The Croatians did indeed impress at the World Cup in Qatar. And with that comes huge spikes in player values.
Two Croatian internationals in the middle of serious transfer news this week are Celtic’s Josip Juranović and Rennes’ Lovro Majer. Rumors across Europe are saying that Real Madrid are prepared to make a €60 million bid to Ligue 1 side Rennes for the 24 year-old Majer, The Hard Tackle reports.
27 year-old right back Josip Juranović is currently being wooed by half of Europe right now. Reports are saying that Celtic are prepared to let their Croatian go for £17 million. Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Tottenham, and Barcelona have all been reported to be interested in Juranović, especially after his stellar performance at the World Cup.
Would Real Madrid be the right move for Majer? What is the best club for Juranović to move to?
Just hope that Lovro Zvonarek doesn’t see this. Kidding but a lot of fuss is being made about this guy who I’m not really that high on. He’s not that good or some big European club would have secured him by now. So no it’s not that big of a deal in my mind. He will fizzle out like Marko Rog
Sounds Northern croatian or slovene. Maybe, his bell might ring loud one day, time will tell.
Never say never, but yeah, any consideration for the Senior National Team is pretty much down the drain the next few years.
As some have stated, the past year he really hasn’t progressed as much as we all thought he would with Hajduk, so perhaps it’s not a big deal???
The Ante Razov connection is irrelevant. It’s not like the coaches at any of the European teams couldn’t get him to improve. Also, he’s the assistant and not the head coach. He obviously has feedback on the starting lineup, but not the final say.
This is so bizarre, that when I first read about it on Twitter I thought it was a joke.
Indeed Franjo.
Does hajduk have one can’t miss prospect? The young vukovic?
Sorry vuskovic
I believe Luka, only 15, plays as a FB, scored the other day, as the youngest to score at the senior level. Celebrated, by imitating putting a scringe in his arm, an assumed reference to his brother difficulties possibly? Hope brother Mario can come back from his suspension as well.
He did what? Lol
Geez. I hope this kid takes his career more seriously than making light of a career-ending situation for his brother.
Maybe Moderna paid him off and he’s just gesturing for everyone to get their booster.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWvZ8wuNnoU
I think when the young people say, this was “Dope”, this is the gesture. Checkout @ 18 seconds. Maybe he was suggesting his brother’s innocence I was hoping? Not sure, if this is a common celebration. World is changing. He may not be a can’t miss project with a more conservative traditional Dalic.
https://streamff.com/v/OfocrisIZB
Luka being Luka with a nice hockey assist.
I didn’t have the chance to watch this game, but the timeline is:
Modrić comes on in the 88th minute…he sends a pass that leads to a goal in the 89th minute. Think about it….we can use his talent off the bench until he’s 50! 🤔
Dida modric comes on at secures the 2030 World Cup for us in once again extra time!!
Lol
2030 sounds right as Ivan Perišić’s son will be 20 and our starting striker by then. 😉😁
Hard to think he played pretty well every minute in a World Cup 7 game stretch mid season and looks this good
I hope benzema is hungry and the Brazilians so they can take the league and CL one more time
Do you guys think luka will just help the young guys take over for Madrid and accept not playing ? Like part of me says he will be humble and do that
But the beast in him says I will compete and keep my job
Luka can play till 40 for sure
To what level remains to be seen
He’ll play at Zlatan level at least.
I really think he plays for us at the next Euros, and I really want him to be that joker off the bench for us at the next World Cup.
Quite a contrast a young up and comer with potential,opposed to former stars looking for a big payout near the end of their career.
One wonders who has been advising him…there is no way this is best for him as far as long term development goes?
I hope stipe lights it up and comes back to Europe but he might like the bright lights of Hollywood and the L.A., nightlife and lifestyle and never go back home who knows ?
Biuk to LA does NOT mean he will never play for the NT. He was no where near being on the team unless he started really lighting it up with Hajduk, and he’s been in a slump and been average at best for about a year now. LA is one of the best, if not the best, in the MLS. They just won the cup this year.
Yes it’s the MLS, but if he does really well there, he gets the transfer he is looking for to a top 5 league and then there’s a real discussion as to whether he gets a look as we are somewhat short at the wing spot even though he’s also mainly a left wing which we have already. Time will tell. The MLS is not as bad as it once was, but it’s still not great. He will have to look really good. Look at Miguel Almiron at Newcastle right now. He was playing in Atlanta a few years ago and now, although he’s taken some time to settle in, he’s looking to be a solid player.
I’m not one to just write people off because they don’t fit my agenda as others do. I was honestly hoping Halilovic would’ve come to the MLS a couple years ago as he just needed something really different and he would’ve made the big money that he wanted and MAYBE it would’ve changed his trajectory. Who knows, all we can do is hope it works out in the end. We’ve had plenty of flops and Biuk, to me, was kind of heading in that direction and needed a change. Was this what I expected? Definitely not, but maybe it ends up working out.
Thanks for your insight and perspective. I wish him the very best.
Time will tell, will enjoy watching him here in California, in the meantime.
My worry with him is that these are key development years.
Part of the reason why he’s plateaued at Hajduk was that opposing teams are zeroing in on him and are not giving him space to operate.
This is a good thing, and if he continues to get this kind of defensive pressure, it will help him in his career. It might take some time, but if he manages to overcome it, he will be that much better of a player.
MLS seems to be more open and he’ll probably do well because he will get a lot more space there. This isn’t necessarily a good thing for his development though.
