Barcelona are all but through to the Champions League Final after their 3-0 drubbing of Bayern Munich at the Nou Camp Wednesday night. Ivan Rakitić got the start and played 82 minutes, assisting on Lionel Messi’s second goal of the night. Barring a complete collapse in Germany next week, expect Barcelona to play either Juventus or Real Madrid in the Champions League Final, which will be held in Berlin.
Rakitić played fantastic in the midfield behind Neymar, Suarez and Messi. He controlled the pitch and play aggressively on defense, denying any Bayern attacks coming his way.
The second leg takes play this Tuesday.
Rakitić assist to Messi 9:38
——————————————-
It was set up perfectly for Croatian fans. Luka Modrić and Ivan Rakitić were paired on opposite sides of the Champions League semifinal draw and favored to meet in the very first El Clasico Champions League Final in Berlin.
But with Modrić picking up a season-ending knee injury, Barcelona’s Ivan Rakitić will have to carry the Croatian flag and keep the streak alive by himself.
What streak do I speak of?
For three straight years now, a Croatian has played in the Champions League Final. In 2012, Ivica Olić came off the bench to miss a deciding penalty kick for Bayern Munich, ultimately leading Didier Drogba and Chelsea to their first title. The 2013 final saw Mario Mandžukić score as his Bayern Munich side defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-1 to win the Bavarians’ fifth cup. Last year, 2014, Luka Modrić played 120 minutes as Real Madrid came back from the dead to defeat Atletico Madrid 4-1 for their record 10th Champions League crown.
Rakitić and company will host Bayern Munich Wednesday night in the firs leg of the semifinals while Luka Modrić watches his Real Madrid side take on Juventus in Torino Tuesday.
The Champions League Final takes place June 6th at the Olympiastadion in Berlin.
@tor
Good anaylsis.
wrong again
harper government is far from promoting it and actually trying to scale it back with recent legislation, no one said to scrap it. Hell even Croatia could use the program for the low level jobs but once you start a program like this you get over run.
@tor
What’s “completely wrong”?
Their foreign worker system works well for businesses who need cheap labour. Canada’s economy relies on it. So much so, that both the left wing and right wing parties continue to promote and develop it. There isn’t a party in Canada that has ever said they would scrap it. That’s rare to see.
Sure, it may drive wages down for any locals who are interested in low-brow jobs, but that’s the concern with every western multicultural country that relies on bringing migrants over for work.
The issue with some countries in Europe is that they are receiving hundreds of thousands of migrants entering their countries every year, without a plan in place to employ any of them.
Now you have to spend money and resources to process them, find them suitable living space, and provide social welfare until you can assimilate them into your culture enough for them to find work. If work doesn’t exist (which it doesn’t in most southern Euro countries) then you have a problem. It doesn’t help that illegal migration numbers are increasing every year at an alarming rate. You can’t successfully process and integrate them all. It’s unsustainable.
This is where I fear that the EU will start requesting some of the Central and Eastern European countries to take on some migrants. Croatia being such a small country would be impacted heavily.
“if you have a foreign worker system in place like as Germany and Canada do”
completely wrong, in canada the issue now is that wages being driven down and jobs taken from locals, this is a sensitive topic which canada is having trouble handing yet alone hrvatska
Agreed…..and we don’t have that. Plus, once it does happen and they take jobs for an even lower wage, then watch out.
You know how they have credit rating for various stocks: hold, buy, sell and various star ratings…..Cro right now is a sell. Well, it is a buy for foreigners looking to get companies and land for the cheap and then take over.
Well yes, migrants are fine if you have a foreign worker system in place as countries like Germany and Canada do.
But this influx into countries like Greece and Italy is completely uncontrolled, and reaching a boiling point.
Migrants are fine when you have a country that creates jobs and opportunities. That is not the case in Cro and Balkans. We are not growing and when you don’t grow financially, you can’t support adding more people.
I would not say we are in a different league. As Ziva pointed out too many on pension. My bigger concern is the push for Croatia to take in these migrants. This is coming and it will happen. This is being part of the EU.
Germany could not control Greece and I expect the same thing could happen in Croatian. Too many cry for the old jugo. It will be interesting. I am still optimistic though that the country can move forward.
