The Good:
- More like “The Great!” 3 medals in 5 years for Croatia! Are you kidding me? If you would have told me that at the start of 2018, I would have laughed uncontrollably in your face. Yes, this is a true statement. Croatia has 3 medals (2 silver, 1 bronze) in a 5-year span. That is INCREDIBLE!
- We have not one, but two WORLD CLASS players in Modrić and Brozović! (Also, Gvardiol is on pace) We can talk all day about Modrić but how about that performance from Broz against Spain? He took home MOTM honors and was hustling hard into the 120th minute. The guy is a beast!
- The Croatian fans! Absolute unreal performance by them; filling the Rotterdam stadium 80% in checkers and singing for 120 minutes straight! It was basically a home match for the Vatreni
- Croatia may not have an international trophy yet, but we are knocking on the right door. Regardless of Modrić staying or leaving, he (and the rest of the current crop of players) have laid the foundation of HOPE for future generations. Kids growing up in Croatia right now know that lifting a trophy in Croatian checkers isn’t just a dream anymore, but rather, it’s only one tournament away!
- The Croatian defense held up without Gvardiol in the lineup. Croatia only conceded twice in 2 games to very good sides in the Netherlands and Spain. On top of that, they posted a clean sheet vs. Spain across 120 minutes. Not too shabby.
- Modrić was supposed to retire after the 2022 World Cup. He stayed on for Nations League. It’s rumored that he may stay until EURO 2024. As far as I’m concerned, everything and anything is extra credit from this point on.
The Bad:
- Dalić and the Vatreni played chess with Spain and not football. Croatia never took their shot in the game and went for it. After the Dutch took the lead in the semifinal, Croatia turned on the jets offensively for the 2nd half and extra time. We saw the true Vatreni play. Maybe we needed Spain to score first…just like every other knockout round match across the last 5 years.
- The order of penalty kick takers was baffling. It’s a shame Kramarić and Juranović were not available because they both take PKs regularly for their club teams, but how and why are Majer and Petković taking kicks before Kovačić? Both Majer and Petko lacked any kind of confidence in the game. It should have been Kova in front of them all day!
- The break-aways were horrendous. When is the last time Croatia converted on a clean cut 1:1 with the goalie? Remember Rebić against Denmark in 2018? Couldn’t get the job done. Against Spain, it was Majer who got caught up on a break away following a perfect ball from Kovačić. Petković playing at the #9? He may be the slowest striker in Europe. Not good.
- The game would have changed for Croatia with a true European #9. Petko is so slow and can’t chase anything down. He just can’t. However, Petković has exceeded all international expectations with his goal against Brazil and his winner against the Dutch this week. If he can do anything else for the repka, that should be considered extra credit. The guy deserves a statue (somewhere) for his equalizer against Brazil.
The Ugly:
- Strikers, Strikers, Strikers. This conversation has been the ‘Elephant in the Room’ since Mandžukić retired in 2018. It’s really, really hard to win titles without a 7/10 caliber true European #9 striker on the team. Dalić has done an incredible job with the pieces he has, but he hasn’t had a true #9 in his arsenal since Mandzo. Dalić plays Kramarić up top but that is not his true position. Petković and Livaja? Cute, but you can’t expect guys that play in the HNL to anchor down your offense. You just can’t. Musa, Beljo, and the rest of the young guns are on deck but they weren’t quite ready for a World Cup/Nations League run. Croatia has a world class midfield and will have Gvardiol anchoring the boys in defense. If only one striker shows up to take the mantle as #9, the Vatreni will be in good shape moving forward. It’s a shame we didn’t have anything close to that at the World Cup or against Spain.
All I know is that the Tortilla fan club which contains both domoljubi and izdajice recieved it’s name from Mexico.
I before E except after C.
@Z
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Kako pamtite Tita?
Dear, Frenchman
I pray 🙏 to our Almighty Father in the Heavens that these verses touch you heart and help in your spiritual journey.
The last days are upon us thus, spending time on forums, slandering and causing discord will be futile if you miss out on the Salvation given to us through our Lord Jesus Christ.
His blood 🩸 that was drained on the cross at Calvary was for all of us, please take this time to REPENT.
Football/Soccer is just a distraction in the end it won’t matter.
I pray 🙏 that you and everyone on this site are saved, In Jesus Mighty name
Amen 😇
Proverbs 6:16-19
16 There are six things the Lord hates— no, seven things he detests:
17 haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that kill the innocent,
18 a heart that plots evil, feet that race to do wrong,
19 a false witness who pours out lies, a person who sows discord in a family.
1st John 3:15 Anyone who hates another brother or sister is really a murderer at heart. And you know that murderers don’t have eternal life within them.
Proverbs 17:19 Anyone who loves to quarrel loves sin; anyone who trusts in high walls invites disaster.
Galatians 5:19-20
19 When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division,
21 envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.
Proverbs 17:1 Better a dry crust eaten in peace than a house filled with feasting—and conflict.
Proverbs 19:5 A false witness will not go unpunished, nor will a liar escape.
Exodus 23:1 You must not pass along false rumors. You must not cooperate with evil people by lying on the witness stand.
John 8:44 For you are the children of your father the devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning. He has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.
Romans 1:18-32
18 But God shows his anger from heaven against all sinful, wicked people who suppress the truth by their wickedness.
19 They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them.
20 For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God.
21 Yes, they knew God, but they wouldn’t worship him as God or even give him thanks. And they began to think up foolish ideas of what God was like. As a result, their minds became dark and confused.
22 Claiming to be wise, they instead became utter fools.
23 And instead of worshiping the glorious, ever-living God, they worshiped idols made to look like mere people and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 So God abandoned them to do whatever shameful things their hearts desired. As a result, they did vile and degrading things with each other’s bodies.