I would have rather he gone to Serie A and dealt with Italian defenses, rather than the defenses found in the MLS.
It’s more ‘make or break’ playing in these tougher European leagues but at least you know what you got.
My fear is that he looks good in his weaker league (just like Livaja did for Hajduk) but then you call him up and find out that he’s just not that great, and he spent the critical years of his development not addressing this challenge.
We’re kinda going through the same thing wondering if Antonio Colak really is as good as his goalscoring stats show (same for Ljubicic) because they play in weaker leagues.
This would only add to this.
He did a reverse “Pulisic”. A new diving move hopefully into a deep end. Hopefully, he still might have a “Double reverse Pulisic” in store in his repertoire.
Hopefully the kid gets playing time , excels, and gets picked up
Stipe Biuk going to LAFC should effectively end any career that he has with the National Team.
Good for him to cash in early on his career and set himself up for life.
But he obviously doesn’t care about his career progression enough to take a pay cut, while playing in much better leagues for his own development.
He could easily make $2 million per season while playing for a Bundesliga or Serie A club. But he opted for more money, and prioritized that financial difference over his own development as a footballer (because there is no way he will advance in the MLS the way he would in Europe).
He could have been a millionaire who would develop as a player, but chose to be a richer millionaire and not develop as a player.
I would not call him up again unless he signs in a legitimate European league, and plays first team football.
Was worried that was the case. This is a new precedence. We will see soon enough. Don’t know the financial specifics.
Such a bizarre move. He’s still so young that we can’t write him
off but he has to know his National team career is over in the short term.
Who is this kids agent? Obviously cashed in but talk about getting horrible advice…..
I like to compare this move to Gvardiol.
Gvardiol had the option to cash it in with Leeds United, but chose the smaller money deal with RB Leipzig because they had a plan for him.
Leipzig loaned him back to Dinamo for half the season (allowing him to continue to play in Europa and get that experience) and then start fresh with Leipzig after a summer camp. They gave him the starting nod for two years, and as a result he developed well and was in full form at the World Cup (which was his coming out party).
None of that would have happened with Leeds (who don’t really have a plan other than to throw money at talent), but he would have made a million more dollars with Leeds (which in the grand scheme of things is nothing for Gvardiol).
Not sure what other offers were out there for Biuk, but I would have hoped that there were better options than playing in the MLS.
My guess is that he just wanted to secure himself a big money contract (in case his career goes sideways)…but that also speaks to how little confidence he has in his own career.
I think he has some solid talent, but these are key development years.
All of this can go out the window if he’s playing a bunch of low talent Americans and Canadians on a daily basis over these critical development years.
Even if he does come back to Europe, he’ll have to compete with his peers and even some younger Croats (who will likely come up over the next couple of seasons) who will all have far more European experience than he does (despite him being older).
The only way this goes good for him is if he pulls a Zlatan over there an literally takes over the league on his own, to the point where he’s making daily headlines. Still a difficult feat.
Oh well. His bank account is fine, and he’s made his decision so he can’t complain if he doesn’t get any callups.
Samo vrijeme će reći,
I remember Zlatan’s first:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J15vfXqnwWw
For every (10) Balics, Corics, Pjacas, Jelavics……there is only one Perisic. Stipe will have a wonderful life, good for him, will make plenty money for his future family. We should all be so lucky.
Let’s hope for some frosting on the cake
što je učinjeno je učinjeno.
I hope he does well and makes his way back to Europe after a couple of years.
I really like the Austrian route with Liefering/RB Salzburg that both Sucic and Simic have taken. A feeder league who love to actually play their kids and develop them.
It would be interesting to know what other options were on the table.
I think Simic will be our no 9 eventually. Tall, good on the ball
and a motor. Sucic will be a mainstay in our midfield.
With the MLS Croatian America assistant coach Ante Razov connection, he will have a fair chance for playing time and growth within the team structure. The quality level of the league is what it is, compared to unknown other options.
Like Nikola V. was saying above, he was struggling a bit, so maybe this will work out in the long run, as a good circuitous stopping point on his journey.
Maybe Ante K will be able to ask those questions regarding other options.
Biuk to LAFC
Wow will be interesting to see how this impacts his call ups to the NT
My guess is there won’t be any call ups.
Biuk going to Los Angeles????? What in the sto posto rakija is going on?
Of all the transfer news I was expecting that the least. Lol, interesting transfer.
Wait wut
Now that is a real new years twist? Well, I will have to get tickets now to LAFC. Do they have Croatians in the front office? Hopefully US has the level of quality, to allow him to grow, and will have playing time, that will be good for his national career. Zlatan played in LAG for a while near the end.
Will this create issues with future potential European National Team League events, if he were to continue to participate? We usually only have retired people from national competition coming over state side.
Looking forward to Ante’s interviews with Stipe, this following year. Won’t kill the travel budget.
Kvartuc is gonna get Hezonja’d by Biuk during that interview.
Kid will be putting on his belt (and possibly kravat) while Ante waits for him to answer the damn question.
Hopefully, he is a little more congenial than Hezonja.
Best interview was Colin O’Hara’s interview with Ivan Klasnic using that 8-track tape recorder that caught more wind than interview.
Such a shame what happened to Klasnic over the years. The man looks like he’s falling apart. Hopefully I’m wrong.