True.
But as bad as Croatia is, Greece is in another league.
There are something like 1 million illegal migrants in that country from Africa and the Middle East. That is like 10% of their population.
Also, Greece’s debt before the bailouts started was something like 1.2 Trillion dollars, lol.
Croatia’s debt is bad, but it only sits at something like 60 Billion. That’s no good, but geez. To get to Greece level, they would have to take out 20 times as much debt.
My only hope is that Germany forced Cro to take measures to control their debt (which they will) and I pray to God that Cro isn’t expected to take on the hundred of thousands of migrants that are coming into Europe every day. Cro is only 4 million people. The impact would be huge.
Back to politics for just a minute……..I was reading sme article about Greece nd their current situation. Article said they have just under 11 million residents, but around 5 million receive some type of pension. I know there is more to it and this is not the forum for something like this, but no wonder that country is a mess. You can’t have almost 50% of the population receiving government welfare. Same shit right now with Cro…..too many on pensions and for those who enjoy the pensions from the jugo days, they are even more.
I agree with your comment Ziva, Croatia suffers from poor leadership and most people try to get into government positions for the pensions and have little dignity and integrity to lead and offer a better future.
As per Bayern, I know I am an opinionated prick sometimes but I also think I was right about Pep. He has zero integrity and he’s nothing short of anything other than a pizda….good coaches recognize situations and adapt, he thinks he can win every game by attacking….even when the opposition has its own threats, Pep believes his offensive style will counter his opponents….and to me that just means he isn’t realistic!
Bayern lose today. I’m sure that wont sit well with the Bayern fans. Man, if they get routed at home by Barca, i wonder if they would let go of pep one year before Pep wants to go. Worst kept secret in the world is that Pep would leave after next year and Man City wants him now.
I love good drama and theater. Hoping for a blow out by Barca just to see the reaction by the home crowd.
Optimistic is fine when you are dealing with capable people who you thnk can actually lead you to optimistic outcomes. When it comes to Cro and being in the Balkans we have no leadership. The people in power are there as a result of the old system and do what they can to either stay in power and benefit themselves and associates.
We have a beautiful country, but thanks to the EU, liberalism, lack of morality and the commie influence, the country is stagnated or going downhill. There is no progress. Long term- 50 years from now- there will be less hrvati in the country and more non-hrvati. For some that is not an issue, but for some of us it is.
Soul Champ,
You remind me of Kolinda with your (sometimes blind) American-style optimism.
But it’s something Croats need. We’re way too cynical as a people. Most of the time though, being cynical is being right, but being even blindly optimist can surprise you and achieve something great.
Croatian Soul sucking, is Croatian Soul sucking.
40% on agent contract, plus you profit from the transfer sale from Dinamo.
Just the greedy exploitation of Croatian talent that undermines a nation.
Pravoslavni – Jugos running the govt and media is next level treachery.
Dijaspora Hrvati calling Zadar bjezigrad?
Maminjo is a good guy!
This Maminjo guy is alright.
Plenty to dish, but nowhere near as successful as Mamic.
Plus, his face has been on camera instigating everyone for much more than any of these guys combined.
There is plenty of shady deals to discuss about hajduk. I’ll have that conversation if you want. The problem is most of the hajduk supporters on this site are probably kids, not that bright, and honestly know nothing about the club.
We can discuss the shit Surjak, Stimac, Grgic, Vidasovic, Fredi, Vidosevic, Rozic, Buljan and others pulled. Plenty to dish on them.
@Maminjo
“How many shady deals were there at Hajduk, and noone here can name three people who were behind any of them. Unlike the Hajduk degenerates, Mamic draws a TON of attention to himself. He’s too macho to be subtle about his accomplishments. He needs to let everyone know that he’s a majstor.
If I’m some media jerkoff in Cro, I’m going to write about this guy instead of some former Communist UDBa politician who could probably get me fired (or worse).”
Yep.
Ziva,
I’ve always said and always will say, he’s an idiot….but to put as much attention on him and blame him for absolutely everything is really naive, in my opinion.
To point out certain things about a man but never have anything but hearsay is really quite sad. I’m seriously shocked at all the shit I’ve read and yet, only some is true, another part is a guess and the rest is total bullshit!
