With the midpoint of the HNL reached back in December and the winter break and transfer window in full swing, it’s time to review each clubs performance so far this season. With an action packed season full of drama, twists, and upsets already halfway behind us, let’s take a deep dive and assign letter grades to each club this season.
Hajduk Split (1st): A
Hajduk fans can enjoy the winter break comfortably as they sit top of the table with a six point cushion between them and 2nd place. Hajduk seem to be positioned to make their strongest play for the league title since 2005 when the club last won the HNL. Currently, Hajduk sit on 41 points having a record of 13-2-4, this sees them comfortably in 1st despite the fact that both Rijeka and Dinamo have at least one game in hand. Marko Livaja has yet again been the main man for Hajduk this season, netting seven goals so far this season for Hajduk. He is both the leading goal scorer for Hajduk and joint leading goal scorer for the HNL (Split between Mierez, Brodić, and Caktaš). Livaja also has a strong supporting cast that has helped elevate Hajduk to the level they are now and give them their best shot at the title. Players such as Sahiti, Sigur, Šarlija, and Pukštas have all been useful assets towards Hajduk’s charge. Lučić has been an extremely valuable asset for Hajduk in between the posts. He currently has 11 clean sheets so far this season out of the 19 games that have been played so far. All in all, Hajduk have their most well rounded and depth filled team in a while and look keen in their eyes to add a long overdue league trophy to their cabinet.
Pro: Defense
Hajduk’s backline has been their biggest asset so far this season. They have conceded the lowest amount of goals out of any club this season (10) while also maintaining 11 clean sheets. Cracking Hajduk’s backline has been a challenge, but even when they concede goals they do not make it easy. Hajduk have only lost a game by more than one goal once this season, a game that took place against Osijek back in October.
Con: Upset Prone
Hajduk may be ruthless at most times this season, but the little guys have been able to take some points from Hajduk. Gorica and Istra were both able to get wins against Hajduk proving that they are not invincible. Lokomotiva also were able to secure a 1-1 draw with Hajduk two match weeks ago. While it may be a stretch, an out of form Osijek team were able to get a win in Poljud which could be considered an upset depending on who you ask.
Rijeka (2nd): A-
Rijeka have been a very consistent threat so far this season. They have shown just how formidable of an opponent they can be, giving Ligue 1 side Lille a run for their money in Conference League Qualifiers. They didn’t just stop in the Conference League Qualifiers though, they have been very consistent either having lead the league at the top of the table or remained with striking distance of the top. Besides Osijek, no one else has been able to best their goal scoring capabilities. Rijeka’s ability to balance both a sound defense with an aggressive attack shows a testament to the mindset at the club. Even after the surprise betrayal from former manager Sergej Jakirović and his departure to Dinamo, Rijeka have still been able to retain that same versatility.
Pro: Transfer Business
Rijeka’s transfer business has been excellent to say the least so far this season. Even if you look back a year ago it is clear that the transfer market has been a strong suit for Rijeka. Just a year ago from now Rijeka were sitting in 8th place in the HNL after a disastrous initial campaign. They added players such as Danilo Veiga and Emir Dilaver who stregthened their back line at the time. However, this summer they hit the ground running adding major players to their roster. Rijeka grabbed Marco Pašalić who was initially linked with Osijek. They also added Franjo Ivanović, Niko Janković and Toni Fruk to their squad. Those four players who joined in the summer window now account for 17 of Rijeka’s goals and 15 of their assists. Lastly, to cap off the window Rijeka brought in a former Vatreni player in Marko Pjaca from Juventus in Serie A. His return to the HNL has given Rijeka the added advantage of both veteran leadership and and experience in one of Europe’s top leagues.
Con: Top 4 Matches
Rijeka have struggled to get wins in the big matches. Sure their record may not be entirely terrible against the other big clubs it could be better. Both Hajduk and Dinamo have had big statement wins against the other top clubs. If Rijeka wants to get to the top of the league they will need to start turning their draws against the other big clubs into wins in the second half of their campaign.