25 They traded the truth about God for a lie. So they worshiped and served the things God created instead of the Creator himself, who is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.
26 That is why God abandoned them to their shameful desires. Even the women turned against the natural way to have sex and instead indulged in sex with each other.
27 And the men, instead of having normal sexual relations with women, burned with lust for each other. Men did shameful things with other men, and as a result of this sin, they suffered within themselves the penalty they deserved.
28 Since they thought it foolish to acknowledge God, he abandoned them to their foolish thinking and let them do things that should never be done.
29 Their lives became full of every kind of wickedness, sin, greed, hate, envy, murder, quarreling, deception, malicious behavior, and gossip.
30 They are backstabbers, haters of God, insolent, proud, and boastful. They invent new ways of sinning, and they disobey their parents.
31 They refuse to understand, break their promises, are heartless, and have no mercy.
32 They know God’s justice requires that those who do these things deserve to die, yet they do them anyway. Worse yet, they encourage others to do them, too.
The Dangers of the Last Days:
2nd Timothy 3:1-5
1 You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times.
2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred.
3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good.
4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God.
5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
Matthew 24:29-31
29 Immediately after the anguish of those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light, the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
30 And then at last, the sign that the Son of Man is coming will appear in the heavens, and there will be deep mourning among all the peoples of the earth. And they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
31 And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.
Hoo boy!
@HandOfGod
That comment is long, and I gotta admit that I didn’t read it, but I did ask a question, “kako pamtite Tita?”
I ask, and I don’t receive 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
The reason I ask “kako pamtite Tita?” is to show all honest Croats those that refuse to give an honest answer, they’re the ones that don’t want their external peace, or the peace the world gives them, disturbed. Stooges.
Tell me that in Croatia the domoljub doesn’t have distress?
I know it’s long but it will save your eternal life. Please, take the time to read, I also offer free Bible study lessons, if interested.
Now I will answer your question with most honesty. I don’t remember anything about Tito, I’m 49 and born in Canada.
My only knowledge of Tito is from my Tata. All I remember is him having secret meetings while I was a little boy, with a certain group of men who were all Ustasa supporters regarding Hrvatska state of affairs.
I asked him one question, if Tito was Croatian why did he betray Croatia 🇭🇷 and I got the CIA abducted and killed him answer. Followed by the tale of his mother claiming he was replaced. Maybe 🤔 this is where my conspiracy roots started lol.
Anyway, I laugh at the idea at calling myself Croatian when I had to google translate your question. 😝
Yet, do I love my roots, my diaspora brothers & sisters, my family back home and the National team, that’s ok.
Yet, I don’t pretend to be a super patriotic Croat or dare to be, my only dedication is to God, everything else is just enjoyable distraction as we live in the world but are not part of it as children of the most high.
So I hope this answer finds you well.
Sad about the Nations League loss, but still, the show goes on. Now time to support the U21 in the euros.
Hey Frenchie,
So let me get this straight, a guy who calls himself ‘Frenchman’, who seems to know more about Croatian history and current events than the average diaspora Croat, who presumably yet proudly lives in the globalist/masonic/islamist hotbed called France has the temerity to come on this site to try and troll everyone and call everyone frauds based on how they’d answer the question of how they remember tito (all this even before they have had the chance to answer the question)?
Interesting case of psychological projection maybe?
To answer your question… I remember Tito to be very much like I remember all politicians past, present and future…they love nothing but power and will do or say anything to attain, maintain and increase it.
‘Put not your trust in princes or the sons of men in whom there is no salvation.’ Psalm 146:3
‘Unless the Lord builds the house the builders labour in vain.’Psalm 127
Be careful Frenchman about sitting on your high horse. Judging people and taking pleasure in the misfortune of others can be very risky.
Yes, yes, the way things look now demographically, Croatia seems to be in dire straights, almost on the verge of disappearing completely and France seems very robust and strong. But never forget that God’s ways are not our ways and God’s thoughts are not our thoughts.
‘He hath put down the mighty from their seat and hath exalted the humble.’
Luke 1:52
Don’t be surprised Frenchman if France is brought very low while little Croatia has a resurgence. We’ve been on the verge of disappearing for 1000 years but we are still alive and kicking! You Frenchies have almost always had the upper hand (except for maybe the 100 years war) so let me tell you, survival is a difficult trick to master. May God be with you!
Bog i Hrvati
I would spend one day in Croatia, before two weeks in France. Empire building countries become most like the people they conquer and subjugate. The Vikings conquered england , but the english women subjugated Viking men. France conquered Africa but Islam now subjugates France. Been to Paris once, that is one too many times.
Stari, I live in Astralja
@Stari
“To answer your question… I remember Tito to be very much like I remember all politicians past, present and future…they love nothing but power and will do or say anything to attain, maintain and increase it.”
But not all politicians are spiritually dead like atheistic communist Tito was, correct?
So what would you call a Catholic serving a murderous atheistic communist regime?
Anyway, jebo te Tito.
Frenchie,
To be honest I am unable to comment on the whether anyone is spiritually dead as I don’t have the gift of reading souls. Though any politician who supports abortion and euthanasia would be just as bad as Tito in terms of being responsible for murder. So not all politicians are like him but definitely most are(except for a few maybe in Africa, Hungary, Poland among very few others).
What do I call a Catholic serving a murderous atheistic communist regime?
I call him a poor, misguided, blind sinner who knows not what he does.
Google ‘Fulton Sheen on Tito’ for an interesting anecdote as to a possible cause of Tito’s apostasy.
Blessed Fulton Sheen was a great, Bishop of the Church whose beatification is being unjustly delayed by the current hierarchy in Rome. Read some of his writings on the faith and communism. He truly was inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Hope that answers your questions.