Ma daj, Stimac isn’t at NK Zadar to coach. He’s there to pull his two-bit šverc.
Who saw that howler of a goal go in against Zadar last week?
The kid couldn’t even pretend to make it look like a legitimate goaltender error. I’m pretty sure our boy Štico made himself a pretty penny that game.
He’ll, if Niko Kovac struggles at some point and goes the route of Stimac, I could actually see that scenario play out.
By the way……how awesome is it to see scum like Stimac have to coach a minor league outfit like NK Bjezigrad?
Slavonac…….Mamic is still tied to these players. He controls the strings and uses his son as the front. Mamic still uses the same methods of intimidation to get his way. Typical Balkan. Some players will fight him – da silva- while others will not complain about giving a certain percentage of their wages to him – Modric.
Who’s excited to see Zoran Mamic becoming national team coach in a few years 😉
Mamic is sranje and will be until he dies, but you guys are correct, there are much worse than him in Cro society. However, we focus on sports in this site. So, he gets the share of the attention. If Mamic operated in a normal country and not the Balkans, he would have been removed from power a long time ago.
^^^^^
Loser
Obviously.
I’m just messing around ‘cuz I know he’ll eventually read it and respond.
🙂
It is beyond disrespectful, and insulting, to even remotely compare Ante B. in anyway shape or form to Alexander Holiga. (Regardless of the agenda accusation comparisons stated above.)
Ante B is Croatian and will be until the day he dies. Holiga on the other hand is not Croatian, and he never will be. (Whether he was born in the country or not.)
maminjo needs a lesson on dinamo from ante bbb those of us who know him in real life vouch for him
@Slavonac
Ante’s just a BBB. That’s his thing, so he focuses on it 100% and nothing else matters. It DOES suck that Mamic gets to take an undeserved cut of a young talented individual’s salary, but yea, he probably doesn’t even crack the top-100 when it comes to scum in Croatia.
@Zvone
Yea, the media loves to focus on Mamic instead of the other pizda in our country, but that’s for one of two reasons:
1. Mamic doesn’t have much power in Cro outside of football to be a threat to you if you write something bad about him (nor is is a true mafijas who would actually kill you).
2. Mamic has that arrogant personality that you simply cannot stand.
How many shady deals were there at Hajduk, and noone here can name three people who were behind any of them. Unlike the Hajduk degenerates, Mamic draws a TON of attention to himself. He’s too macho to be subtle about his accomplishments. He needs to let everyone know that he’s a majstor.
If I’m some media jerkoff in Cro, I’m going to write about this guy instead of some former Communist UDBa politician who could probably get me fired (or worse).
@slavonac
Bang on, they focus on the minnow but don;t forget those at the top love it. This diverts attention from them.
Maminjo,
if you’ve read some of my posts over the past several months, I always have said the same as you just did….Croatia has been infested with rats that are bringing back the ‘ol YUGO ways…Jovanovic, Milanovic, Pupovac, Josipovic (who said the damn petokraka is a symbol of “Mir i ljubav”…)…and so many damn others….which I why I have continued down this path… so many on here focusing on a minnow in Mamic, when there’s MUCH bigger fish to fry!
you’re a bright guy Maminjo…
to be fair, I think Ante isn’t stupid, but he sure is stubborn!
@Slavonac
Don’t bother arguing with Ante about this. He won’t answer your questions because he doesn’t know.
Like most diaspora Croats, he doesn’t really follow football or any of the details behind the scenes. He admitted this himself. He has his agenda and he’ll just push forward with it. Much like Holiga, he could give a crap about Croatia’s football success.
Mamić is a shady football executive who happens to be successful at it. It’s a shame that this is the way most of Cro operates, but trust me, there are worse than him in our country. If you’re really passionate about change in Cro, go after the snakes at the top of the pyramid. Not the guy who takes an unnecessary large cut from millionaire athletes.
@ Slavonac
Mamić and Dinamo are printing money on peddling world class footballers and playing in a crap league with zero over head.
@ Armada
Lmao.
North west Croatia is CENTRAL Europe !
That Balkan identity needs to die along with Jugo nostalgia.
Naprid!
