Written By Dennis Fistonić
On the heels of a disastrous European qualifier for Croatia, Darijo Srna led his men into battle against Georgia, only to surrender a 90′ goal and leave without even a point. The current Croatia captain has scored 19 goals in 81 appearances for the Vatreni since making his international debut in 2002. However, is Darijo the right man for the job? If not him, who? Let’s go over the good, the bad, and the ugly. Sidenote: Most of this article was written before the match against Georgia.
Darijo started his major football career at Hajduk Split in 1999, racking up 7 goals in 69 appearances for the Splićani. He was then sold to Shakhtar Donetsk in 2003, along with fellow Croat Stipe Pletikosa. Srna has been captain of Shakhtar Donetsk for sometime now which includes a UEFA Cup win in 2009. However, there is much more to being a leader than winning a “B” trophy.
There is no doubt Darijo is one of the most talented guys on the team. His ability to whip in crosses and free kicks is a skill he highlights on a consistent basis. However, just because he is one of the best players on the team does not necessarily make him a good leader. As captain, Srna rarely communicates with teammates, which is a primary responsibilty to make sure everyone on the squad is on the same page.
Dailylife.com; Darijo up to his old tricks
Darijo has picked up a reputation for faking injuries. More often than not, he rolls around on the pitch when a member of the opposition barely taps him or gives him a slight knock. These behaviors should never be shown on a football field, let alone by the captain of a national team and sets a bad example for the rest of the squad. Has former captain Niko Kovač ever shown these attributes? Niko showed all of us what a true captain is all about. His heart, willingness to lead by example, and communication skills showcased the fans that you do not have to be the most talented player on the field to lead others to battle. Also, it is the captain’s primary responsiblity to make sure each player on the squad is emotionally ready for each match. Too many times the players look lethargic, lackadaisical, and unprepared. In the case of Georgia and many other games, this issue has come up over and over again.
Football.co.uk; Niko Kovač, kapetan at work
There is plenty of blame to go around for the failures and problems of the national squad. Much of the critcism has been aimed at Slaven Bilić for his tactics and overexuberance with the media before matches, and rightfully so. Ultimately though, the blame has to fall on the players. Darijo has consistently shown his inability to lead his squad, especially against “lesser” opponents. There is no sense of urgency unless the team is down a goal or there are five or so minutes left in a match. Why can’t this sense of urgency be shown from the first minute on? This lack of effort cannot be blamed on Bilić as this is the captain’s obligation on the pitch. You would think after a loss like Turkey or not qualifying for a World Cup that the players would be motivated every game from start to finish. Obviously, this has not been the case.
CROATIAN KEEPER VEDRAN RUNJE
It is easy to diagnose a problem without recommending a solution. In a perfect world, it would be great if one of the players currently on the squad followed the Niko Kovač model. There is not a clear cut player on the team where someone would say, “Yes, this player is the guy.” Nonetheless, my selection for captain would go to Vedran Runje. He has been on the squad for quite a while, he leads by example, and he communicates well on the field. Runje’s communication is crucial to the squad in that he constantly notifies the back line constantly to change postion on a minute to minute basis. Also, as a personal preference, I like a captain to have a little bit of fire and to show emotion as a way to bring the squad up from the doldrums. Like I mentioned previously, there is not a clear cut option for captain. In my opinion, Darijo Srna has had his shot and failed. Vedran shows that ability and deserves an opportunity to lead.
To CSR Nation: How would you rate Darijo Srna’s effectiveness as captain? What do you like and dislike about him? If you do not feel he is living up to the standard, who else would you rather see in that position?
WHO ON CROATIA WOULD STAND UP FOR SRNA?
I dissagree, there's no better choice for captain than Darijo.
a solution will be found before their next qualifier.
BiH FA suspended as of April 1:
http://www.worldsoccer.com/news/bosnian_defy_uefa_face_ban_news_306591.html?aff=rss
Well I didn't catch the game, will catch replay but first off where in the world did Corluka start problems in locker room. I like to hear a source because I find that a bunch of bs if you ask me. I remember Simunic and Krizinac getting into a fight but that's about it. Sorry I just like to know more. I get what your saying about Corluka of being less laid back cause he looks a bit laid back. I just see him as a perfect example as a player of playing the game the right way. I just like to know where in the world did he start problems in locker room cause I never heard of. Also Denis, I always agree with you you know what your saying but one thing I disagree on is Corluka just chilling in London. In case you haven't been watching since Feburary, Corluka has been starting. He started both legs against Milan and that says something. He is the number one choice again at right back, although Kyle Walker could give him a run for his money next year.
@JP….might mean something to Blanc, but I doubt his players care about it.
google: 'none dare call it white genocide' – have and open mind and broaded your horizons instead of being anti-white politically correct conformists/sheeple. nationalsalvation.net & whitakeronline.org is the bulwark of the white race and for our children, kinda like Croatia was the bulwark of western christendom. Last, I believe espn-deportes is showing a repeat of the Croatia-France game tomorrow.
@ Denis
Yes, that's exactly what I'm getting at, we don't run enough to even know who are fastest players are… and furthermore we don't use or emphasize speed.
@ Ziva
Don't you remember Bilic with his Srna-like dive to get Blanc a red card in the 98 semi final game? Blanc missed the WC final victory over Brasil because of him. You're kidding yourself if you think that that doesn't mean anything to him. No wonder Srna flops like a fish out of water, he learned it from his coach.
Vatreni PoLudilo said…
@Anon
"Wow, an entire 15 books, woo impressive. I'll bet that Mein Kampf was one of them.
Most of our parents came to North America in similar circumstances, and so that statement gets you absolutely no special pass… and they came to NA for the same reasons that so-called "coloured" peoples decided to come here… economic opportunity and relative political freedom.
I think you need a girlfriend, might I suggest some foreign punnany, might change your view a little.
Otherwise, we really don't care, you can believe what you want, and if you want to keep yourself "pure", maybe you should marry a an albino, but don't purport to tell the rest of us what we should do.
btw. just to burst your bubble a little further… Mr. Kampf himself had the Polish on the top of the extermination list… and they look about as white as it gets to me… be careful lest you end up in the roach motel too."
———————————
You prove my point with your narrow mindedness. First, me stating that I read 15 books & 120+ military history magazines in apprx 4 years was simply a response to Andrej calling me "uneducated". Truth is I've learned more in the last 3 months than 4 years in college. Second, how typical of anti-whites like yourself to accuse me of being a naziwhowantstokillsixmillionjews simply because I'm against 'white genocide', I'm against whites not being a majority in one country on earth, I'm against displacing white children, I'm against ONLY white countries being "melting pots" while all of sub-sahara africa is practically 100% black and all of far-east asia is practically 100% oriental, etc. Does every one see how anti-whites have to resort to name calling and accusation against someone they don't know behind the saftey of their keyboards? Fuckin narrow minded brainwashed sheeple want Croatia to become a majority mulatto nation – and I'm the bad guy for wanting to prevent white children from not having one place on earth to call their own, right?
Anonymous who replied to andrej about race,I do agree with you that the white race is in danger in the western world,
Over the last 10 years of living in Sydney Australia I've seen interracial dating go from low to extreme, and Id say 80% of that increase would involve Asian females accompanied with a dumb fat white male, years ago you would barely see 1 couple while walking through the mall, today it's a different story, they are all over the place literally, and most of the time the Asian female has mongrel offsprings or Is about to,
It's a sorry site seeing an old fat bald white man in his 60s walking with his much smaller much younger Asian wife in her late teens, if it's not bad enough they bring ugly half bred kids into this world and are killing the white race at a rapid pace, the problem is Australia is letting to many of these Asian whores in on 1 year visas, and that gives them more then enough time to locate a white dick and get impregnated making her a future Australian citizen. These sluts should be shipped back to Asia where they belong before they breed like rabbits and cause another setback in the western world
This hustle comment makes me wonder what some of you guys are looking for or watching. I don't agree with that term when describing Kalinic's play on Saturday. Somebody equated Olic's "hustle" and putting on pressure to Kalinic's lack of "hustle" and what is his assumed lack of pressure placed on the backline and GK. This is where I question how much soccer some of you guys know or have played. Pressing by Kalinic or Olic up front is a team strategy. There is no point for Kalinic to press if the rest of the team is not pressing. If Kalinic goes on his own and decides to chase and press, but the rest of the midfield does not, do you guys know what happens???? It opens up a wide hole and creates more open space as the other team comes up. Pressing only works if the team is committed to that strategy. For Kalinic to do that or apply pressure and "hustle" as some of you want, that would be going against the strategy employed for that game. I don't know for sure, because I was not in the locker room and have no idea what was agreed upon before the game, but anyone who knows anything about soccer will realize that. You could see we are not a pressing side. The reason Olic does that is because Bilic and previous coaches have allowed him to freelance much more than any other forward and they know Olic has the speed to catch up if caught out of position. We have no other forward with that speed….Quick history lesson for some of you. Suker and Boksic never pressured the ball unless the team was was pushing up and closing passing lanes in the opponents defensive half of the field.
as for today's game…..we might lose, but will play better. France does not play 10 guys behind the ball, so we should have chances or at least be able to create and move the ball with more pace and precision.