Unfortunately, you seem to be your right.
https://www.the-sun.com/sport/football/premier-league/2051495/bolton-klasnic-werder-bremen-kidney-damage/
Biuk to LAFC? Did @Ante broker this deal? #WTF
Amazing that Orisic turned 30 recently. On reflection, he may only have one more world cup left to play in his career timeline, unless he has Modric longevity, while Gvardiol might have another four, and will still be able to get back into fishing with his father for another 20 years. Incredible.
Breaking into the croatian middle field lately, is the most impacted endeavor for any soccer player, in the last 12 years. We have had a lot of stability. Kovacic finally really broke through this world cup. We are as deep as the brazil in this career endeavor.
On the other hand, as for scoring striker, they are hard to come by. Pele, bless his soul, is in the “Cosmos”, and hopefully will return again as Ante Pelic, as we wait.
Orsic seems to be the opposite of Rakitic in terms of mileage.
Raketa retired early, but he was also playing a lot of high level football at a very young age at Schalke and was one of the most played footballers in Barcelona’s history (I believe he was fourth on the all-time list among non-Spaniards).
If this whole footballing mileage thing is accurate, than Orsic is probably closer to a player in their mid-20s.
So long as he can hold onto that speed of his, that right footed bomba of his will be useful for us at the next World Cup (when he will be 33 years of age).
I think he’s good for both Euro2024 and WC2026.
The guy should have been a starter for us in this one.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CmzBLNcMkoG/?igshid=NTdlMDg3MTY=
Looks like PSG might be interested in Majer as well.
Would be a safe move I think.
He continues to play in the French league (where he’s putting up great stats) on a team that regularly goes deep into Champions League.
I assume he would play on that right side (next to Neymar) with Messi and Mbappe up top and Verratti playing the more defensive role.
Would be good company to be in, and would learn alot. They have a lot of depth in the midfield though, so there’s a bit of competition for him. But he’s much better than Renato Sanchez and those other guys.
What’s this circulating that Messi is Croatian from Korluca?
Don’t be jealous that Maradona is part Croatian.
We’re the best athlete producing nation per capita in history.
Just accept it.
And the bow tie is still a fashion statement to date!
People like football. they are naturally drawn to it because it’s interesting
It’s amazing that football can be popular, and it’s also good that people who play legitimately you have the evidence and you have kind of both sides
saying what they’re saying but you know you don’t have a confession of any sort
————————————————————————————————————————–
… you still have no idea what I’m talking about, that’s pretty impressive …
p.s. That’s why I am here to tell you the truth _
people who play legitimately you know –> get their credit
and people who don’t –> ultimately the fair play team is there for a reason
I guess on the bad news is that the truth was never really admitted
you know ultimately you have the evidence and you have kind of like both sides saying what they’re saying but you know you don’t have a confession of any sort
* that’s what I said *
I don’t think anyone understand what your talking about Perorino. You cannot even write a proper sentence, or form a proper thought that is intelligible. So your kind of stating the obvious in this sense by saying noone knows what your talking about.
But as per speaking truth, I don’t even think you know what that is to be honest.
Lol
@Ante Kvartuc,
I understand why you went along with the “Ziva Istina stuff” in the early years (even though it was over the top and obvious who it was) to get the needed controversy and entertainment, leading to clicks on the site. It worked and now you’ve got a large following. Good for you!
Nowadays, you get the daily handful of posts from mentally disabled folks posting stupid shit from their mothers basement about Dalic and Lovren. People are entitled to their opinions, but this is just drivel and sranje.
I’m not sure why you don’t block the IP of these losers so that people who want to have a friendly and intelligent conversation about Croatian soccer without it being polluted by these losers. Are you afraid of losing 3 posters at this point??? If so…why?
I don’t get it why you’re ok with this. It’s a turnoff for others and sramota.
1000% agree
It gets tedious to scroll through some of that garbage.
He is being afraid of the Truth ‘
and if He dares to do so – then …
wait until the day comes |{}
better to repent and know the reality |}
it is what it is… we are so lucky
please be grateful to your lord!!
Nobody should be censored. The best way to deal with trolls is to ignore them, not constantly feed them.
Agreed. While it is bringing the IQ of this place down, it’s best to just scroll past those comments.
Fair enough, it just gets irritating when someone who isn’t even Croatian or a fan of the team jumps on this site.
Ej moj peronino, a si glup.
You just hate Dalić because he talks about God (the true God) and carries a Rosary in his pocket.
It drives you infidels insane when a true God fearing man who is humble, succeeds.
This is the true strength of Hrvatska. Small, humble, we are always underestimated, but we surprise everyone always.
We are David vs. Goliath, we are Gideons army vs. a much larger foe.
You can try to defeat us, but with God on our side whom should we fear?
The answer is..no one💪🇭🇷💪
Bog i Hrvati
Sv. Josip moli za nas.
Naša Gospa moli za nas.
Sretan Božić svima.
Bog čuvaj Hrvatsku i sve Hrvate.
Bravo! 👏
Odlično! 👍Well put.
{{ remember }}
you will be there alone in the grave by yourself Darkness silence…
what happens at that point??
two angels come to you and they ask you three questions perhaps the most important questions you will ever be asked and the three most important questions you will ever answer … those questions are:
1) what is your dean?
2) who is your prophet?
3) who is your lord?
if you answer these questions correctly all three of them your stay in
the grave will be one of Peace. You’ll have peace. You’ll have pleasure until
the day of judgment…
Pele passed today at the age of 82. Sad day
I kinda feel bad for Neymar and the rest of the Brazil squad.