From Goal.com
The Serie A club, along with nine other European sides (Roma), have agreed to sanctions for failing to adhere to economic guidelines
Monaco have also agreed to report a maximum break-even deficit of €15m for the financial years ending in 2015 and 2016 and no break-even deficit for the financial year ending in 2017.
Seven other clubs – Sporting Lisbon, Besiktas, Lokomotiv Moscow, FC Krasnodar, FC Rostov, Kardemir Karabukspor and CSKA Sofia – have been punished with varying degrees of severity.
I don’t see Dinamo on this list of cheaters…
I think it’s safe to say that with the above information, ZM should be cleared of all wrong doing going forward and should only prove he’s a trustworthy, stand-up guy. Hell, once I have a son, I’d give him a call and ask him if he would be my son’s kum.
Ante,
several weeks ago I was told by somebody that the relationship between Dinamo and Z Mamic’s family agency has been closed….I remember I asked you “Ante…hasn’t that “family” relationship ended? I thought the agency is now gone?”
you answered me and said “It is. Mamic’s son is still acting as the agent.”…which is true….but I guess what I was getting at is that the agency I was talking about, the one that was directly linked with Dinamo has been closed:
MAMIĆ SPORT AGENCIJA d.o.o. Zagreb
MAMIĆ SPORT AGENCIJA d.o.o. za posredovanje i usluge – u likvidaciji
SUBJEKT JE UGAŠEN 2014. GODINE
I do realize this is most likely just semantics, he (ZM) probably does have input with his son Mario’s agency…but what I was trying to say is he, Zdravko, no longer has the agency tied to the club and on paper, he has nothing to do with the agency.
Mario…Zdravko Mamic’s son, works with an agency called ASA international, he is partners with Nikky Vuksan, who was in charge of Modric/Lovren etc.
Asa international has no legal ties with Zdravko Mamić, or to Mamic sports agency…which has been closed in 2014, so ZM is not involved with the agency in any way shape of form (on paper of course, but he could give his son advice, and point him in the right direction).
does this prove Mamic is not corrupt, NO…but it does take away from the direct link he had as a member of both organizations, which I agree, was a conflict of interest.
I just wanted to clear up this point, I do realize there’s always smoke in mirrors, but at the very least…he is no longer tied legally.
@ Soul Champ
Us folk from northwestern Cro are what I like to describe as the “very outer limits” of the Balkans 😉
@ Poglavnik
I feel your point.
But I have to say tactics and an inordinate amount scrubs around them have been an issue for a good 3-4 years.
They need decent width on both flanks to make their magic happen.
We have lacked speed at both wing backs for years, plus upfront we have lacked consistent wing attackers as well. And MANdzukic who I love is slow upfront.
They also have a lot do on defense that wears on a player throughout a match and a tournament.
We are going to have 2-4 years for both of them to be in there prime. I pray these young studs can replace the old legs and do the hard running for them.
They can spray the ball all over the field with pinpoint accuracy, can you imagine if there were actually some forward space to pass too for a fast atttacker to run into? We would become an offensive juggernaut.
@ Svima
Kovacic is blessed with explosive speed. Train him to become a true #10. Plus we produce the best midfielders in the world. We need explosive atttackers.
Ask Peder Pep about the benefit of having explosive atttackers upfront.
@ Bayern Munich
How could German sensibility allow you to break apart the most potent side in Europe?
You may not win a CL for another 10 years.
BUDALA.
ZDS.
@Bobby
“Hoping to see Rakitic and Modric get the recognition they deserve in that game.”
They get plenty of deserved recognition.
Both extremely popular and appreciated at their clubs.
Time for them to crank it up a notch when they put on the checkers though.
@ Bobby V
Copa is going to awesome.
Good news for Croatia is that we are NOT Balkan, we just neighbor the Balkans.
ZDS
@C vs. A – Hoping to see Rakitic and Modric get the recognition they deserve in that game.
Incredible how far more talented we are compared to our Balkan neighbors at this moment. The gap has never been wider.
Won’t be seeing two Bulgarians, Serbians, Romanians, Greeks, Albanians…etc. – hell, not even two Germans, Englishmen, Belgians, or Italians in the final either.
Makes you believe Croatia will be one of the top 5 favorites to win Euro 2016.
