The HNL is not known for its officiating, or for its budget-blasting spending, nor its modern stadiums nor even really its top play on the pitch, but this is just getting ridiculous.
As previously asked last week on this site http://croatiansports.com/?p=37075 it appears teams are trying to avoid clinching the newly-awarded second Champions League spot.
Dinamo Zagreb have already clinched the title, but it also may appear to some they are trying to influence who gets the second spot.
Take Sunday’s match against Rijeka. Rijeka have not won a league match since June 7 and are coming off three straight losses. Facing Dinamo at a time like that would be a daunting task as they have not defeated Dinamo in a league match since November 24, 2018. However unlikely, of course it is possible, but did anyone expect a 2-0 win for Rijeka coming into this weekend?
Football is crazy. It’s unpredictable. It’s almost irresponsible to allude tot he fact that Dinamo may have consciously threw the match in order to keep Hajduk further down the table. So, lets chalk it up to an “unconscious” decision.
*Update* – Igor Jovicevic has been relieved of his duty as coach of Dinamo
Nonetheless, it’s Lokomotiva who still hold the second place spot. Lokosi defeated relegation-bound Inter Zaprešić on Saturday and arguably have the softest schedule remaining in the season.
Below them by one point is Osijek, who earned a 1-0 win over Hajduk Split Sunday, who now fall to fifth place.
Everything and anything is still up for grabs (except first place, because you know, Dinamo). Though in fifth place, Hajduk is still only six points out of second place. Barring any funny business, Hajduk is still in the running for the second Champions League spot, as is Lokomotiva, Rijeka and Osijek. It just depends on who wants it most.
^^sorry comment intended for Maminjo not Soul.
I remember the good ole days when people who spat on the flag were actors who pretended to hate America.
@Soul Champ- What Milan tried to do to Rebic, was even worse than what they did to Boban. I hate Rebic is single handedly saving that club, they deserved less.
That said, Mandzo and Rebic would have a chance to dethrone Juve. That would be must see TV. Get Rakitic in the mix, and I might just buy an ACMilan jersey with “Istina” on the back.
@SOC- Yeah, I am just speculating for the sake of conversation. My gut says they likely fired him because he sucked, in combination with the concern that their poor performance could be misconstrued as collusion.
Nikolai had a good life ,searched 1947-sadly 2018..most of the big name wrestlers sadly have had an early exit ,I can’t even begin to mention all the big name wrestlers who passed early in the last 20a.Bill Bixby aka incredible hulk past early as well ..prostate ..Human illness has no mercy frig if it ain’t one thing it’s another…just a matter of time..,I laugh at people who tell me oh.I’ve never been to doctor I’m still healthy.arrogance..mortal fools I say.Anyways let’s all stay safe so we can watch our cro bros next year at the euros.
Yea, Nikolai Volkoff being a Dalmatinac was funny when I found that out.
I found it funnier that The Incredible Hulk’s nemesis (Abomination) is actually a Purger.
I wonder if he was a Dinamo fan.
Frigin just found out Nikolai Volkoff was born in split..one of my favorite wrestlers from the 80s and iron sheik.Volkoff use to spit on the us flag..text book marketing during the cold war with the juicy politics…I have heard when he sang the Soviet anthem ..he sang with some Hrvatski jesik.!
Hajduk is a corrupt organisation, the last thing we want is those corrupt motherfuckers in second spot. Go Osijek!
Hajduk are Yugo, fuck them and their Titoisti fan club.
Hajduk = corruption
I would have loved to see Mandzo at Milan (and have Milan be the unofficial retirement home of all Croats like Modric, Rakitic, Mandzo, etc), but I can’t stand what they did to Boban.
I don’t mind if Rebic stays simply because he is in crazy form right now and I don’t want to mess that up by seeing him transfer to another team.
We have two critical tournaments that will be only one year apart from each other.
I don’t want to see any major changes for our key players who are in incredible form.
Rebic to stay at Milan, Vlasic to stay at CSKA, Krama to stay at Hoffenheim…I want them to continue their hot streaks next year as well.
@ Svima
Curious to know why Mandžukić can’t have 2 more years at top club level.
He is a long and lean 190 cm.
I can see him playing 2 years at top club level and another 2-4 at a lower club level if he still has the appetite.
The way he hunts goals is an art form.
That Juve/Sarri was a Bayern/Pep special.
He is on a free.
Go sign with a club that needs your presence upfront.
Regardless of Gorica having foreign investment this is only second season in prva Liga. Prior to that they spent 10 years in druga Liga. I would not put it down to just foreign investment. The culture and business dealings have to change at Hajduk but instead we get excuses and theories.
@soul champ cAn you imagine manzukic at ac Milan with Rebic. Only shame is Boban is gone.
https://sempremilan.com/milan-battling-benevento-for-free-transfer-of-former-juventus-striker-mandzukic-report
The Beast returns ..
Gorica beat Hajduk because Gorica has foreign investment are a growing team. They’re not some run-of-the-mill HNL team that bounces in and out of the first division. They’ll be a top 5 or 6 team for the long run.
Osijek has outside investment now too.
I don’t like too much foreign investment, because I don’t trust that they have the National Team’s interests first and foremost…so I like that Hajduk is Croat-owned. But, man, they’re doing a real shitty job.
https://footballbh.net/2020/04/23/finding-the-best-young-players-in-1-hnl-data-analysis-statistics/
*** correction…how Gorica beat Hajduk***
U Boj…well said!
ask Colin how Gorica beat Dinamo…he won’t out-right blame Dinamo but he will insinuate and then tell you to draw your own conclusions!
