Heading into 2018, Croatia will be well represented in European play. But should Croatian fans be rooting for another long run by Luka Modrić and Real Madrid to the Champions League Final? Or Rakitić and Barcelona to make some noise?
With the World Cup opener on June 16th for Croatia and the Champions League Final on May 26th, that leaves little rest for any player making it to the Final with friendlies scheduled before the start of the World Cup.
In Champions League, Croatia has Luka Modrić and Mateo Kovačić with Real Madrid, Mario Mandzukić and Marko Pjaca with Juventus, Dejan Lovren (Liverpool), Matej Mitrović (Besiktas) and Ivan Rakitić (Barcelona) in the Round of 16.
In Europa League, it’s Vedran Ćorluka (Lokomotiv Moscow), Šime Vrsaljko (Atletico Madrid), Mario Pašalić (Spartak Moscow), Josip Pivarić and Domagoj Vida (Dynamo Kiev), Marko Rog (Napoli) and Nikola Kalinić (AC Milan).
European seasons are already long enough with league and cup games. Add European fixtures to the list and most of these guys are playing three games in a 7-day window. Croatian fans have been spoiled rotten the past five years. A Croatian has lifted the Champions League trophy every year since 2013 when Mandžukić won it with Bayern Munich.
At the expense of another Champions League run with one of Croatia’s star players, would you be okay with Croatia not being represented in the CL Final in order to rest legs on the way to the World Cup?
God knows we need a healthy Luka Modrić to make a run in Russia.
@Anonymous – Whether the NT players would admit or not, yes I do think they subconcioisly at times put in more or less effort against better and worse teams.
I believe that’s the case because that’s what humans do. Everyone has played a game and said to themselves “these guys are shit we should win 4-0” or vice versa mind you they are professionals but they are human as well and some people foeget that.
@Croatianperson85
“I think we play better vs better teams as Idemo mentioned.”
Why do you believe that’s the case?
Do you also believe the effort we put in is reliant on what sort of opponent we play?
Why would the NT believe anything less than maximum effort is required against the “bad teams”? Is it because in ’98 we ended up 3rd at the WC?
Argentina is a big team, I’m not worried about Iceland becuase I can’t see us making the same mistake twice. Mind you we were ok with a tie that game and they weren’t. It’s different now. Every game counts and we’re not going to pussy foot with them. The Nigeria game is huge and could easily set the mood for us. It will be interesting to see how we come out vs them.
I think we play better vs better teams as Idemo mentioned. That’s why I don’t like us sitting back preserving a lead which we have a hard time doing. It’s almost better we got a tougher group becuase now we’re forced to come out and play and can’t take it easy.
Yes I do think we’re as good as the giants BUT on certain days and that makes the differerence. Consistency. On any given day if we are firing on all cylanders we can beat anyone but that’s few and far between. We play better when we have more to prove not less.
I thought when we beat Spain at the last Euros that that was a giant-killing performance.
Do you think we’re as good as the great teams, therefore we can’t have any giant-killing performances?
im not here to discuss what someone does against us but I can openly speak to you about what we do
I myself am not from the school of thinking we are giant killers, but our game is severely better Against bigger fish, when we play Norway Iceland Kosovo whoever we feel like we deserve a win and play like we deserve a win which is something u never deserve. yes I am serious.
If we do or did play an African team who do we play? We played Mali prior to Cameroon in WC14.
“don’t think we played some high level, the teams we played are not good and we should constantly be doing that
We constantly play at our opponents level
Great against great teams and bad against bad teams.”
So, are you serious when you say that Croatia minimizes their output against bad teams and maximizes their output against great teams?
Do the great teams minimize their effort against Croatia, or, do they maximize their effort, but Croatia still beat them anyway?
Well least we should be mostly ready for Argentina with that
I’m mostly worried bout that first game with Nigeria
Not getting 3 points would put lot of pressure on us Against Argentina and if some how Argentina go 2-0. Then they may take light on Nigeria in final game
Or the unthinkable happens and Iceland take points from Argentina… somehow I feel Argentina won’t take Iceland too light
doubt that would be in NYC or Toronto then…..more like Florida or Texas
I’ve read elsewhere Costa Rica… so HRVATSKA, Mexico, Peru, Costa Rica in a mini tournament
@vis don’t think we played some high level, the teams we played are not good and we should constantly be doing that
We constantly play at our opponents leave
Great against great teams and bad against bad team
Peru or Mexico don’t have an African team so that won’t happen
Who is the other team is it too obvious to say it’s the states??
