Some will say that it could have been better, others will say that it could be worse, but in the end, Dinamo Zagreb were not disappointed with the Champions League draw in Monaco on Thursday. The Croatian champions will entertain the Galácticos of Real Madrid and battle with Ajax and Lyon for the final Champions League and Europa League spot.
“We are happy that we are here. I prayed that we avoid groups A (Bayern Munich, Villarreal, Manchester City) and to avoid a long journey to the East (Moscow, Donetsk, St. Petersburg). Real is among the top three teams in the world, Lyon is strong as is Ajax. We will go match by match and see what we can do.”
~Zoran Mamić after the draw
Each Champions League team will play six matches scheduled from September 13 through December 7. The top two in each group advance to the knockout rounds starting in February, and the eight third-placed teams join the Europa League competition in the knockout phase. The 32 Champions League teams will split $1.09 billion in prize money and bonuses distributed by UEFA.
SN/ DINAMO WILL ENTERTAIN EUROPE’S FINEST THIS SEASON
THE BIG BOYS ARE COMING TO ZAGREB!
Small Modric mention. Pretty awesome read though.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011/aug/26/small-talk-pat-nevin
True, for the most part. Every club team has to let their players go when they are called up for their country if it falls in on the FIFA calendar for national team games. Next week does fall in.
Tottenham can't forbid Modric to play for Croatia. The Fifa rules are clear about this: every team has to let go their players when they are called up to play for their country. Even for friendly games.
Anon,
I am not sure how it works but if he is unable to perform at this weekends PL fixture they will call him unfit for international duty as well. I am just speculating on there part.
I don't think Modric will sit and I am not too worried. He will get on with it and play but who knows what level of effort there will be there. Its almost as if he performs good he is punished by staying and value going up…
Tottenham would be stupid not to cash in on him right now. For a club of there level 25 mil would be good profit but to decline 30 mil…that is a little bit crazy. It does not matter what he is worth at Man U or Chelsea because they have the power to negotiate values far more than midtable teams….
Either way his time at Tottenham is running out.
im pretty sure tottenham cant force modric to sit out national team games
Goals of the week:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P0InsK9EOKE&feature=feedu.
CHANGE YOUR LINEUPS this week in EPL fantasy. I know I need to.
@Ante Thanks for clarifying that up for us.
Colin and Denis,
I’d pick my words a little bit more carefully but the BBB boycott is still on. Colin is right…partially. To say the BBB are back is a bit irresponsible and not accurate, but I see where you’re getting at. Let me explain: from the beginning of the boycott, the decision was made that the BBB, as a collective group, would boycott all games; individual members could still attend the games as, well, individuals. That’s the biggest distinction; individual BBB will be at the game but the group/collective/cooperative, whatever you want to call it, will not. Some have kept their resolve.
From my guys in Zagreb I hear there’s going to possibly be a viewing party somewhere in town, like Dolac from last year. We’ll see what the group decides. Hope this helped.
Also, to those of you who voted against Ziva having this own article, you clearly have lost your minds.
That is all, spremni.
So what he is nursing an injury and he wants to move. It happens to team like Tottenham all the time. Its a feeder club…like most mid-table teams.
Modric at Chelsea would get 2-3 times the wages. Play on a better team who can win trophies and get to play in the Champions League. Am I to judge him for that. He is just stupid for the fact he didn't put a clause in his contract he just put faith in there management…he signed a long term contract at Dinamo but Mamic and him had a good friendship and Mamic got the money he wanted.
What Tottenham are doing is basically putting an astronomically high price on him…nobody will pay that to Tottenham and they cant make him promise of CL, trophies, or salaries. I would want to part ways as well…so would you.
@jerseycro…..modric did not do this at dinamo, but corluka did. modric has a great relationship with manic and there was no unprofesionalism by modric while at dinamo.
I only blame Modric for this really, his attitude is surprising to me, but then again he was doing to same to Dinamo (him and Corluka). Now, every player wants to eventually leave Dinamo…but he and Charlie went about it unprofessionally as well, more Corluka who faked an injury
apparently, acccording to goal.com, levy has the backing of owner to put modric on the stands, if he refuses to play for spurs… He would rather put modric on stands than selling him…
apparently Tottenham wont allow Modric to play for Croatia in up comming Euro qualifiers if he dosnt play against Man City
fuck i hate daniel levy -.-
@colin,
really? We have to wait and see what Ante B has to say about this.
