The Croatian national football team is one week away from knowing if they will be among 31 other teams at next year’s World Cup in Brazil. In their way: a two-legged playoff with Iceland on November 15th in Reykjavík and November 19th in Zagreb. CroatianSports.com will dedicate the next week to covering everything you need to know about the players, tactics and what the Croatian media is saying leading up to the games.
But I’d like to take this chance to show you a few pictures which were released on Sunday as Croatian players gathered to meet the new management, led by former captain Niko Kovač. In the former regime led by Igor Stimac, team morale was in question with the team not playing to their potential and players (Ivica Olić) leaving games early. With Kovač taking over at the helm, will he be the spark Croatian players need to get back to their winning ways?
The proof is in the pudding.
black ruin everything good they touch, sports, clubbing and ghetto is all the same to them. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI9vSIG3Ceg
http://www.youtube.com/qualifiers2014
I wonder if that will go into Kovac’s thinking for the starting 11. Does he risk playing Modric, Rakitic and Kranjcar in the starting 11 and risk all 3 getting yellows and missing the return leg.
Ćorluka, Modrić, Rakitić, Mandžukić and Kranjčar are all sitting on yellows.
To answer my own question from above, yellows are still in play. We could potentially be missing some VERY important players in the return leg.
The team looked good against Belgium for the first 15 then they dropped of, i havn’t seen that sense of urgency or pressure or hunger or what ever you want to call it for the last year or so. I understand you can’t play the whole game like that but we need more of it and i don’t play so i don’t know if it’s the captain or the coach who’s job it is during the game to get in everyones ear to lift.
Wow Sinko,I like the piece you just wrote about wether or not Kovac will turn out any good as a coach.Time will tell,totally agreed.I am glad that your words make you sound keen for Lipa Nasa to succeed.Ther can be no dumb Cetnik/Udba cooments made after that piece.
His communication at least is certainly something that he seems to have a good grasp of,far tbetter than the last guy.Tactically,well,we will see,but I don’t think he will be left badly lacking there.
As for heart and soul,the Kovac brothers certainly had more than that alone and it does mean a lot if he can make it rub off on the guys we have,plenty of good talent there.
Well done Ranko! RATING 9/10.
The first picture screams, “Someone give me a smoke”.
.
@Rob I
I think he works out, those calves will be oiled up in a few days!
I know this has been said before, but Luka has big calves for a little fella
@Ante B: your name’s in black because you linked it to a website in your profile. Your website is “a” so you obviously just hit a key but it’s enough to make it block, if you scroll over Matesic’s name you will see he has correctly linked to his own website as it’s intended for.
I like that picture of Srna and NK above. I feel like NK is saying…
“Eyyy Darijo, here’s hoping you we get the result with Iceland … but you couldn’t shine my boots when it comes to captaining the NT”
Kovac’s playing career means nothing. There are a number of outstanding players who did shit as coaches. Just like there were a number of shit players who have done outstanding jobs as coaches. Playing career means nothing as resume builder for a coach. What matters is tactical knowledge and communications skils with modern-day players. I think Kovac has the latter and time will tell if he has the former.
Listen, I think Kovac is going to be much better than Stimac. What is funny is reading all these comments about heart and soul. That’s fine. Heart and soul is what Kovac and his brother had when they played and during their time on the repka we got to one knockout round and won ZERO knockout stage games. It’s easy how so many people associate heart and soul with winning and losing. If we win = playing with heart and soul. When we lose = we must have played with no heart and soul.
Kovac will bring a postive atmosphere to the team – and maybe that is all they need. It goes back to what I was syaing last month about the need for this team to lose and get Strucnjak Stimac out (short-term pain for long-term success).
But, using his short term with the U-21 side and whatever he did any mighty Salzburg is not enough to lead what we consider a top 20 national team side.
Maybe we hit gold with him as coach…….maybe not. But, you are hoping he succeeds just like we would hope anyone in his position leading Lipa Nasa would succeed.
that was me above…
Matesic – some coaches are brilliant through tactic, chosing the correct personnel and formation…others are great motivators but less at the tactical portion. I think and hope Kovac has both…he seems to be less of a yapper and more of a doer…I hope we surprise Europe on Friday and carry momentum going forward. Sometimes all a team needs is a small victory to get them back on the right path.
@ Ziva
Kovac did well at Salzburg within his position and he went 4-0 with no goals against in u21 qualifying, which in Europe is real competition. He has played all over Bundesliga and as DM/field general has always been able to read the game at high level. He has given his heart and soul to the HNS for years as captain.
We will see these play-offs what he can do with this group. I see enough in his career in football to be optimistic.