They desperately wanted to win it for Pele and we took them out, which gave the villainous Argentines the World Cup.
I know I was thinking the same thing. Last night I watched the petkovic goal and the lead up to it maybe 20 times. Now I feel bad in a way
Was a person who had a great positive spirit. Rest in Peace.
To date I would have to rank the coaches to date in the following manner:
1. Blazevic
2. Dalic
3. Bilic
4. Kanjcar
5. Cacic
6. Kovac
7.Stimac
I think Dalic is an honorable humble man, and represents croatian culture in a positive light.
Tomislav Ivic deserves honorable mention. Not for the one game but longevity and football innovation.
Dalic for mine in terms or results is by far the best coach that we have had. Results is what coaches are judged on and results is on what coaches are sacked on. Blazevic failed to get us to EURO 2000 and Bilic stuffed up when failing to get us to WC 2010.
The best coach that we have had at club level is Tomislav Ivic by a country mile. It is a pity that he never coached Croatia apart from one match v Italy in Palermo (EURO 1996 qualifier) that we won 2 – 1.
wake up _ as a shopkeeper at a mart – I think…
you read the receipt wrong to the customers >
Dalic no 1 . . . ha ha haha: } | laughable
Laughable. What the hell are you talking about?!
He led the country to a medal twice in a row, noone has achieved that to date. Not to mention with the consistent issues, changes on the team, players leaving and gaps to fill. Is this something you missed over the last four years??
I think your the shopkeeper perorino lol!! What do you sell opanke??😀
Next time offer a reason as to why you disagree to atleast carry on the conversation. Suggesting luck as the main reason behind success this world cup makes no sense to me. Beating a team like Brazil does not just come by luck alone, they are too good of an opponent to see the game that way. They outplayed their opponent in the long run.
We had a difficult path this world cup and still managed to get a Bronze. I think that is quite the achievement, Dalic is the best coach we have had to date. If you can do better apply for the role.
Croatia outplayed their opponent that in the long run that is…
I think Mate, Mark, Z are right. Dalic is best to date. I am wrong. I always look though as Blazevic as our George Washington of National team coaches. I did not know the Ivic story, or maybe I did and just forgot. Not familiar will have to research. I love a coach who thinks character is important.
1. Dalic
2. Blazevic
3. Bilic
4. Kanjcar
5. Cacic
6. Ivic
7. Kovac
8.Stimac
@kromiza. Most of history is subjective. I really like your list now. I think it’s perfect. Ivic somehow has to be in the discussion. But everything is open to debate.
That’s cool though!
no wonder for someone who celebrates Christmas
you do it because of feeling good and blessed, but
don’t know the truth is…
again I told you –> 2022 was damn lucky…
his line-up was way too average ~
and put Lovren to feed his ego
2018 was an easy path…
if he has got quality on his side
he would sub off Subasic right away!
or won’t put him and feed for his ego!
he is way too lenient…
the worst thing for improvement is to rely on luck.
I don’t see anything for our future being improved
under the Dalic reign – this is a waste of our time
we have the quality to win the world cup <– remember
no wonder from someone who celebrates Christmas
you do it because of feeling good and blessed, but
don’t know the truth is…
again I told you –> 2022 was damn lucky…
his line-up was way too average ~
and put Lovren to feed his ego
2018 was an easy path…
if he has got quality on his side
he would sub off Subasic right away!
or won’t put him and feed for his ego!
he is way too lenient…
the worst thing for improvement is to rely on luck.
I don’t see anything for our future being improved
under the Dalic reign – this is a waste of our time
we have the quality to win the world cup <– remember
Perorino, who is to say he won’t make many changes that you might agree with in the next 2 years, like bringing up in form young strikers. Do you have some suggestions of a better option?
It is not like he played for the national team playing former favorite team mates Pranjic ,Pletikosa, or not bringing up De Silva faster, and being in the unenvious position of having your son on the team.
Lol
Interesting! I think Dalic is no1 because that ’98 team demolishes the 2018 and 2022 teams, so in my opinion Dalic has done a lot with less than what Blazevic had at his disposal. But I also think that the quality of the football today is worse than it was in the ’90’s, but because Croatia is always a lot smaller than Argentina, Brazil, England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain, and just to give my opinion, I think Dalic is no1.
@no mercy. You think the 98 squad was better than these last 2 squads? Interesting
There is no way Dalić is #2 after getting the team to the finals and now a 3rd place finish. No way.
Ćiro is a legend, but we couldn’t qualify for Euro 2000, finishing 4-3-1 with a star studded roster and weak group. Can you imagine what Dalić’s teams would have done if he had the same fortune of having the likes of Šuker and Bokšić up front???
As far as Čačić goes, he’s the worst of all of the coaches on your list, as his ineptness led to Dalić coming on.
I’m glad Zlatko’s on our side. We may not always agree with all of his moves or selections, but his record speaks for itself. He and team are proud Croats who represent the nation well.
Everyone shits on Čačić, but we played very well with him at Euro2016.
We got badly screwed by that reffing in that Portugal game, and still took it to 120 minutes. Had Perišić’s shot (that hit the post) gone in at the end of extra time, we probably end up in the Final.
Kovač was far worse. So was Štimac. You could almost put him on par with Cico due to both of them bringing back that potent offense…but I still like Cico more, despite that unfortunate 2006 World Cup result.
True. Memories unfortunately are short in football. What have you done for me lately rules. But you’re absolutely correct.
it is .. what it is ..