Bog i Hrvati
@Stari
“To be honest I am unable to comment on the whether anyone is spiritually dead as I don’t have the gift of reading souls.”
But if the spirit gives life, and Jesus said “let the dead bury their dead,” it’s obvious who the dead are that bury their dead, those that don’t have the spirit.
So like atheistic communist Tito, Zoran Milanovic has not the spirit, just like all atheistic commies have not the spirit, so what fellowship do Croats have with them? If none, and the majority of Croats are Catholic, then how did the mammon serving Zoran Milanovic come to lead?
How someone answers “kako pamtite Tita” is telling isn’t it?
HandOfGod’s dad was a good man 👍
Loved most of what you said but unless Croatia 🇭🇷 has a Christian revival their demise will be as same as France and Sodom & Gomorrah.
2nd Chronicles 7:14 If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
In 2003 when I was visiting Hrvatska, two Gay men were dancing together in a bar outside of Karlovac. I was so angry and couldn’t believe my eyes, the one man noticed my displeasure and started to taunt me.
That was in 03, I dread what has overtaken this country since then. Sadly, Croatia being reliant on tourism bent the knee to sexual immortality.
As well, many are fornicating before marriage, so their path is no different. Idol worship of sports can also disqualify one from making it to Heaven.
1st Corinthians 5:11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one.
Anyway, when it comes to God and Salvation, let us not be like the Jews who argued over circumcision for means of salvation in the book of Acts chapter 15, the children of God will come from all the nations.
You might be saved but your whole family could perish in hell for an eternity because they choose the wide road of destruction.
Romans 14:10-12
Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God; for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
So, please heed my message and God Bless.
https://sempreinter.com/2023/06/21/inter-milan-marcelo-brozovic-says-yes-al-nassr-offer/
If there is any truth to this, I’m terrified. Hopefully it’s just leveraging their offer to get Barcelona to increase theirs.
I hope not, they may just be rumours give it a week or two and we will see if is actually happening.
If you recall there were similar articles about Modric in the past suggesting a move of the same kind.
The money is definitely enticing but we will have to see if he is type to be interested or not. I don’t personally think so, he hasn’t won a Champions League yet and I believe that is his driving force right now. I think move to Barcelona is more likely for him.
€15 million per season?
Disrespectfully low offer considering what others are getting over there.
You would think he has 3-5 years of strong European soccer in him
And can take some bucks then
Will he go down hill if he goes to the Middle East?
I’m sure he won’t put in those massive running shifts which may be a double edged sword
It’s what probably keeps him sharp but also miles and miles eventually catch up to us all
Barca move would be cool
His fiery attitude could be marketed there well enough
Kovacic to Man City Here we go! Is Gvardiol next in line?
Someone said this and it made me laugh 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 they said:
“We know that when you’re the enemy of the establishment…….”
Croatia is not an enemy to the establishment, this is absurd to even suggest 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 look at this site for instance, you have people here whose ancestors were domoljubi, and you have those whose ancestors were izdajice (just like Zoran Milanovic and Plenkovic), and both are using football to unite in diversity just like FIFA would like to see them do!
I can ask a question I saw on TV Replika not long ago and know that no one here would have the guts to answer it even while writing their comments anonymously, here goes:
“Kako pamtite Tita?”
I expect that a domoljub and an izdajica would answer that differently, but stooges will always choose to play the game of evasion (by saying it’s a sports site) rather than answer, you’re all f****** frauds I’m tellin’ ya 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 stooges 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I find it telling that Slavonac from Canada talks about unity a lot and talks a lot of shit about the Tortilla fan club, are the Tortilla fan club domoljubi or izdajice?
The Tortilla fan club (good nick name BTW) are a mixture of regular and decent people and some really screwed up people.
There was an article that circulated through Croatia last week, someone passed it in to me…written by Zvonimir Hodak, I suggest you read it!
how good is Roko Simic ? is he what people say he is ?or another Hillivoic
I don’t really know myself
But I do like his overall stature(tall and lanky)
Maybe cause it reminds me a bit of mandzo
But he does seem to have some fire in his belly
He will develop physically and let’s hope mentally
Obviously has a good pedigree
And seems to be making correct career choices thus far
Maybe he destroys it this week!!
I am finally out of mourning and ready to contribute. First, I have to commend all fellow Hrvati for well thought out post-game posts on Sunday, regardless of whether I agree or disagree with them (everyone is entitled to their opinions).
The disadvantage of Erlić and Šutalo being the duo is it’s two less guys to take PK’s if it goes that far (yes, the correct decision was made) since we’ve seen Vida score on PK’s.
I’m Dalić’s biggest fan, but Musa has the highest goal average per minutes in the Portuguese division, yet we can’t get him in the game in Extra Time? I know he didn’t look the greatest in the Euro qualifiers, but Bruno was so ineffective.
It’s not just the striker position as Ante’s article states. We never replaced Rakitić as an offensive midfielder. We could have Šuker upfront but if he doesn’t get the service, he would still be held scoreless. He had Boban, Prosinečki, Asanović, Vlaović, Stanić and Boksić (among others) setting him up. Except for Luka, who else do we have at midfield that can create for others?????????
It would be Perišić and with him on the backline, it’s one less guy to create (no offense to Ivanušec who had the assist last week) and one less guy who can actually score and who has experience. As great as he was on Sunday, I don’t agree with him replacing Sosa, even though I understand why it was done.
At the end of the day, even though we played our hearts out, we weren’t good enough to beat Spain this year, weren’t good enough to beat Argentina in 2022, and weren’t good enough to beat powerhouse France in 2018.