@JP….what scores does France have to settle with Bilic. They beat us in 98 and they beat in subsequent friendlies. Most of the French players were teenagers or younger when that took place. If we lose its not because the French players have Blanc's back and our players do not. Most of our players love Bilic and have his back. But, that means nothing. I've seen coaches fired who were loved by their players and Bilic might be going down that road as we speak. And I've seen teams win when they hated their coach. The player-coach relationship means nothing as long as the players are professional and not headcases who need nurturing.
What we missed the most is the hustle from Olic providing constant pressure on the defense causing them to move the ball quickly and make bad decisions. For what the guy lacks in pure talent he makes up in hustle, I have never see a Croatian Footballer run and hustle more then him. Kalinic was invisible. He doesnt hustle and never gets into space. We can blame the midfield but if forwards dont make runs into open spaces where are the midfielders supposed to put the ball? I saw too many back passes to the goalie. I would rather see a desperation cross then a back pass once your over half. The defense played well enough to win the game. Krajncar and Kalinic should not have started. Insert in their spots somebody that is willing to run and add pressure. When they get tired, sub them out for your current need depending on the current score.
This is exactly what the team needed though. Now its do or die. A sense of urgency for the rest of this campaign. If we cant get out of this group then we dont deserve to go.
@ziva istina
"You can't bitch at him for one thing, then he does it, and then come back and bitch about the same thing you actually wanted him to do."
Good point.
@fisto
When you are not playing good as a unit, your A effort game quickly turns into a C game. Look at Ivica Olic. A effort, but when hes not scoring and making terrible passes, game drops to a C or D. When its not clicking collectively as a unit, confidence and effort starts to drop. The team wasnt having fun out there. Lots of 1 on 1 action from our midfield. There is no flow out there.
For the past few years, Croatia has relied on talent to win games. How many goals have we scored on set pieces vs. breaking down the defense with quality runs and through balls? Georgia threw a bus in front of the goal and Croatia had no answers.
Effort = B- Croatia played with just about the same effort as the past 10 games or so. the only difference is that the past games we've won. If it wasn't for Kranjcars almost "set piece" goals, we are looking at a draw in Israel without Benayoun.
Play = D, this is my #1 concern. We have the talent, but lack the flow. Team is looking like the Miami Heat. Throw it to Lebron and Wade and get out of the way.
"Thats comparing apples and oranges."
thats true. Difficult to compare the NBA to Croatia. The problem is not "getting up for Georgia." Georgia had a strategy for our predictable "set piece" offense.
"The loss against Turkey. Not making the World Cup. Have they deserved to bring their C effort against Georgia?"
This doesnt make sense. Whats your point? Going into Georgia, the players should think about Turkey?
Ivica Olic brings 100% effort every time hes on the pitch. However effort can only take you so far. Soccer is not a sprint, its a marathon. Just like this qualifying campaign.
Croatia definitely underestimated Georgia. For the most part, they thought a few "set piece goals" from our all star cast, and we go home with a W. These smaller countries are figuring out how to stop talent with teamplay. Talent can only take you so far.
@Dr. O'Harovic
Hell of a name.
I wouldnt mind Olic as captain. Hopefully, he returns to his old self.
@JP
You make some good points.
"The team doesn't "play for their coach" at all, rather the coach "plays for the players", this strategy always works in the short term, but never endures, and if you look at Bilic's record you'll see this pattern. "
I agree.
I dont think that "energy" is the #1 reason for our struggles. We look like the Miami Heat out there. Look at some of the goals the Euro 96- WC 98 team scored. Stringing together 4-6 passes on the way to tap in goals. When was the last time you seen one of those goals?
I dont think its motivation or effort thats digging us an early grave. There was no flow out there. how many passes did Croatia string together against Georgia?
" think quick everyone… who's the fastest guy on our team….?"
I dont get it. What are you trying to say? The team is slow?
In my opinion, the only players that I can blame for lack of effort are Kranjcar, Rakitic, and Modric. However its not lack of effort. Its not like they are standing around. For the most part it looked like they dont know each other. They dont click together. and throw Petric in the mix? You cant say that Petric lacked "effort".
Bottom line,
individually we are all stars, as a team, we cant beat Georgia. The last few years, we had "individuals" that won games for us. This can only take you so far.
@Mark
Thanks! I've only been to Chicago twice. Who knows the next time I visit the windy city. However, I will definitely let you know. Get you on camera for your two minutes. 🙂
"We forget that these players are on their way to becoming burned out. Especially those in the EPL. No one plays more games than the EPL. "
Thats not the case with our players. Corluka and Kranjcar rode the bench most of the year. Modric might be fatigued, I will give you that. Kalinic doesnt start all the time. I dont think anyone can blame Kalinic for lack of effort.
" If the players really care about him and want him to stay, they'll play their asses off tomorrow."
I disagree. I really dont think that the lack of effort was an F. All of this bad play, finally caught up to Croatia. They cant rely on Kranjcar, Rakitic, and Petric to pull something out of their ass anymore.
@jack vrankovic
You made some good points. Agree with just about everything. I cant give up on Simunic just yet. For the most part I am not convinced on Schildenfeld. Also, that back line has an average age of 23.5. the future looks good. However, this backline lacks experience. I trust your backline against georgia, Israel, Latvia and Malta. However, not against Greece or any other quality sides out there.
Lovren was playing well in Ligue 1, but took a shit against Madrid. Dejan is our future, but lacks caps. Schildenfeld is playing well in Austria, however, thats Austria. I have a feeling that any decent squad will roast him.
@anonymous
I like the idea of Vida in the next friendly. even tomorrow against France. Unless, Bilic decides to go with Srna in the mid, then lets give Strinic-Lovren-Schildo-Corluka a shot.
@Allen19
I like Corluka too. For the most part, I think he is off his game. Like Ziva said, that skanky girlfriend twisted him up a bit. Hopefully, that chickie of yours doesnt do the same. Go watch the france-Cro game live. Wassa matta with you? Always time for chickenheads. Wednesday, Thursday, friday, Sat…. I didn't know that Corluka got rid of that "distraction". Also, lack of playing time at Spurs. Instead of trying to earn his spot back at Tottenham, it looks like Vedran is chillin in London. I agree with you, Vedran to start at RB.
HNS will not break bread for Hiddink. Gus dont come cheap……
@ Allen
You seem like a good kid. Corluka is a good player, but don't put all of your eggs in one basket. He has yet to step up and prove himself. Now concentrate on more important things like that prom date you have.
@ ziva
You're not too far off. It's a little different here. I can show you an Israeli bookstore next to a Palestinian owned restaurant. What should they do, blow each other up? Didn't you see 'Don't Mess with the Zohan'? It was a stupid movie but had a good point. I wouldn't say that the Jew eats at that restaurant, or that the Palestinian is looking to broaden his spiritual horizons and picks up a Torah next door. But hey, what are you gonna do? We all have to live with each other. That's just the way it is here. I don't care how often you've visited or who the hell you know (I probably know them too), you'll never understand what it's like to live here and I don't expect you to. So I won't attempt to explain it anymore. You throw your intelligence out the window when you get personal. Stick to your football comments, it's your strong suite.
@ Fisto
I agree. They just didn't play hard. They brought their "C" game. It happens. The Bulls lost tonight against the .500 Sixers. They looked flat and they didn't execute. It doesn't mean that Rose doesn't deserve the MVP award, or that Coach Tibs should get canned. That Cro loss just hurts a lot more because national games aren't played very often so we expect nothing but "A" games all the time. We forget that these players are on their way to becoming burned out. Especially those in the EPL. No one plays more games than the EPL. It's probably really hard to get pumped up to go to Georgia and play your ass off. We've been bitching to each other for three days looking for solutions like we actually know anything. All we can hope for are good leaders. I would say that Bilic is on thin ice with HNS. If the players really care about him and want him to stay, they'll play their asses off tomorrow.
@ Dr.
A little too John Lennon for my taste but nonetheless, Bravo.
@Fisto
Very well said. You sum it up nicely!
@Ziva & Denis
Granted, I've been vocal for Bilic to make lineup changes and he actually made some. I'm not faulting him for making those in any way. If he wants to continue in the job, he in fact needs to make more, as the last incarnation was anything but effective.
There's the "lineup" and then the more important thing is how the players actually implement that.
The primary factor when it comes to implementation is energy and effort. Skill is next. If you don't play as if your "hair is on fire" energy-wise, you don't get on the field, period! This is the rule that Bilic is missing, and this is why he needs to go, plain and simple. The team doesn't "play for their coach" at all, rather the coach "plays for the players", this strategy always works in the short term, but never endures, and if you look at Bilic's record you'll see this pattern.