Things go in cycles, and, right now, the South American teams are much better on average than the European. That’s why I’m thinking this year’s Copa America next month will be great to watch.
Rankings moj kurac!
I am ready for some sliver ware.
Modric going to play 6 more years.
The young talent will do more and more of the work.
Živa and I had a prayer session in the crkvu near his house and we believe the power of Isus Kristo will heal Luka the same way he healed Živa from lying about calling him a bust.
Hvaljen Isus!
@ Bobby v
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that Real progress and Modric recovers in time for the final. An El Clasico Champions League final would be the footballing equivalent of amaggedom and judgement day rolled into one. This would be the ultimate match up, the winner gets perennial bragging rights for generations. And how awesome would be to see 2 Hrvati playing a major role.
Champions League Final is June 6, and Croatia plays Italy on June 12. Let’s hope we see Modric back for both games -assuming Real Madrid advances.
Croatia remains 17th on the FIFA list. We haven’t debated that ranking for awhile, so, it must be about right.
looking forward Srna passing the armband to Rakitic after this Euro….
just when you think Ivan hits his ceiling, dude just keeps on getting better and better…
…and if Modric doesn’t make it for Italy, it would be interesting seeing a triangle midfield of
————-Rakitic——
—–Kovacic————-
—————-Badelj—-
ya don’t know nuff bout him ciro but seems like he has put together a decent season as well
Badelj should be rotating with Brozovic, but Kovac doesn’t rate him.
And i know people don’t like Kalinic, but he should probably be the repka. After Mandza, and Kramaric, he’s the best CF we have.
http://www.soccerladuma.co.za/news/articles/categories/namaqua/namaqua-features-luka-modric/208718
for whoever keeps doubting modric… guy is not even playing and they still keep doing articles on him
how is modric recovery going? is he still on course for coming back at end of season?
i would still be ok if he doesn’t play for us against italy… its not absolutely necessary and want him there for us in the long term
ok so the real/juvenuts game was in italy if im not mistaken?
so madrid isn’t totally out of it with that away goal for sure
bale better start massaging modric’s legs for him personally he wants to make up for that no show on the first game
i agree ziva that el classico final would be sooooo epic
i got the seville/fiorentina game on canadian feed
looks like badelj is starting
Poglavnik,
sve je uredu!
Ciro… i was just thinking about that… either we are hugely deep now or our coach likes to play his buddy in positions they shouldn’t be in lolol
but you would think badelj has earned some more time by now… sure out mid field is full but still….he has quitely had a pretty decent season
from an article I read:
“Guardiola had seven World Cup winners in his squad, six won the competition in 2014 and five were starters throughout the competition. He had the reigning Bundesliga top scorer and Serie A’s best defender from the previous season. He had arguably the most in-form, complete central midfielder in the world.”
Defeat was still the most likely scenario for Bayern, but as Lahm told ZDF after the game, “You may lose 1-0. But you may not lose 3-0.”
@Slavonac
That was a low blow.
Oprosti me…
We’ve got Kalinic, Badelj, and Strinic all in the Europa League Semifinals today and non of them are getting played in NT, let alone getting called up. SMH
*Strinic would be starting for Napoli, but not registered to play since he was playing in the Europa League with his Ukranian team earlier in the season.
I was wondering about the strategy Bayern had for their game yesterday. last night i watched the game after only being able to get glimpses at work during the day….he initially setup his defense without any double up…guys…do you know what this means? you know when Perisic and Olic double up to help out their defense down the wings or when the midfield has to help out the defenders…Pep started his game with no double coverage…against 3 of the best attackers in the world…Neymar, Suarez and Messi!
he actually thought he could not only dominate possession in Barcelona, he thought he could manage their offense playing 1 on 1….Mourinho would never do that. most people hate Mourinho’s style because it is defensive BUT, you can’t expect to get results every game…sometimes a tie is all you need!
Last year’s Bayern debacle you can blame on Pep. Not sure what anyone expected yesterday with the injuries Bayern had.
Just give me La Liga final.
@napridbili
The fact that you look at stats as an example of greatness, also goes to show how little you know about the sport. Your days in AYSO, high school, or maybe even a little college have tainted your understanding on how the game works.