WE ARE SO LUCKY UNTIL NOW
AND WE DEMAND MORE BECAUSE …
WE HAVE THE QUALITY TO WIN A TOURNAMENT
So Kick Dalic Out of here . . No More Lovren . .
No Seniority, No Egoistic, Skill speaks for itself!!
We have a bright future ‘No Fucking Dalic anymore ‘
Ma ko to jebe….
Since Dalic has been coach we’ve made a World Cup Final, 3rd place finish in this WC and now in the final four of Nations League. We’ve qualified for all
major tourneys. He’s kept a good locker room which is half the battle given some of personalities on the team. He’s humble and a good Livnjak.
Lovren was very good for us in the 2018 WC and played well
enough this last WC. Your hate for him is ridiculous. Loved his last interview being unapologetic with the cafe video with Brozo.
Let me guess…you’d be a better coach or a better CB?!?
I’m sure you be at home on cetniksports.com.
Ajde u guzicu.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcOg6NJ512Y&ab_channel=BlaugranaVideos
look at Lovren at 0:44 | he was absolute shit!
no wonder many people celebrate Christmas
there are many quality managers around us..
and many center-back talents – before me -0
so go back home and repents ‘thanks for God’
we have been so lucky in those tournaments’
Are you on Adderall or something similar? You need to relax. Dalic has his flaws like any coach. He’s here for a reason. Do you not recall when Croatia were a game away of not qualifying for the playoffs for the World Cup in Russia against Ukraine. I’ll never forget it, it was an away game and we just drew a weak Finnish side the game before that which cost Cacic his position. Dalic took over with almost no time of preparation to knowing the chemistry of his players or any formalities. We won 2-0 in a loud Ukrainian stadium under him. Dalic restored order and brought us to the final 7-8 months later. He’s cut the cancers off the team such as a Rebic’s and Kalinic’s of the world. Does he start and overuse vets that are washed? Yes, but he is slowly interrogating the youngsters. He brought up Majer, Gvardiol, Jurnaovic and others this past year. They are steadily improving and capable of competing at this international level. If it wasn’t for him, they would’ve been still playing with Dinamo or Celtic or whomever. Dalic got these players recognition. Out of the opponents we’ve faced the last two world cups, what coaches have achieved what he has? Martinez..no Southgate…no. My question to you now is, Who is the answer? An International coach could work but it would cost HNS a absurd amount of money. We probably couldn’t afford it. Dalic is fine and will be here until the end Euro 2024. If we don’t go far in the next tourney, then we can discuss seeking a new manager. Dalic has achieved more than Bilic and Blazevic. Three consecutive tournaments we’ve made it out of the group. We’ve beat England, France, Brazil with him. Did we accomplish that under any other coach in a major tournament? No.
Dalic has proven himself.
I was a critic of his, and he still has his flaws, mainly with his slow integration of new players.
This was obvious when we ruined our seeding (and reputation) with the poor UNL showings and crashed out at Euro2020 due to his lack of preparation (which Modric was visibly pissed at him after the Spain game).
But since then, he’s recovered and deserves to continue.
He still has those flaws (I still think going with Sutalo over Lovren is the better move, and we need to revamp our strikers immediately) but no coach is perfect and he’s managed to tick most of the right boxes.
A foreign coach would not cost us much more than what we currently pay Dalic (because Dalic is actually one of the highest paid coaches at the World Cup)…but we also have to be careful when hiring a foreign coach as certain cultures don’t necessarily mesh with Croats (i.e. German disciplinarian coaching culture, as we all saw with loser Kovac).
We need to keep it going with Dalic, and hope that one of our younger Croatian coaches continues to progress and decides to step into the National Team role in the future (like Tudor or Juric, if they do well).
No more of this inexperienced coaching crap.
Agreed Mali Ante. I, like many on this site, was a bit harsh against Dalic. But we cannot forget he has had the best success out of any manager for the Croatian team bar none. When taking into consideration how many changes this squad has gone through(the terrible Euro we had and Nations League a while ago)… and the difficulties in achieving what he has when we really don’t have a centre forward like Mandzukic, I think Dalic has done phenomenally well. Anyone who says otherwise isn’t looking at the facts infront of them two back to back successful World Cup Tournaments speaks volumes about the guy.
Yes some of it is premised on luck, but every team has luck now then. Argentina certainly has had luck with some of the calls that have been made in this tournament for them. Other teams also have had luck. But when you look at the game Croatia played against Brazil that was all skill. In my view, if Broz was not fighting off an injury, he would have scored in extra time and I think he would have won that for us before Petko scored, by putting us level and giving us breathing space to finish it. But luck turned out to be different there.
Dalic has shown that he is a formidable coach, there should be noone who is debating this right now. I think if he picked all these other options and they flopped people would be even more upset that he didn’t stick with the team selection as he did. So it’s damned if you damned if you don’t kinda scenario for the guy really.
@Mate1
Exactly! Dalic has proven himself with results. The facts speak for themselves.
As Maminjo stated we had a horrible period after the 2018 WC. Although Dalic’s tactics and integrating new blood were issues, I put a good part of that on the players poor play as well. Rakitic left us high and dry and it was the beginning of the ‘who replaces Mandza’ era.
There is no way an authoritarian style (like Kovac’s German coaching style) would work as Maminjo says….and it didn’t lol.
But I don’t think a foreign coach would bring the same fire out of our players. Maybe a great tactician could make up for that but those intangibles Dalic has brought in making the team cohesive can’t be ignored.