Another advantage is that Lars has not tape to review. We have played tactically stupid and heartless for the last 5-6 matches.
It will be a different cup of tea this Friday.
Uvijek Vijerni .
Also why is my name in black? It’s awesome and I don’t know how I managed that as fitting as it is
Svircicu,
You’ll see. Like every game Croatia plays you’ll know within the first five minutes if they came to play or not.
@ Mishko
Spoke to a cousin today who lives in Crikvenica and it was really bad, tons of rain, high winds. Not sure if you saw the other post, but they had to abandon Rijeka vs. HD this weekend due to the crazy weather.
Anybody see the bura in Rijeka this weekend. Apparently one person died. 🙁
http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=3c7_1384175214
.
That I agree with. Whe will get that bounce that usually comes when a coaching change is made. Again, I have no gauge on what to judge Kovac based on his inexperience. I still think he is an upgrade over the previous the coach.
Ultimately, I think we win the tie because we have better players and someone not named Stimac coaching. Iceland has the advantage with the coaching position, but I still expect us to qualify.
@ Armada
Pranjic is a natural left footed midfielder who has had a solid career for club and country.
That England game was a debacle on many levels that he got the goat on.
Strinic has been good too but he is out.
I will take solid over out of position shakey any day of the week.
@ Ziva
Kovac will get the bounce of a new coach and he will add basic organization and discipline to an under achieving side.
Uvijek Vijerni !
@ Ziva
All that nonsense about Pranjic’s moral compass goes out the window come the two game days. I give a shit if the dude plays well, we need an LB who at the most can be servicable on that side that way Iceland does tear apart our D.
I know some on this site can’t wait for Danjiel to come back and that he’ll be a savior at LB. Do you guys forget his form prior to him leaving? He was a defensive liability and was hot and cold in terms of joining the attack. Hopefully he learned a few things playing in Portugal and now at PAO. He needs to show up and have a solid games, along with other guys like Rakitic, Srna, etc. who have been hot and cold for us.
What’s the deal with yellow cards? Have they been cleared completely or are they still carried over from the qualifying round?
We have no clue if Kovac is the answer long term. There is no resume to judge his work. I think all of us hope Kovac is the answer just like many wanted to Strucnjak Stimac to be the answer. I valued so little of Strucnjak Stimac that a dead corpse would have been an upgrade. Since Kovac has a pulse, he is a much greater upgrade over Stimac.
Iceland will have the edge in coaching. We will have the edge in everything else.
Good to see Pranjic back. I dont care if he shits the bed in these two games. I like him because he was one of the few players on this national side who wasn’t afraid to question why some players were being called up (Sammir, Halilovic, Radosevic, etc..) while the supposed leaders of this team (Srna, Modric, Simunic, Pletikosa) pretended nothing was wrong.
@ Dennis
Great work with the pictures !
Sport at its core is primal.
We will know in the first 5 minutes if the Vatreni are back and we mean business.
Pranjic will be ready and his class on the left side of the pitch will add natural width to our counter attack.
I have been calling for a healthy Ilicevic on the right wing for some time. Great to see him in the picture. He is quick and can take on the limited Icelandic defense.
Kovac will have us sharp and in shape on an individual and collective basis.
I also have a feeling that Rakitic will thrive under Kovac and deepen his process of becoming a field general.
40f/4c rain for the game this Friday. Thursday temp will not drop below 37f. Field will be in good condition.
T-4 days!
nice to see Pranjic get the call. Three or four of us here have been calling his name.
@Ante B,
within the first 5 minutes? Soccer is chess not checkers my friend.
Come Friday we will all know within the first 5 minutes if Croatia came to play or not and if Kovac is the real deal. Can’t wait.
LAknat did you watch any of the U17 games? Simple answer is that he’s not ready and these two games are do or die, no time for bullshitting and ball hogging.
.
lololol there is laknat… god of halilovic maybe jumping ship to the allah
king kovac says no teenie boppers on my team
where is the God of Halilovic ??
One thing is for sure, they’re going to come out and play with heart, i don’t know for how long but if it’s the whole match we can’t loose.
King Bronk, no kidding, I think that move is fricken awesome.
I’ve got a good feeling about this week guys. I think we’re going to see something special.
.
Kovac already made a good move by recalling Pranjic to play at left back.
I ran into both Kovac brothers coming from Hrvatska this summer at Zagreb airport. They both looked like they could still play
What Kovac has just said to the boys is that Ziva Istina will no longer add silly labels to their names.They are obviously ecstatic.Olic,Mandzukic,Srna and co are all relieved,motivated and ready to defeat Iceland with the monkey finally off their back.