Modric does not need to fill up a stat sheet to be a great player. Also, the fact that Real Madrid lost multiple games during Modric’s absence go to show how important he is to that team.
Pep’s next move is Man City. This year or if he sees out his contract, next year.
Lets stop with this talk that Bayern would be different if it had Mahir Mandzuka. It would not.
I said last year I never would have got rid of him. I thought he was in a perfect role with Bayern and he will never produce at another club like he did any Bayern.
Just sit back and applaud Barca. Give me a La Liga Champions League final. The drama and theater going into that game will be something else.
Antwerp,
people that know me here, know that I’ve said Pep is a cock-breathe because he “prevented Mandzukic from getting the Bundesliga scoring title”…I am fully aware of what happened!
hahaha…Messi was like watching Maradona, except kinda different styles but both of them had the ability to change the game whenever they wanted to!
Poglavnik,
I have feelings to man!!!
@ Vatrena and Slavonac
Lionel Messi violated every Human Rights act of the Geneva Convention by completely annihilating Bayen yesterday. This never woulda happened on Heynckes’s and Mandzukic’s watch. In fact quite the contrary happened, when it was Bayern destroying Barca 7-0 on aggregate.
Pep’s arrogance and personnel choices have brought down the side. I’m still angry he benched Mandzukic at the end of last season to prevent him from getting the Bundesliga scoring title.
^ ^
I was just busting your balls about that more than anything. 😉
I’ve had a hard time not supporting Bayern, it gets even more complicated when you add the fact their opponents are the rivals of one of my favorite teams (Real)…but this one man has been able to do this for me. I’ve never in my entire life seen or heard of a person that personally attacks his medical staff, taunting them on live TV, nor have I ever heard of a person, not just a person but the leader of a team…not speak to his players just because he DOESN’T LIKE THEM…this is ludicrous!
Poglavnik has said to me on a few occasions that he can’t understand my hate for Pep, he says our ideologies are similar, well, no…not in some cases….I am a fair person and believe I don’t have to like your personality to respect your value. remember Ciro, who in my opinion was not a great coach, but he was a master motivator/communicator/manipulator…he always did his best to create ‘the atmosphere” of harmony on the team, he made players rise and he often lied/fabricated stories to make them believe things, just so they could be united and learn to respect each other. I think everyone remembers the story between Boksic and Suker…he lied to both of them, just to make the other believe that they needed each other and that Suker valued Boksic just as Boksic valued Suker, but it was all bullshit!
Pep has the financial backing to say, fuck Boksic, lets get rid of him cause I don’t like how he affects Suker or how he isn’t a good communicator while on the other hand, most coaches will try to manage the situation and make things work…unless the player just isn’t a fit….ahem…enter Ibrahimovic….Eto’o, Mandzukic…
principle…if the guy doesn’t shake a coaches hand during a tour to the US or can’t even speak to a player and simply ignores him, for no apparent reason other than he just doesn’t like them, pas mu gace nosi…nema karakter!
@slavonac
I don’t have problem with that! I’ve been with bayern since the age of 2. I just can’t turn my back lol. I’m a loyal guy. Respect out to you though!
Meh. Pep is done at Bayern.
Whether he leaves this summer or next summer, he’s gone. Leaving behind a ton of spent dollars for a nearly identical product. He should go into consulting, lol.
hahaha….jebiga stari, I’m old school!
Your support is not needed. Thank you very much!
I guess we all have some differences in principles. you are for the team at all cost, I can’t support a team that supports a person who isn’t respectful to those that work for him and his organization…and I truly believe, he (Pep) thinks he is above everyone and he’s proven it on soo many occasions by acting like a jerk-off publicly, by not only getting rid of people he doesn’t like, but not even speaking to them at all…and then the fiasco with the medical team….I can’t support people that support him!
It’s understandable, I don’t agree with his mandzukic dealings but I definitely can’t ever go against bayern. I respect your opinion about pep, he’s definitely no heynkes, but I can’t help but support him as long as he is a coach of my bayern. Lol
Vatrena cast I will echo what Slavonac said. It’s not Bayern but Pep. Not just how he treated Mandza but the feeling that throughout his managing career it’s far more about him than all the talent his teams have been gifted with.