We'll know how France feels about their new coach Blanc tomorrow. My bet is that they come out and play very hard for a coach and a nation that has a score to settle with Bilic from '98. Will our players do the same…?
They'll be motivated by the big-stage, no doubt, but what happens when the going gets tough…?
hey btw., think quick everyone… who's the fastest guy on our team….?
you don't know do you…?
nuff said.
Someone please correct me i I'm wrong, but I can see Olić returning and taking the spot of captain. Sure, he needs to make sure he sets a good example for the rest of his team and watch his behavior, but he certainly has the experience and is a seasoned veteran that I feel is qualified enough to take the job. Anyone have thoughts on that?
ps. there is waaaayyy too much racism and hatred in some of the comments. Keep it about football. I don't care where anyone os from or the color of their skin or what God they may or may not believe in. I believe in football.
@Denis
"We were not outplayed by Georgia. However, we didnt bring our A game. We brought our C game. C game was good enough for a draw. A little bad luck and we lost."
This is the entire reason behind the article. Why did they bring their C game? I do want to sound redundant and repeat myself. The reason why is everything I described previously.
"Lakers fans expect the Lakers to win every game. Guess what, the Lakers lost to lesser opponents. Lakers lost to Cleveland!"
Thats comparing apples and oranges. Lakers play 82 REGULAR SEASON games. Of course there will be some bad loses here and there. Croatia have 10 important games in a 2 year span. If they can't get up for each one of those games then there is something wrong.
The loss against Turkey. Not making the World Cup. Have they deserved to bring their C effort against Georgia?
"Those who don't remember the past are condemned to repeat it."
It appears we have a wanna be out here.
@Denis…well said. Many good points.
@Fisto….I understand your point, but the "communications" argument just doesn't flow here. I don't know if it was you or someone else, but somebody compared Kovac and Boban to Srna. Again, you can't compare how vocal they are or were based on what you see on tv or your computer screen. Why???? Rather easy to explain. Boban and Kovac played in the middle of the field which means they had more touches, which means they were on camera much more. Knocking Srna for his flopping, bitching at refs and opponents is fair game. The "communications" aspect just doesn't flow.
Tomorrow's friendly with France……the result means nothing. I am more interested to see how we play and not the result of the game. 3-0 or 3-0 loss, same thing to me.
Hindsight is always 20/20, but for some of you who post on here, you make your comments well after the fact and ignore items you posted previously. As Denis mentioned, Bilic has made changes to this team. Let me expose your false logic…..To the people who say friendlies are important….well, Kalinic played very well in the last friendly and was the best forward in practice all of last week. So, based on all of that, Bilic selected him to start against Georgia. We can look back now and say it was the wrong move, but Bilic was going on what he saw in the last friendly and in practice leading up to the game. There was no Olic and brazilian born hrvat, so his choices were between Kalinic and Jelavic. You can't bitch at him for one thing, then he does it, and then come back and bitch about the same thing you actually wanted him to do.
@Allen……I can see you are a Corluka fan. I like him as a player. But, he is not captain's material. Maybe in a few years, but right now way. He is too immature and too emotionally raw to be the captain. He's done some stupid shit in the locker room, away from the pitch, the last few years that would make me hesitant to give him the armband.
@mark…trust me, I have seen what the hrvati in Chicago have to offer. It ain't much. To you guys hrvati, srbi, muslimani…all the same.
I will admit Denis, I don't know as much as you. I just see Corluka as a true player of the game of soccer. He never pulls stupid acting, he plays the game the right way, and gets the job done. He may be a bit quiet, but I can really see him becoming a leader. In the end though, it's going to be Modric. He is the best player and it's just how it is. What I don't understand is why did Croatia go away what made them a top team. EURO 2008 WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT? I know centerbacks are struggling, but still Corluka at right back is what it should be. Srna at right wing like it once was. Why ruin a good thing, Billc got fancy and he has screwed up time and time again… I pay that Gus Hiddink takes a chance on Croatia like he did for Russia, Turkey, and Japan. He could really make Croatia a serious threat and get full potential out. I am missing the game tomorrow ( sorry my date for the prom wants to hang out and I am currently disgusted with the national team). But I will say this, I will watch the replay on ESPN 3 and post thoughts. I am just a huge fan of Corluka, which is crazy cause when I saw him in July I thought he was out of shape but to me he's the perfect example for Croatia. I would also choose Niko, but the thing is he's too much of a nice guy.
Lovren shit his pants it seemed, but still play anyone as long as it's not Simunic. I hope Bilic gives Domagoj some playing time in the next couple of friendlies Leverkusen has one of the best young squads in the world I have a feeling he is going to have his breakout season next year.
Bilic needs to go and I would put Runje as captain.
I like Srna, but like most of you I don't care for excessive flopping. Who should be captain and this loss are two separate issues.
Srna provides SPEED and has the ability to spread the play from our tight midfield. Unfortunately, we do not have the center backs to cover his wide forward runs.
A lot of our players including Srna and Kranjcar do not adapt well to changes from their ideal positions and roles. I hoped Rakitic, Modric and Kranjcar would work, but I suppose they are all too similar to work well together.
Personally, I think we can field a quality midfield and forward line with some tinkering (and bruised egos). IMHO Kranjcar should get the start over Rakitic because of his proven goal scoring ability.
However, our defense is my concern. I do not want to see a makeshift back four. Srna can not play right back if we do not have quality center defensemen. Corluka should be not be a makeshift center back. He, Srna and Modric should be providing clever attacks down the right side of the field.
I would love to see a 4-4-2 with Pranjic and Kranjcar on the left of midfield.
My preferred back four at this point is from left to right:
Strinic-Lovren-Schildenfeld-Corluka (with Simunic as a sub) It is not perfect but Corluka's and Srna's talents can be utilized.
Keep up the great work Denis and you others who put all the effort into this website. I know it's not easy. I appreciate it. Let's connect on your next visit to Chicago (not you ziva).
@Mark,
Sure it would be great to win tomorrow. However, I would much rather see positive changes and lose, than win on a few lucky goals.
After watching Croatia get to the quarterfinals at Euro 96 and 3rd place at world cup 98, I thought croatia was soccer powerhouse. No excuses for finishing anything less than second round of a tournament. Not qualifying for a tournament was unheard of. Quickly reality hit me over the head with Euro 2000 qualification. Luckily, I have a big head, so I pretty much didn't feel this hit. World Cup 2002 I figured, easy group, for sure second round and possibly quarters.
Not until this tournament did I start to think rationally. Call me the next time Denmark and Greece win a tournament. Call me the next time Belgium "the famous red devils" make a tournament.
We are in this group. Every 12 years or so we have a golden generation. Just like Denmark did with the Laudrup brothers and Schmichel.
"I live and breath everything about" uniting Croatians around the world.
1) We attracted 40 or so people at Alpine Village for the Croatia-Georgia game
2) We had to pull teeth, but we organized 30 or so people to attend Clippers-Bucks for "Hajduk Night"
3) Fistonic and I recruited 10 or so people to make the 2 hour drive for the Indian Wells final(Ljubicic-Roddick) last year.
Call me crazy, after 3 years at CSR, the highlights for me were meeting Ivo Miljanovic from San Francisco, JP from Vancouver, Ante B from San Jose, Rob Uvanovic & Allen 19 from New York.(almost forgot about Goldenchild and Mishko from LA.)
Meeting Andrew Bogut, Slaven Bilic, Marko Petrovic, and Harry redknapp was fun as well 🙂
Best experience was standing behind the goal with the camera crew at Croatia-Ukraine game.
"Would you still be doing this if we were ranked in the lower 100's?"
ooooooo thats a good question. hmmm.. If they drop down to lower hundreds? a definite yes. If they started at 100(actually, they started lower, but moved up fast…fifa mover of the year) in 1994 and remained 100 the last almost 20 years, the interest wouldnt be there not from me but from the entire country. Croatians would turn to handball, basketball or waterpolo.
Soccer in Croatia is like a religion. Athletes from all the other Croatian sports follow croatian soccer. Wimbledon winner Goran Ivanisevic even got his dream of signing for Hajduk and playing one game.
I remember asking my friend Les, a diehard chicago bears fan after the Bears lost in the superbowl a few years back and this year in the NFC title game "at the beginning of the year, would you be happy with where the Bears finished?" He stopped for a second and said "yes". Fans are disappointed at any loss, however, if they stop and think, half the time its not that big of a "disappointment."
"Btw Denis I'm not attacking you."
No not at all. You're one of the good guys here on CSR. I like what you bring to the table. Thanks for the kind words.
Mr. Bilic has a date with destiny tomorrow in Paris… What kind of manager says these things:
Bilic
– Ako petorica naših igrača igra dobro, onda je to – rapsodija. Ako su samo dvojica inspirirana, onda je sve u redu. Ali, ako baš svi podbace, onda je – Gruzija i 0-1.
Reporter:
Nacija je frustrirana?
