Written by Matt ‘TheGoldenChild’ Lebo
Thanks to numerous ‘Anonymous’ posters on CSR as well as my cousin, I decided that we need to have a talk about our current selection of Croatian strikers. I will be providing two questions, which I will answer myself, but I’d definitely like to get everybody’s take on things.
1. If you had to choose right now, who would be your ‘Top 4’ forwards to take to Euro 2012 and why?
Eduardo– He’s still not the same old Eduardo that he was at Aresnal, but he has convinced me that he’s the best we have. His connection with the midfield, dribbling ability, quickness, finishing touch and intellect make him the complete package, which none of our other strikers have. Weakness: Durability. Eduardo could get rusty while on the bench at Shakhtar.
Ivan Klasnić– If this was basketball, he’d be getting the ‘6th Man of the Year’ award for the 2010-2011 season. He’s decided to put a lot more effort into being fit and aggressive throughout his matches. It earned him a starting spot at Bolton and a start at the national level. He brings intellect, passing touch and a finishing ability that is amazing at club level. Klasnić makes Croatia more dangerous on quick attacks and he’s able to be comfortable in tight spots. He, like Eduardo, can finish and provide, which can help open up an opposing defense. Weakness: Can’t consistently play 90 minutes, lazy and lack of strength.
Nikica Jelavić– I know, I know. He’s been disappointing and his #1 fanboy will admit it. But, he has more of an upside out of any other of the remaining forwards. He’s scored before for the national side and his last season at Rangers can show how dangerous he really is. Bad league or not, the guy knows how to play the forward position well. He’s perfect on the run, in the air and poaching in front of goal. His strength on the ground and in the air is also what sets him apart from any other forward. Weaknesses- Lack of playing time with Croatia, holds onto the ball/loses the ball often, still not much production for Croatia. (Wild card)
Mario Mandžukić– I can’t believe I’m writing in favor of this guy again, but you can’t argue two points: he’s become a better player and he has produced enough to show that he should be a part of the national team. Mandžukić is decent on the ball and his finishing does the job. Finally, he can dribble and make defenders miss frequently. This always is beneficial when whipping balls into the box or drawing fouls inside of it. Weaknesses: Lack of upper body strength, inconsistent (likes to disappear during matches) and lack of focus are just a few things that hold back Mandžukić. Also, his haircut really makes me question his maturity.
Mladen Petrić & Ivica Olić– The reason that they’re so low is because we haven’t seen them in so long. Petrić is doing somewhat well in Germany, but if he’s not getting a look from Bilić, he’s not getting a look from me either. Olić is now second fiddle at Bayern. The injury has set him back quite a bit and his age is catching up to his style of play. Olić is a great fighter but I haven’t heard too much out of either of them to warrant a call up right now.
Nikola Kalinić– Something has happened to Kalinić and he’s visibly shaken. I’m guessing the move out of the EPL has drastically affected his ego and play for the national team. It would be hard to say no to Kalinić since he did so much in the beginning of the year. Luckily, we can see if these last two matches were just a fluke or if it’s just the beginning of more bad things to come.
2. What’s going on with our offense in general?
It’s funny that I’m questioning an offense that has six goals in the last two games. To all the Bilić haters, the guy has an enormously difficult and stressful task in putting together a winning team. Lack of world class talent, constant injuries to good players, his defensive school of thought, a legacy to live up to and being under the microscope of an entire country would make most of us crumble. That being said, this is what has happened recently: we’re at the top of our group and we’ve managed to come out with nine points in the last three Euro Qualifiers. Things could be a lot worse but we won’t see Bilić leaving anytime until after Euro 2012.
Questioning Bilić’s tactics:
The first problem we can all agree on is the fact that there isn’t much creativity out there. The majority of the time, balls are funneled through Modrić and sent over to the right side of the field. There, Srna and Ćorluka trade off in attacking and getting the cross in, while our forwards rush into the box. Even though we are strongest on the right, we need to stop going to it every play. This constant attack from one side makes us predictable, puts less pressure on the defense and causes our forwards to work in tighter spaces. What we usual end up seeing is Ćorluka and Srna having to dribble around three defenders who have loaded that side to stifle the quality of balls coming in. If you pay attention to the crosses that end up turning into goals, Srna and Badelj have had wide open space and enough time to deliver the ball. The success of those crosses rests on the fact that the balls have not been directly played up the right side. All cases, except one, show the ball being directly fed from the middle of the field, or switched from left to right. This space is highly crucial for a player like Srna, who doesn’t have the ability to open space up between him and the defender because of his lack of dribbling and staying up.