I'm sure there are more than a few that attend games, especially at those clearance rack prices.
@Denis – According to a friend in Zagreb, the BBB are back. They don't necessarily cheer together, but they are all there at the stadium for all the CL matches.
where is Marijan Antolović now?still in legia? I did not see him on bench too…
I dont mean to be harsh, but who are the four idiots that chose "Dinamo will top the group" ? If Dinamo tops the group, I will have Ante Kvartuc give me a buzz cut.
I agree with Ziva, any points at this stage is a bonus for Dinamo.
I really do think that Dinamo will have a great chance against Lyon. They have struggled all year and their games are all low scoring. With a little luck, Dinamo and sneak away with a 0-0 or a 1-1 or even a 1-0.
@JerseyCro,
Good luck with Rukavina :)..
@dinamoblogger,
I agree with the rest that Tottenham-Hearts is like a friendly. Kranjcar is actually excused for giving less than his half-assed effort. Corluka's situation is almost like Simunic' in the Bundesliga. They are both getting $$$$ and will sit tight until they are called upon.
@Ante B,
Question:
What will the BBB do? Don't tell me they will watch the Dinamo-Madrid champions league opener on a 17' Panasonic?
What are they saying over there in BBB waters?
@Denis – I agree with you on Theo Janssen. He was the player of the year in Holland last season and led Twente to the title 2 years ago. He's an emotional player and can be a hot head…but very talented. Reminds me of a mini Hristo Stoichkov. Surprised he didn't go to a bigger league.
Spehar is a decent talent, most likely not a signing for the CL, won't be surprised if they simply loan him straight to Lokomotiva
Happy with the group, in reality Dinamo weren't going to finish in the top 2 in any so why not play some big teams? Real Madrid in Maksimir is the game for Matchday 1, can't get better than that. Whats Mourinho gonna do when Rukavina runs wild on Real's defense…lol jk
Anything Dinamo does in the group stage is a bonus. I would be very surprised if they are able to get more than 1 point in the 4 games against Real and Lyon. They might be able to get 4 points from Ajax, but that might be a stretch as well.
Either way, this is all a bonus for Dinamo.
As for the signing of Spehar. Sounds like another kid who benefited from who his father is. I don't expect much from him in the future, but the signing keeps him away from any other team in Cro.
Dinamo will be lucky to get a point after 6 games.
@Dave 17*
Europa League round-up:
Manuel Pamic also scored for Sparta Prague tonight. Ivica Vrdoljak's Legia Warsaw qualified. Ognjen Vukojevic's Dynamo Kyiv qualified. Ivan Strinic and Nikola Kalinic won't be playing in the next round after Dnipro failed to overturn a 3-0 deficit from their first leg against Fulham. Nikica Jelavic will also miss out on European football as Rangers crashed out to Slovenian side Maribor. Nacional and Dejan Skolnik failed to qualify against Birmingham, losing 3-0. Ivan Rakitic won't be returning to Sevilla to play in Europe, as they fell to Hannover. Dario Kresic and PAOK beat Karpaty over 2 legs to qualify.
@Andrej Admittedly I would take this game less seriously than an EPL game, but from this game I'd be more inclined to play Carli more attacking and move Perisic to the right against Malta. Plus, it's a game involving Croatians at the end of the day, maybe no article but Croatians are what this site is about. I'm just informing people of the facts so they can make their own conclusions. That's all I have to say about that 🙂
@Ante B I had a dream yesterday (before the draw) that Dinamo would get Real and pip them in the Maksimir to bow out of CL football with a famous victory. It was quite a dream.
@Dave Spehar is a 19 year old striker who played for Osijek. He was very briefly the youngest ever scorer in the HNL (until Mateo Kovacic got one less than a week later) and has played internationally for Croatia since U14 level.
Ante B,
If they do I will worry about it then. The goal is 3rd and even finishing at the bottom of the group isn't a disappointment.
I will celebrate if they beat anyone in the group.
dinami signed dino spehar! don't watch the croatian league, who can tell me if he is any good if they have watched him.. not interested in what the media think
DinamoB,
I understand I am just saying that game was over before it started. Hearts needed to score 6 goals to go through and keep a shutout. In a match like this I doubt Bilic would take anything from it. That is a game played only because it has to be. Its nice what you are doing I am just saying I doubt anyone will really care.
