Written by Robert Uvanović
It’s been a long (and at times dark) three years since the 2018 World Cup, but we’re all about to finally embark on another journey with the Vatreni in five days time. Euro 2020 will be a tournament like no other for many reasons, not just because it’s happening in 2021 and will be the first major sporting tournament since the COVID-19 pandemic, but also because it will see 11 (initially 13) different nations host matches.
Originally proposed by UEFA to “celebrate the 60th birthday of the Euros” when no one other than Turkey wanted to host, UEFA’s insistence on keeping the current format in the middle of a pandemic is certainly anything but fan-friendly. Croatia have already decided they will base at home and travel to the UK, rather than be subject to Scotland’s more stringent COVID protocols, while it’s very unlikely that we’ll see many checkers in the stands due to Scotland’s COVID visitor quarantine protocols. Will it make an impact? Only time will tell, but UEFA have certainly made this tournament far messier than it needed to be.
With so many open questions, we all want to hear how CroatianSports nation is feeling heading into the Euros. Are you feeling optimistic or has Armenia and Belgium got you feeling down? Will the Vatreni make it two successful tournaments in a row? Is this the last hurrah for Modrić? The CroatianSports team has jotted down their predictions for the Euros below, but what do YOU think? Join in and let us know your thoughts below!
1. What would constitute success for Croatia at Euro 2021? Which round do they need to reach?
Kvartuč: As reigning World Cup Finalists, Croatia would need to reach the quarterfinals for the EUROs to be considered a success.
Vukmanić (Vuki): Of course, I’d love to see us win it but realistically a successful tournament should be to reach the quarterfinals. If we match up with a top team in the round of 16 and lose, I would accept it if we actually play well and get beat, but not if we play stupid tactics or if VAR makes calls against us.
CroatiaU14: A successful tournament run in my eyes would be a close loss to a powerhouse team (Portugal, France, etc.) in the round of 16. As we are experiencing a rebuilding stage, making it out of a semi-tough group and losing to a strong team would be a decent run in my eyes.
Markus: With the current form of our NT and the changes that need to be made, I would be pleased with a quarterfinal finish. The minimum expectation for this summer’s event would be a date in the round of 16.
Uvanović: Contrary to some, I think Euro 2021 being delayed a year hurt Croatia as we’re in between generations, and as someone on the site had referenced, I too fear a repeat of the ’02 World Cup with many of the ’98 old guard. Success for me would be finally winning a knockout round match in the Euros and making it to the quarterfinals; anything more than that is a bonus, but anything short of that must constitute a failure with the talent available.
2. Croatia – England: what’s the score?
Kvartuč: 1-1;The game will end in a 1-1 draw with Croatia getting another late 2nd half goal from Perišić.
Vukmanić: 2-2; We take the lead, then blow the lead only to score in the last 10 minutes to tie.
CroatiaU14: 1-1; I predict that we will tie 1-1. Kramarić will finish a sitter early in the match, and England will tie the game in the second half.
Markus: 1-1; A stalemate with an early goal by Foden, and late super-sub equalizer by Brekalo.
Uvanović: 2-1 England; I hate to be the pessimistic one of the group and as much as I don’t want to see it, I can see England cruising in a semi-packed Wembley with a repeat of the scoreline from the Nations League in 2019, as Croatia struggle to deal with England’s pace.
3. What’s our Starting XI v. England?
Kvartuč: Livaković, Gvardiol, Ćaleta-Car, Vida, Vrsaljko, Brozović, Modrić, Perišić, Vlašić, Rebić, Kramarić
Vukmanić: Livaković, Barišić, Ćaleta-Car, Vida, Vrsaljko, Brozović, Modrić, Rebić, Kramarić, Perišić, Petković
CroatiaU14: Livaković, Barišić, Ćaleta-Car, Vida, Vrsaljko, Brozović, Modrić, Perišić, Kramarić, Brekalo, Petković
Markus: Livaković; Gvardiol, Ćaleta-Car, Lovren, Vrsaljko; Brozović, Modrić, Perišić, Vlašić, Rebić; Petković
Uvanović: Livaković, Barišić, Ćaleta-Car, Vida, Vrsaljko, Brozović, Modrić, Perišić, Vlašić, Rebić, Petković
4. How far does Croatia go?
Kvartuč: Round of 16. The Vatreni get a tough draw out of Group Stage and have to play Portugal, France, or Spain in the Round of 16.
Vukmanić: Quarterfinals.
CroatiaU14: Quarterfinals. I think Croatia will go out in the quarterfinals after finishing second in our group and beating either Poland or Sweden in the round of 16.
Markus: It depends where we finish in our group. My brain says, a 2nd place finish takes us to the quarters and a 1st place finish will cut our summer short in the round of 16. My heart says all the way to the final in a rematch victory versus France 😉
Uvanović: Round of 16. Sadly, I think we experience another Round of 16 heartbreaker and our lack of stability at the back costs us dearly. Until the final whistle blows, we still always believe though.