Besides the inability to have variety, we lack the ability to work in tight spaces. What was making me most frustrated, especially in the last game against Israel, was the passing in the final third. There was a few times Srna tried to play a chest high ball to Mandžukić, who has no room to maneuver inside the box. I appreciate the thought, but if our midfield is at the top of the box, we need to be playing the ball on the ground to our forwards, so they have the ability to turn or shove it off to somebody making a run off the ball. Ćorluka and Srna keep swinging the ball in from the top of the box, and it’s worked all of zero times this year.
If we hold onto the ball and play it into one of our forwards who is posted just inside the box, he has one of two options: 1) turn with the ball and cause the defender to make a difficult challenge or 2) receive the ball and immediately give it to Srna on the left, a forward streaking down the middle of the box, deliver it to Modrić or Kranjčar at the top of the box or back to Srna to reset. Either way, the forwards are causing the defense to constantly be moving. Sooner or later, that bus is going to breakdown and one of the guys behind the ball is going to make a mistake. We complain about to teams throwing too many players behind the ball, but we never do anything to try and challenge it. There is a weakness to every system, it’s just up to the tactician to find where that is so that he can exploit it. Once the weakness is exploited, we can keep going back to it, until the team is forced to change tactics.
Finally, experience is another thing that I find to be a problem. If you look at how Eduardo plays compared to the rest of our forwards, you can see the obvious difference. Aside from amazing quickness and skill on the ball, he has a connection that no other forwards seem to grasp when it comes to the through-ball. If you flip through the last few games, you can see seemingly fruitful counter attacks fall apart when the forwards start running into each other. Other than skill, Eduardo’s knowledge of where Modrić, Srna and Kranjčar want him to be is what ultimately puts him ahead of the rest. His runs are deliberate, he only has to point and look back once, and his finishing is easily the best. Compare that to Jelavić, Kalinić and Mandžukić and you can see the difference. Yes, the latter two have eventually found themselves in spots that eventually lead to some nice goals but Eduardo provides a more constant opportunity for himself along with a consistent finishing touch.
It’s not the end of the world. Aside from the dislike of Strinić by the majority of CSR Nation, he’s actually shown quite a lot of promise with his strength and ability to attack. Yes, most of his shots aren’t the best, but you have to remember, he’s a defender. He’s there to balance out the flow of play and he’s not doing that bad of a job. He puts balls on frame consistently and has been able to get space between him and defenders to put in balls from the left side. Along with Strinić, I think Iličević is going to bring another weapon to the sideline attack that Bilić favors. Iličević possesses the same crossing ability that Srna has, along with better dribbling and speed. More than half of our last eight goals have started from the left side of the field, which sounds completely contradictory to the fact of it being our weakest side. But teams are focusing on how to handle traffic coming from the other side of the field and have been caught up when we bring the ball from the side they aren’t expecting any strength from. Bilić needs to realize that changes in attack need to come frequently, and start in the first half, not just the second. Hopefully he realizes half time speeches, with Severina playing in the background, are not always going to work. Finally, we need to get our aerial attack going again from our forwards. Kalinić was doing well with that, but his recent form leads me to believe he won’t be getting much starting playing time.
In the end, I come out of this article with a lot more knowledge and hope about our team. We have the talent and it’s going to take quite a few things to click for the fanbase to start regaining some of that confidence they lost. If Bilić finds that compass, which one of our Vatreni fans mentioned he was missing in Zagreb, we could be dangerous. If that happens, the only thing stopping us from going far in the Euros would be our defense, and that’s a whole other story. Until then, let’s just pray that everyone on the team is healthy for at least one more game: October 7th in Athens.
My Two starters for the Greek game:
Eduardo & Jelavić
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Fucken Ridiculous
Look at the new FIFA Rankings.
http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/ranking/lastranking/gender=m/fullranking.html
If they wait to do the World Cup draw Norway is no where near Pot 1. Why don't they wait. They should wait till the previous campaign is over. Stipid!
I pick Mandzukic and Kalinic as starting strikers. Kalinic has gotten no respect lately and he'll prove everyone wrong. Then Bilic can sub off Corluka for Dudu at the start of the 2nd half again for 3 strikers up front. LOL
@Andrej
"Why in the world would Greece park the bus? No matter what they finish 2nd! They have nothing to lose by going for 3 points. They may play boring but they are not parking the bus in anyway. We are both going for 1st and the easy route to the Euros and trying to avoid qualifiers."