Thank nepoz. Looks cool. Have an African team there and problem solved
That’s always the question should we want the core to play the friendlies before World Cup together or the kids? I guess would be a mix
I would love to see more friendlies just With the kids but I know that’s not always viable with scheduling..,I know they get their time with the youth teams but still not the same
Shouldn’t we try to get a comparable African team to play as well? Least with playing Iceland so much we don’t need a special prep game for them
Here’s an english link:
https://www.croatiaweek.com/ccroatia-set-to-build-up-for-world-cup-with-matches-in-usa/
NK Susak. Link for the rumors? I would go to one or maybe both of those assuming there’s any truth.
Rumors flying around of possible friendlies with Peru in Miami, and Mexico in Dallas this upcoming March. If true, how many of the regulars make the trip 2 months before the worldcup, Champions League and critical time in league play all going on?
Brotherhood and unity.
https://www.b92.net/eng/news/crimes.php?yyyy=2017&mm=12&dd=15&nav_id=103049
Hoping Liverpool go far…more experience for Lovren 😀
https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/667160/Liverpool-Sime-Vrsaljko-Atletico-Madrid-25m-bid-Tancredi-Palmeri-rumours-gossip-news
I think BZ’s point makes the most logical sense. Do we really need Modric playing that many games? Fringe or budding players playing more regularly would benefit us more.
Daniel Olmo Carvajal will take us home one day. Get him natururized and quick.
So if we play at the same level or higher as the Ukraine and Greece games how will we not make it out of the group stage?
I think we make a very very very deep run.
It’s inevitable, the big teams will go through until the end
It is not an all or nothing dilemma.
I want Juve, Besiktas, Napoli, & Atletico to go far. As that will help Pjaca, Mitrovic, Rog (maybe Sime) and Sime a chance at some much needed playing time. Plus gives Higuain & Dybala time to get injured, though I am not rooting for that.
Could care less if Luka gets another CL trophy. Wouldn’t mind if some of our stars were humbled. We play better after we are humbled, not sure why, but we do.
Corluka ( on internet ) doesn’t look like a man possessed to comeback strong. Seems to be enjoying his workman’s comp with his gal.
oh yeaaa
3 games with no talk of players that had long seasons. We’ve seen all our big names lift the trophy with the big ears so I’m good on that.
More than likely we are going to lose in the group so would you rather have 6 months of watching Croats in big club games or 3 games of watching them at the World Cup? Spoiler alert: you get the 3 at the World Cup no matter what. What say you CSR NATION?
Idc I want Luka to 3 peat
6 months for a 20 -25 year old in soccer player development is a good amount of time- I would not be surprised if we have one or two kids in the mix that isn’t there right now- our homeland is loaded with kids pushing their way up the ranks- Danny J- picks a good one- who is that kid? I don’t know? I’m sure we’ll pull out a name or two- would love to see a D-man come out of the woodwork thicker than LIKA to make an improvement for our D. Who knows?
Read an article that apparently dalic giving serious looks at krovinovic for World Cup. But where would he fit?
Mostly just making conversation
We qualified we beat Italy in 2002. I don’t think we can possibly be as “bad” as that any more with the talent coming up the pipeline. Sure all lower teams coming up but I hope slowly we push up into that higher bracket again of teams
@Pog
Our 2002 World Cup team was as a result of no kids playing football on mine-riddled fields during the early 1990s.
All those 13 year-old kids in 1991 would have been in their early to mid-20s during that 2002 World Cup (and the following Euros in 2004) and we would have actually had a pool of players to pick from.
We really only had five old guys in the 2002 World Cup in Suker, Boksic, Soldo, Jarni and Prosinecki…and only two of them were ‘key’ players in Jarni and Boksic. Everyone else on the team were in their 20s.
The problem with everyone else is that they were simply not good enough, since we weren’t developing players in this age bracket (as we were fighting a war).
2002 doesn’t apply to our current situation with our ‘old’ guys. We have plenty of talented players in the early to mid-20s who can support our older vets and some who can potentially take over in the next couple of years. We didn’t have anything like that back in ’02.
Modrić will be rotated and rested for big matches the rest of the season.
Kovačić will benefit from the available minutes.
Perišić is only focused on the scudetto.
All the other veterans are either ready or should be cut.
Juve will win it this year. Mark my words.
I still remember a preview for our 2002 WC team that said our key players were older than the Dinaric Mountains. And we all know how that tourney went.
Now these guys aren’t that old but I honestly hope they all get bounced from European Cups asap.