Croatian Canadian’s comment about cutting out the cancer’s (Rebic/Kalinic) is spot on and a great example of what Dalic brings.
We all know Lovren isn’t one of our top 2 CBs, but he was effective enough and brought some experience to our backline. These are moves Dalic makes to keep a locker room. Love him or hate him, Lovren brought a level leadership this go around.
His cross to Perisic in the Japan game was the only good cross we had that I can remember. (Even though it shocked the eff out of me considering he’s a poor passer) lol
I do hope Dalic now can slowly push Lovren out and incorporate either Sutalo or Erlic going forward.
I fully agree with your official statement. Lovren isn’t close enough to being a starter.
Lovren is shit…
God dammit .l just throw him away ~
stupid Belgium could end up our journey!}
Absolutely luck – no question | whatsoever
I am starting to think Perorino is shit!! Lol!!😄
The same Turkish troll as ever. Posting Allah stuff all the time
Are you Croatian?
He is not, he is that weird guy who keeps posting BS on the site
I think Majer will be very good wherever he lands. He has a certain elegance to his play which will suit him in any league, yes even the epl. His speed is deceptive as well. He’s a little quicker than we think.
He’ll be 25 in 2 weeks or so. It’s time for a move.
He’s only behind Messi when it comes to assists vs expected assists, and he’s among the best in the French league for every passing stat:
https://totalfootballanalysis.com/player-analysis/lovro-majer-at-stade-rennes-2021-22-scout-report
He’s awesome offensively, and has been asked to play in different formations for both club and country…but he also seems to have some deceptive defensive stats that don’t show up on the eye test.
When I watch him play, it seems like he plays zero defense and doesn’t run at all. But when you read all these French league analysis articles on him, they mention that he is above average with his tackles and interceptions too.
He’s surprised us before, so I also think he’ll be fine wherever he goes.
Yes indeed. He almost puts the game in slo-mo when needed. Very good player.
it’s because the level of manager that can understand him ‘
do you think Dalic reach the expectation to know him well
He is just being controlled and get pressured by seniority –
to make him sit nicely ” no wonder he can’t push himself “
Your comments are always the same and offer no insight perorino.
Ante…your lacking reporting on the basketball world. Come on brate! Zubac put up 23 points and 16 rebounds in the Clippers win against the Raptors. Bogdanovic is also on a tear this year. He’s averaging 21 points per game. Has any Croat won a title since Kukoc with the Bulls? On the MMA or boxing rumours.. we have nobody in 2023 to make any noise. Stipe is never fighting. Hrgovic wants a shot at Usyk. El Animal needs to face a less skilled opponent. From what I read, Fury and Usyk look probable. If I’m Hrgovic, go for an opportunity against a former champ. Joshua would be a great test for him. Wilder would scare me.
Hrgovic is still an unknown.
He and his management team have been very careful not to ruin his rank, and are carefully choosing their matches to continue his undefeated streak and get that big money fight.
Everything almost went to shit with that match against Zhang Zhilei, which could have gone either way. It kind of exposed him a bit as perhaps not being a suitable candidate for a title fight…but who knows.
This isn’t a Lovro Majer situation where he needs to carefully choose the next step in his career, or it may hurt his development.
Boxing is a shit show, and you may never get another chance if you let one pass you by.
I think the most important thing from his camp is to secure him financially, regardless of who the opponent is.
Hrgovic made $390,000 off the win against Zhang. I believe that was the most he’s ever made off a single fight. That’s nothing considering that was his only fight in 2022, and he made less in his 2021 fights against Ahmatovic and Radonjic.
The purse for an Usyk fight would be in the millions for him (even if gets KO’d in the first minute of the fight) and it would secure his future.
I think the focus is on being able to secure a big money fight like that first (and set him up for life), and worry about the career progression later.
On the hockey side of things, Milic is getting the start against Germany tonight. Our other goalie let in 3 unanswered goals. It’s a disgrace that we didn’t beat Czech. Oh well…another Croatian goalkeeper to save the day. He’s a young guy who has a 0.920 save percentage. If you look at WHL rosters, lots of Croat and Serbs on the teams.
I was really hyping Orsic and so happy to see he was productive and really important- it was related to what I saw against Chelsea – thank kid is super fast and nobody else had his dimension that being said I was hoping Livakovic would be sent to Siberia before the World Cup- soccer is tough to figure out but man did we get lucky- I still see us out against Belgium-lucky that dude in Belgium couldn’t hit a barn door and that post OMG – we’d all be singing a different tune if Belgium won 1-0 – it took luck and skill to get to the semis- it always does.
The belgium tie was ugly. I felt sick to my stomach with Croatia getting thru by this means. I felt the same way about us qualifying based on Sosa cross to an opposing Russian player. I am sure there is a god in heaven who is on our side, and it is somewhat not fair to the other’s less blessed.
We have had our share of huge bad luck as well. Martin Taylor changed Croatia soccer history, with his belligerent malice play style, because croatia knocked off england out of the euros. De Silva’s career was ruined, and the trajectory and future of our soccer nation was affected for a decade.
I’m kind of tired hearing this constant loser talk about us being lucky against Belgium.
We outplayed Belgium for the majority of the match.
We dominated possession and chances for the first 60 minutes of the match.
They were lucky not to be down 2-0 with those chances we had created, along with the called back penalty.