Greece parks the bus in every game they have ever played. Why would this be any different? And please don't give the usual BS answer about how their style of play is boring but yet so effective. Greece going for a win or a draw is Greece parking the bus. Anyway you cut it. Their style of play will not change because they only know of one style of play. That style is parking the bus, boring everyone to death, and trying to get one shot on net the entire game to hopefully score a goal. Wow, that is simply fantastic football exection and something to be ever so proud of. Bravo!
I am not getting cocky either because I think Greece are not as good as their FIFA rankings indicate. Considering Greece to be overrated does not mean I think we are on the same level as Spain or Holland. Just better than Greece as stated.
Now let's go out there and kick their ass! Cannot wait for this one!
Mishko,
Why in the world would Greece park the bus? No matter what they finish 2nd! They have nothing to lose by going for 3 points. They may play boring but they are not parking the bus in anyway. We are both going for 1st and the easy route to the Euros and trying to avoid qualifiers.
Anon,
Jelavic isn't our best striker…Eduardo is by a mile. This isn't a matter of opinion or fact this is just a fact.
@ Mishko
Who cares if Greece parks a BUS in front of their goal?
This is a must-win for them.
If they want to play bunker, then let them.
Scout, what's wrong with Lakic? Nothing, in my opinion. I think Wolfburg's midfield is super weak. Lakic is lucky to even get a pass from the midfield. Mandzukic has the ability to find the open spots and give/go for strikes. Lakic relies alot on the midfield support perhaps, whereas Mandzukic doesn't as much.
On another note, Drago Gabric must be feeling better since he just signed with Hajduk.
The Greeks are going to plant a fricken BUS infront of goal. I'm thinking Jelavic and Klasnic and then at 65 minutes sub in Eduardo for Klasnic.
Regardless of the forwards, this game is going to be won in the mid-field by stretching the Greek defense to allow for chances. Just my 2 cents.
Come on Tom…did you have to bring that up. Well I know I'll be depressed for a good hour now.
That Klasnic photo looks like it was taken seconds after he scored against Turkey at Euro 2008… just seconds before… well…. you all know what happened after that…
Jelavic's header against Israel (that unfortunately was called back due to being slightly offside) was WORLD CLASS.
He's our best striker by far, and should start every game. Bilic need to commit to Jelavic, instead of bringing on a trio of new strikers game-in game-out.
In the past three Cro games, we've already seen Jelavic, Dudu, Klasnic, Mandzo, and Kalinic play significant minutes.
Pick a striker, and stick with him.
GoldenChild gets a gold star from Ante B., great article man. And yes, I concur: Jelavic and Dudustaša.
Our starting strikers the last time we played Greece were Olić and Petrić. Jelavić for Petrić at half and Eduardo for Olić in the 73rd minute. This time around let's start the game out with Eduardo and Jelavić. 🙂
Eduardo
Jelavić
Olić (not sure about his health)
Mandžukić
Petrić
Klasnić
Kalinić
Nice to see two hrvati up at the top.
https://skitch.com/mlebo/f4ua3/footytube-latest-football-videos-highlights-news-interviews-clips-and-football-forums
Allen,
Its not an argument against you I was just curious man. I am all for playing the best player but its not the difference from Modric to Dujmovic. Pranjic and Strnic are both good players to me and I am all for playing the better but I dont think its fair to slag of Pranjic and praise Strnic because one hasn't been truly tested. We are really slim in that position as well and I do think both provide options but neither should be cemented a spot right now.
Its disappointing to see Lakic struggle. What happened to him? I really thought the way he was playing with Kaiserslautern he was going to be our second best striker. Too bad.
Alright then well you called me out on not watching games. Well it's a competition so maybe Pranjic can prove me wrong. I just hate his height and he doesn't seem very physical. I wish he was more like Assou Ekotto who is very physical. I have nothing really against him, other than that England game no major errors. He was the hero that set up Srna for the epic goal against Germany so I will forever him love him for that. I am all for open competition, it's just a major concern he's not playing for his club.
suker, boksic, vlaovic, balaban
better then what we have now.
wow, I didn't know Crouch left Tottenham for Stoke.