Dinamo (3rd): B+
Dinamo sit in a less than acceptable 3rd place for both the fans and the management of the club. It is no secret that in the 21st century so far Dinamo have been nothing short of dominant in the HNL. But, with losing key assets and a packed calendar full of European matches, it seems the Zagreb based club may have bitten off more than they can chew. However, not all hope is lost, as Dinamo still have two games in hand. If Dinamo can take six points from those matches they will be within one point of Hajduk. Dinamo return from the winter break with four matches against Lokomotiva (2x), Gorica, and Istra before returning back to European play in a knockout round tie with Real Betis from Spain. Dinamo can use the rest over the break to keep kicking themselves back into stride as they slowly make up for their lost ground earlier. With a lighter schedule compared to Hajduk, Osijek and Rijeka, these next four matches could be crucial in not only closing that gap but shaping the outcome of this season. The return of Bruno Petković got them turning in the right direction before the break, but now the rumored arrival of Josip Brekalo and the lingering cash stocked up from the selling of big name players like Livaković, Šutalo, and Ivanušec could really shape how Dinamo’s season ends.
Pro: Squad Depth
Even with the mass departure of players in the summer window Dinamo still has the most depth in the league. Not including injuries Dinamo has depth up top with Petković, Drmić and arguably Emreli as well even if he isn’t as strong as the other two players. On the wings Dinamo can utilize players like Kaneko, Vidović, Špikić or use youngsters like Marin and Rukavina. Dinamo have strengthened the depth pool in the midfield with the return of Arijan Ademi. Dinamo already had talented players in that position with the likes of Ademi, Baturina, Bulat, Mišić, Lujubičić and so on. Besides going on and naming the rest of the starters and key bench it is clear to get the gist of this Dinamo team. While as a whole the league has improved the talent in the rosters of almost all of the HNL clubs, there is strong case that Dinamo is still the strongest as of now.
Con: Packed Schedule
As much as Europe has affected Dinamo this season this isn’t really something in their control. Realistically the only way out of European play would have been losses in either the qualification or group stage process, either would not be acceptable for the fanbase and management at the club. However, unlike seasons prior Dinamo have struggled with balancing their European play so far in this campaign.
Osijek (4th): C+
Okay, yes a C might be harsh for Osijek, they currently sit in a 4th place spot, they have a dangerous attack at their disposal and can threaten anyone when they are at their A-game. But, the problem is Osijek have been anything but been on their A-Game. With the amount of talent in this squad it is alarming that they sit in 4th. Zoran Zekić was hailed as being the man to save the club from the slump of a year that 2023 had been for them. He, just like everyone else realized fast that the problems for Osijek lie more off the pitch than on the pitch. Overall their transfer business was rather decent after their mass exodus in last years winter transfer window. Duarte and Pušić. While some will make the case that Osijek’s defense is solely to blame for their poor performances, it is hard to look at their current line-up and think it is 28 goals conceded bad or the 4th worst defense in the league.
Pro: Goal Scoring
Osijek are by and far the most dangerous team on the attack so far this season. They have put up a staggering 37 goals so far this season. Both Mierez and Caktaš currently sit top of the league in goals scored. The attack for Osijek is clearly a real threat, an attack that was able to dismantle Slaven Belupo 6-1 on match week 1, score four unanswered goals to win 4-3 against Rudeš then next week. By the end of match week 3 Osijek had scored 11 goals already. When playing their best, Osijek are rutheless t
Con: Defense
Whether the cause of the blame is tactics, squad selection, or player performance one thing is for sure: this Osijek defense is not up to snuff for a club trying to secure a European spot. It is not that their defense is capable of playing well, their 2-0 win against Hajduk showed thay Osijek have seriously missed out on points that easily could have been theirs. They blew a 2-0 lead to Dinamo, a game they dominated the first 50 minutes of, conceded a 90th minute winner to Dinamo in the second match they faced off against them. Then there is the Lokomotiva game where they gave up a 90+6th minute leveler to the Lokosi or their collapse to Istra conceding two goals in the last 10 minutes when they were up 4-2. Not including those games there were many more instances when either Osijek as a whole or their backline simply did not show up to play. Thankfully for Osijek their attack has been able to bail them out on multiple occasions as well.