Is this what you want Colin? Controversy?
Yes Colin, I take this comment as controversial:
“Dinamo Zagreb have already clinched the title, but it also may appear to some they are trying to influence who gets the second spot.”
You make no mention that Hajduk was in second and lost that spot because they lost 4 in their last 5 games…you just made sure to put up some theoretical conspiracy that Dinamo is purposely losing against their opponents so that Hajduk can’t get 2nd place but that just a really stupid and irresponsible thing to say! Especially in a forum where I get hateful comments against me for stating the obvious about Hajduk and now you’re turning this around as if Hajduk has played NO ROLE AT ALL IN LOSING 2nd place! Apparently Hajduk went to 5th place because Dinamo keeps losing….is that right Colin or are you just saying we can draw some DIFFERENT conclusion from your comments!
OMG this never ends! Mamic is in BiH, Dinamo got rid of their best coach they’ve had in decades…self destructing…and Colin wasnts us to draw a different conclusion after he suggests Dinamo is sabotaging Hajduk….how the hell did we get here? It never fucking ends!
Remember a few years back when everyone was complaining of Dinamo consisting of foreigners. Well now we have it with Hajduk but these foreign players are brutal. Hajduk has to take responsibility and clean up this mess they created. How the hell did Gorica beat them? It would be great for Osijek to get a crack at Europa league play.
There is no fix.
Did anyone here even watch the highlights of this game?
The run up to the Antonio Colak goal (and his finish) is something you would expect to see in La Liga.
It is incredible football. There is no way you can ‘fix’ a match to concede a goal like that.
Dinamo is currently experimenting with their lineups and (stupidly) got rid of their talented coach in Nenad Bjelica and replaced him with a youth coach (who has since been fired).
Also, HNL’s quality has gone up a lot.
I just HATE the fact that the revolving door of coaches still lingers with most teams.
I still can’t believe Dinamo fired Bjelica.
Rijeka should not have parted with Kek, nor with Biscan after him. Both were solid.
Hajduk has Tudor, who is mentally unstable but otherwise is a decent coach.
Their poor results are not Tudor’s fault, but rather from their awful lineup of failed foreigners from other leagues, putting little to no faith in their own youth footballers.
No wonder Nikola Moro’s dad (who is a hardcore Hajdukovac) took his kid to Dinamo. Moro would have ended up the same way as all the Hajduk youth. Loaned out to a 2nd division HNL team or just sold off to some lower tier club in some random crap foreign league.
Hajduk’s strategy of building a team is a nightmare situation, fueled by false claims that the rest of Croatia are colluding against Split.
Despite all this, Hajduk are still only 6 points out of 2nd place…and yet they’re still somehow messing it up.
There is no excuse for them losing 4 out of their last 5 games against lower ranked teams (and they won that 5th game thanks to a penalty).
Hajduk has actually gone 3W 6L 1D in their past 10 games.
The three wins from these past 10 games were very narrow one-goal victories against weak teams (Istra, Inter, Slaven).
In two of those narrow victories, Hajduk needed a penalty. They also needed a 97th minute goal in one of them too, lol.
If anything, you could argue that reffing has been biased in FAVOR of Hajduk, and not the reverse.
Hajduk has a very poor squad. Very, very poor.
The only good player is Mijo Caktas, who bails them out every single game, and they have a lot of young talent (that they choose not to play).
The rest are failed foreign veterans who have bounced around in 2nd division leagues in other countries (yet somehow get a starting spot at Hajduk without question).
When you look at their squad, and their very narrow wins (requiring penalties and late injury time goals)…it’s no surprise that it catches up with them and end up going on a bad losing streak.
Blaming Dinamo for this is ridiculous.
Theory? Just some talking points, lads. Draw your own conclusions. second through fourth still up for grabs and things are heating up. Nothing surprises me in this league.
BZ, this Dinamo coach has had a losing record…I don’t see it as suspicious.
When Borussia Dortmund tanked 4-0 to Hoffenheim at HOME, giving Hoffenheim a playoff spot in the EL, I was shocked.
That is a higher profile Bundesliga, just imagine what happens at lower tier leagues.
The coach’s firing makes it look worse. Did they fire him to make it look like they didn’t tank on purpose?
-Firing a coach in a meaningless stretch of a season, when everything is locked up. Who does that?
On the other hand, perhaps they fired him because they know this loss will draw suspicion? Too confusing, I’ll stick to the National Team.
We need one Hajdukovac to break down what in God’s green earth is going on with Hajduk??
They have one of the best athletic talent pools on the planet.
A rich history of producing world class players.
I guess capitalism is better than socialism when it comes to being elite in world football.
Some one break this down.
****UPDATE****
Dinamo coach just got fired Colin so maybe your theory is wrong?
Although I’m not an avid follower of the HNL I do check-in weekly to see scores and what younger kid might have done well.
Last weekend (not this one) I read that Dinamo played more of their younger players, this week I saw highlights from a few games and it seems like there’s a lot of jostling for 2nd place and that will continue until the end of the season.
Colin, you’re basically saying Dinamo is throwing games in order to keep Hajduk down BUT Hajduk has lost 4 of their last 5 games and I didn’t see you mention that?!
Hajduk lost this past Tuesday in an important game vs Gorica and almost 3 weeks ago Hajduk lost to Varazdin…BUT you failed to mention that in your post!
How can you allude to a conspiracy if Hajduk has lost 4 out of their last 5 games? Are you seriously saying this is about Dinamo making Hajduk lose out on their Champions League spot because it really looks like that!?