Croatia’s ‘adopted son’ looks to be running on all cylinders to start off his 2009-10 campaign. Eduardo managed to score two very nice placed goals in Arsenal’s 5-0 friendly win over Hungarian club Szombathelyi Haladás.
Eduardo played 63 minutes and reports claimed that he looked extremely fit before being subbed out. So far so good. The only thing I now fear for Dudu is if he keeps receiving minor knocks and muscle pulls which will keep him out two to four weeks at a time like his return last season.
Now that Emmanuel Adebayor has moved onto Manchester City, will Eduardo have enough in him to become a starting striker for the Gunners?
Zach,
who was the last comment for?
Yes, we haven't played Belarus yet..
We haven't played Belarus.
continued….
"But you also can't say that none of these Croatia players are friends. Petric and Rakitic are clearly friends and i could show you a picture of them going out to a night club together just as well thats on the internet. Olic and Petric are clearly friends. "
Listen to yourself here. The team is split in pairs and this is how the training went. Every player had a buddy-buddy on the team. Popular players like Modric had multiple buddies. Corluka and Modric are like a couple.
Wish you could have seen the Ukrainian training. Voronin was all over the place, laughing, joking around with every single teammate. They were all close to one another, delightful to see.
"I believe you yourself were saying Croatia would wipe the floor with Ukraine and Belarus. "
I never said they would wipe the floor with these teams. If you look at the squads from top to bottom, Croatia is miles apart from the rest. However, the game is not played on paper. Bottom line, if we cant beat Ukraine and Belarus… How do you expect to beat anyone at the world cup? If we cant beat Belarus twice, we dont deserve to go. Period. Croatia has been ranked in the top 15 on Fifa the last 4 years or so. We cant beat Belarus? Ukraine? Should we be ranked so high?
good stuff… enjoyed this discussion.
@Croatiafan:)
First, sorry for the late reply. I save everyones comments and try to reply to everyone post where I have interest in or a take.
I agree with you that Juric is passed his prime and at 34, he doesnt have much to offer. However, I dont think that Vuki is ready. I still feel that Niko Kovac is Croatia's greatest loss, and we dont have a replacement for the moment.
" In goal as well – i'm actually starting to get sold on the idea of Subasic."
Are you serious? Maybe he should start for us in S. Africa..
A few friendly matches and thats it. Way to young and inexperienced to be behind the pipes for Croatia.
"Pletikosa needs some guy to put his arm around him and tell him he has faith in him and i actually credit Bilic for that. Is Pleti a bad keeper? No."
Pleti is not a bad keeper, he's barely decent. He reminds me of Drazen Ladic, great for the national team, never went anywhere outside of Dinamo… once again, a decent goalie.. had a little luck in WC98..
"Juric is simple. He's not shown himself better than Vuko, Leko or Pokrivac who have all played better in Croatia shirt."
What have Pokrivac done for the national team in only 5 caps. The kid is only 23, hes not even close to his prime. Jerko Leko never impressed me.
Here is what jerko Leko did for Croatia.
World Cup 2006 Croatia-Brazil (I was there sitting 30 rows behind Pletikosa. Brazil was beating up Niko Kovac all game. Finally, they force him out in the 41st minute through injury. Jerko Leko comes in to replace Niko. 44th minute, Kaka is left open outside the box for the lone goal and game winner.
"You can't dismiss the fact that Juric was nowhere in his career before now."
This doesnt mean anything. Look at Dado Prso. Some players blossom late and have a few good years to give until they retire.
"but as he said himself its too late in his career for these call ups. "
No one talks to the guy. Vuki, Pokrivac, and Leko probably dont even say hello to the guy. The team never accepted him probably because he never put in work and now all of a sudden he is starting for Croatia. This quote was just an excuse for him to leave.
Even Robbie didnt have kind words for Juric. I found it weird that Juric came out solo for the training session before the Ukraine game. Juric and Rakitic kicked the ball around… At halftime, Juric and Rakitic didnt even sit with the team… instead were both behind the goal watching like spectators. There is plenty uncovered there my friend.
"We also don't absolutely need 4 defensive midfielders "
The reason we have 4 defensive midfielders is that neither of the four work. Vuki should be there soon. Pookrivac is a baby, needs a few more years. Leko has never done anything for the national team. Juric never fit in with his teammates, and his biological clock is ticking….. continued
I think your perhaps over doing this mobile phone business abit. Its not right that players should have mobiles on them whilst on bench. That's bad management.