Allow yourselves to dream and escape reality for a second (although reading some of your comments already makes me think this)..but..WHAT IF..
What if Dinamo actually beats Real Madrid?
Copious amounts of Jameson and rakija will be consumed.
@Andrej A game is a game. I watched it to see the Croatian contingent. If anything, the fact that the game was a write-off would have been a good thing, as players would be more inclined to try new things and would be more adventurous. Kranjcar and Corluka are the reason I watched the game and I might as well update everyone else as to their condition. With new players in the NT squad, it's good to see who's in form.
DinamoB,
How many of us do you really think about a Tottenham vs Heats game that was over before it even started?
Both teams fielded a team weaker that a preseason 2nd string team…
Thanks anyway though.
Kranjcar and Corluka combine well for a Pavlyuchenko miss. Niko stepped a couple of challenges on his wing and then sprayed the ball to Corluka, who's now playing as RW. Carli's drag-back is spooned over by the Russian though.
Typical Kranjcar so far. You don't know he's in the game most of the time but once he has the ball he's as sharp as anyone. Neat footwork and testing deliveries from corners. He seems to have got quicker as well.
Kranjcar comes on LM just past the hour mark for Spurs against Hearts. Tottenham practically fielded an u-20 side after getting the 5-0 advantage from the first leg. Niko needs a haircut again.
Corluka started at RB (probably one of about 3 experienced players in the starting XI) and looks solid. Nothing much troubling him, but when it did he looked comfortable. He seems to be making runs inside more as well. Good to see.
Most of you guys are sleeping on Ajax. I will be the first to say that Ajax will pip Lyon for second place. Anyone heard of Theo Janssen? Oh you will. Lyon has been struggling in Ligue 1 this year and might have to slack off in champs league to remain in the hunt for champs league next year.
I'm hoping for Dinamo in 3rd, but it wont be easy.
Also, Rukavina and Krstanovic will go scoreless in this tournament. Hopefully, Sammir and Ibanez will show up. I will be pulling for my boy Vida to stick it to Ronaldo.
@JP,
I agree….haha… good stuff. Mamic could care less if Dinamo go 0-6 at this point. Dinamo will be on the world stage against Real Madrid. If Keleva makes a couple of half-decent saves against Madrid, he will be sold the next day.
Pretty good draw for Dinamo, they'll certainly be amped for every opponent, and any result would be a major coup. Great experience for all the young players to play on such stages too.
Mamic is a very happy man tonight, because if any of the guys play very well against the big boys, their prices will skyrocket.
Our best bet is to "lay out the welcome mat" of our famous Croatian hospitality and hope the boys from the other teams enjoy themselves a little too much prior to the matches. Maybe we can send a few busloads of Splicanke to Zagreb to help along 🙂
My heart says first place but my head says third place. Second place is going out on a limb. I think Real and Lyon will make it out of the group.
What else is there to say? VOLIM TE DINAMO!!!!
Cheap? Ebay probably.
I wanted the new blue Puma so I just went on the Dinamo website. It will cost you around $80.00 – $100.00 there unless you want your family to ship it to you here in the states that way you can save on shipping.
I am VERY happy with this group. Real Madrid is the perfect team from Pot 1. Ajax was one of the 4 clubs from Pot 3 which I wanted as well, even though we have seen them 4 times in recent years.
Dinamo will get something between 1-3 points, Ajax at home is the only game I see Dinamo potentially winning and maybe they can get lucky in Amsterdam. Madrid and Lyon is two defeats, but it doesn't matter to me, we can worry about CL results when Dinamo is more established down the line as a CL club, right now just enjoy it
Where can you get cheap Dinamo jerseys? Mine doesn't fit anymore
I already have my new Dinamo jersey being shipped to me…
What a great year for Dinamo it makes no difference if they don't win a game. Rather finish at the bottom of this group than at top of the best Europa group sorry boys(even though that is very unlikely too)!
This is a great group I don't care if its .0001% of going through. Boli me…
We could have got any other group and our chances would have fared better but I rather play the best and see the best because its not a tournament we were ever going to win.
This group couldn't get much tougher that this but at least there is a reason to watch all the matches which will be entertaining.
tough group!