Gorica (5th): A
Gorica have had an absolute turn around in the year of 2023, sitting rock bottom for most of last seasons HNL campaign just to escape at the last moment. However, with most of their main talent leaving the club, that left many with serious doubts about Gorica in the upcoming campaign. I will be the first to admit that I was dead wrong about this Gorica side. While yes Gorica are not the strongest side of offense their defense has more than made up for that. Having only conceded 15 goals this season, less than a goal a game, this Gorica backline can be described as a brick wall. Dino Štiglec has been an outstanding defender for Gorica and arguably one of the best Left Backs in the HNL this season. Ivan Banić, the goalkeeper for Gorica deserves a lot of respect this season. In a talent filled position all across the league Banić easily holds his own against a lot of players, some of which include Zelenika, Čavalina, Lučić, and Labrović. Gorica may not be the prettiest team to watch play, and it may not be exciting but this team knows how to get the job done.
Pro: Home Performance
Gorica have turned the Stadion Velika Gorica into a fortress this season, they have only lost once at home this season and have been able to keep the place a nightmare for visiting sides. Gorica have beaten Dinamo, Osijek, and Hajduk all at the Stadion Velika Gorica so far this season. They gave Hajduk a shock loss by scoring two goals in the last 10 minutes of play, then defeated Dinamo in almost the exact same way with another stoppage time winner from Ante Matej Jurić after being down 1-0 at one point. Lastly, they dismantled Osijek in an impressive 3-0 victory for Gorica. The Stadion Velika Gorica is arguably the last place in the HNL you would want to be travelling to at this point this season.
Con: Goal Scoring
While in the defensive third Gorica may be thriving, their attack is a cause of a lot of worry. Similar to the Slaven Belupo side that were in 4th at the mid season mark last year, Gorica struggles to find the back of the net. Gorica have managed to score 19 goals this season, the 3rd lowest in the league. If Gorica cannot get their attack to match the success of their backline it is possible they could fade off from the top half similar to Slaven last season. If teams figure out how to crack this Gorica defense before they can get their offense up to par, this season could start to slip away from the Goričani.
Does anyone have a good stream for Real vs Atletico? I can’t find it anywhere in Canada.
Thank you Andrew for covering this topic, and the well written analysis. Very much appreciated.
I grew up in Dalmatia, so naturally I grew up a Hajduk fan. But it’s been decades since I lived there and ultimately, the Dinamo/Hajduk thing really isn’t high on my priorities like it’s the 80s or 90s, particularly given that these teams aren’t sensibly run to be the best they can be with local talent, but instead organizations that are trying to strike some balance between competing and selling off young players for good prices.
As a result, Im really just interested in the national team. And because of that, I’m somewhat saddened to see Hajduk ahead of Dinamo and this is for a very important reason.
Hajduk winning IS NOT the result of it finally solving the riddle and making Hajduk great again. Hajduk winning JUST MEANS that Dinamo has degraded as an organization.
And in the end, unless Dinamo is somehow a miraculous football factory in an otherwise challenged Croatia, then the national team will have no chance of continued strong success.
The world population grows 4 million, the size of Croatia total population, every two weeks, while the croatia population drops by 200.
The odds that Croatia to continues to have impact, would have to be a miracle in a sense, unless you continue to believe in somehow, that we are different, and in the last weeks of all tournaments, the word Hrvatski will be on the tongues of the TV announcers forever more. Just one man’s dream.
The important thing is that you understand
why you got it wrong! | Monotheism denomination >
https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:3992
Dinamo’s uprava have been a mess and the club seems somewhat reactive and disorganized. I was very disheartened when I realized just how low they dropped in quality once they sold a few good players and they didn’t replace them. Then they really dropped the ball by losing to AEK…I truly expected more from Dinamo.