Lovren created more chances for Belgium than Belgium’s own midfield. Those missed chances by Lukaku were only there because of some surprise missed clearances by Lovren (so they unexpectedly fell into Lukaku’s lap and he naturally wasn’t ready for them).
So now we have to disregard two-thirds of Croatian dominant play, a called back penalty (due to some unrelated offside from Lovren’s forearm hairs), and a couple of chances that fell into Lukaku’s lap (because of some random gaffes made by Lovren)…
…and that suddenly means that we should feel like we do not deserve to progress?
How about Argentina winning it with multiple penalties handed to Messi against the run of play?
We were denied a penalty against Belgium and Morocco, and Argentina was given one against us (without even a VAR review).
Every single top seeded team in this tournament was bailed out with a game changing call at least once in this tournament, except us.
It’s unrealistic to clean sweep and dominate every moment of this tournament. There will be missed chances by your opponents, and that’s part of the game.
And Lovren will be starting for us in March. That is what scares me.
come on Maminjo | wake up – please
:: you celebrate Christmas don’t you ::
we actually could catch up Argentine
but what did we have —> 3-0 (being overwhelmed)
France and Argentine seriously a contender for WC champs
if you get a score of 3-0 or 4-1 (more than 2 goals – then no way)
we are so lucky until now with that clumsy picking lines up }
anything with Dalic always be depending/relaying on a luck
That assault on Eduardo was criminal and intentional. That was one of the worst looking soccer injuries I’ve seen. So painful!!! I still Can’t believe that scumbag ruined Eduardo’s career and screwed up his life. That was not an accident and unprovoked which makes it that much more twisted and demonic for another athlete to do that to another player acting like that was just an ill-timed tackle? Taylor should have been banned from soccer for life for that stunt.
The Belgium game was beautiful in my opinion. Lakaka wasn’t 100% and was recovering from an injury but Belgium was desperate so they rushed his return . He was out of form
And missed some real heart stoppers.
There was no shame in that game. We held them off and could have easily one that game but it didn’t matter because we advanced off points and that’s how it goes! Luck (bad or good) is part of soccer.
Getting fake penalties and scoring off them and advancing like that is a much worse way to win (cheat)….
don’t apologize for luck, fucking Argentina would not be champs without luck – France guy had the game on his foot just b4 extra time ended in final…
Belgium are the leafs of hockey. Missed so many windows of opportunities. Those bums are always rebuilding. Never made a major tournament final from 2014-2022…disgraceful.
I imagine most players want to play as high of a level as possible, be on the best team possible, and have the best contract possible. No risk = no reward, therefore, if a club sees value in you and gives you an opportunity (even if it’s a sacrifice short term), most will go for it and give it their best shot.
I realize that it may not be in our best interests (fans of the national team) due to threatening the player’s form /standing for the Nations league finals, Euro qualifying, and the Euro 2024 itself. However, who really knows how the player will fit in with a new team, what chemistry develops, and what future moves the club makes?
For Majer, I would imagine it being somewhat easier to go to Real Madrid having Modrić there to help guide him; however, Modrić may not be there for very long – my understanding is that they are looking for his replacement?
Bayern, it appears, have moved on from the idea of signing Livakovic. But Leeds, Chelsea, are among some teams in the race to sign the guy. It appears also that Livakovic will be leaving Dinamo in the January transfer window as per sources on the Dinamo camp.
It will be interesting to see who picks him up. The price apparently is 9mill. For potentially one of the best, of not the best goalie in the World Cup tournament it seems a bit low.
Either way we will have to see where he moves. It will be interesting to see what happens.
This makes me nervous.
I don’t want to see him at Chelsea.
Unlike most people, I still see fault in those weaknesses of his (despite having a great World Cup) and the EPL will not be forgiving.
9 million is peanuts, and most teams will have little problem benching a keeper they didn’t spend much money on.
It’s a tricky situation because you want him in a better league, but you also want him on a team that will allow him to play through any poor spells.
We all saw what happened with Ivo Grbić.
He seemed to be doing well for the year, had one bad game against PSG, and then he was relegated to the bench for the rest of the season.
Lille had him on loan, so it was an easy financial decision for them…but had they spent serious money on him, then their coach would be pressured to play him through the odd bad game.
If the 9 million Euro figure is true, then hopefully it attracts some midtable teams in a good league that will ensure him playing time through the good and bad games.
Otherwise, I would prefer that he pulls an Oršić and just remains at Dinamo for the rest of his career.
I hope Chelsea doesn’t sign him either. They say Mendy is done and Livakovic would battle Kepa for the starting job but he still has those same weaknesses.
He’s an excellent shot stopper but he will get exposed for his poor control of the 6 yard box.
I hope he also doesn’t go to the EPL…it’s where Croatian players go to die. Very few are given a chance (Kramaric, Vlasic etc) and a year or two is wasted riding the bench. Same will happen with Livakovic.
A move to Italy would be ideal and help his development and to keep him playing. Does Torino need a keeper? Lol.
Ivan Juric needs to do us a solid and kick off their Serb goalkeeper (Vanja Milinkovic Savic) from the team and open up a spot for Livakovic. 🙂
There were other Leicester for example was just too tier.
But I get what your saying Maminjo, it’s definitely jumping into a big pond. But you have to think, he had been at Dinamo far too long I don’t think it’s good for his career to continue there, personally.
When I look at the impact that Orisic had on our National team vs Majer, with minimum time played, what gives on the lack of international interest. What am I not understanding. He seems a major step above Majer. He seems to be quicker and more clinical in execution. Is it the age, if someone does go as far as they should, are they looked upon at as damaged goods.