Interesting news coming out of Spain and La Liga.
woops…I meant to say “I am a Real Madrid fan and I found it very weird that for the first time ever in my life I was cheering for Barca yesterday”!
Vatrena Cast,
I think many like Bayern but hate Pep more than they like Bayern…at least thats how it is in my case.
once Pep is gone, I’ll go back to supporting them yesterday. the strangest thing is, I am a Real Madrid fan and I found it very weird that for the first time ever in my life I was cheering for them yesterday!
So many bayern haters. I think they played alright yesterday. Tough to play with so many injuries, at the end of the day barca was better and messi did a messi. Bayern held off for 70 something minutes but messi doesn’t need much. I would of enjoyed watching with robben, ribery, and Alaba fit. Not saying the game would have ended different but it would have been an even better game. Mia San Mia
jm… i was thinking the same… im like mandzo would have dove with his head to get it:)
maybe lewandowski is better then mandzo overall but don’t have near his fighting spirit
my favorite moment of the bayern-barca game was when lewandowski aka batman shanked the great set up in front of the goal from muller. i wonder if pep would’ve liked to have mandzo for that one
These next four to five years will be very interesting.
We have some big time midfield prospects in Kovacic, Halilovic, and Coric as well as “veterans” such as Perisic and Rakitic. Will be interesting to see who takes the reigns once Modric retires, and who the odd man out will be.
There used to be pages and pages dedicated to people suggesting that Luka Modric could not shoot.
Well, he can shoot, and so can Kovacic.
Naturally, he’s a playmaker, not a goal scorer. He creates a lot of opportunities because he can take players on and make very good passes.
@ Maminjo
I agree that Kovacic is still a work in progress. But would you guys like to see him add more clinical finesse and become a bonafide #10? Or add more steel to his game and become an intimidating regista? ‘Cause he’s at a crossroads in terms of development.
Fuck Pep and Bayern
Kovacic has his moments, but he’s not consistent and will hopefully develope to be an awesome offensive player that can also perform his defensive responsibilities!
RE: the discussion about Kovacic…
Ciro Blazevic is spot on.
Kovacic is still finding his position. He has the offensive skill to be pushed forward in the #10 (trequartista) role, but he doesn’t really have a shot, and regularly fades in games from time to time (however, his 5 goals this season were impressive).
As for the regista role, he’s just not defensively ept enough to take on that responsibility. But this may come with experience and physical development.
He’s still only 20, so there’s no need to force him into the lineup. He can just play backup for us now. Let Inter deal with the growing pains of developing him. We won’t drop off at all with him on the bench, and can try him out in full games during friendlies.
Slatke Brige, as Ante said.
100% Maminjo!!!
Pep getting blown out of two semifinals in back to back years, right after the previous coach took them to a historic treble is awesome.
So essentially the Bayern brass just replaced a winning coach & team with a more expensive coach and a MUCH more expensive team, only to take a step back and get embarrassed in back to back years.
Poglavnik,
I think your question is quite interesting and could be a big debate. Personally, I think Rumminegge has stuck his neck out wayyyyy too far and also, far to often and gloated about the magician he thinks he has in Pep. Does he now stop massaging his balls and fire him or does he continue massaging those pelotas?
A few weeks back, I think it was Rumminegge (it was someone at Bayern) that said, Pep doesn’t just have a plan “a” or “b”, he has a plan until “z”…..he can suck on Peps pelotas now!
I say humble the cock-wobbler and fire him! They got rid of a winning manager, a great striker and the entire medical staff just resigned because of Pep…..odjebi, kurvin sin!
There’s a lot that goes into who takes the kick, I think he’s taken many but I think outside of the box is Srna’s specialty….he’s been successful at it and he’s the captain. I’m sure he’ll soon take over those duties, at least he should!
Funny how Rakitic is good enough to lineup for free kicks at Barca but not for Hrvatska.
Beautiful seeing Pep getting whupped by a Spanish team 2 years running. Any chance Bayern get rid of him if they get embarrassed at home?
Allen well said, however Rakitic is not just “very good,” he’s actually World Class!
And today he proved his worth, winning the vital midfield battle, allowing Messi to operate with impunity.