1)dudu
2)klasnic
3)jelavic
4)mandzukic
100)kalinic
As for the greece i think it's gonna be dudu and jelavic if they decide to play 2 strikers. I think hrvatska should play five man mid but not in a defensive way, have players that can counter quickly.Even though all we need is tie, they shouldnt play like that bc if they do i think it will bite us in the ass.
Also i think strinic is fine it's srna that can't play!
Allen,
I am not coming at you just trying to prove a point. You are making Strnic seem like the LB spot is a lock for him. I am saying he has performed well but when tested vs a team like France he looked below par and when Pranjic was on he looked miles ahead. I don't know to many Pranjic haters personally and I definitely never question the guys skill and effort. You make it seem as if he was a Bayern reject. If I recall under Van Gaal he started 90% of the time and that team made it to the CL finals. Just saying…
I am simply saying Strnic has done fairly little imo to make that spot his own. I like both Strnic and Pranjic but I cannot imagine why anyone would trash Pranjic when his competition has yet to prove himself worth. Pranjic has done just fine vs mid-table teams and he showed at times he can with the best but he had a slip up here and there. Strnic has as well…but has hardly been tested. I dont care neither is class player but Pranjic is the more proven.
This is why Andrej you manage to irriate me so much, along with others. I have managed to watch every Croatia game except Croatia Czech Repbulic first half since 2010. So be quiet you have no right to assume that. I watch every game and it speaks volumes that Strinic starts more. Pranjic is undersized and simply struggles. He's not a left back plain and simple. Bayern knows it and Slaven knows it. So get your mind correct man and don't come at me. I'm a diehard and I know my players. I'm sorry for being defensive but it pisses me off. Look at the teams and where is Pranjic? Bayern doesn't take him seriously and Croatia isn't crazy about him. I think he has some talent but simply doesn't cut it at LB. Strinic was bad against France but more experience will do him well.
Anon- True. May be the twilight of his career, but he's been bringing it more than Kalinic. Not only do I think Klasnic is a better finisher, but I think he has a better head on his shoulders to deal with tough situations.
Allen- Thank you much sir. I may not always be right, but it's nice to hear someone agrees.
Thanks Slavonac. I was struggling with how to connect the dots between what you mentioned. You're definitely correct. It's a matter of who we go up against, and if those players want to work with each other correctly that day. I think Eduardo will always be the base, and we shuffle other attackers in depending on who we play.
Ziva- So true. Greece have to play one of the ugliest games, but it works unfortunately. I HATE HATE HATE playing safe, but it's probably something we're going to do, as it's the smart play.
Other Anon- Klasnic i think would go up as a dual striker. He's a great finisher, but he can also string passes together in that final third, which makes him even more dangerous.
Finally, things are always changing with the guys on our team. One month a guy is on fire, and the other we're ready to ship him off. I wouldn't be surprised if this changed, but right now this lineup looks pretty set in stone.
1. Eduardo
2. Jelavic
3. Olic/Mandzukic
4. Klasnic
Oh yea I just wanted to say one more thing "Fajter" Ha Ha Ha ….
Wow I think I shod e the first comment on the the start of every CSR's headlines first in a while nobody being and disrespectful to other readers LOL anyways guys I know this wAs the first time I posted a comment with you comrades I think all your ideS were good let's hope bilic picks them right ajjde VATERANI…..
Thanks for all the comments guys. I'm at work, and will check out the responses later today. I really need to triple read my posts, lots of punctuation errors. OOOh well.
Is Pranjic back in?
As we've seen from the last few games, the midfielders and defenders can also put the ball in the net. I think each of our strikers have unique skills that the others do not. There are the finishing strikers, then there are the finishing and playmaking strikers. Against a bunker team with a quick and young defence it's good to use the "dual-skilled" strikers. I would classify Dudu, Mandzukic and even Kalinic as the dual-skilled strikers and Klasnic, Olic, Petric, Jelavic and Bilic are more of the finishing strikers.
Dudu is the same as before but he just doesn't get the "respect" to start each game. It's funny how his coaches always put him in when the teams are in a bind then he bails them out. Well, if only he started maybe the team wouldn't be in such a predicament.
It's a shame that M. Bilic has not been getting much playing time for the last year or so. He showed alot of potential.
Allen, you don't understand the Strinic hate and I don't understand your Mandzukic hate.
I hope we smash Greece 5-0 because we have the ability to. I also hope Bilic stays on as coach because now he has more depth in the squad and I think he's improved 100% since the last two horrific tournaments.