Shaktar faired much better… so did Chelsea if Luka goes there
I really wanted to see Dinamo get in Group H with Barcelona, but after seeing Real Madrid and Lyon in our current group, this should be very fun and refreshing to watch.
it will be nice if we can beat ajax once and tie the next time and tie lyon at least once would be our best case, if we have luck on our side
idk about 1 point, ajax has a lot of history behind them but we took them out a few years ago to get into europa. Not the easiest of groups, but it could have been a lot more difficult for us. I can see 3rd place if we take the 1st game from ajax.
Real Madrid is gona be fun to watch, and Lovren can come back to Zagreb lol.
nice draw. madrid will kill dinamo mark my words 5 -0 or 6-1
gnk 1 point after groupstage
Goup D! Real Madrid, Lyon, Ajax, and Dinamo Gonna be fun!
It could have been worse. We could have been with Barca and AC Milan.
I would like a tough group as well, but would personally like to avoid Group A – Man City,Villareal, Bayer.
my group would be
Bayern, villareal or moscow and bate or basel.
We get a strong pot 1 team, maybe not the sexiest team but a team where fans will come to zagreb and Dinamo can charge an arm and a leg and they will stay pay.
I want an easier group so Dinamo can advance, teams like Italy and Spain on the national level usually come out with the easiest groups so why not ask for the same. Give us a good chance to start off.
Regarding Dinamo's striker problem: Roque Santa Cruz has been out of favor at City for a while, and he's not going to push any of their current strikers off the squad any time soon.
He's tall, powerful, experienced and has a good goalscoring touch. Whether he'd take a pay cut is a different matter, but maybe the promise of CL football could entice him to the Maksimir. Extremely hopeful but slightly possible.
Thoughts/suggestions?
Dinamo will lose both games against any of those teams in Pot 1. The only team I can see them competing against from Pot 2 is Marseille and CSKA Moscow, but they are underdogs. Pot 3 has more "kinder" teams like BATE, Basel, Olympiakos, Ajax
I think this group would be alright: Bayern, Marseille, Ajax
I want something attractive, please nothing like Porto, Shakhtar, Lille. I want one of the stronger teams in Pot 1 in all honesty, then weaker teams in Pot 2 and 3
And @Denis, Man. City are just too dangerous on the attack. Every defense in the world would have a hard time against Aguero, Tevez, Balotelli, Dzeko and David Silva.
@Ante Inter have lost a big threat in Eto'o's move to Anzhi, but as of yet they still have Sneijder. I don't think Dinamo could handle some of the stuff he produces. Plus their defense (Maicon, Lucio etc.) would bully even the block-of-muscle that is Beqiraj out of the game. A very tall striker coming in is the only way I can think of to getting things going in the area against Inter. That's without mentioning Julio Cesar between the sticks. Arsenal have a few good players, obviously, but losing Fabregas and Nasri has seriously quelled their creativity.
What kind of reaction would that get from Dinamo fans? I think even a few BBB would sneak in to see the returns of Modric and Eduardo.
AS long as Dinamo avoid Porto, Benefica, Moscow, and Marseille in pots 1 and 2 I will be happy.
As far as pot 3, I prefer Bate, Basel, or Ajax.
Man City is the team everyone wants to avoid.
@ Dinamoblogger,
Yes that is a weak group. Although, I haven't seen much from Inter and Serie A is barely starting this week. No more Eto'o.
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How's this for a group? Modric makes his return to Maksimir wearing Chelsea blue. Srna, Eduardo come to Zagreb with Shakhtar. Imagine that.
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How bout a potential group of death with the champions of Europe's Big 4. Barca, Milan, Lille, Dortmund.
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What does Ante want? I want Dinamo to be able to compete even though I don't they can compete for a Top2 spot. A third spot yes…Bring in ManU,Milan and BATE…and let the good times role….
Arsenal, Villarreal, BATE, Dinamo
Arsenal are in bad times at the moment, and Udinese exploited weaknesses with relative ease across their qualifying games. I'd be able to go watch too.
Dinamo beat Villarreal last year and could probably do it again. They only have one or two standout players (Rossi, Cani) and Dinamo have more experience with them from last year. Plus they were close to not qualifying at all before Odense forgot how to defend.
BATE are arguably the worst team in Pot 3. Due to the new format, they didn't have a difficult passage o the group stages. If anyone, Dinamo could get maximum points against them.
3rd place is realistic, but proper spirit and possibly a bit of luck could get Dinamo into 2nd. And that means £€$£€$£€$.