The one positive is that the game gave no one here a reason to bitch about the referees, which is popular among one or two of the regulars. Yeah, we got hosed on the Brožović call and we probably don’t get the benefit of the PK call vs Liva if it happened to us. However, let’s stop bitching about that because we saw that even with a game with no call going against us, we STILL couldn’t score a SINGLE goal.
Franjo: I still say that Spain holding and pushing down Majer, inside the box was a call that did go “against us”, so I will continue my bad penchant of blaming an outside conspiracy force.
I can assure that we’ll qualify top two in our group. There’s no doubt in my mind we can’t secure first or second. A slip up against Turkey could cost us first place. The Turkey game is at home which is a relief. I think Wales is finished after four points in four matches. Armenia and Latvia are breeze. If we don’t get first or second we could potentially play.
Italy
Netherlands
Denmark
Poland
Czech
Wales
These are all the teams I think will personally play in the Euro playoffs. The rest such as Spain, Belgium, Austria, and others are guarantee locks. Hard to believe Poland dropped points to Moldova and Bosnia lost to Luxembourg. Serbia dropped points to Bulgaria. Looks like we are still going to be the only former yugo nation at Euros.
I think you are wrong Italy, Dutch, Czech and Denmark will come first or second in their groups and will therefore qualify automatically. Despite losing to Moldova I still reckon that Poland has a good chance of coming second in their group. Wales I agree will need a miracle to qualify.
Serbia will come first or second in their group and will therefore qualify directly.
Phew… I finally got over this defeat. Guess what helped is (1) there was no bullshit call, (2) we held our own against a top opponent and were edged by the slimmest of margins, and (3) this wasn’t a major tournament.
Btw, read a rumor that some Saudi club is trying to lure Brozo over and he’s willing to go if the salary is high enough?! God forbid!
With regard to the comments below, some of them. I for one am not ready to give up on Majer or Sosa just yet. One bad season can happen to a player. They, at the very least, deserve another season to prove themselves in my view. Both show great promise for the team and in general based on their previous seasons. Sosa with exceptional knack for crossing into the final third, and Majer with his attacking prowess before the injury and this season
I am surprised that Stanisic had very little playing time as well but I guess he has a lot of players to compete with.
This tournament should have proven Brozovic’s worth to all the naysayers, I will not say anymore on this topic as nothing need be said regarding him. Broz is simply a starter, and not only a starter but a staple, for our team for as long as continues to play.
With the conversations of both Kova and Gvardi moving to Man City (according to Guardiola’s hope) that could potentially be an amazing thing for their professional development. But we already know that they will be counted on moving forward.
As many have said, there are a lot of good things for the team moving forward.
Perišić is our best forward.
If none of our striker prospects breakthrough, he should just play striker.
He is our best athlete.
He runs more than Petkovic and Kramaric combined.
Could you imagine Rebić coming off the bench and running at a tired Jesus?!
Oršić and Rebić have to be brought into the fold.
Our Catholic faith is about forgiveness. We don’t forget but we forgive.
We simply need speed on the wings and athleticism up top.
We got Luka legend for Euro ‘24.
Our defense has improved.
Our midfield cannot be matched.
The final third needs evolution.
Has Rebic asked for forgiveness?
To ask for forgiveness is to admit you did wrong isn’t it?
Did atheistic communist and izdajica Frank Tudjman ever ask for forgiveness? I don’t think so, and the Croats didn’t care, so why does Rebic have to 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 that’s right, because football is more important than who runs a country you people don’t live in 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Imagine being a teenage Brazilian, Spanish, or Argentinian kid right now.
You probably think Croatia is your team’s biggest arch rivals, ha ha.
They played great and were a coinflip away from winning – too bad.
My only gripe was I wish they would have found Perisic at the back post with some early crosses when they had the chance – It was only a matter of time before they unlocked the Spanish defense with Perisic being able to easily outjump the Spanish player marking him. He scored two goals with early crosses in recent tournaments (England 2018 and Japan 2022) and I saw his arms in the air a few times without getting service.
And not to rehash something that has been a dead topic but I would have loved to have seen Rebic (or another winger with pace) to take advantage of the high Spanish line. It would have given us an outlet and also would have required the Spanish defenders to respect that threat.
Kovacic taking a penalty is a terrible idea – should never be brought up again.
Otherwise – great game.
Does JJ have that speed?
I feel he does
Stanisic can for sure fill that rb role and also has pace
He is quicker and more athletic then I originally thought
Can most of us agree that the combo of stani at back and JJ in front is worth a look?
Sounds like everyone has given up on Sosa, Pistol Pete baggy socks. We did not give our half-german a chance. If that is the case, he did not last much longer than Alen Halilovic. I still think he could have serviced Perisic.
I think he can make it
He’s a bit dainty
JJ is small but plays stronger
I think sosa is just posterized for that Argentina goal when everything could go wrong did
He just was that last one we remember;)
For sure he has no one to cross too
A few of us called for Perisic to go lb a while ago
And orsic to play
It baffles me how little time he has got
And has scored
He is not the best but he is still darn dangerous
Remember guys gvardi and orsic two guys that scored and beat Morocco were out of the line up…..
And for the record I’m not the president of the orsic fan club but who has scored as much as he has in bigger games for his team last couple of years…?
Yeah Orsic can be very clutch… other than his contributions during WC2022 and in European games for Dinamo, just earlier today I got reminded of how he inspired us to an amazing late comeback against Spain in EURO 2020 before full time.
He has that turn the game around with a bomb ability that so needed against Spain
Not saying it would have happened
But also like I said earlier
Orsic helps unlock petko even more
Those two together for 20 mins can do some damage as we all know
I hope Dalić gives Musa / Beljo a fair amount of time in the Euro qualifyers.