5. What will be the biggest surprise for Croatia?
Kvartuč: Vlašić finally shines on international duty with an important ‘banger of a goal’ in group stage.
Vukmanić: If Kramarić starts, he scores 4 or more goals in the group stage alone (surprise being everyone says Kramarić plays poorly for us).
CroatiaU14: Ivanušec will come off the bench and provide a lot of attacking force and pressure for Croatia. I believe he is an underrated player who will finally make his mark with the national team.
Markus: Rebić is going to have the tournament of his life! He’s been amazing for Milan these past two seasons and is one of the most underrated forwards in Europe. Brekalo will also have a break out tournament potting 2 goals along with some great performances.
Uvanović: From a player perspective, I think Kovačić finally puts in a few of his best performances in the checkers this tournament. From a team perspective, I think the biggest surprise will be that we struggle against a defensive Scotland playing for their lives in front of their home fans. I also think there is an outside chance that Dalić surprises us and goes more defensive v England, and starts Badelj or Kovačić as CDM, with Modrić taking the true #10 role.
6. Who is Croatia’s Euro2021 MVP?
Kvartuč: Modrić. Modrić. Modrić, Modrić, Modrić. There’s nothing else to say or think about.
Vukmanić: Modrić will play his heart out as usual.
CroatiaU14: Modrić. He still has a full tank of gas left in him.
Markus: Modrić, enough said.
Uvanović: Can’t look any further than Modrić, who will continue to be the best midfielder at the tournament. That being said, we all already know that, so I’m going to go with Rebić scoring a few key goals.
7. Who is your overall tournament dark horse?
Kvartuč: Italy. Sure, the Italians tragically missed out on the 2018 World Cup but that’s only going to make them hungrier. All three group matches are in Rome for them as they play Turkey, Wales, and Switzerland. Italy haven’y lost a game since September 2018 and are currently on a 27-game unbeaten streak.
Vukmanić: I have a feeling Germany will not get further than the round of 16. As for dark horses, I think a team like Denmark could go relatively far depending on match ups.
CroatiaU14: Turkey. Their recent form has been impressive, and I believe they will make the quarterfinals.
Markus: Ukraine will make the quarters or semis while Turkey can be huge dark horses as well.
Uvanović: I don’t know if you can call the defending champs, Portugal, a dark horse, even though they do seem to be under the radar, so I’ll go with Turkey. I think they’ll start fast and win the opening match of the Euros v Italy in Rome, with some other surprises being Holland being the first “giant” to fall and Hungary picking up at least a point in the Group of Death.
8. Who wins it all?
Kvartuč: I hate to say it but France. This team is absolutely stacked and are still hungry from losing in the Euro Final five years ago on home soil to Portugal. France also won EURO 2000 two years after they won the World Cup. History will repeat.
Vukmanić: Portugal. I know they are one of the favorites, but I think some people sleep on how talented they actually are now compared to Euro 2016 when they won.
CroatiaU14: I think that Portugal will win the Euro. Their talent and chemistry are through the roof at the moment.
Markus: The clock on Belgium’s golden generation is ticking and if they don’t get it done this Euro or next World Cup, it’ll be over for them. I don’t think they’ll do it in the WC, so I’m predicting them to win the Euros this summer.
Uvanović: Portugal – I have to agree with Vuki and Croatia U14 here. Obviously, France and England are two teams that will be in the vicinity, but at some point, France’s luck/ability to play poorly and win has to run out. The biggest stumbling block for Portugal their coach’s defensive tactics, which may not suit their expansive, attacking younger generation.
9. Is Dalić still our coach in August 2021?
Kvartuč: No. Whether Croatia does well or not, Dalić has done everything he could for this team by taking a dumpster fire to the World Cup Final in 2018. It’s time for new blood as this current Croatia squad has not strung together any kind of positive results in three years since the WC Final vs. France. He will go down as a legend. There’s no reason to prolong the inevitable.
Vukmanić: Yes. As long as we make it out of the group, the HNS won’t fire him. So, he would have to want to leave.
CroatiaU14: No way Dalić remains coach. It’s time for a new coach who will bring in the younger generation of players.
Markus: It depends on the results at the tournament; sinking out at group stage guarantees him receiving the boot. If we make the Round of 16, he’ll probably lose his position for the overall development and integration of youth. A quarterfinal finish or further and he will be offered to stay, gaining a reputation of getting it done in important tournaments. However, I think Dalić would then resign and take a coaching job for a decent club as he knows his leash is short with the NT.
Uvanović: I don’t think so – we’ll always be grateful to him for saving Croatia in 2018 during our time of need, but I think both parties will decide it’s time to part ways after the Euros and allow Dalić to protect his 2018 legacy.