I can see Bilic playing a 4231 at the usually slow tempo. Which is perfect for matches when you need only a tie. Greece is a lock for 2nd place so they will go out and be looking for 3 this match.
I just want to confirm with somebody that Strnic is suspended for this one right?
One thing to consider when projecting lineups for the Greece game.
We go into the game needing to tie, not win. Greece needs to open up, nut us. So, that does have an impact on our formation. Because we don't need to win, will Bilic elect to go with one forward and play a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-1-4-1.
Well done GoldenChild!
Excellent detailed analysis. For the first time ever I think, I agree with you! Even though I'm not a big fan of Jelavic(He still needs to prove himself), Dudu and Jelavic should start up top.
http://www.flashscores.co.uk/detail/Mw6FdZgP/?of=uk#match-summary
http://www.flashscores.co.uk/detail/U5lPXkHO/?of=uk#match-summary
http://www.flashscores.co.uk/detail/C8pfkina/?of=uk#match-summary
http://www.flashscores.co.uk/detail/jFkLYV1I/?of=uk#match-summary
http://www.flashscores.co.uk/detail/0Qd8yYHa/?of=uk#match-summary
Allen,
How in the world is Pranjic a liability? If I recall he was the same player that also helped beat England. I like Strnic as well and he is young but Pranjic is still a better player for the time being. If you actually watched the games you would know Pranjic wasn't the only one who had a bad game and the mans effort has never been in question. Strnic has yet to be tested in a tough fixture and I do recall France and he was a weak link there and Pranjic came in looked great and got injured as well.
Outside of Eduardo who is a lock I dont really care. Its predictable that Kalinic and Jelavic make the spot. If Olic is healthy he will be there as well and if not Mandzukic will be there instead.
Nepoznat, ya i like that lineup but only when I play Fifa and not in real life.
Eduardo
Klasnic
Mandzukic
Jelavic
I think Jelavic stinks but sadly he is in contention for the spot.
I am not even considering Olic
@ Goldenchild…no 2 forwards are the same although there are similar styles. I think at one point you are comparing how a forward should play vs how they do play, the thing you are missing is they are in some cases somewhat successful professionals because of the players they are and this is what made them successful. Suker could never be like Boksic (Boksic was super fast and strong and terrorized defenders with his speed) but Suker knew how to get into positions and his scoring touch was world class.
You also mentioned a lack of creativity and a very predictable attack up the right side…anyone will tell you to play within your strengths. Currently we don't have speed down the left flank although I'd really like to see Pranjic at left mid just to see his speed, crosses and passes into the area for our forwards to run onto…I think its worth a shot but maybe not a total solution! Regarding lack of creativity…most teams other than Barca have a hard time with this because there is too much at stake, they play a system which doesn't leave them open for too many counter attacks because one goal can make a huge difference. You can see a difference when a team is a few points up vs a team thats fighting for a qualifying spot…protect your goal and try to create chances without exposing yourself…the Italians have been famous for this since the 40's. Tactic and coaching is not an easy task…many people here are talking about our team…what about our opponents? Israel can spoil any country, Greece is a defensive bitch to play against, playing away in certain countries is a lot harder than many of us can imagine…several elements can change the tone of a match.
I also get frustrated with our lack of creativeness sometimes BUT I have to think Bilic and his staff know much more than we do. I liked him when he first arrived because he immediately made some key additions and he had a swagger and confidence which made his players want to play for him…today he is still the same guy but he seems to be protecting his status rather than adding new dimentions to this team. I'm not saying its bad or good…its definitely much harder than we think it is.
I liked your write up…you did a great job!
Manzo 100 hahahaa I wish. I like to make a case for Bosko Balaban.
also here's how I would line up (if everyone was healthy), it would be a 4-3-2-1 formation:
1 – Jelavic (good height, plays in the center well)/Klasnic
2 & 3 – Eduardo & Olic/Petric
4, 5 & 6 – Niko, Luka, Rakitic
7, 8, 9, 10 – Strinic, Simunic, Corluka, Srna
11 – Pletikosa
or a 4-5-1 formation:
1 – Eduardo/Klasnic
2, 3 & 4 – Niko/Rakitic. Luka, Olic/Petric
5 & 6 – Dujmovic, Vukojevic
7, 8, 9, 10 – Strinic, Simunic, Corluka, Srna
11 – Pletikosa
Dudu & Jelavić
Dudu: No matter the opponent, we need Dudu out there. Like TheGoldenChild stated, he brings a great mix of quickness, touch and intellect that none of our other strikers can match. He'll never be the same Dudu that was banging in a goal per game on average, but..I still rank him as our #1 option, as looking he continues to get burn in Shakhtar.