Petković has experience, good size / mass that he can use to his advantage , technically a good player, and he played well against the Netherlands, so I get why he gets put into the game vs Spain. However, he is not the fastest guy, so in my mind, he does not offer much over the young strikers.
When Petković got the yellow card, I immediately thought: we have a few subs left, so take him out. In my mind, I would not want to get a second yellow if I were him, so he has now become compromised.
In hindsight it’s easy to say that it wouldn’t have hurt us. At the time you could argue that it is too much pressure for the young guns at that point in time.
However, we need to take some risks somewhere because when nothing changes, nothing changes!
We have already qualified for the Euro, and although we could end up in a tough group for not doing well enough in the Euro qualifyers, I think it is certainly a risk worth taking now.
It’ll depend on them and their overall form and playing time at their current clubs. I’d like to see them as well but I’m not the type to play someone if they’re irrelevant at their club!
We haven’t already qualified for the Euro.
By topping our Nations League group, we get a second chance at the Euros if we fail to qualify from our Turkey/Wales/Armenia/Latvia group. But all this means is that we play a two-game playoff against another team in League A who failed to qualify as well (or a League B team in case every single League A team has qualified).
It’s a lot easier to get a top-2 spot against Turkey/Wales/Armenia in our regular Euro qualifying group, than it is to play another League A team (or League B team) that failed to qualify.
Teams like Italy and the Netherlands already look like they could slip up in their qualifying groups, so one of them may end up being that playoff opponent.
I agree fully in playing Musa and Beljo, but it’s best we don’t experiment with any youngsters outside those two (unless we have a 3 goal lead).
I don’t consider playing guys like Stanisic, Sosa, Majer, Sutalo, as experimentation anymore. Those guys should be eating most of the minutes, and give guys like Modric, Perisic, Broz a break.
I’d only play Luka Sucic (if he’s recovered) or Martin Baturina, as part of any experiment (but only in games where we’re pretty much already qualified at the end of the cycle).
This.
Maminjo,
Thanks for the clarification
There is aready a playoff for teams that don’t qualify as #1 or 2 in their respective groups, so I guess it’s a guaranteed spot in the uefa euro qualifying playoffs rather than the euro itself.
Not very much in it for doing well in Nations League other than the prize money.
Frano,
in regard to Musa . Is he getting enough play time at his current club . I was told by a Portuguese guy I know that Musa is talented but sits in favor of Ramos. I am in favor of Musa and Beljo getting a chance to play. If Musa is sitting at his club that’s concerning for me as I am scared he will loose form. Do you know or does anyone here know if Musa is getting enough play time at his club ? Since 2008 when luka really got started this was a golden generation that fell short. With a talented roster our team was sabotaged by its own Savez. Bilic was a good coach . Although we lost Euro 2008 we had a chance in Africa and failed to qualify. Our savez forced , incapable players and incompetent coaches on to our golden roster. We saw horrible campaigns come crashing down. for 15 years our Vaterni lost valuable opportunities that may never come again . Luka last year will be Euro . He believes he can win . I would like for our boys and for all of our resources to come to bear to make Luka and our dream come true . To that end , the Savez leadership now getting taste of real money must develop our youth and put them into a position to win. As I said and many others here , that young men will win . Not older man who’s time has passed. We need to move with the times and start integrating young players on to the roster sooner rather than later . Now with more of us moving out of our homeland we need to start recruiting from our diaspora in Germany holland Austria England Belgium Swiss to keep the team fresh . This team now is good . They are more talented than people thought they could be. As I said previously they are not yet fine tuned or polished enough yet. We still need three or 4 more key positions to fill . this euro coming up and the next World Cup we have a chance to make a mark . If we fail , we might not get another chance. Keeping our Soccer program relevant and keeping a roster fresh with talented youth is the only way this savez will last. we cannot regress . To do so will make our soccer team a joke . All the progress we made will be for nothing
Croatian Inspector General,
Musa averaged close to 27 minutes per game this season for 44 matches (Minutes divided by games played)
Not the most playing time, but it could be worse.
A decent sample size and his goals / points per 90 minutes played is high (99th percentile for the league).
His transfemarket value is 7 million euros. For comparison, Beljo is 6.5 million and Petković is 5 million. Not that the market value tells you very much, but I imagine Musa and even more so Beljo (being even younger) are on an upward trajectory.
The hope is that they have better chemistry with the team, development that results in them becoming better players than our current strikers, and ultimately better results for the NT.
The striker and winger, midfield positions are the most prone to injury, therefore you are never safe. All these great talents getting destroyed by knee/leg injuries. Da Silva, Pjaca, Sucic, etc. Can’t seem to develop them as fast as they injury themselves lately. With that said, what Modric has accomplished is just that more amazing, only having groin issues.
Da Silva was a hit job. Is Sucic really done?
Sorry, I hope not, getting ahead of the bad news and bracing for the worst. Assuming maybe we can get the 85% potential restored version, and that is enough at his young age. The 65% Eduardo was never the same.
He broke his leg back in 2010. Part of the reason why we didn’t qualify for that World Cup.
DaSilva broke his leg in early 2008, we didn’t have him for the dreaded Turkey game.
Let’s see how our youth perform tomorrow when the Under 21 Euros start. If we revamped and cleared through all the used defence like Corluka, Lovren, Vrsaljko, etc. if those guys can make room and allow growth, why can’t our forwards and wingers? One thing is sure is that Vlasic should stay. Kramaric should be gone. Perisic will be 34 by euros. He isn’t the same and I saw..he should be a substitute. Petkovic is slow and too awkward. He works hard but should be demoted. Colina, Simic, Vidovic are the new guys. Bring them up if they perform well. Armenia and Turkey both also secured wins which is a bit of pressure. A draw against either of them would really fuck this up which we have a track record of in qualifying. Let’s see what we’re made of against Ukraine tomorrow. Spain will be such a test too. Stop holding onto to the older generation..let the fresh legs start. We don’t have world class forwards that can play past 30 to play in major tournaments like Messi or Giroud.