Bilic
– Shvaćam i ljutnju i bijes, frustracije su velike.. Bilo je loše, ali ne mogu baciti u koš sve što je bilo. No, situacija u grupi je u našim rukama…
You can see the full article here:
http://www.jutarnji.hr/bilic-uoci-francuske–kad-svi-podbacimo–onda-gubimo-i-od-gruzije/934764/
@andrej,
I agree. Croatia has pretty much struggled the entire qualifying campaign besides the Latvia win. We have individuals(Petric, Rakitic, Kranjcar) that can and have made game winning plays. However, as a unit we stink.
For all of you that want to crucify Bilic,
lets take a look at what Slaven did do against Georgia:
1) Bilic made CHANGES. At least half a dozen of you out there have been saying that Bilic is afraid to make changes.
a) Kalinic start
b) Strinic start at LB over Pranjic
c) Dujmovic over Vukojovic
d) Perisic off the bench.
e) Lovren start over Simunic
I am not saying that all of these are necessarily good changes, however, they are changes.
2) Bilic finally realized that Pranjic is not the solution at LB.
3) Bilic finally realized that Mandzukic is not national team material
4) Bilic gave Perisic a chance.
Considering that Bilic has to select 14 players out of a possible 18 players, those are some pretty bold moves.
In my opinion, Bilic messed up with:
1) Rakitic/Modric/Kranjcar midfield. Like we have been saying the past year or so, Rakitic and Kranjcar are the same player. They cant play together, the end.
2) Perisic off the bench. I like the kid, however, scoring goals in Belgium means nothing. Ivica Mornar, Bosko Balaban, and Ivan Leko all scored goals in Belgium. Ivan just turned 22. First option off the bench? I dont get it
3) Jelavic should have been brought on at halftime after it was clear that Kalinic just got 2 touches on the ball all first half. I would have went Jelavic for Rakitic/Kranjcar at half.
4) Pranjic should have been brought in earlier, or even started. No wingplay whatsoever. Srna had a few nice crosses from the right side.
Overall, Bilic gets a B- grade.
Bilic did well by starting Strinic, Lovren, and Dujmovic. Most of you failed to mention this after calling for these substitutions the past 3 months.
Bilic failed…
Rakitic/Modric/Kranjcar midfield. However, do you blame him? All 3 are Croatia's top 5 best players.
gambled on Perisic
to insert Pranjic into the game earlier
to insert Jelavic into the game earlier.
As far as tactics go, most of you mentioned that Bilic failed on substitutions. Who did he fail to insert into the game? Who did he take out that he shouldnt have?
Vuki, Mandza, Simunic, and Vida, should all have remained on the bench. Perisic should have been option #3 not #1. Pranjic and Jelavic should have both come on earlier.
Lastly, how many times have I mentioned, "I dont like Srna at RB, against a better team, Croatia will get burned." Well, I guess this "better" team was Georgia.
Btw Denis I'm not attacking you. You and the other guys do an awesome job with this sight and I'm glad you do it.
@ everyone……
Ok so who wins tomorrow?? Or does anyone even care at this point?
Denis is right, we'll get a bad loss here and there. It's how we respond to that loss that makes or breaks us. I'll feel a lot better about this whole thing if we beat the French tomorrow. That wouldnt mean that everything's fine and dandy though. There's still some figuring out to do. I think we'll look a lot better with Eduardo and Olic healthy.
@ Denis
I have to disagree with your "realist" expectation of Cro just reaching a tournament. I think you're downplaying it. I mean for God's sake this is YOU'RE blog! Right? It seems like you live and breath everything about Croatian soccer. I just don't buy that you feel in your heart that we're not much better than that. Why else would you be doing this? If it's just your way of coping with the disappointment, I'll buy that. Question for you Denis: Would you still be doing this if we were ranked in the lower 100's?
Denis,
I agree with what you just said. I do think though Croatian fans have a little right to be disappointed in the performance. This is a huge upset even though it was never going to be easy to lose is still kind of shocking.
No matter what I will always support Croatia but I am losing some faith…I dont know what there trainings look like and I dont know enough about the behind the scenes stuff but I am sure we can all agree that there is at least something going on that can improve here.
@Fisto,
all I am saying about "communication" with the rest of the squad is that for the most part its unknown. Until I watched Runje in person, standing behind the goal, did I realize how much of a leader Runje is behind the pipes.
you are saying that the Fifa rankings are a "joke". Then the following sentence you say, "there is somethinbg wrong if we cant expect a win against a team ranked 72nd." In our poll, only 2 people predicted a Croatia loss out of over 100 votes. No one expected Croatia to lose. No one expected Dinamo to lose to Hajduk. However, with a little luck, Georgia won and Hajduk could have won.
My #1 concern is not the result, its the overall game play. Croatia lost to Macedonia and tied Malta. WC98 qualifying croatia tied Slovenia. We will get a bad result here and there. Its not the end of the world.
Lakers fans expect the Lakers to win every game. Guess what, the Lakers lost to lesser opponents. Lakers lost to Cleveland!
We were not outplayed by Georgia. However, we didnt bring our A game. We brought our C game. C game was good enough for a draw. A little bad luck and we lost.
Croatia never qualified for a tournament in their existence before they beat world cup finalists Italy in Palermo in '94.
My expectations for Croatia is to reach a tournament and anything more is extra. Im not a pessimist or an optimist. Im a realist.
I dont think Croatia started playing "from the 85th minute on." They started playing after Georgia scored. After going down 1-0, the sense of urgency sinked in. this is perfectly normal. Croatia had 2 minutes to get an equalizer. This doesnt mean that for 90 minutes, Croatia was kicking the ball around hoping for a draw.
Lovren has to get experience and there was really no reason not to have faith in him here. I wouldn't point to many fingers at our CBs. The fact of the matter is we need Corluka at RB. Srna is a great defender for a RM and at RB Corluka will provide more stability not only on the right side but will instill more faith and stability into the CBs. Like many times at Tottenham they are much more solid in defense when he is back there…and to be honest without Srna at RM we have not really had any attack ever down that side since he has moved back to RB…he just does not have the pace to get up from RB to do anything
Like I said earlier I watched this game twice and the tempo at which we were playing this game at was beyond slow. Most of our players play in top leagues and know they must play more up tempo…quicker passing and quicker movements. Get into open spaces…overlap…ect…dont pass and watch which was by far the most popular route we took but the saddest thing is we have played at a really slow tempo for sometime now.
Norway we looked like we were going to fall asleep until we went down. Greece we had the same problem as we had against Georgia….Estonia while it was a friendly and no decent striker was called up was a pathetic attempt to play a friendly…Qatar we almost lost to. Kazakhstan Kranjcar last second goal…even though we were not making it into WC still sad performances.
Nothing is surprising with this team anymore and it seems each time we have the same convos….sure we have slipped in a decent performance here and there but we have also won a lot of amazing goals…Kranjcar anyone? He cant do it all by himself…Rakitic lucky goal Belarus…
Last time I recall us being truly dangerous attacking team was in Ukraine 2-2 tie…while we did get very unlucky to tie we have not really taken it to a team like we did that game. We created chance after chance…i really dont recall a game since than against at decent side we did that.
Sure the Czech we score 4 goals on but we still scored them from minimal chances. Don't mean to be a downer but I am just calling it as I see it. You cant hide the truth…I know we are not going to win Euros even if we qualify but the fact is we went a year undefeated and it never really put any faith in to me and how good of a team we are….which is kind of sad if anything…
So maybe Simunic should have been there after all-instead of Lovren. Lovren should have been tested against the French friendly, not in another botched qualifying campaign. Use vetrans when it matters!
I pray to see Srna at RM tomorrow vs France. I really hope that Bilic can see that we are missing width in this team. I am not saying we need to play two wingers but I am saying we must play at least Pranjic on left or Srna on right…otherwise were going to have similar problems where all the players are playing in the same areas. Lets just say France will no be as forgiving as Georgia if we play like we did last match we WILL pay for it.
@ Denis & Ziva
I saw plenty of times on TV Boban and Niko Kovač communicate to the rest of the squad. Are you guys saying tv cameramen are selective in their coverage? I don't think so. Believe me, if Srna was communicating on a consistent basis, we would all be able to see it. Niko and Zvone were shown talking and leading constantly.
Like I said previously, the FIFA rankings are a joke. But there is something wrong if we can't expect a win against a team ranked 72nd. I don't care if we have to play them at the gates of hell. They have never qualified for a major tournament in their existence. I do not understand the low expectations.
My whole point about the article is if we had a captain who had his guys ready to go from the 1st minute on instead of start playing from the 85th minute on and a coach who doesnt talk out of his ass, we should easily beat Georgia without much of a fight. The goal scored by Georgia shouldnt have been more than consolation as with the right attitude, Croatia should've scored atleast twice on them with the right energy from the start of the game.
funny guy trying to pose as Ziva Istina. Nice try
@fistonic,
"Maybe I have higher expectations for this club than a lot of guys, but even a draw in Georgia is unacceptable. I know the FIFA rankings are shit, but if we are playing against a team that is ranked outside the top 100, anything less than a win is unacceptable. I hear a lot of excuses as to why were settling for a draw. IT IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH."