Key players nobody is talking about but Dalić knows: Badelj and Pasalić. The first wins back the ball a LOT and distributes well. The second somehow always leads us to more scoring chances. I expect those two guys to be secret weapons off the bench
If I was Dalic I would start making comments about the officiating and how Croatia has had some really bad calls against them the last few years. Throw it out there and put the officials under the microscope.
My thoughts on why Dalic looks at Kovacic.
We’ve all made our opinions very clear about Kovacic, at least most of us have…but I think Dalic is doing what a lot of coaches do. They try to look at the overall scenario of what they expect to see in the game and they try to be pro-active. In this case, I believe Dalic sees England with an advantage and based on a few things, he might see Kovacic as part of a solution…but I could be wrong.
Kovacic more than anyone else has more experience playing against England players on a weekly basis. His role at his club and by his club manager has been to maintain possession, make clean and tidy passes, make the opponents commit to re-gaining possession, advance the play.
He does everything relatively well, except for advancing the play. If Kovacic is going to play for us vs England then I believe Dalic will ask for a possession style game from us. We must maintain possession of the ball for as long as we can. We should be more concerned with keeping our shape, playing compact, making England frustrated and working hard to re-gain possession once we lose the ball.
In my opinion, Kovacic can do those things and he can do them well. Will we lose some forward advancement opportunities, I’d say yes (Although Modric, Caleta-Car, Broz can all pitch in) but overall it is important for us to take control of the game away from England…and one way of doing it is to dominate possession.
Then it would make no sense playing Rebic up top.
I only see that move as good for counterattacking purposes.
If we plan to dominate possession with Rebic up top, then we’ll be watching Rebic miss a ton of chances in those tight spaces. Bruno Petkovic would be better in this role instead.
Also, Vlasic is not a true winger and I don’t ever recall seeing him send in a cross. I assume his role would really be that of another midfielder, and Vrsaljko will be expected to send in crosses from the right side…and hustle all the way back to defend (not sure if that’s a great idea for a not fully fit player). But I’m sure Modric will give him cover (also not a great use of him).
I dunno. Maybe the lineup Dalic was practicing was just a farce to throw England off.
We have the personnel to do well in this tournament.
We just need to pick the right starting eleven with the formation/tactics we want to play.
Since Dalic had success at the World Cup, the safest bet would probably be to play that same aggressive pressing style we did (with probably Rebic up top instead of Mandzo)…but this would definitely mean that Kovacic plays no games at all.
I think Dalic (being a relationship guy) will favor trying to fit Kovacic into the lineup, than have multiple youngsters like Brekalo and Vlasic leapfrog him because of their aggressive style that fits better with us.
Sunday will be interesting, but I can’t stand losing to these media-biased teams. It would kill me to lose to England, especially if it was completely preventable from some stupid lineup error.
I think Rebic could still play up top and we move Krama (bad for pressing) or Vlasic on the right. All we need for Rebic to be effective is to get the ball in front of him and on the run…then let him go.
I never pictured Kovacic playing an advacned role for us Maminjo, I always imagined it would be Modric and let Kova and Broz do the defensive duties.
haha…Romeo Jozak just told Kvartuc that Rebic should start at striker so he can push the defensive line further back!
I’m soo smart!!
Geez, this whole knee thing just got a lot more exposure.
Croatia is gaining a lot of fans lol.
I hope we win, England players get booed for kneeling and losing in the opening game at home. It’s a win -win situation all around.
Horvat, this was the Croatian translation from an article posted on Daily Mail:
“Petković nipošto nije Mandžukić”
Englezi konkretiziraju i zašto: “Umirovljenje Marija Mandžukića, visokog napadača koji je na SP-u pokopao Englesku svojom ljevicom, osakatilo je Hrvatsku. Najveći problem Hrvatske je postizanje golova i tu se daleko najviše očekuje od asa zagrebačkog Dinama, Brune Petkovića. On pokušava zamijeniti Mandžukića, ali je daleko ispod njegove razine. Hrvatska se često mogla pouzdati u to da će Mandžukić biti njen spasitelj, a sada ga neuspješno glumi Petković. On pak za Hrvatsku ne zabija niti je spašava.” Mail ipak nalazi i kvalitete kod Petkovića: “Njegov forte su fizikalije te što zahvaljujući snazi i tehnici može zadržati loptu. To savršeno odgovara prodornim krilima Perišiću i Rebiću.”
Some of the greatest times of my life have been when my ex gf’s”Took a knee!”
My wife seems to have developed chronic knee issues over the years and it’s far too painful for her to “Take a knee!”
Would rather we take no knee and lose the game than take the knee and win the game!
How about we don’t take the knee and win the game
Rebić up top, and Vlašić playing RW.