But you also can't say that none of these Croatia players are friends. Petric and Rakitic are clearly friends and i could show you a picture of them going out to a night club together just as well thats on the internet. Olic and Petric are clearly friends. There was never a problem with team camoradary before. A lot of this squad have spent a lot of time in each others company. When talking about the bench that was clearly more about a Dinamo and Hajduk divide with Hajduk guys like Kalinic, Subasic and Gabric all sitting together and Mandzo, Pokrivac and Cale all together. They prob don't intermix due to Dinamo and Hajduk bitterness. But you can also see that certain people are friends. You can see that Kranjcar wanting to sit with Vejic and Prosinecki. I think there are players who prob have favorite friends in the squad. From when i used to train i see this no different to every kind of football club. When i was training i never talked with everyone and just had same few people that i trained and talked with. I think that's normal. I acknowledge what your saying about Juric, but he's the new guy and maybe if he sees himself as the elder man who should stamp his authority on his teammates. Perhaps they aren't respecting that cos he wasn't there during the Euro successes.
Perhaps you can say though that Croatia underestimated Ukraine. I believe you yourself were saying Croatia would wipe the floor with Ukraine and Belarus. Both these teams 2 years were duds 100% agree there. Ukraine V Scotland last qualifying for example team was a pile of crap. However since then as explained numerous young talents emerged from Shaktar and Kiev which is why they did so well in UEFA Cup and made Ukraine a much better side. Belarus also boosted by series of Borisov players and they already had Kutuzov and Hleb. I think i said something like Croatia could beat these teams, but if they messed around they could get damaged. They did mess around. Bilic arranged no friendlies and didn't freshen his side. Gave some guys caps when they didn't deserve it and duely punished. Hopefully Bilic has learned his lesson – good squad this time i feel. I still think Belarus are a threat, but with Krizanac, Kranjcar, Eduardo and Vukojevic in side i think we have more depth and look strong enough to prevail. We have ability to rotate players and when you look at Rakitic as a bench player he's very useful as is Mandzo, Petric, Gabric, Leko etc. Its just a much better looking squad and a stronger bench when we have everything there. If we gave Sharbini a slot over Juric we'd have had even more option with a genuine left sided player to come on for Kranjcar if needed. But Anas is injured anyway so that's a non topic. Maybe next match we'll see him.
Re: Denis
I think that is all well and fair enough about Juric but we are talking here about two 34 year olds. Credit to him for what he did at Genoa last season, but maybe he should focus on prolonging his club career rather than playing for Croatia. We don't really need him. Even Lokomotive Moscow's Tomo Dujmovic could give us what Juric is giving us at the moment. We need to look to the future. In goal as well – i'm actually starting to get sold on the idea of Subasic.
I'd not drop Pletikosa as i think it could kill the guys confidence forever. Your right nobody does want him as he's expensive and you can find a keeper as good as Pleti anywhere for much cheaper. The fact nobody wants him is also a killer to his confidence. Yes your also right about that Spartak probably made the right choice. Pleti also knows he can;t even go home to Hajduk as Subasic is there.
Pletikosa needs some guy to put his arm around him and tell him he has faith in him and i actually credit Bilic for that. Is Pleti a bad keeper? No. So therefore Bilic's job is to keep up his confidence levels. As you know i am a admirer of Belarus as you prob recall i was singing their prices months back. But i still expect Croatia to dominate the game. Runje was a unlucky guy for reasons explained. Maybe its just not meant to be with him and Croatia. I think Subasic is the future of Croatia and Galinovic is the best Croatia keeper at the present time. However if Bilic believes in these two then he needs to man manage them and get the best out of them. I don't doubt that (a) Pletikosa has made good performances for Croatia before and does not become a bad keeper over night and that (b) Runje is a good shot stopper.
Juric is simple. He's not shown himself better than Vuko, Leko or Pokrivac who have all played better in Croatia shirt. Those guys all should not wait behind a player who is not better than them. You can't dismiss the fact that Juric was nowhere in his career before now. We don't essentially need him. We should move him on with no hard feelings. He's a good player, but as he said himself its too late in his career for these call ups. We also don't absolutely need 4 defensive midfielders in the squad as we are losing a slot we can hand to decisive attacking options like Sharbini or Klasnic.
Here is my take on Runje/Pleti and Vuki/Juric
Lets take a look at the highlights from Croatia-Israel, the game which Runje started:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAafNU0Ie_8
Maybe I am blind, but I dont see Runje at fault for any of the goals. There was some confusion in the first goal, however, any defender knows better than to play around with the ball in front of the goal.
Croatia-Ukraine
I was standing right behind the Croatian goal in the first half and Runje was communicating with the defense and kept them well organized. The first goal caught him off guard as it bended away from him, however, Simunic should have cleared this out instead of ducking for cover.
I am 50-50 right now in our keeper situation.