“Modrić was supposed to retire after the 2022 World Cup.” –
This statement is false, neither Modric nor anyone around him has ever once signaled that he would retire after the last World Cup! There is no inside information on this…its 100% false!
“Dalić and the Vatreni played chess with Spain and not football. Croatia never took their shot in the game and went for it.” –
How do you “go for it” and possibly expose yourself against a very disciplined and organized team? Spain was very good from start to finish, should we expect our team to push extra players forward so they can outnumber us on the counter-attack?
“Cute, but you can’t expect guys that play in the HNL to anchor down your offense. You just can’t. Musa, Beljo, and the rest of the young guns are on deck but they weren’t quite ready for a World Cup/Nations League run” –
Dalic talked about this in an interview yesterday. He said he brought Beljo and Musa to incorporate them into the camp, to give them experience with the team and to give them a chance to understand expectations. He also said he’d start using them in these upcoming qualifiers.
I see some comments suggesting we should have tried Perisic as striker 🙂 and I think thats impossible to do with this lineup. We obviously have an issue at left back, otherwise Dalic wouldn’t have used Perisic in that role…and lets just say that was a genius move…Perisic was absolutely marvelous except for the one goal from Netherlands where he was too deep and in front of his own goal. with that said, until we have solid options at left back and left attacker I don’t think Perisic is even close to being a solution…and even then, I think Perisic need some open field on a wing to be who he is…a fantastic player that offers service and his own attempts at goal!
https://www.instagram.com/p/CttgV5dtioW/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
Looks like Modric, Perisic and Vida are all staying. I have great apprecitiation for Vida, but he should retire.
Modrić saw Majer’s PK attempt and was like, “naw dawg”.
(and decided to stick around)
Soul champ talks about it down below
Its been talked about
But Perisic as a striker I wish was tried out at some point
If no one steps up this next year it would really be something worth trying
He would press hard and has a great ability to jump over defenders
He was making those Spaniards look like midgets
I was hoping for that one header of brilliance from him
About the game, someone mentioned it
There was that moment a delicious little pass was coming in for krama and luka at the same time
Miscommunication, who do you guys think should have laid off. I think it was on krama strong foot If not mistaken?
I really didn’t mind the effort krama put into the last two matches
Also I would take him to take 9/10 of our pks
It just seems like his jam
Who isn’t a little worried when luka steps up for them?
Seems tho he has gotten over his pk hump some tho
Modric definitely changed things up on his penalty kicks
They didn’t take there shot, really Ante please stfu.
You never played professionally and you never coached anything.
You don’t go all out attack when it’s tied period.
Yes games get better and yes sometimes worse like the Argentina game.
YOU should only compliment Dalic and never criticize after the fact. You can speculate but that’s bullshit too.
It’s like in gambling after you lose you know you made the wrong bet.
Praise this team and be proud of them.
Everyone in Canada even knows (non croats) that we are a super power in the sport and to never bet against us. A Brazilian guy told me this even before our match at the WC, Brazil was scared. That shit is earned not given
Modric is back !!! 🙌
24 sata reports!!!
Is this for sure for sure??
Seems to be all sorts of rumours floating around
I would like vida to retire only cause of space but if he is kind of a package with Perisic luka and dalic then so be it
The new kids should be ready after that and transition will be rough but not the worst thing ever
Very insightful info on Croatia. I also thought Perisic who also played outstanding against Spain.
Both Modric & Perisic crossed Good balls in the box, but Croatia was not effective in the final 3rd as you pointed out. Spain also lacked in the final 3rd which propably benefited Them @ the end, If Spain scored 1st, it could of been a different outcome. Plus the penalty shoot-out as you pointed out, with Kramaric already substituted Kovacic should of taken the penalty before Petko & Majer. Especially as Kovacic takes penalties more regularly. Croatia is knocking on the National world Stage, players like Modric are, special, unique & rare, but Croatia can produce special talent for years to come. Even if Croatia has not won a national title, Modric, Perisic, Brozo, Kova have made a extra step from France 98 great Squad & they are getting closer. Every final game is a important learning curve & vital to go all the way. Dalic-Croatia had already achieved so much as smaller sporting nation. 4-3-3 formation is very effective. Pasalic is gaining more experience, know how, strength & confidence more & more. Pasalic scored a vital late equalizer against Spain in the last Euro’s, but think we were tired & flat in extra time. Croatia Fighting Team spirit &, resilience must be admired. I remember When Mandzukic who before Russia 2018 has a tough Euro with Fighting for aerial balls, buy was not as effective, but with that Aerial strength, & presence, Leadership, it lifted Croatia & gave a clear target in WC Russia & Mandzukic was more effective with the choices he made. The accident against France was unfortunate, but don’t forget classic goal in the semi’s from Mandzukic. He was more of effective Striker like Suker as well. Each Strikers strength must be utilised as much as they can in the formation which Dalic is trying to create with a 4-3-3.
I told you guys Croatia does not have much talent in the final 3rd so they play a different version of Euro Greece. They are trying to win games 1-0 or in extra time just killing things with possession.
You guys mock this comment, but no one has shown me the proof otherwise. In these major tournaments Croatia constantly plays into extra times and does not score goals. I can post the fivethirtyeight article again if you guys want on Croatia’s lack of goal scoring amongst top teams.
