more win. Spain’s La Liga has three games left in its season.
Turkey
ČALE(L) IN ACTION FOR TRABZONSPOR
Drago Gabrić and Hrvoje Čale got the start for Trabzonspor in a 1-0 away loss to Ankaragucu. Čale went the distance as Gabrić was subbed out in the 60′. Trabzonspor’s regular season is just about over with only two games left, but the mid-table side will focus all their attention for their May 5th Turkish Cup Final match against league leaders Fenerbahçe.
Italy
PHOTO: AP; Palermo fans on hand at Palermo-Siena cheering them on to victory and a possible Champions League Spot
Igor Budan was once again brought on in garbage time by Palermo on Sunday in a 2-1 victory over now relegated Siena. Igor came on in injury time and failed to get a shot on goal in a much needed victory for the Eagles. Croatian under 21 international Mato Jajalo was started and played 84 minutes for Siena, now officially relegated to Serie B with the loss. Palermo will be at home to Sampdoria next Sunday with a champions league spot on the line. A Palermo loss will gift Sampdoria a champions league spot, while two Palermo wins would seal a Champions League Spot for the Sicilians.
PHOTO: AP; Mato Jajalo in action against Palermo
Dario Knežević was left off the squad by Livorno in Sunday’s 2-0 loss at Sampdoria. Livorno have been relegated to Serie A last week and finish off the season at home to Lazio and away to Parma. Would Slaven Bilić select Dario if he was playing Serie B football? I don’t think so. Dario should demand a transfer.
SERIE A STANDINGS
Russia
PHOTO: Lokomotiv, Lokomotiv’s Tomislav Dujmović
Tomislav Dujmović started and played the full 90 for Lokomotiv Moscow on Saturday in a 0-0 draw at Terek Grozny. Tomislav was a beast in defense once again and is sure to be competing with Vukojević for that starting defensive midflieder role for Croatia.
PHOTO: ZENIT, Ivica Križanac(center) celebrating victory over Spartak
Ivica Križanac and Zenit St. Petersburg registered two important away victories this week to join Spartak Nalchik atop the table with 18 points a piece. Ivica started and played the full 90 in an impressive 2-0 win at CSKA Moscow. The 31 year old former Šibenik defender opened up the scoring in only the fifth minute, tapping in a lose corner kick.
Ivica Križanac goal
PHOTO: ZENIT, Ivica Križanac(center) in action against Saturn
On Sunday, Ivica Križanac led Zenit St. Petersburg to a fifth consecutive shutout in a 1-0 victory over Saturn. Ivica played the full 90, helping his team to the top of the Russian Premier league. Its a shame that Croatia hasn’t qualified for the world cup. Has anyone noticed that ever since we were eliminated, almost every starting player has come up bigger for their respected club teams. I think that all the pressure playing for Croatia and expected to win each and every one of those few games took a toll on the players. Now they are playing as if someone took all that weight off their shoulders.
RUSSIAN PREMIER LEAGUE STANDINGS
Next Matches:
Tuesday, 5/4
Sporting Gijon at Getafe, SV Salzburg at Kapfenberg SV, Fenerbahce at Trabzonspor(Türkiye Kupasi)
Wednesday, 5/5
Tottenham at Manchester City, AJ Auxerre at Lyon, Grenoble at Lens, Rapid Vienna at Austria Vienna, Saturn at Lokomotiv Moskow, Zulte-Waregem at Club Brugge, Dynamo Kyiv at Shakhtar Donetsk
Thursday, 5/6
Spartak Nalchik at Zenit St Petersburg
Friday, 5/7
Rapid Vienna at Austria Vienna
Saturday, 5/8
Lyon at Valenciennes, Lens at AJ Auxerre, Bayern Munich at Hertha Berlin, Schalke 04 at Mainz, Hamburg at Werder Bremen, VfB Stuttgart at Hoffenheim, Freiburg at Borussia Dortmund, Denizlispor at Trabzonspor, Club Brugge at Gent
Sunday, 5/9
Fulham at Arsenal, Tottenham at Burnley, Blackburn Rovers at Aston Villa, Birmingham at Bolton, Sampdoria at Palermo, Lazio at Livorno, Siena at Fiorentina, Atlético Madrid at Sporting Gijon, Austria Vienna at SV Salzburg, SK Sturm Graz at Rapid Vienna, Zenit St Petersburg at Amkar Perm, Lokomotiv Moskow at Spartak Nalchik, Shakhtar Donetsk at Tavriya Simferopol, Metalurh Zaporizhya at Dynamo Kyiv
Monday, 5/10
~Ante Kvartuč and Denis Svirčić reporting from San Pedro, CA
He should be Ok at this point. I still doubt any EPL team will go after him.
Isn't Pletikosa still injured? That said he should be on his way back from injury by now, any news?
Pamic to Frieburg is a good switch. There was some suggestion he would go to Bundesliga 2, but if he gets in Frieburgs side that'd be a good thing. If Bosnia want Mujdza that's fair enough though hopefully he doesn't become a Emir Spahic who could have easily got in Croatia's squad.
Spurs V City is like a cup final. Spurs may just have enough attacking talent to get past City who play a more Italian style under Mancini with 2 defensive mids. Will be an interesting game. There is a lot of Croatia's squad playing well at the moment. Nearly all of them have had solid seasons. I can't think of anyone who has had a poor season. I suppose Eduardo and Bilic have not really got going due to injury and Leko, Pletikosa and Rukavina has had a stinker. Much of the rest have done okay.
Good luck to Modric and Spurs on Wednesday, Spurs have just surpassed their best PL points total but the most important thing is to beat City and take fourth! CL football would be a dream 🙂
Because Blackburn beat Arsenal today, if Spurs beat Man City then they even have a chance for third. Of course Fulham will probably lose at Arsenal, but it's still mathematically possible.
@someguy,
Yes, I remember talks about Ciro calling up Mujdza a wile back. Croatia seem to have no interest whatsoever for his services. He did play 9 games for Croatia at U21 level.
If wikipedia is correct, then Mujdza will be playing for Bosna.
Looks like newly signed Bayer, Zvonko Pamić will be loaned to Freiburg next season. Now we will have three croats on Freiburg.
@Dinamofan,
Yes, I am aware of Mensur Mujdza playing for Freiburg. Manu has asked me a few times why I havent added him on Croatians around europe. Mensur has started for Freiburg the past four matches or so and "played well". Mensur has been riding the bench all season, and with so many players, its hard to keep up on all the up and coming potential stars.
This is also why we dropped Greece. If Mensur continues o start for Frieburg starting next season, or if he Slaven Bilic starts to bring up his name, then we will surely add him to the list.
@anonymous,
Petric to Tottenham would be great. Please sign in, and sign up as a follower on the far right.
All you lazy Croatians out there(most likely lazy dalmatinci)… sign up and follow us.(under fantasy league, far right) We only have 42 followers? This number should be in the hundreds, based on the number of hits we get everyday.
Tottenham should buy M Petric from Hamburg in the summer. That would the ultimate team
Freiburg staying up is good news. I don't know if anyones aware of this but theres another Croatian whose been in Freiburg's team recently whilst Banovic has been out… Mensur Mujdza.. former Zagreb player who signed for 500K. Maybe he may get more chance next season having played a few games at the back end of this season.