@Dinamofan
"Pletikosa shouldn't be under intense pressure in this game"
I will disagree on this one. 1)Minsk will not be a pleasant ground for us. 2) This is a must win game for Croatia 3) Pleti hasnt played in over 2 months, besides that lone start a few weeks back in a friendly.
Runje has had terrible luck with the national team. Remember when he got injured in training only a few days before he was guaranteed a start for Croatia?
All in all I cant come up with excuses. Any player will tell you that luck sometimes overcomes skill in football.
I am still going for Runje, as no club action = no national team action. Sorry, but Pleti doesnt deserve it.
For those of you that used the excuse "Russia has a limit on foreign players"… Have their been any offers for Pleti? Please don't think that I am bashing on Stipe. He is a fellow Hajduk player. However, Stipe hasnt come through in the past 6 months or so…
Last point… What happened to Spartak when Stipe hit the bench? Spartak won 5 out of 6 or something.. coincidence? Maybe..
AS far as juric and Vukojevic…
I have always been a Juric supporter, ever since he showed up onto the scene. Have you ever seen Juric having a good time with any of the players? Have you seen any pictures of Juric bonding, hugging any of our players? Answer is NO.
at the start of the training session before the Ukraine match, Juric showed up solo… kicked the ball around… solo.. then did passing drills with Rakitic.. wasnt until Bilic rounded up everyone did Juric join the rest of the players.
At halftime of the Ukraine match, Juric was subbed out along with Rakitic, and the two of them watched the rest of the match together behind the goal. I have never seen anything like it.
For some reason, I feel like the team didnt accept Juric, and after so many games Juric couldnt take it anymore and didnt want to be with the team. However, he didnt want to quit or deny Bilic' call. Also, he didnt want to go after any teammates. Juric was the black sheep of the family. This showed in his performance against ukraine. Juric wasnt playing with his heart. Watch some of those Genoa games last season..
Its interesting that Robert Kovac was left off the team and Juric was recalled. Coincidence?
Also, Bilic said he will have a sit down with the team regarding Juric and his role with the team.
There is more to this story then we know.
All I know is that if Croatia will play as individuals, then a similar result awaits them in Belarus.
Go back to my Croatia-Ukraine report. Take a look at that picture of the bench, with players facing opposite sides curled up on their cell phones. Until this is resolved, it doesn't matter who starts in goal, and/or Juric or Vuki.
well regards Runje – have to blame Z Kranjcar, Jozic and Baric for that one. Everyone knew Runje was a star keeper at Standard Liege and Marsielle and yet they went for Butina who was let off for numerous dodgy moments between the sticks. Remember that Butina blunder in the Korea tour. Bilic has pitched Runje and Juric into the national team too late in their careers. The older they get the more they doubt themselves. Especially keepers as they lose their mobility. I also quite liked Didiluca as a keeper, but its obvious he's not well enough to play for Croatia again. Runje is also not gonna be confident at times due to his height disadvantage.
I've always been a Runje fan- he's a better keeper than Pleti imo- but he simply doesn't have the understanding with the back four that is needed. Against a side like Belarus, an organized defense is more important than exceptional 1v1 and shot-stopping skills. Also, the meaning of "match fitness" is different for keepers- the (outfield player) endurance levels which can only be achieved by playing competitive minutes isn't required (I can't count the times I've seen #1 keepers get injured and for the #2 to come off the bench and do a stellar job). For those reasons I'd definately go with Pleti for Belarus.
I saw one of the goals Galinovic conceded but he had no chance with that. Pana look to have a dodgy defence. I'd agree with what you said. Its same as my opinion.
Pletikosa shouldn't be under intense pressure in this game so he might be okay. I respect Belarus too, but i expect Croatia to dominate possession.
Juric's comments before the Ukraine game were 100% accurate, but it was something that should have gone unsaid. I doubt Bilic will play him just to avoid any chance of bickering or backstabbing in the locker room. Juric had one chance, did not play well, and probably blew any additional opportunities. He deserves another chance but wont get it. Is it fair to Juric? No, but what is done is done. Vukojevic gets the start.
Runje….based in his games against Israel and Ukraine, I have no confidence in him. I think he gets nervous because of the lack of games he has played for the national team.
Pletikosa….has played one competitive match in Russia in the last 2 months. But, the last time this happend at Shaktar he did perform for the national team.
Galinovic….standard keeper at Panathinaikos. He gave up 3 goals today, but did not see any video yet to gauge if it was his fault.
Galinovic will play.
Yep Sharbini. Its high time for him to get a call up. He's a fantastic option to have on the bench as he scores goals and has a great long distance shot which some of our playmakers don't have.