I disagree. Before the game I said a draw would not be the end of the world and predicted 1-0 for Croatia. Like Ziva said "this is Georgia's world cup." Also, it was not a fluke that georgia drew in Athens. It is not a fluke that Georgia is undefeated. I think you underestimated Georgia. I dont know what Georgia's FIFA rankings are, but they are no pushover.
@dinamodennis,
Stipe Pletikosa is done for the season. Unless Runje gets hurt, Pletikosa will not get the start against Georgia in June.
Corluka? you might be able to get a "hello" out of him on a good day.
@nepoznat
Since Runje is #3, who is #1 & #2?
@Slavonac from Canada
You bring up an excellent point. Im not sure if Srna is Catholic?
"most countries make their captain a true representative of their Nation"
Deschamps lifted the world cup trophy first for France not Zinadine Zidane. However, I dont think that religion has anything to do with Srna. For the most part 99% of Croatians will agree that Srna is Crotian.
Im not big on Modric as captain. Hes a little guy that gets stepped all over all the time. We need someone thats ready to throw blows. Niko Kovac and Robbie Kovac would get into players faces and were ready to throw down if need be. The rest of the Croatian players listened and followed. Im not saying that Srna is a pussy, but he's no Niko or Robbie Kovac.
@Andrej,
"Srna is as passionate of a CROAT as you will see. I never question his heart for us…just his leadership. I would love to see Srna at RM again as I have no problem with him ever being the starter there."
I couldnt have said it better myself. I agree with all 3 statements.
@JP
"If we can't/won't change the coach, then changing the captain sends a similar message to the team that the status quo is not ok, which we can all agree it is definitely not with our team. "
Excellent point. If Bilic stays, he can show everyone that he means business by taking the captaincy away from Srna
@Mark
"What we really need is someone on the team that plays rough (not dirty) and knows how to pump everyone up! Everyone else would feed off that energy."
I agree. Thats why I mentioned Gatusso. Even though I think he's a goon soccer player. He comes in off the bench like a barbarian.
Dujmovic and Strinic jokers? haha
Strinic scored twice in Ukraine and was excellent at left back against Georgia. Dujmovic I grade a C+. However, I would still choose him over Vuki.
"Redknapp knows it which is why he said he wouldn't sell him for anything. "
for anything? ahahhaha. Marketing 101 my friend. Lets see what "anything" or "not for a billion pounds" is come this summer. ManU getting old. Scholes and the Welshman arent getting younger.
@Allen19
hahahha. "oh so nice"… I guess there is a first for everything.
I didnt think Corluka played all that bad against Georgia. He had one brainfart at the end of the game, however, collapsed on the Georgian attacker after he passed Srna. Lovren was at fault for the marking. Dejan did a great job guarding no one right in front of Runje.
anon, i am not making excuses…bilic and the players have used them all. The fact is how many people would have disagreed with bilics lineup last match? I dont think many…i think most would have been upset if he didnt play it that way. Sure Kranjcar shouldnt have played top right or Jelavic could have started but he really didn't get it wrong…outside of the subs he did well….
It all came down to the players and there was no excuses there…they were not good enough but the thing is its still within their control so if we dont qualify they used the excuses and apologies at the WC last time…while i do agree we should be happy to qualify for tourneys…dont make broken promises and dont talk out of your ass.
I will let them prove themselves now….
I really think Vukojevic should be the captain, to answer the question. He's a visionary defensive midfielder with some gusto. I have his email and I'm also his facebook friend-same with Bilic. I'll use my resources to suggest that he should be the captain. Then I'll let you guys know what they think.
Andrej, re: 2:45 comments:
With all due respect to you, what you wrote is Bilic's mentality. It's time for the excuses to stop.
PLEASE NOBODY RESPOND TO ANONYM…
Hopefully the FBI is doing their job.
Wow, a meltdown IS in full effect!
@ Denis – I've stated my discontent for Runje in the past but be assured, I do not hate him. But it's VERY difficult to talk to players from the goalkeeping position during the game. It's hard enough for them to hear you when there's a free kick coming your way. I've played keeper since I was 11 yrs old, so I know. I don't think it's plausible for him to captain the team.
I think if Olic wasn't recovering we'd all agree that he should be the man for the job for the time being.
The great thing is we are in a pretty level group where all the teams will drop points till the end of qualifying.
While this loss may not put the foot in the door and finish the race it will tighten things up the rest of the pack up and will force teams to go for 3 points. Isreal, Georgia, and even Greece might have to play for 3 points depending on how our next result with Georgia in the summer goes.
We are still one of the best home teams and we are still due to pick up a lot of points at home. The most important thing will be that we are level at points by the time we face Greece…They are at home and depending on the points at that point in time will depend how open they will play.
No squad is a crap squad! There have been bigger upsets than this and there will be more in the future. You sometimes get unlucky you sometimes get outplayed and you sometimes just dont deserve anything more than a tie…
Georgia played with heart and literally gave us no breathing room. They worked hard and they made a sell out crowd of 55,000 get into the game and once they made it to 45 minutes they had to motivation and belief they could do it. They were lucky to get all 3 points but in noway were we unlucky to not get 3 points…maybe we were unlucky to lose but we really didnt have any clear scoring chances and Georgia made the best chance even if it was only 1…
we all feel frustrated and think Croatia should have had a better result…I used to think and I am still hoping that Bilic is a capable guy but somehow I just think his creativity and intuition for how he will line up his team to compete has lost some credibility. we don't need more superstars than we have to be a great team…we need a system and everyone to understand their role…"svi za jedan i jedan za sve" attitude!this is something I believe the Kovac brothers brought to the squad even though I think this squad is better! that said its the players who play…strength is found on the field…we paly and go to battle for each other and our fans…some of that fire has gone…not sure why?
I never thought Ciro was a great coach…many years ago when I was living there people talked about his charisma and that he was a world class motivator…the players loved to play for him! I know professionals should always step on the field with that burning passion…but some coaches have a way of getting the best of their players…I think Bilic has lost that a little but I hope he can get it back!
Georgia are not a crap squad even if their players aren't well known…its an 11 man sport which takes a system, tactics, hard work and of course the more talented teams normally win…but not always!
@Anon
Wow, an entire 15 books, woo impressive. I'll bet that Mein Kampf was one of them.
Most of our parents came to North America in similar circumstances, and so that statement gets you absolutely no special pass… and they came to NA for the same reasons that so-called "coloured" peoples decided to come here… economic opportunity and relative political freedom.
I think you need a girlfriend, might I suggest some foreign punnany, might change your view a little.
Otherwise, we really don't care, you can believe what you want, and if you want to keep yourself "pure", maybe you should marry a an albino, but don't purport to tell the rest of us what we should do.
btw. just to burst your bubble a little further… Mr. Kampf himself had the Polish on the top of the extermination list… and they look about as white as it gets to me… be careful lest you end up in the roach motel too.
@Dennis Fistonic
Great article! Without a doubt your best work on CSR. For the most part, I agree with everything. However, I side with Ziva on "communication." We really dont know what happens on the field during the match unless there is a camera on Srna the entire match. However, I am 100% certain that Srna is no Gatusso, Chilavert, Deschamps, Niko Kovac, or Zvone Boban.
I watched Croatia play 7 times live. 6 of those times, I was up in the stands. With all that noise, there is no way anyone can tell what is happening on the pitch. The last time I watched Croatia play, was a qualifier against Ukraine in Zagreb. Luckily for this game the HNS goofed and gifted me a camera-credentials instead of just press. I watched the entire match standing, just a few yards behind Vedran Runje. Vedran was shouting orders to his defenders every time the ball was on this side of the pitch.
Srna was further up the pitch, for the most part was very quiet. My opinion of Runje almost took a 180 after that game.
Even though he is not the best player on the pitch, he's the most vocal and the oldest. It was Runje that came off the Lens bus to tell off some disrespectful Lens fans after an away loss. Given power, Runje would shove a stick up everyones ass.
Niko Kovac and Zvone Boban are players that come around every 20 years. Croatia wont have another one like that in another 5-10 years. Question now is what do we do in the meantime?
Andrej, just keep an open mind. I won't say any more on this matter as it doesn't pertain to soccer. However, you may not be interested in politics, but politics is interested in you. Just take a look at the web-sites, do some reading and I think you will realize that we've been living under anti-white tyranny since WWII. It's no conspiracy, it's all documented. Good luck buddy.
Anon, Like I said you are can believe what you want but this isn't that kind of website…I am not going to debate with you on this crap because im not here to talk about that….