Jelavić: Against other competition, I'd go with Mandžukić. But against the Greeks, I don't think we can send out 2 finesse strikers against them. They have a pretty solid backline, with some big boys usually other there. This is where Nikica has to play a big role and win some balls in the air, use his muscle and size and hopefully put one in when it's all said and done. I think if we put Super Mario out there, he'd get pushed around too much by the Greek D
For me, my current rankings:
1 Eduardo
2 Klasnic
3 Olic (when healthy)
4 Petric
5a Kalinic
5b Jelavic
7 Bilic
…
65 Prso (yes a way retired player 35 slots ahead of Hair)
…
100 Mandzukic
Once again Goldenchild great post, my pick for writeup of the year. I love this stuff and I want to do a writeup like this (midfield situation write up by Allen19 Strk). I do have one issue is with Klasnic. Did you really have to remind us of the Turkey game. I saw a Turkey uniform and I was like no stop it. Avoid any pictures from Turkey.
Striker choices are pretty simple. Eduardo, Jelavic, Klasnic, and Manzo barley over Petric. Kalinic is pure garbage and shouldn't be on the field for Croatia. All those goals he scored weren't anything to go crazy for, he has always been overrated. I can't believe I'm saying this but Olic should even get over him. Olic can at least do something and that's annoy defenders. Kalinic is useless for all I care. Eduardo for sure starts against Greece, he's still the best option and can make a difference. Jelavic may not start but its an outrage if he doesn't make it. He has the most upside out of all the strikers. I hope he starts vs Greece but I'm not positive. Klasnic isn't a sure bet either. If he gets three games suspension, he will get dropped for Petric. He doesn't have much room for error and Ivan got caught in a bad situation. That being said, he's still talented and should be called up for being such a threat. Manzo is my last guy even though he really annoys me. His dribbling is fun to watch, as he can make many people miss. But the guy already has a habit of diving and gets shoved around. He's Slaven goodie goodie so hell make the team regardless. I pray he doesn't start but watch he does. If we got to pick a 5th its Petric. Kalinic simply isn't worthy like I said because he offers little talent. The same goes for Olic. I don't like Petric either, mainly because he never performs for the NT. That being said, he still is a threat. He can shoot with the best of them and offers something for NT. So if we need a 5th which we will its Mladen.
Well this just won post of the year. Goldenchild I am a big fan of yours. For a long time actually. This just proves it, just a top post. I noticed Srna can't dribble in the past, heck I think Corluka has a better touch than him. The only first half of the Israel game was just that mostly hoping crosses from the right side would work. It was mostly ineffective, its not smart offense. Hopefully Jelavic latches on to one of them sooner or later. Ivo and Persic are great guys to bring off the bench, very talented and could be a match winner. I don't understand the Strinic hate, he lacks shooting ability and ball control but he's tough. He should start over Pranjic, because he's not a liability like him.
edit above^ ..Yes same Anon lol…Klasnic despite his deccent form is omitted as i believe his is to slow and entering the twilight of his career.
1. Eduardo: Despite his injury he still shows glimpses of class which was evident in the Israel game.
Jelavic: Although he has not scored for the Repka lately I truly believe he is class as i believe he is an ideal Centre Forward. Jelavic is good in the air and has a swagger about him.
Super Mario: Has improved drastically over the last year. Brings a different dimension to the team as he can play in wide areas.
Sadly, Kalinic: With great regret I choose Kalinic for the 4th and final spot. This guy pisses me off, for someone who has done nothing at club level he thinks his shit smells sweeter then most and that annoys me. If we are down 1-0 or need a winner Bilic can bring on Kalinic and resort to ''Anti-Football'' and hope that Kalinic uses his aerial prowess (all his good at) and try and find the goal we need.
Olic misses out. Not fit. Wont even play when he returns. Petric also misses out.
I think out attack lacks speed, especially in the midfield. We have to many creative players e.g Rakitic, Modric, Kranjcar and even Badelj. Although Perisic does bring a new dimension to attack and is somewhat quick we still lack that speed demon who can terrorise the opposition.
KTHXBYE.
Well said Ante hvala ti na molitvu svaka ti čast ajmo molit Bogu da pobjedemo Grci Za dom "spremni" i ROB NIKADA