I know your a fan of Juric and Runje, but Runje has had two matches now in Israel and Ukraine and hasn't particularly looked convincing. Its not really his fault. He's under a lot of pressure and despite being 34 should not be at this stage where he is nervous. Runje should have played many years ago instead of Butina and built up international experience. He should be self confident, but as he's not he's a gamble and he's not the future. Same with Juric. The games he played were not convincing and i feel that if Vukojevic starts over Juric, Juric will not be happy and is therefore no point in him being in the squad. I also think Leko and Pokrivac is suffient back up.
Regards who will therefore play in goal. Personally i'd take a chance on Galinovic as he plays high level football each week and confidence levels are high. I would have Pletikosa back in goal, but he's been so long without football that its a risk. However as i don't expect him to be rained under with shots then maybe he might be okay. What's the general feeling at the moment about Juric, Runje and Pletikosa.
@ Ante,
Shoot I didn't even realize I was put as anonymous, my bad.
Yeah it was a strange game but I guess it's only a friendly. Wenger subbed off the whole team, minus Eduardo and two others, at half time, but then he put Bendtner back on for Eduardo in the 63rd.
Here's a link to Eduardo's comments after the match: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oq0r2nKVfu8
@Ivica
"it is just a preseason game vs some crappy hungarian team. "
good call.
Great to see Dudu back in form, however, let's not get our hopes up.
@Dinamofan
Sharbini? interesting call.
@ Anonymous,
Thanks for the info. I was just going off of the Arsenal report.
http://www.arsenal.com/match-menu/171603/first-team/szombathelyi-h.-v-arsenal?tab=report
It looks like everyone played an entire half. There is no number by Eduardo's name. Nonetheless thanks again.
Make a name so we know who you are.
Fantastic news. Eduardo looks great, I just hope they don't extend him too much. Good to hear him being subbed out in '63.
nice to see, but it is just a preseason game vs some crappy hungarian team. time will tell, but this is a great start of hopefully even better things to come
Hate to correct you but Eduardo got subbed out in the 63rd minute which in my opinion, is even better news. Don't want him going full out right away.
I think its good just to see Eduardo playing. All Croatia and Arsenal are asking at present is for him to be available for them to use. Eduardo will be useful to us in the Belarus match. I think if he stays fit and scores a few in preseason we have to start him against Belarus. Mainly cos the Olic/ Petric partnership needs breaking up. One has to go to the bench. I would question if Olic and Petric can be counted on against Belarus if they started in attack. I like both players, but that partnership clearly has problems. I don't believe either of them are penalty box strikers. Either playing off Eduardo will be fine.
A major plus for us is the return of Krizanac. I think we'll see a better Petric next season as well without Olic. All signs from preseason from both players seems good. Mandzukic i think has earn a right to stay in the squad. I'm not sure Kalinic has by not playing any preseason games and also not sure Klasnic has. Whoever Bilic's picks out of Klasnic and Kalinic i don't mind.
I'd go with this squad
Keepers: Galinovic, Pletikosa, Subasic
Defenders: Corluka, Cale, Pranjic, Krizanac, Mikulic, Simunic, Sablic
Midfielders: Srna, Modric, Kranjcar, Rakitic, Vukojevic, Gabric, Leko, Pokrivac, Anas Sharbini
Strikers: Eduardo, Olic, Petric, Mandzukic, Klasnic
I know i was a promoter of Mate Bilic and Ruki, but i think they have to do it all again next season and show Bilic they deserve a chance. What they did was not recognise so they have to show something more. I think the following should be observed by Bilic's staff.
Observed: Keric, Bilic, Sertic, Rukavina, Lovren, Badelj, Kalinic, Knezevic, Dujmovic, Jajalo
Scrapped: Vejic, Drpic, Runje, Juric (contrevsial:)
Obviously this is good news. I saw videos of the goals. Nothing spectacular, but goals that should be scored by top level forwards.
Everythign hangs in the balance for the Belarus game and this is encouraging, but lets also remember this was a worthless preseason match.
Eduardo has had a very difficult life including coming to Croatia as a 15 year old and getting his leg broken. He is very strong mentally and is unstoppable when his confidence is high. This will be a breakout year for him in the premier league and Arsenal will compete evenly with Chelsea, Man U, and Liverpool. But first Eduardo will score goals against Belarus to put us in a good position to qualify 2nd in our WC qualifying group. Good luck Dudu!
I think it is important for Arsenal this season to have a leader up top. Eduardo has big shoes to fill because with Adebayor leaving Arsenal, Eduardo will become the number 1 striker for Arsenal. Although they are a young team i think Wenger has faith in his team this year. If Arsenal can have an injury free season this year then they will be a dangerous, fun team to watch in the upcoming season.