@andrej, both my parents immigrated from croatia with grade school educations, they worked to eat. They didn't nor couldn't teach me anything about history, race, culture, politics, etc. Why did my parents not go to Japan? Afterall, Japan had and has a great economy. Simple, because the U.S. was a white country. Notice how when whites immigrate they go to other white countries and when non-whites immigrate they also go to white countries. All this immigration and "assimilation" is displacing white people, we are on the verge of demographic castasrophe whereby whites won't be a majority in ONE country on earth and if no body stands up we are going to disappear. Stop being so weak as to accept "multi-cultism" in white countries and ONLY white countries. It is Genocide – read up. And remember, I grew up with the same anti-white politically correct multi-cult bullshit education and media exposure as ya all. What can I say, God gave me the gift to REALLY see.
Anon, you are right alright I am sorry.
I thought Jared Loughner was in jail? How did you get access to a computer.
Oh, and I've read about 120 military history magazines in the past 4-5 years and about 15 books (mostly history), not to mention internet reading. I'm currently reading: Scipio Africanus 'Greater than Napoleon' by B.H. Liddel Hart; maybe Bilic should read it. The White race is under siege all over the world, wake up dude. Mommy Professor and Big Momma Liberal media brainwashed you into thinking that anyone who is pro-white is automatically a naziwhowantstokillsixmillionjews. blacks, jews, asians, arabs, etc are allowed to be pro their own race, but GOD FORBID a white person is pro-white, then all the TRAINED SHEEPLE "anti-racists" shout and accuse "racisim".
Anon, why are you still ranting on about this…you are right you are much more educated than me and you were lucky to have such a great upbringing and such wonderful parents who taught you all of this good stuff. I sure am glad that I am even allowed to talk to someone as bright as you because I sure dont know what I have been missing. Now can we talk about football and not this idiotic BS that means nothing towards whether we win or lose our next match.
If you want to go start a croatiawhitepride.com feel free to do so as you have the freedom and by how you are talking you sure as hell have the education to do so but if you want to be on here can we please avoid this boring irrelevant convos?
We all root for the same team don't we? So keep your other non-football talk out…
Baord meltdown in full effect…….One guy wants Corluka as captain because he can dribble.
Trust me, you guys don't want Corluka as a captian. Way to immature for that role in this stage of his career.
Someone asked earlier of Ibrahimovic….he never asked to play for Cro, Bosna or Serbia.
@Ziva
Instant reaction? Please read the article again thoroughly. I am afraid your reading comprehension is lacking a bit.
I have been to 2 NT games since Srna has been captain and the TV angles in which you are speaking about are irrelevant. I saw very little communication from him then and now.
Slavonac from Canada couldn't have said it any better: ""FIRE meaning make a point to your teammates either publicly or behind closed doors". I agree we don't need irresponsible players who act out on the field but a leader must create results whether it in the dressing room, through the media or by example on the field…I see neither from Srna right now but in all honesty…I dont have a problem with him as a player…I just dont see leadership qualities in him…I think a leader on this team is going to be hard to find!"
At the end of the day, on the heels of not qualifying for a World Cup, its the captain's job to get the players ready, to get up for each and every game, from start to finish. He hasn't been doing that. Period. Lets try someone else.
Maybe I have higher expectations for this club than a lot of guys, but even a draw in Georgia is unacceptable. I know the FIFA rankings are shit, but if we are playing against a team that is ranked outside the top 100, anything less than a win is unacceptable. I hear a lot of excuses as to why were settling for a draw. IT IS NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
Going into the game, Bilic knew Georgia were going to bunker. Why only have 1 striker against a defensive minded team? The coach's job is to put the players in the right position for them to succeed. He obviously didn't do that. The player selection wasn't necessarily bad. Besides Kaladze, Georgia did not have one recognizable name against us. This should not be like the NCAA tourney where VCU wins 5 games and makes it to the Final 4.
It may have been a fluke win for Georgia, however the attitude of the players was lackluster at best. As described in the article, that respobsility falls on the captain and obviously Srna has not shown those capabilities in the past 2-3 years.
andrej…"also, you just sound like an uneducated idiot and if was to look up to credentials of a website like that i would get a good laugh at the writers."
——————————–
Go ahead and take a look, it's not my website: nationalsalvation.net & whitakeronline.org. It's the most brilliant writing I've ever come across. The latter is basically a daily seminar fighting 'white genocide'.
What's the matter Andrej, just because someone has an opinion that doesn't CONFORM to our established religion of political correctness, you have to resort to name calling and accusations even though you don't know me? What about that statement do you not understand? "Anti-racist" is code word for anti-white. Are Japan, Korea and China "racists" for being practically 100% oriental? Of course not, according to "anti-racists" like yourself only white countries are required to bring in hordes of non-whites and "assimilate" with them until whites aren't a majority in one country on earth – so that only white children won't have a place to call there own. But Japan, Korea, China will still be all oriental, Nigeria, Congo etc will still be all black, etc etc etc. What's the matter, Mommy Professor never taught you this stuff? Don't you see, "anti-racist" is REALLY anti-white. Are you pro-white or anti-white? You want our soccer team to look like France's team? Are you a race-traitor?
Well you don't have to worry about Srna leaving the captaincy anytime soon because as you said he is here as long as Bilic is here and once again Markovic has stood behind Bilic(as expected) and he will be here till the end of his contract.
I am not surprised in anyway at all…If he has not been booted as a coach by now he will have to literally do the worst of the worst for us to get the boot. Markovic has promised us we finish top of the group(which i really hope) but have very little faith in.
I just am feeling like this is going to be Deja Vu all over again. I feel we are just repeating this campaign as it was the last WC campaign. Oh well…its out of our control and we have to cheer for them either way because there our team…
I have been saving up and planning on flying out there for the Euros and I think this is why I am more frustrated now than ever….if they dont make I am not wasting my money.
First off Fisto great article. You may dislike me ( never accepted my facebook request. unlike the oh so nice Ante and Denis). I am sick of Srna's actions as well, other than being there for an argument he does nothing. Also don't think Runje should be captain and I still don't think he should be starting. I will always be on Pletikosa's side, he is much more athletic and more stable.
As for captain, it's going to be Modric if there will be a replacement if not Srna. But Srna will stay as long as Billc is here. If anyone should be a captain it's Corluka. So he has an immature girlfriend, big deal the guy seems like a player that can lead. I don't know how you can call him immature, the guy seems to work hard and doesn't act like an idiot. Kranjcar be another good option, but seems a bit too polite. I think Corluka would be the best fit, I really have come to enjoy the way he plays despite his struggles against Georgia. It wouldn't have happened if the team knew how to stick a few in the back of the net.
Anonymous let's be serious man, I don't think 4 or so foreigners in the squad would cause mass migration to Croatia, that stampedes of people would be heading for Croatia's shores. I would having nothing against a super skilled Nigerian and a technically gifted jap joining our squad, if it makes our team that much better, why not, just about every nation would do the same given the chance, plenty allready have players of different origins in their squad..thats real..
Corluka for captain. The midfielders are all primadonnas-too green and too concerned about their hair. Simunic has potential but Corluka can dribble the ball up the field world class as a defender plus he can read the plays and dictate them to all the morons ahead of him. He's the smartest and most capable pure defender on the team.
For some reason I don't think the NT will change anything. Despite all of the failures they've changed nothing before so why now? They will just keep shrugging their shoulders after every loss.
Maybe the team should practice against some amateur beer league clubs. The slower pace and lack of skill would be more like their style. There's no gel in this team.
Srna has more passion than anyone on the pitch but he was made a fool with that Georgia goal. He's been burnt a few times like that. For that, he should pay. He has misguided passion.
And WTF is Pletikosa doing at tottenham? I guess he likes the weather there more than Moscow because he's done nothing at both clubs. He should be the #1 but he's too lazy to play at another club.
And ustaštvo.
Oh, and can anyone help with the last few on this?:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Croatian_Player_of_the_Year
Let's keep this forum for football.
also, you just sound like an uneducated idiot and if was to look up to credentials of a website like that i would get a good laugh at the writers.
please and i do ask nicely go take your racist ass out of here and to a hooligan website with a bunch of idiots with an iq under 70 where you can literally pick up some kids for your fan base.
anon, get the f#$# out of here with that bull shit….we are not here to talk race we are here to talk football.
Slavonac, we basically played like we have for the last two years. Bilic saying a tie once again…(which it really is as it wouldn't be a terrible result but it sure would still leave the group pretty open for the others) and us playing the usual possession play. We just never looked like we were going to score…we strung some passes together in a slow build up…never went wide…didnt put in a cross till like the 90th minute it seemed.
I was never expecting this to be easy but like I said i thought we would at least create more and look better. I really dont have a good thing to say about the game. Bilic wasn't at fault for anything but the subs he made…most of us would have said lets see rakitic, kranjcar, and modric play together…now we know we never want to see it again.
Africa for Africans, Asia for Asians, White Countries for Everybody
Annihilation by Assimilation
Every white country on earth is supposed to become multicultural and multiracial. EVERY white country is expected to end its own race and end its own culture. No one asks that of ANY non-white country.