In terms of Petko and Majer taking pk’s… lets not overthink this. These guys are plenty capable and could’ve easily made kicks. Majer did it before as well in a WC.. Meanwhile Kovacic has a pillow for a right foot within the box and missed his PK in the World Cup before so what on Earth are we talking about Ante. Wanting Kovacic to take a PK is a sillier notion than your theory that Kovacic and Modric can’t play together despite 3 medals in 5 years.
Overall, Croatia is a very good team because they’ve established their identity. There is a lot to be proud of. Unfortunately, I don’t necessarily see much difference between them and Spain, France, Italy, Holland, Belgium England, Portugal, Germany. So despite us feeling good about the Euros, Croatia’s chance of winning is only about 10%, which makes the recent performances so much more special.
Winning Nations League would’ve arguably been tougher than the Euros though when you think about it. It was a murderer’s row Croatia went to to get in that position.
FYI, I took the history of Football and Hockey as electives in college years ago.
All this information of conspiracy can be researched. As well, I had hours upon hours of conversation with my teachers at the time who quantified all my concerns.
One teacher who was good friends with retired NHL players had told me the stories they revealed about match fixing would blow you away.
Sadly, being aware of this truth, really hurts the hope factor.
Lastly, I forgot to mention, the last World Cup, with the Messi push and strangely how every team got sick 🤢 but Argentina.
Don’t drink the free water, lol 😆
I’ve always argued that the elite teams have the population, wealth and infrastructure.
Perfect example is the US women’s national team. Compared to the rest of the world they have all the financial backing and universities/infrastructure in place, as opposed to countries with less wealth who can only afford to support the men’s teams.
This illusion of dominance is totally fabricated as we can see with the men’s US side being a non factor and having million times more resources.
If we look at Spain having La Liga and teams like Madrid going bankrupt 3 times, their infrastructure/population/wealth totally dwarfs Hrvatska yet we are still considered an elite side.
As well, it took Spain 🇪🇸 from 1930 to 1964 to win their first Euro and 2010 for the World Cup. At one time Spain 🇪🇸 couldn’t qualify or even escape the group stage. Yet, all past failures are totally forgotten.
Let’s also not forget that many teams who have won in the past, who have also been helped along the road.
Italy 🇮🇹 1938, Mussolini, invited all the refs for the World Cup for dinner and suddenly everything went well for the WOP’s.
1966 match fixed for the Queen of England, Maradona’s hand 🤚 of God vs England in 86, France having Ronaldo sick 🤢 in the 98 final, the Dutch being World class but always a bride, France again handed the keys in 2018, which interestingly enough subsided the Yellowjacket protests in France.
I could go on but I’ll digress lol.
Being consistently ranked in the top 20 of the world is a massive accomplishment in its self. Do we want more of course but let us not forget we also have to fight two fronts. Match fixing and above mentioned.
Lastly, I tend to wonder 💭 if we’re still being punished for our ties to WW1 and WW2. The history books tell a different story but if you do some research, Hitlers rise was against sexual immorality and the New World Order. Similar to any country that goes against the West.
We know that when you’re the enemy of the establishment, they look 👀 for weapons of mass destruction that can’t be found, they create excuses to destroy countries that they deem rogue etc.
Anyway, I’m rambling now just some crazy cro conspiracies that help me mentally cope with injustice and all the garbage calls.
Whew! That is a lot to think about. Interesting observations.
Striker is our obvious need, but we are short attackers in general.
We need wingers and explosive attacking midfielders.
Ivanusec actually played well and looked quick and skilled but not explosive.
Pasalic is a good sub off the bench but not a winger.
Unfortunately we need a Rebić type that can stretch the field whether they are in form or not.
Oršić should have been picked regardless of Southhampton fiasco. Just like when Germany used to call up Podolski.
Sosa and JJ can play further up the pitch.
Perišić can play striker, actually Perišić can play anywhere. Are we under appreciating how good he played at the UNL? He is a supreme athlete.
Two footed finisher.
We need a bit more group genius from the coaching staff and less group think.
We should start these young attackers and bring the other guys off the bench.
Kramaric, Petković, Pasalic all should be off the bench.
Stanisic should start at RB, JJ at winger.
Sosa has to start at LB.
Perišić can play LB as well as every other position. Put him at striker or back to LW.
Young strikers start this fall.
I wonder if Rebić can get himself onto a club that he plays regularly again?
Nice observations. Everyone was saying the Perišić/Sosa combo on the left side was not working at world cup. Perišić game has changed throughout the years. I like both players. Sosa underwhelmed us all at the World cup, but still feel he will evolve and surprise one day.
Soul champ the rebic ship has sailed and it might be taking on water faster then we realize.
After rebic scored 2 early goals in the season I told you in September he wouldn’t even get 10…what did he end with 5?Your constant love and faith in him is to be commended but questioned?
He’s done and if can’t get steady PT next season in a decent league the writing is on the wall for him.
It was Croatia’s for the taking, with just two less coach decisions away from victory.
Orsic does so well, he gets a big money transfer to South Hampton, scoring a hat trick in the champions league. Was one of the most valuable players in the world cup. Hits the far post like playing horseshoes. The best penalty taker on the team. For tha,t he gets booted off the national team. I don’t know what he did wrong @ south Hampton, other than try to make some big money, at a higher competition level, and have to ride the bench so to get dropped.
I understand that Dalic wants active, but maybe less talented players. In a bigger country, that might make sense.
Instead, we play a guy with a cast on his hand, he can’t get up off the ground, so the opposite realizes it and keeps him down. We were one Orsic away from winning the whole thing, minus one Majer problem.
Dullic, Dullic Dulllic!
I agree with your comments, but that leaves us with a world class midfield (with or without Modric), a very strong and young defense, a goalie who is great when he doesn’t have meltdowns, and crap all at the striker slot for the near future.