That’s what was tested today.
Rebić up top is intriguing, and I would have liked to see it in our friendlies first…
But I don’t know why we keep playing our midfielders out onto the wing.
This is all because of wanting to start Kovačić.
Starting Kovačić is a riskier move than this “Vlašić on the wing” thing.
Ok Dalic has been reading our posts and petka will not be starting now
Are we now happy that we do not have a recognised striker playing up front
Nice
how i think dalic will lineup for england:
……………….Petkovic……………….
Perisic……….Modric…………Rebic
…………..Brozo……..Kova…………..
Barisic……DCC…..Vida…..Vrsaljko
…………………..Liva…………………….
what i think is the most balanced squad:
……………………..Budimir…………………….
Perisic………….Kramaric……………Rebic
…………………Brozo…….Modric……………
Gvardiol…….DCC……Vida……….Vrsaljko
……………………….Liva…………………………
I agree with Pletikosa and Blazevic; “Dalic je majstor”.
I have been critical of every Croatian coach in the past. Although Dalic makes mistakes, I wouldn’t want anyone else on the planet as our coach. Not that he’s the best coach in the world. I just don’t think any non Croatian coach knows Croatian soccer better.
ive never talked shit against dalic until his tactical disaster against slovenia, that was nearly unforgivable. Yet he still insists on playing vlasic, kramaric, and even pasalic at the same time, moreover playing them on the wing. Why play a CAM as a winger when we have 4 solid wingers; perisic, rebic, orsic, brekalo. Idiot!
i think dalic is starting to feel the burn and pressure from not calling up sosa for the past 10 months. After more than a decade of flakey LBs, its as if god himself came down from the heavens and gifted us the best most inform defensive wingback called borna Sosa, yet dalic shitted it all away by continually calling up fucking melnjak. Idiot!
I hope Dalic does put Rebic in Petkovic’s place. Although it’s not his best position, I think he would be better than Mandzukic. Other than pressing and defending, I think Mandzukic did very little in Russia.
I would put Brekalo or Vlasic on the right wing.
Brozovic and Kovacic would do a good job together, to free Modric up as our #10. Watch the chances we start creating. Have to wonder if Dalic tried using both Modric and Kovacic further back against Belgium to prepare for England’s offensive game. This led to few scoring chances. Let’s free Modric up to harass opponents in the final third, as he did in Russia.
Gvardiol needs to start against England over Barisic. We have nothing to lose. Finishing second wouldn’t be bad at all.
I think the last three years were a painful humbling period for the team. I have little doubt our boys can win this tournament. The only two teams that worry me are France and Portugal. We would be the underdogs against them. I don’t see us as underdogs against anyone else.
Horvat said: “Other than pressing and defending, I think Mandzukic did very little in Russia.”
OMG!!!!
Our first game of the tournament – Croatia vs Nigeria (first goal of the tournament for us….all MANDZUKIC)
ROUND OF 16 TYING GOAL AFTER GETTING SCORED ON IN THE FIRST MINUTE – Mario Mandzukic
QUARTER FINALS Croatia vs Russia – Tying goal vs Russia…Mandzukic assisted beautifully to Krama
SEMI FINALS – Do I really need to explain this one?
Finals – He scored again
he also ran like a dog, worked tirelessly and was the reason why we got soo many good chances from pressing high but ok, maybe in your boos he did very little!
😉
Hvala Slavonac!
Very well said
Was only gonna mention the Russia assist and England goal
It’s a shocking comment and I still can’t believe what I read.
Correction…
He score TWICE in the Final 😉
He was directly involved for both goals against Nigeria. His header led to the own goal and he drew the penalty getting raped on the corner kick.
Bro what? Mandzukic had an amazing tournament last WC
3 goals & 1 assist. He created the chance for Kramaric goal against Nigeria and the Modric penalty.
Looks like everyone sees something I didn’t. Emotions were high. 😊
I say Kova will be out there with Modric- I just think Dalic believes his bloody Belichick now- you can’t win “smerd” without striker of some sort- even Olic who was a hustle machine scored the most fluky goals but he at least scored- Bruno looks like Borat running around on the field- could be our worst striker in the 30 years Croatia has been a country- Olic, Suker,Mario, Kranjcar, Boksic and BRUNO- in the words of Sesame Street- one of these doesn’t belong here!!!!
So reading some news Dalic practiced
Livakovic Vrsaljko Cc Vida Barisic Modric Kovacic Brozovic Perisic Rebic Vlasic man i hope dalic hasnt lost the plot what do you guys think
Why does he insist on pairing kova and Modric? It never works. Brozo and Modric is the only way. I’d even take Badelj over Kova.
I can’t believe Barišić is literally just getting HANDED the LB position. He’s done absolutely nothing to merit it. Nothing. Gvardiol after 45 minutes of play has done more than Barišić in two years.