The Netherlands is more crowded than Japan, Belgium is more crowded than Taiwan, but nobody says Japan or Taiwan will solve the RACE problem by bringing in millions of third-worlders and assimilating and intermarrying with them.
Everybody says the final solution to the RACE problem is for EVERY white country and ONLY white countries to bring in the third world and assimilate with them.
Immigration, tolerance, and especially assimilation are being used against the white race.
All this immigration and intermarriage is for EVERY white country and ONLY white countries.
Anti-white is called anti-racist, but it leads to the disappearance of one race and only one race, the white race.
It is genocide.
Nationalsalvation.net
mark said "I don't care if Eduardo is Brazilian, Catholic, Muslim or whatever the fuck. He is well respected, classy and has always represented Hrvatska well."
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So you're saying Croatia should import Mexicans, Koreans, Eygptians, Ghanaians, etc, give them a piece of paper that says they are Croatian citizens and give them Croatian uniforms as long as they are "classy" and can play football – that's okay by you? What, you want to make a Croatia a racial "melting pot" now?
od jednom svi pametni, nemojte srat
@ Andrej…I didnt watch the game on Saturday but from what you're describing it sounds like a tactic Bilic wanted. Its obvious, he was satisfied with a tie, tried to maintain possession and get Georgia to take a chance. This isn't abnormal for an away team!Georgia is better than we may give them credit for. My question would be why didn't we attack from the outside???
You cant really blame Strnic and Dujmovic….if you expect the offense to come from our defenders than we really have no hope as a team. Dujmovic played his role and no matter who has played in recent times as CDM or LB has done better really.
The problem is we are trying to mock Spain and we just are not that good. It does not matter who is playing but most our possession comes in our own defensive end. I am so tired of just seeing the ball go back to Runje and passes go back and forth from defenders….we build up so slowly for 5 minutes and then we make a misplaced pass and do it all over again. We have been figured out…2 chances vs a team like Georgia in a half? Pathetic! They never had to intent to attack us so we should have more options than just try to pass through the middle the entire 90 minutes.
If you have noticed we just dont create chances playing this way! Its been 2 years of trying to play this way we didn't play possession always under Bilic so I dont understand why we are stuck under this constant style of play if its not bringing us success at all…
I dont know if Modric is one of the top 10 because he still has quite a bit to learn but he is definitely up with the best 20 or so…to me he still needs to do much more in the NT. He has to make a bigger influence in the NT and like Messi if you want to be considered with the best you have to be ready to take the criticism that will come with being up there with some of the best. Although it may not be Modrics fault…he has to find ways to get involved and be much much much more influential.
Also, it's mysterious to me as to why every possession in that match began with Runje passing to Dujmovic, then passing to Strinic going up the left side!! Who's genious idea was that? I'm surprised I haven't read anyone else complaining about those two jokers. They are MLS material and it clearly showed. Was that Bilic's plan or Runje's?
@ Andrej
You're absolutely right about Modric. He is arguable one of the top 10 players in the world in my opinion. Redknapp knows it which is why he said he wouldn't sell him for anything. Modric needs to be the QB.
Kranjcar just needs PT and he would easily be in contention for the armband.
Modric does not need the armband to be a captain…he is basically the co-captain as he does this with example. The problem is he DOESN'T get the ball enough for a player who is that good…He should be getting a lot more touches on the ball.
This team needs to be built around Modric IMO. He is a great player and he is always the only player who will get into team regardless of the opponent. He does not need armband to be the captain he needs the ball. I am not sure how to make this midfield work but I can tell you that it does not work with Rakitic, Kranjcar…and Modric…at most 2/3 need to be played at the same time.
It was a nice experiment but in the end it has failed. Say goodbye to that trio playing together as they dont work. All are great players but cant be used together sadly. We need some width in the side and we need "some" pace. With those 3 creativity, vision, passing, scoring but the problem is they all come back and play in the same space…it just does not work.
Good article.
I disagree with Runje as captain though. Keep Srna for the French match. Who cares about that. My vote in the future would be for either Olic or Eduardo. The next REAL match isn't until June when we host Malt so we can figure that out later. I don't care if Eduardo is Brazilian, Catholic, Muslim or whatever the fuck. He is well respected, classy and has always represented Hrvatska well. –
-Ibrahimovic is a pice of shit. It's my understanding at one point that Croatia, Bosnia, and Serbia all rejected his requests to play for them. I don't know if that's true, someone please correct me if I'm wrong…
What we really need is someone on the team that plays rough (not dirty) and knows how to pump everyone up! Everyone else would feed off that energy. Are there any Licani descent enough to get the call??
Kranjcar is not a captain and currently sitting on the bench of a team does not even put you in consideration.
Perhaps the major reason to change the coach is to change the entire "regime" which then changes the energy of the team and its environment. Likely a new coach would change the captain, and would have some ideas about players to drop, and new formations etc.
If we can't/won't change the coach, then changing the captain sends a similar message to the team that the status quo is not ok, which we can all agree it is definitely not with our team.
I think taking the armband away from Srna will probably help him. Runje would work. Modric, as our apparently best player should also be considered as its time for him to step up, permanently. Likewise, I also think Kranjcar could benefit from the responsibility.
Modric does not need the armband to be a captain…he is basically the co-captain as he does this with example. The problem is he DOESN'T get the ball enough for a player who is that good…He should be getting a lot more touches on the ball. I am so sick and tired of possession play when literally we possess the ball in our defensive line…wtf kind of possession is that? Then a few missed passes takes us out of our groove and we dont close down and press and we really never get back into the flow of the game.
Don't get me wrong but if we cant enforce our game its not our game. To many teams have parked the bus and yet we have settled time and time again to play this way. It does not work…I myself thought it would but you can obviously see we are not Spain…
This team needs to be built around Modric IMO. He is a great player and he is always the only player who will get into team regardless of the opponent. He does not need armband to be the captain he needs the ball. I am not sure how to make this midfield work but I can tell you that it does not work with Rakitic, Kranjcar…and Modric…at most 2/3 need to be played at the same time.
@ ziva…"FIRE meaning make a point to your teammates either publicly or behind closed doors". I agree we don't need irresponsible players who act out on the field but a leader must create results whether it in the dressing room, through the media or by example on the field…I see neither from Srna right now but in all honesty…I dont have a problem with him as a player…I just dont see leadership qualities in him…I think a leader on this team is going to be hard to find!
@Slavonac…..I understand your point. I just don't get the "fire" comment. I hear or read some people say he lacks "fire", shows no "heart," etc….In one sentance some of you are saying he lacks "fire", but then are bitching about the amount of times Srna complains or yells at the ref. Is that not being "firey"
You know what, I don't want a captain is "firey". I want a captain in the mold of Boban who is rational and does not go nuts on a call.
I think Srna is a "firey" personality. I think we need less of the "fire" and more composure from him than anything else. Leadership is not being loud, or yelling, its much more that that. Srna might not have it to be a national team captain, but then who does with this current group of players.
You could argue that Runje should be tried as captain, but I'm sure a few of the other players might flourish under pressure.
@ ziva…I have no problems whatsoever with Srna…I like him a lot as a player. I just don't think he is a symbol of strength and doesn't portray us like a Kovac or Boban did in the past. I am not even sure if Kovac was born in Croatia but every single person that ever knew something about him would say he was a BORAC! A true example of our people and represented us very well.
I am not one to say if a person is "half or not"…personally I don't care at all and think that regardless, we are all equal…I just asked the question! We have a lot of Croatians that are from mixed marriages and have pledged their heart and sould to Croatia!I guess I didn't do a good job of explaining why I asked? Not to long ago people went crazy about Robi going to coach in Serbia…what if Srna went to coach Bosna in 15 years from now? Would it be perceived as the same? Many people say Muslimani are worse than Serbs!
Nevertheless, this team has lost its Mojo and so has Bilic! We have an immediate crisis that needs to be resolved and I think Srna is a great player but a shit leader…end of story! He hasn't shown much concern for the team…even Modric publicly said he was totally embarassed they lost to a lesser team…I haven't seen much fire from Srna whatsoever!
Fisto's right, get rid of Srna as a captain. My quarrel with Srna is that to me he's the biggest actor on the field like Bilic was in his playing days. I'd give the captain's armband to Runje as well. The guy has emotion, leadership and experience. Srna is a great player but once his career is over, he should become an NFL referee like Mandzukic who throws his hands up every time an opposing player farts on him.
Great article Fisto, svaka cast.
Who da hell started the Religion Topic ?, I thought we were talking about who could be a possible replacement as captain..
1 way or another all those players have traces of Croatian blood, they chose to represent Croatia & that makes them Croats by default..
anyhow since when did Robert & Darijo become muslim names.. they are Catholic names the last time i checked..
Zlatan Ibrahimovic is half Croat Catholic /half Bosnian Muslim,
& you cant tell me U wouldnt want him banging in goals for Croatia, Our attack would be a well oiled machine with him up front..