I think Majer had a few bad moments, but again he still a player with a lot of class and potential. Personally, that aspect of the midfield role is hard to fill with a capable player. Whereas Orsic, as much as I think he is a fantastic player and should also be looked at as well, is more of a winger slash forward rather than a true midfield player.
Think of it this way, how hard will it be to fill the gap of Modric once he leaves the National squad and even Real Madrid for example?? The young players are finding it difficult to keepmup.with the guy and what he can do.
Personally I see Majer filling this kind of a gap, but slightly more as an attacking mid which he does well. I think this is what people see in him.
Thanks for the insight.
totally agree- not sold on Majer but man did Orsic show well against Chelsea and that sold me- he proved it in Qatar. svaki cast Orsic. He made us faster and he can actually pass – Croatia has to get faster as a team – we slowed many games down because that played to our strength ball control but it’s a speed game and we’ll have to change.
Juranovic is at the right club. He is great in many ways.
His stamina, touch, attitude..pace, agility…absolutely brilliant. But he has significant weaknesses to his game as well. I think if he goes to a big club in a top 5 league he rides the pine. Not good for us
Majer is slow. He has super super vision, technique and flair. Rennes are probably the wrong team for him. They play too quick. La liga would suit his style or serie A. He needs game time as a 10. Mid table la liga or serie A team where he can be a star, eventually he can get his big move in 2/3 years
I’m excited to hear this. I’m convinced Majer would grow to new dimension at Real Madrid. He isn’t fast, but speed isn’t everything.
with Di Maria is far better than Perisic and he is still not a world-class player.
then we found someone here has called Perisic a world-class totally delusional
:{(O only Modric – that we have him to be a world class player –
………… no wonder many people celebrate Christmas ……………..
Maybe if you tried to celebrate Christmas, you could ask Santa for better insight to see why Perišić is world class
People that don’t celebeate Christmas thought Morocco would punish Croatia 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 wishful thinking from a silly balija perhaps?
I said — > if Lovren was there to play and he wasn’t there
then this happened next –> the best performing so far!
Di Maria never developed and has been washed up for more than 5 years. He’s a nice sub when he’s healthy once in a while. Don’t compare him to a national hero.
Di Maria better than Perisic? In what regard? I’d say they are both fairly similar and not much difference skill wise. Perisic is better at headers and has scored . Di Maria isn’t performing that well compared to Perisic club wise this year. I’ll throw a couple of stats at you that will derail your claim. Perisic has more club and international goals. Also has double World Cup goals. Now Thio budi molim.
Majer is not good enough for Real Madrid. It would be a tragic move for him to go there and pull a kovacic for three years
He has a different mindset than Kovačić (it seems).
I notice that Kovačić is a good player, but he requires a lot of runway before being able to truly settle in and contribute.
It took him the better part of a decade to get settled into the National Team, and it always seemed to take him at least a year or two at each of his clubs too.
Majer “seems” to be a bit more of an alpha male, and he has had a quicker impact in his first few caps for the National Team, and took the French league by surprise almost immediately after he transferred to Rennes.
I don’t think Majer would be as much of a non factor as Kovačić was at Madrid. I think he might surprise us there as well.
I just don’t want him transferring to the EPL, because he’s all skills and no running. La Liga or Serie A is where he needs to go.
I would agree that Majer is not good enough to start for RM, but with the asterisk – at this stage of his career. He will be good enough soon, and may well wind up as the long sought replacement for Kroos or perhaps Luka. I think the only one that they have replaced with any confidence in the long term is Casemiro. Majer is ahead of schedule in vision and positional awareness. He needs more minutes and consistency. Perhaps endurance. I’m not sure Ligue 1 will provide that challenge, but maybe a pit stop in the EPL is warranted.
I’m not quite sure if Majer see much time early on. Modric would no doubt be a mentor while he’s around which is a positive. I feel Majer’s form easily drops with that move due to lack of time. Longer term could be decent. I’m not sold on him yet..he is only 24 after all.
Juranovic at Tottenham would be interesting given he would play a wingback role. No to Barca..he gets lost on the bench there.
These are big moves that could be a bit premature.
Ooohhhh, not so sure Majer is ready for that leap yet. He may not get much game time there. But then Luka could mentor him as replacement. Big chance to take there
I feel JJ would do well in Italy
Maybe where he can improve his defensive play and have some freedom to charge forth
Tho I suppose atletico would definitely force him to play strong defence
Majer is nothing special, so it’s surprising to hear this. I don’t think he’ll actually go to any of these teams, but if he does he’ll hardly see the field.
It’s funny to be reading about a move for Juranović since he was considered to be the weak link of on our backline, especially after a poor game vs Canada and then plays the game of his life vs Brazil.
I think Majer holds a lot of natural raw talent that can be tapped into. I expect him to become a valuable asset as he matures, which teams like Real Madrid can see early on perhaps.
These big transfers fall in the category “be careful what you wish for”. Riding the bench at a big club where there is lots of competition is no fun. There is also very little room for error. Big clubs have big money and are not fearful of spending their way out of perceived mistakes. Majer, I believe is capable. Juranovic, not so much.
I see Tottenham Is looking for a rwb type…
JJ would be cheap enough for them
He would play with Perisic
Don’t know what the best move is for JJ?
What other transfers you guys think will happen?
Sutalo but summer time I guess.
Livakovic/orsic?