Oh yeh of so little faith. Never have I read so much pessimism and negativity. Croatia is playing possum. Dalic is using psychology warefare. Croatia will not bend the knee. The boys are being fed a diet of only red meat and abstaining from any sexual activity this week. They will be ready. U boj!!!
My predicted lineup has changed since I submitted this, but my answer was not necessarily who I felt SHOULD start, but who I felt WOULD start. I think Dalic goes with the lineup he had against Belgium, but maybe, just maybe, Gvardiol gets the nod. I do think Kramaric and Petkovic together could work if done right though.
As for the Petkovic hate, I don’t necessarily think he’s some star striker for us nor do I think he ever will be unless he changes his work rate somehow. But I will say he is probably the best fit for us right now. I’d STILL rather start Kramaric because even if he doesn’t work as a lone striker he finds ways to score out of nothing. Maybe even Rebic as he brings the pressing element that we need to succeed with our current tactics. I think we will have to wait a few years for our true striker to come about though. A lot of our best talents at that position are still very young (18 or younger).
Also, for all those clamoring that Budimir should start, how many of you have actually watched him play in La Liga or even the few appearances for us? I keep seeing people say he’s such a great target man and is great at heading the ball. I’ve actually watched a few of his games this year in La Liga and he is not some amazing header of the ball. He is a tall guy but he is also not really physically strong for someone at that height, he’s quite skinny. I know for a fact most of his goals are not with his head, sure he’s scored a couple with his head because of his height and because of fantastic crosses, but he’s also not very fast and cannot press effectively. I don’t at all think he’s a bad player, but for me, he’s not our best option and people are turning him into something he is not.
I also saw someone say we were all being pessimistic saying we should be happy with a quarterfinal finish. I wouldn’t say I would necessarily be happy with a quarterfinal finish, that’s just what I realistically think we finish unless we play really well again which is always the possibility. I am always optimistic going into games thinking we can win no matter what. We have less overall talent than some teams, but we can make up for that with pure heart and effort. I think we are capable of winning this whole thing with some luck and good play like in 2018, but I would at least be satisfied overall if we made it to the quarters.
Gvardiol must start…we don’t have much more to see with Barisic and I really don’t want to hope that he miraculously comes around.
Petkovic CAN play and when he’s in the game, he’s the most noticeable, most creative and the defenders have a helluva time with him. The thing is, even when he’s scored and even when we’ve won…he’s barely at his best and in a tournament setting, you need him on fire and on a mission!
I try not to predict outcomes and I’m never happy with discussing how far we go and what I’ll be happy with prior to the tournament. As far as I can tell and based on previous experience with this team, we can either do very well or we can all be disappointed…it depends on who you are and what your expectations are.
I do believe we have a very decent squad at almost every position. The problem is, we don’t play like a well functioning team. If we played extremely well and were very unlucky, I’d be happy because I know if we play well, we will do well. Thats not the issue. The issue is how do we all come together and sync at the same time? It can start off with one very important play and create a “we believe” attitude but so far, nobody has done anything extra to create that one “important play”!
I’m giving Dalic my support and I’ll be supporting our guys no matter that happens. if they shit the bed then heads will definitely roll. If we manage to gain some slow momentum, like I know we can do….group of 16 shouldn’t be a major achievement! On paper, this team has quality. No team is super strong at all positions. We might think some are because we aren’t totally in tune with their daily forums and team updates but this is true!
I’m hoping Gvardiol starts, knocks out Kane in the first 5 minutes of the England game and we go on winning in some very weird style…and build on that momentum!
Anything can happen!
I agree with you 100% on Budimir. He’s not even a target man… everyone on here just assumes he’s got a good header because he’s tall. Well guess what, Petkovic is taller and also doesn’t use his head.
Krama actually has the best header out of all of them.
His amazing header against Ukraine got us into the last World Cup, and his perfectly placed header got us squared up against Russia.
Give these youngsters a chance. Dalic is a stubborn old man. Same lineup and formation with the same outcome. Start Gvardiol, Bradaric, Pasalic, Ivanusec, Vlasic and Brekalo. If we lose to England, that will be a wake up call for Dalic. I watched the U21 and they played with pride and passion.
Pasalic isn’t a youngster. How can you put Pasalic Vlasic and Ivanusec on the pitch at the same time if they all play the same position?
He’s 26 and to me thats still not old but maybe hitting prime or in it. Ok maybe not youngster. I never said all of them on the pitch the same time did I? Maybe some start or come on as subs. Cheers
Dream Starting 11 V England
Livakovic
Gvardiol
Vida
CC
Jurnavoic
Brozovic
Modric
Kramaric
Brekalo
Pasalic
Budimir
Subs
Bradaric
Rebic
Ivanusec
Knowing Dalic, he’ll start Barisic, Kovacic and Petkovic
Why don’t we play a 4-3-2-1 again? It worked last time against England
Pasalic on the wing??