So we should always be very competitive but always struggle in the top games against elite teams.
Maybe Modric can recruit Vini for Croatian citizenship.
Kova as a penalty taker is just as bad, if not worse than the guys that missed. You lost all credibility with that take.
I think Modric is done after this, they way he said he had already decided his future with certainly, but “wouldn’t announce it yet” just screams retirement to me. Madrid also probably pressuring him with the new contract saying that they dont want him to play internationally plays a part too. Could be wrong but feels like 80% odds he retires 20% he stays.
Croatia#1
We played Spain the way they needed to be played. They were kept in check and we simply did not capitalize on the opportunities we made for ourselves. The pressure we put on Spain the first 70-75 minutes was world class. If we would have conceded in the first 75min you always had a feeling the Vatreni still another gear ready to kick into. Random bursts from Pero, Brozo, Jurano brought life back into the team every time. Overtime was uneasy at times, but the correct adjustments were made. We need quality finishing …… and while I’m proud of the recent placements, I won’t be celebrating these achievements, no one remembers medal🥈or🥉. I will celebrate our fans, Spain lifted the trophy to a whopping 80 fans at best. We owned that stadium!
Speed up front with Orsic stretches the opposition D. Not saying Orsic is that great but he’s bloody fast. No Gvardi , that hurt . he’s our best D. Coach can’t think in final games. he’s shown that a couple of times. We play so tight and that’s not our game . Those are the big 3 for Silver and not Gold – not bad but not a winner mentality
The fact we havent given Antonio Colak a chance is mind boggling. Ridiculous.
the dude doesn’t even play at Rangers anymore lol
colak is ten years to late
Remember that Spain didn’t win any silverware until 2008, even though they had perenially great teams. They also didn’t score many goals, and their squad included aging veterans such as Marcos Senna and Carlos Marchena and some very young up-and-comers such as Sergio Ramos and Fernando Torres. Look at Italy in 2021. Another mix of aging vets and younger guys still on an upward trajectory. Croatia in 2024 may find itself in a very similar position, if Modrić and Perisić stay on. Perisić, Kramarić, Brozović, and Kovačić are all still at the top of their game. Vlasić, Gvardiol, Juranović, Beljo, Musa, Sosa, and Stanisić are all on an upward trajectory, not to mention the Dinamo guys Sutalo and Ivanusec who are not yet even in top leagues. This year should be about keeping the core of the team together and building upon it by phasing out players who are no longer developing and bringing forward those who were not yet ready this year.
Kova is a shitty PK taker.
So is Majer based off his brutal attempt at the World Cup against Japan (that luckily went in) and this one against Spain.
Neither of them should be taking any.
Petković seems like he’d be a good PK taker.
All in all, PKs are a complete hit and miss anyway.
The bigger issue is not using the two young strikers we have.
Hopefully we see them in the September games.
Yeah the Petko penalty was actually a good one, hit hard into the lower corner; just an excellent save. Sometimes u just gotta say well done to the other guy.
I agree with pretty much everything you said, Ante. The only thing this beautiful team is missing is a true #9…and a right winger with a bit of pace. I think going forward I’d like to get away from this 4-3-3 and move to either 3-5-2 (of which many of our players already play for their home clubs) or a 4-2-3-1. I’m leaning more towards 3-5-2 as we finally have and excellent back three in defence. Perišić and Juranović as the wingbacks. Usual midfield. Kramarić plus one striker paired up front. Let’s do it!
They had 120 minutes to score one, single goal. That’s all they needed and that’s something they couldn’t do. At some point a risk was needed to be taken. Silver was guaranteed at a minimum. But there was no courage from the coach to take a high risk. So what if that risk didn’t pay off. Spain would have scored and Croatia would have received silver, which they did.
You have Olympians from around the world who are much younger placed in high stress situations and they come out on top and win gold.
And the only thing Dalic did was go with no risk taking.
A lot of poor losing scenarios were possible given the flow of the game. Ansu Fati was dangerous every time he had the ball until Stanisić came in and shut him down. Croatia created a few opportunities, but the good chances they had were saved or stifled at the last minute by excellent defending. We could all imagine what may have happened if Pasalić had connected on one of those crosses, or if Majer’s hand weren’t hurt (the pain slowed him when he landed on it), or if Modrić had let Kramarić rip a shot in the first half, or if Vlasić had gotten a better stroke on a shot, or if Juranović had used the laces instead of the instep on his shot… If Spain had lost they would be rueing even more missed chances. That’s football, and this was an absolutely even match between two of the best teams in the world. Would a risk have guaranteed Croatia a victory? It’s unlikely, just as any lapse in concentration from Spain or risky attack would likely have ended in a Croatian goal. Whoever scored first was going to win this match. In the end, it came down to Unai Simon’s saves.
@Josip
What risks would you have had Dalic take? Moving to a back 3? Subbing on someone with less experience? Though these were options, would they have been wise in a final vs a worthy opponent? Seems like a dice roll against the odds instead of going with what got you there.
@D
I firmly believe the reason Petkovic scored against Brazil was because Budimir was substituted in, which gave Brazil a responsibility to cover a very tall, roving forward. Plus Brozovic was substituted for Orsic. Petkovic was able to left alone in the center and take a strike with his big, heavy boot (I will always consider him a hero of that game, just like with Mandzukic against England in 2018).
With 15 or 10 minutes to go, just bring on one of the strikers to pull the defense and open a lane or gap.
But I’m just a heartbroken soul who sat on a couch during the game. I really don’t know much. I enjoy this site and the comments. And I appreciate Doom’s comments pointing out Spain, and how Croatia is still up and coming. Sometimes the positive gets lost in the agony of defeat.