I’ve become used to seeing Osijek, Rijeka and Hajduk do extremely poor in European competitions so its not surprising to see them fall off very early…and its a huge surprise if they don’t. with all that said, I’d like to see some changes to this league. maybe Hajduk should be eternal losers considering they can’t take advantage of a really poor Dinamo and teams like Osijek seem to be the Vancouver Canucks of the top 4…often taking big points from good teams but then losing big points from minnows…they’re just not a well managed team. Its a really good chance for Rijeka to get some serious owners and bring in a strong management group…I’d love to see a team like Rijeka lead the league.
In my opinion…and not to be offensive or rude but I feel like everyone has had enough of the drama Hajduk creates. they’re far too primitive and inept to be a leader and it shows every single year. they constantly pump up stupid and irrelevant things like “membership”, murals, swastika but yet ALWAYS lay blame to someone other than themselves for 19 years of misery. I’ll never forget for the rest of my life how Torcida have mistreated Modric and Dalic. I’ve been paying attention and all I can say is you could never get me to support a loser organization like them if you paid me millions. they pretend they’re without controversy and scandals…and that Dinamo is a criminal enterprise and yet that club is always tied to some conspiracy bullshit that someone else is to blame…they’re always innocent!
this person writes “I’ve been paying attention”. Sure you have.
Tries to explain what the situation is in Croatian club soccer. Wants to blame Torcida for mistreating players and coaches. Sure, if name calling is mistreatment. You sound like some woke picketina. Woke is term you liberals in N. America created so I hope i use it correct.
I’m sure this person sees nothing wrong with Mamic and defends his actions. But, yet mistreatment is what bothers him.
Jebote
you are irrelevant!
What make you the authority on relevance champ? Davor pretty much sums up the truth and you get butthurt.
You grew up in Dalmacija? So, I assume you took part in the Log Revolution? 🙂
Dinamo’s degradation will be confirmed when they stop producing and selling talent.
That’s currently not the case, especially since they very recently produced and sold guys like Gvardiol, Olmo, and still have youngsters like Baturina in their ranks.
They have been unlucky with injuries to Kacavenda and Stojkovic, and several players have had a down year (which you cannot control).
Shite happens.
If they’re like this over a three-year period, then you can start to be concerned.
Hajduk has had no long term injuries and picked up a lot of good veteran players over the past year (adding to their depth) like Uremovic, Ofoe, Trajkovski and recently both Kalinic and Kleinheisler. Some of their youth have been contributing too (like Sigur, Pukstas, etc.) so it’s been a year where a lot is going right for them.
I personally don’t care who wins the HNL, so long as they produce talent.
I’m actually happy to see Rijeka and Hajduk producing talent. I like seeing Pukstas, Sigur and Brajkovic progressing at Hajduk. I like seeing Marco Pasalic, Frigan, and these others progressing at Rijeka.
Dinamo still has the high end talent (like Baturina and probably that Belinho kid in the future), but I would only consider things as “degrading” when you have no young talent coming up the ranks.
I’m not sure I agree with these grades. I’ll just briefly start with the comments regarding Rijeka
“Rijeka have been a very consistent threat so far this season”
Istra 1 – 1 Rijeka
Lokomotiva 1 – 1 Rijeka
Slaven Belupo 4 – 2 Rijeka
Those results are consistently inconsistent. dropping big points against lower tiered teams
Hajduk have had more luck than anyone winning games they were lucky to win. Dinamo took advantage of poor results from Hajduk and Rijeka so I really can’t understand how Hajduk and Rijeka get and A and A-? Dinamo are a C+ at best but most people that watch HNL know that Dinamo is still in the run, only because Hajduk and Rijeka shit the bed…not because they’ve been good!
Definitely agree with these ratings. It looks like Dinamo is making some big moves this transfer window, hopefully Hajduk steps up their game a little bit
Great video on HNL goals first half of the season
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ES6SD6RVcuo