Why not? You do realize he’s played as winger before. He played wing against Malta & France and has come on as a sub too. Plus he’s played wing at Atlanata too.
He ain’t wrong! Petkovic will not carry us.
Jurica Vranješ ovako analizira činjenicu da imamo problema s napadačkom igrom.
– Hrvatska nema “killera”! Petković? Što Petković? Pa, u sjajnoj Dinamovoj sezoni je u Europi zabio četiri pogotka, u HNL-u je zabio devet, Gavranović i Oršić su daleko ispred njega. Po meni je Petković više vezni igrač nego napadač. Previše se vraća nazad po loptu, nešto slično što Kramarić radi u Hoffenheimu, samo što Krama više zabija. I najbolji je na toj poziciji u Bundesligi. Mi nemamo Lukakua, mi nemamo Benzemu… Nema više Mandžukića, nema više Olića. Njih dvojica nisu se spuštali nazad. Petković sve to lijepo odlaže, kao da igra futsal. Ali, ja ga ne vidim u šesnaestercu – priča Vranješ…
Yup!
Keep hearing how Spain aren’t gonna go anywhere with Morata at striker. Wish we had that problem. We can’t be hanging our hopes on a 26 year old striker that’s still(!) in the HNL.
What’s up with the love for Petkovic? Budimir scores at a higher rate in a tougher league. Is it because they’re trying to build up a transfer fee for Petkovic to go somewhere?
LOL another guy who agrees and makes sense. Petkovic plays in a lower league with less goals. Budimir all the way
https://www.rangersnews.uk/news/rangers-star-borna-barisic-hooked-at-half-time-in-international-defeat-and-criticised-by-fans/amp/
Gvardiol to start over Borna on Sunday? Might be good news as Barisic is clueless and we don’t even use his dead ball abilities (wtf)
https://www.vecernji.hr/sport/sjajne-vijesti-za-hrvatsku-lovren-se-vratio-treninzima-debitant-starta-protiv-engleza-1498678
Unless Dalic is playing everyone with his starting 11 against Belgium, I really think he should have tested good subsitutes that suit the 4-3-3 during the game:
-Vlasic/Kramaric for Modric
-Ivanusec for Rebic
-Budimir instead of Petkovic
I think he will stick to his favored system, but when you look at the replay of Belgium’s game, you can clearly see that we miss Rakitic intelligent runs & presence into the box.
Kovacic & Modric on the same line can’t get us nowhere, we end up playing like a way worse version of Real Madrid, by just passing on the sides and sending bad crosses on static defenses.
We need to get into these half-spaces to make the opponent defenders move, and we have the perfect player to do that in Kramaric or Vlasic.
The problem with that is that Luka (maybe) doesn’t have the legs to work tirelessly for 90min of high intensity games.
So it’s risky to rely only on him & Brozovic to defend on fast counters or on open plays at the edge of the box (which we have a hell of a lot of trouble to defend on , maybe that’s why Dalic was satistied after the Belgium loss, they had only a few chances of this kind).
I think 9 out of 10 people here acknowledge that Kovacic should be subbed out in place of the more useful Vlasic or Kramaric behind the striker. It will help our offense.
If we wanted to ‘save’ Modric’s energy, then we should have experimented with different flank players (and not just go all in on Meljnak for the entire UNL competition).
We could have called up Sosa when he was having a career year sending in crosses. We could have called up Gvardiol sooner and tried him there too. We could have called up Sutalo and tried him at RB since he was doing well on the U21s. Then, mixed it up with our strikers/formations up top to see what works best.
It’s too late now, and we just got to rely on Modric playing in that middle with a competent #10 with him in Vlasic or Kramaric.
Kovacic can be his direct substitute if he gets tired.
LAknat will answer this question with almost 100% accuracy!
question no 1: Which round do they need to reach?
answer: this shitty 24 teams format – helps Croatia a lot | by finish 3rd |
question no 2: Croatia – England: what’s the score?
answer: absolutely ridiculous and makes hype for English media in 0-3 loss
question no 3: What’s our Starting XI v. England?
answer: stupid Dalic – will again deploy Berisic, Petkovic, and Kovacic
Livaković, Barišić, Ćaleta-Car, Vida, Vrsaljko, Brozović, Modrić, Kovacic, Perišić, Rebic, Petković
question no 4: How far does Croatia go?
answer: Dalic will change a lot from 0-3 loss to England and
figure out once they got 1 draw and 1 win (4 points),
sure it will help Croatia to the knock-out stage | for quarter-final!
question no 5: What will be the biggest surprise for Croatia?
answer: you won’t get anything from England game except for the useless player – and later .. there will be a change | like Budimir and Kramaric into squad >
Gvardiol would take Berisic place – for the rest of the games |
question no 6: Who is Croatia’s Euro2021 MVP?
answer: surely Modric with his consistency but most likely the goal scorer – Kramaric that needs to bag 3 goals in the group stage to catch a 0-3 deficit from England!
question no 7: Who is your overall tournament dark horse?
answer: Sweden | most likely will be in the top 8 tournament
question no 8: Who wins it all?
answer: Germany
question no 9: Is Dalić still our coach in August 2021?
answer: He still got lucky on him – even with his poor decision –
seriously Modric won’t agree with this > and looks like he might go out!
