The Ivan Klasnić ‘can’t buy a goal for Croatia but owns the BundesLiga’ syndrome is back! However, it’s not Mr. Klasnić this time as he has moved on over to France to play for Nantes this season. Fellow compatriots, Ivica Olić and Mladen Petrić, who both now play for Hamburg of the German BundesLiga, seem to have been bitten by the bug that turns Croatian strikers into superstars when playing in Germany while turning their international game into garbage.
Hamburg defeated Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 on Saturday. Olić tied the game up in the 51′ for Hamburg and Petrić put in the game winner 20 minutes later. As you can see in the video below, neither goal was all that impressive but at least they’re putting the ball in the back of the net. So why do Klasnić, Olić and Petrić score with ease in Germany and then falter on the international level?
I thought about it for awhile. I just couldn’t comprehend how our strikers were doing so well and scoring game-winners week in and week out. But after watching Luca Toni, who plays for Italy and absolutely tears it up for club team Bayern Munich, struggle to score at Euro 2008; it all made perfect sense to me.
The German BundesLiga is not all that great!
Sure they are considered the 4th best league in Europe, but they are far, far away from the skill level that plays in England, Spain and Italy. I’m sure if our strikers were playing in these leagues they wouldn’t be scoring so easily; with the exception of Eduardo of course.
I’m just sick of hearing Olić and Petrić play so well for their club teams. Then, when they get the chance to start for Croatia, they look like a bunch of chickens with their heads cut off.
Petrić has only scored one relevant goal for Croatia- the one that sent England packing early for their 2008 summer vacation. He has scored 10 goals for Croatia in 30 appearances, but 6 have been against Andorra.
Olić also has 10 goals for Croatia; but in 60 appearances. His goals are a bit more valuable but always easy nonetheless. What I mean by easy is that Olić never scores skillful goals where he is blasting the ball by the keeper or taking on defenders with speed. In recent time, the last goal he scored against Germany at Euro 2008, was an easy tap in where the ball came right to him after hitting the post. Eduardo did all the work for Olić’s goal against England last November at Wembley. He just needed to tap it into an empty net, and even then he had to look back to make sure it went in after he started to celebrate pre-maturely.
Bottomline: These two make me nervous. I don’t enjoy watching them play striker for Croatia and I can’t wait for Eduardo to get back to full form and an official call-up for Cvitanić. We can only pray that these ‘2 peas in a pod’ can play well against Ukraine next month.
Joze,
Yes, you are right, Bilic is old. However, look at Amauri. He is 28 and will most likely get a call up from Lippi as soon as he gets his passport.
As far as Croatian strikers, I would take Suker, Boksic, and Vlaovic over any one of our strikers today.
Remember Eduardo is coming off one the most devastating injuries in EPL history. There is no guarantee that he will ever be 100%.
Croatia hasn’t had a great striker since Boksic retired in 2002.
A 28 year old Dado Prso would be starting up front with Olic today.
Hopefully, Eduardo returns ASAP and returns to 100% by June, otherwise Croatia will have another one of those “1-0” qualifying campaigns.
Dado Prso had heart but thats about it. When he was the main striker for Croatia we had really really poor attack(world cup=2 goals-one free kick and a goalie mistake by Kalac).
Whether this Bilic guy is good or not he is old and Eduardo, Olic, Petric, Klasnic and even Cvitanic will be in picked ahead of him.
Yes, 28 is way to old for a player to make his international debut. However, there are always exceptions.
Prso = Srce Vatreno
Prso came out of nowhere. After starting at Hajduk Split, Dado moved to Monaco ten years later. Everyone thought he was done. Then out of nowhere Dado was burning the nets in France.
History repeats itself. Mate Bilic might just be the next Dado Prso.
I think 28 is way too old to be making your international career as a striker. I think its different if your a defender where experience can get you somewhere. I was never a big fan of Prso. It felt like he was only around a few games. He scored 9 goals for Croatia in only 32 games. His biggest goal was the go ahead netter against France in Euro 2004. I guess he was part of Croatia when we werent doing too hot . He came in late because Suker was still on the team when Prso was still in his early 20’s. That’s why you have to have a system where young players can gain experience even if they must sit on the bench majority of the time. Only being part of 2 qualifying campaigns is too short for a player. Its plenty for a coach, but not a player.
Three goals scored against anyone in the Spanish league is very impressive.
28 is not old Ante!
Dado Prso had a short and sucessful career with the national team. He made his international debut at 28.
Anyone remember him scoring 4 goals in a champions league match for Monaco?
Bring on Mate Bilic!!!!!
Quite impressive, especially when all 3 of his goals were in the 1st half. Mate Bilic will be 28 next month. He had a short stint with the Croatia U-21 team in 2001 where he scored 4 goals in 8 games. He might be too old for a call up especially when we have Eduardo coming back soon.
Mate Bilic scored a hatrick for Sporting Gijon.
Not sure if anyone remembers him, but he started at Hajduk, he helped get Sporting back to top flight spanish football and scored a hatrick today, thought I’d share.