We can dream..Damn U sweden
I read somewhere that Zlatan is a believer of the Catholic Religion anyhow, I remember muslims talking about it on some forum also, they wanted to go jihad on Ibrah..
at least the under21's can get shit done. 3-2. with goals from pavlovic skvorc and kramaric
Srna's religion does not matter. Yes, he is mixed. The guy is croatian. Without going all political. There are good muslimani and bad mulimani. We had some that fought for us during the war, or did some of you forget. Srna's old man is a good guy. No issues…
Remember when Shaktar won the Uefa Cup. Recall who picked up the throphy and remember what he had around his waste?
How many hrvati go to church. You can be catholic and not go to church, shows you what type of catholic that is.
If you want to argue about Srna's merits as a captain, then argue without any flawed logic.
Shit, but the same theory, Drazen Petrovic should have never been captain of the basketball team.
I like the 4-2-3-1 formation someone proposed recently.
Srna is as passionate of a CROAT as you will see. I never question his heart for us…just his leadership. I would love to see Srna at RM again as I have no problem with him ever being the starter there.
I personally think that is his ideal role and his strongest part of his game is providing service and from RB he does not have the pace to come up and provide it on a consistent basis. Usually we have players like Olic drop deep and pick the ball up and bring it up and whip crosses in and even Srna but last match there was really no wide players. I love the possession tactics but like I have said when you are passing from Lovren to Corluka for half the match and you need a goal…? I think its great way to go about it when you are ahead but I just thought we were never going to break them down in the middle. It works vs teams that dont bunker…but they did.
Vs France I would play 442 or 4411.
Runje, RB Corluka, CB, Lovren, Simunic, Strnic LB
4 man midfield with either Srna or Pranjic or maybe both playing as widemen and a CM field of Modric and Vukojevic.
If we play Srna RM we can use Rakitic or Kranjcar as LM
Jelevic and Eduardo supporting up front.
@Slavonic, are you saying you'd have more loyalty to a black catholic with a piece of paper that "officially" makes him a Croatian citizen over a white muslim or white orthodox christian? Blood is sacred my brother, not ink and paper. Bosnians are mostly of Croatian descent and Serbians are also anthropologically very similar to Croats; the schism between the groups is due to historical fortunes. Croatia's eastern border was a MILITARIZED zone for centuries not to guard against Bosnians, but to guard against the Ottoman Turks who conquered Bosnia. That being said, knowing some about Eduardo's story I consider him the One who supersedes blood ties – a free transfer from Brazil if you will.
So I watched the game for the second time and nearly fell asleep. I was totally wrong in thinking Rakitic, Kranjcar, and Modric could play in the same midfield. In fact I had no idea that I could be this wrong. There were to many times where we were just standing around waiting for someone to make that run but nobody was really doing so. They were all wanting the ball and expecting the other to make those runs into open spaces.
1) The players who were selected into the team Bilic got pretty much right. Nobody was going to say that Rakitic, Modric, and Kranjcar wouldn't be able to work in a Georgia match…well guess what Bilic showed us it wouldn't work even against a lower team.
I know we were playing a 433 but from watching a lot of games in my life I really had a hard time recognizing where the players were. To much free roaming players…but like I said I myself thought it could work…i realized it was just a fantasy.
2) One questionable call I did have though was Kranjcar playing anywhere near the right side. Bilic if anyone knows he cant play on the right…He was supposed to be right attacker? I didnt see him there the entire match. In fact Srna was screaming that there was no play going down the right side.
3) The only thing I can really blame Bilic on last match though is his use of subs. Of course we all wanted Perisic to get a match but was it really a good time to try him right now?
I never thought this was going to be easy as some were trying to make it seem 2-0 , 4-0 ect….some just need to wake up and realize teams put in a 200% effort against us nowadays. This is Georgias biggest game for us its not…no excuses but I dont know whats really wrong I really have no faith in the last 2 years in this team preforming.
Is Olic going to play in June?
btw, not to be an ass, but the guy on the picture during the Germany game is Jerko Leko…;)
Srna as captain…I have a question for people so I was wondering if someone would answer this for me…I am not trying to be an a**hole, I am just asking.
I have read a little about Srna and his background and I wonder if he is a Catholic? I think this question may stir a hornets nest but I hope not…the reason I am asking is even though Prosinecki was one of the best ever Croatian soccer players he is now being considered as "well, he is half" so thats why he went to coach Zvijezda! Srna's father is (I think a Musliman) definitely not a Croatian…his mother may be but not sure…name is Milka (Licanka?).
Srna is a great player and a definite asset to the team but I don't think he has the leadership qualities necessary for the role. This just goes to show that as much as we have talent…our depth of leadership is not there. I could be wrong here but other than players like Zidane…most countries make their captain a true representative of their Nation…especially patriotic countries like Croatia…I am not talking about USA, Canada…or even some of the other Euro countires that have huge immigration…I can't imagine a country like Italy, Germany, Portugal, Spain making a Musliman their captain unless the player is someone like Zidane.
We are definitely short on leadership but I think I'd rather have a guy like Modric (even though he is super quiet)than Srna just because he represents…he is world class and respected…he wouldn't be my first choice for sure but I'd take him as captain anytime over Srna. I love Srna…he is an unbelievably good server of the ball but I think he lacks what it takes!
modric and eduardo to be captain????
I am not saying Srna should remain the captian, but if not him, then who? Let's look at the regulars in the line up.
Modric….if your argument is about communicating, then he is not your man. He would fall in the line of "leading by example". Might be the quitest guy on the team. If he was more assertive, I would give it to him.
Runje….might be the most logical choice by default. Right now he is the clear #1 GK. Saturday's goal was not his fault. Who else shouls start over him….the answer is nobody, because we have nobody.
Simunic….now on the bench
Corluka….lacks the maturity to be the captain. Most immature starter on the squad. Although to his credit he got rid of his whore girlfriend months ago and she was a big problem for him behind the scenes.
Rakitic….no
Kranjcar…no
Its not like we have a large selection of players that are leaders.
sry to go off topic…anyone have a live feed cro madarska u21? atdhe and myp2p havent got anything. thnx
I was never a big fan of Srna (because of his antics) to begin with so I naturally scratched my head when he was selected as captain. But in reality there aren't any other options. Pletikosa and Simunic come to mind but how much will either play in the future?
i have been saying it for a while that there should be a change in captaincy fo the national team, because the current leader aint getting the job done, he may be a successful captain at club level but this is a completely different kettle of fish, that is the whole argument if he can can lead the croatian NT not shakhtar donesk and the simple answer is NO!
Ziva you mentioned that its not a lack of communication thats the problem, well maybe its the communication that hes relaying to the squad that is the concern becuase obviously its not transmiting to the others to perform. Even if he doesnt say a word to the team, body laungage, poise and confidence can correspond to the team more than words ever could.
I agree with the Author and Raptore that the best choice for the captaincy job would have to be Runje at this point in time, unless a new leader with the right credentials reveals himself.
Runje as captain?!? That guy shouldn't even be our #3 keeper, he's that short and that poor of a goalie!
Ziva – I agree. I dont knwo what is said on the field but it always looks liek srna is talking. I just dotn think he has that captian quality of boban or kovac.
Runje seems to me liek he would be a better captian but….he stinks.
I know you dotn have to be the best player but….he stinks. And if pletikos was playing regular football he would be 1st in goal. not runje. So i am iffy on Runje as a captian.
I agree that there is no clean cut captian on the team….mabey corluka ? I dont know…
Guys, I usually agree with much of what you write, but way off on this one. Usually you don't jump to instant reactions, but I am afraid you have here.
To me, Srna has never been captain material based on intangibles that Kovac and Boban possessed. But, to use the lack of communication as an excuse is dead wrong. For the guys who run this site, I know you have attended a few games in the past. For the others, those who have not attended a cro game, how the hell do you know what is being said at a game by a certain player. Unless you have a camera dedicated to Srna, you have no clue what is going. Srna is the biggest mouth on the team during a game. The lack of communication argument is wrong. Go after Srna for always throwing himself around the pitch and the constant whining during games (also done by other captains), those are legit points. But, not the communications argument.
Plus, your whole theory is thrown out the window with the communications argument because Srna is also the captain of his club team and look at those results.
For those
Great Article,I luv Srna as an onfield player, but as a Captain, lets put it simple,he sux..Theres no comunication from him to teammates what so ever during game time, It just doesn't cut it, A captain needs to Lead by example & motivate the team as Niko Kovac did, Boban equally as good at getting his squad ready for battle..
To me the ideal captain has to have some fire in his belly,Sort of like William Gallas when he's taken the captains arm band at Tottenham, you see just how much the game means to him, The guy just hates loosing,he orders, demands & motivates,just what you want from your captain..
Sadly Srna does not show any of these qualities, other then being a passionate solo player he has nothing to offer,the problem is who will lead the team,I agree that Runje would be a far better choice, He is currently the oldest in the squad making him the wisest by Japanese standards,It is time for a change, & the sooner the better..