Lol Germany wins? They’ll be lucky to get a win
If you ask me this team has a lot of great players and talent. We shouldn’t be intimidated by big fifa names like France, Germany, Spain etc. anymore. We’ve already proved that we can hang with that class of players. They should be worried about us.
Everything in between WC18 and now is meaningless. This tournament is what counts and the players need to go into it with the confidence and mindset that they are a very dangerous team that could get all the way to the finals and battle it out for the trophy.This happy to get to the quarters is BS.
This team if managed correctly should take care of business at the Euro. Will see what happens but I hope this amount of talent doesn’t get wasted.
Watch a German, Serie A or La Liga player not score this tourney.
2016: Rakitic/Modric/Perisic (2)
2012: Mandzukic (3)
2008: Klasnic (2)/Olic
2004: Kovac
1996: Vlaovic/Boban/Suker
It’s been like that most of the time. Let’s see another player representing another club outside those score. *Cough cough* Petkovic & Vlasic
A success for me would be if we beat either France, Portugal or Belgium which we’ve failed to do against any of those teams. I just wanna witness Croatia lift a trophy before I die. After seeing Stipe and the leafs lose. I can’t take another heartbreak this year.
We beat Belgium to get into the 02 WC
That was a long time ago but I forgot about that one. Still, our h2h record against them is negative. I also saw an 03 win too and a couple draws. But that’s when Belgium wasn’t a powerhouse.
I think we have the quality to do well if they play to preserve a result and not get frustrated.
This team can control the midfield vs almost any country and that’s a very good advantage. If we can play safe and defend in numbers as well as concentrate on getting balls into the box, we won’t be as shitty as we think we are.
I remember back in 2018…we were all desperate and somewhat worried before the tournament started and once our boys stepped on the field and played with a lot of discipline and a very high work rate, they looked far better than we all expected and even those anti HNS and anti Modric fanboys quickly jumped on the bandwagon.
It’s a tournament and it’s not a surprise if we gel at the right moment and take care of the few weaknesses we have. I’m sure Perisic will help out covering for his left back and regardless of how much we criticize Vida, everyone will come together and sacrifice for each other…for the greater good of the team!
Guys like Perisic, Modric, Brozovic, Vida…will lead through leaving it all on the field and the younger guys will have no choice…they’ll have to follow. We also have Corluka on the sidelines and he’s very loved and respected!!!
I love our Nation, I love our team even though they give me tons of gray hairs and I’m very much in love with our identity as a people…We are Croatian!!
All I hope is for a very high tempo snd effort. If we can raise the intensity level, we will do well!
“Svi za jedan, jedan za sve”!!
Love that Sting, Bryan Adams and Rod Stewart song!
With our talent level we should at least make the second round. After that it depends on who we play and how cohesive we are as a unit. We could definitely go deep if the stars align again. Let’s just say I’m cautiously optimistic. That’s the beauty with us Croats we’re hard to read, stubborn as mules and in the end we always punch above our weight.
My ideal lineup and their role
Budimir-classic #9 forward target man.
Headers and hold up play, passing off to Krama, Rebic and Perisic
Kramaric- lines up under Budimir and offset to the right. finding empty space and poaching goals like he does in the Bundesliga.
Perisic- playing wide, making slashing runs drawing players to him, creating space for Krama and Budimir and disrupting opposition midfielders. Throwing balls into the box for Budimir and Kramaric.
Rebic- needs to reprise the role he played in Russia. Constantly harassing opposing players. Running his bag off. Playing physical. At Milan they relied on him to become more of an attacking
role. But for us he needs to play bulldog and just focus on making things uncomfortable for other teams midfielders. A disruptor.
Modric- Center attacking mid. Controlling the midfield, distributing the ball.
Brozovic- center defensive mid. His normal role.
Gvardiol- Left back, mostly defensive duties
Caleta-Car- left side centre back,
Vida- right side centre back
Vrsaljko- right back, make some runs and crosses into the box when possible
If he’s having a bad game put Bradaric in. I still think Sime’s got the goods, just needs playing time to get his mindset back on track.
Livakovic- I hope we’re all praying for this kid to get some confidence and swagger.
I have no idea why so many guys on here like Petkovic so much. He should play only if all of our other forwards are injured. Now that I’ve written that, he’ll probably score a bagful of goals. Let’s hope so.
I think with that lineup and if everyone plays to their potential we could surprise people yet again.
Ajmo dečki!!!
Bog i Hrvati
Hoping for a final 4 of Holland Belgium Croatia Portugal.
If that’s possible.
Don’t think the Germans or English will go all the way. France is an obvious favourite and Italy keeps surprising me. Don’t know how they keep doing it lately but it wouldn’t surprise me if they either tanked in the group stage or made the final 4.
Italy have beaten weak teams lately and haven’t beat any legitimate team for awhile. Turkey and Switzerland will be tricky for them.
I got Italy and Turkey going through in that one
Group A – Very much favour Italy here and I think they are poised for a deep run. Things are looking up for the Azzuri. Could see Turkey grabbing 2nd over the Swiss.
Group B – Wouldn’t be surprised to see Denmark win this group and get to the Quarters. I believe they play all 3 group games at home. Pretty decent side. I don’t think the Fins advance but they are a plucky side and well organized. 2nd place should be Belgium’s to lose. The Russians are a bit too inconsistent for me.
Group C – I like the Ukraine, they certainly are not weak. The Dutch can run hot and cold but they should advance.
Group D – I think Scotland has a real shot to get out of the group as the 2nd placed side or one of the 3rd place “lucky loser” sides. England should advance but I don’t think they get very far after that, especially if they top the group.
Group E – Potential dog fight here between the Swedes, Spain and Poland. Could see a “lucky loser” advance from this group. I think the Slovaks might be one of the worst teams at the tournament.
Strange that Spain only selected 24 players and now Busquets May miss the tournament due to testing positive for Covid. I don’t know what to make of them. Could really see them flame out early.
Group F – The group of death? Have to cancel out the Hungarians as they suffered a big loss in Dominik Szoboszlai. Can’t see them doing much but another well organized squad who gets the benefit of hosting a few group games. France v Portugal will be tasty as both sides ooze talent, winner takes the group. Germans will finish 3rd while Joachim Löw gets caught by sideline cameras picking his nose or sniffing his nutsack, whichever comes first.
Can’t he do both?
Lmaoo I lost it at the Löw part but I agree with your analysis. Slovakia, Hungary, Austria and Wales are the weakest teams according to me.
Prediction- Josip siminic lines up all 4 dmen in a line and gives them a line up slap across the face- and calls them dummies- we get waxed by England 2-0 and the poor kid in net gets replaced by a wooden chair-
Simunic then knees Kane and end his tourney
@CroatiaU14
Ivanusec?!?!?!?! Oh boy. Gvardiol maybe…but Ivanusec?!?!? Come on man!!
#10: Will the media make Croatia the villains of the tournament for not taking the knee in Wembley?
I did realize that the Belgians took a knee during yesterday’s friendly, and Croatia didn’t.
https://www.dnevno.hr/sport/hrvati-odbili-klecati-uoci-utakmice-i-izazvali-skandal-bravo-za-dalica-i-vatrene-bio-je-to-dobar-potez-1754338/
Good for them for not mixing these politics with football… But England for sure will take a knee at Wembley. Will be interesting to see the media reaction to Croatia not getting involved in foreign politics.
Of course they are going to crucify us. So what? It’s all the English press knows how to do. Let them run their mouths. No chance this England side makes the semis. No chance.
Hoepfully it rattles the Brits
In the English press they’ve been talking about how the fans are booing when England take the knee.
Everyone knows this political posturing/virtue signalling has no place in sport.
The English fans will probably be cheering that we don’t bow to political pressure like their players do.
Most people are sick of being preached to by millionaires.
As far as Croatia being vilified by the press….like we give a shit…we’re used to it…we don’t play the victim card, that’s for the weak.
Yea it’s pretty offensive to see players taking a knee during the anthem of other countries, especially those who have had zero history of anti black racism (such as Croatia).
I’m glad our team didn’t pander to this ignorance and confusion, and take a knee during Lijepa Naša.
We better not take a knee. I’m sick of seeing that garbage. Croatia has no contribution to racism and to its past. Play the game and keep politics out of it. To those that will call us racist for not kneeling. We fought to be independent not too long ago. Soldiers buried in Vukovar would roll over in graves if they saw that. We’ve also had Da Silva & Sammir which are black that played for us. So if they complain, they can piss in the wind.
I guarantee Brekalo won’t be taking no knee
Tho it is after all pride month;)
LOL. Brekalo will somehow do the opposite.
He’ll stand on someone taking the knee or something.
Double trouble! Brekalo refuses to wear that rainbow shit and doesn’t kneel. LOL ok getting a Brekalo jersey.