Still not convinced? Well check out Rakitic’s absolute OWNAGE of Schweinsteiger.
https://vine.co/v/eZtPwHbhiF7
Allen…I don’t always agree with you, but when I do…we seem to be in harmony…well said!
Not sure what’s worse between the old religion debates from Wallace or Modric is overrated debates. Please stop this nonsense. Without Modric, Italy and Spain embarrass Croatia at the Euros. Look at how shaky Madrid was yesterday without him.
Croatia has one world class player (Modric) and two very good ones (Rakitic/Mandzukic). Let’s embrace them.
rakitic with an assist today on messi’s second goal.
Messi is magic !
Barcelona is going to win champions league.
Too many people injured at real madrid.
Slatke brige decki.
Ciro….I meant we can tweak or change the formation…read what I said buddy:
“the formation can always be tweaked and changed”
meaning 4-3-3 or 4-1 4-1…or whatever…thats all I meant buddy!
@Slavonac We shouldn’t tweak the lineup to fit in Kovacic. Imo i don’t think we’ll see him being a big part of the repka until Luka retires.
Rakitic, Modric, and Kovacic don’t have the necessary qualities as of now to play together, and obviously Kova is the odd man out.
Rakitic = #10
Brozovic/Badelj/Pasalic = #8
Modric = #6
Not really even sure what Kovacic’s best position is tbh. Not clinical enough to be a #10, not good enough at defending to be in the other two roles. Probably needs to play in a “iniesta” role, but with a legit DM to protect him.
Rakitic played pretty well, especially in the first half! Nice assist to King Messi.
meh, Luka is overrated….
we should bring a guy like Sammir in or maybe Mujaheddin Sharbini… they’ll get our midfield straight
I thought Rakitic was very composed just before he assisted the goal from Messi. He attacked the ball and gained possession, then turned back and quickly received the ball again….then sent Messi on for his second goal of the game…this is what makes him (Rakitic) special!
but then this is where it gets very tricky…where and when do we play Kovacic?
Mandzukic
Rakitic
Perisic Brozovic Modric Olic
Strinic Vida Corluka Srna
the formation can always be tweaked and changed, I was gonna put in Schildenfeld for you, but in my team he’s a sub!
I would agree with that. Push Rakitic forward, pull Modric back.
we’ve seen Rakitic do better when he plays in behind the forwards and Modric back in a deeper role. when they both play back and have Brozovic or Kovacic in front of them, they’re talents are suffocated, in particular Rakitic…he’s much better in the last third of the field whereas Modric starts from his own end!
I am not an Xs and Os guy and my technical knowledge of soccer is nowhere near you guys. There’s a reason my ass is in the tribine. My elementary knowldege of the game proves to me that Modric is definitely not overrated. However I do believe that Rakitic and Modric are not great on the same line together. It’s like one is afraid to up the other. Am I wrong?
stats tell little, you have to watch the games and see the play yourself!
He argues that Modric is overrated by saying “look at his stats”.
No hope.
Niko was emotional and commanded through his work effort, I liked his style as a player and think leaders like him are even better than guys like Boban, although Boban was the far better player!
I still think Niko Kovac is the best field general we’ve ever had.
We need another!
Croatia U17 played Bulgaria today in Sofia. Our youngsters won: 0-2.
I doubt you ever will, neither have that personality…but they’re both smart and have excellent vision and distribution.
maybe Coric? I don’t know enough about him but down the road one day?
Definitely right about that.
i think my frustration lies with the fact that our 2 most talented players seem to be 2 of our least vocal.
Would love to see more on field leadership from Modric and Rakitic.
Poglavnik-
this is somewhat true, but we both know that playing for your club team is far different than playing for your country. often times, you have less quality with your NT…and his club team is stacked!
I wouldn’t say his skill is overrated but he hasn’t performed at his best for the National Team.
Almost seems like the spirit of Mamic hangs over him like a black cloud when he puts the checkers on.
Naprid Bili,
what exactly do you think a player should be doing to make him more rated….score?
do you know what his responsibilities are? do you understand his role on the team and what is required from him?
you’re comment is revealing!
@naprid bili
Soccer isn’t a stat driven sport, you must be an American because they give ridiculous stats during all their sports all the time.
If you can’t see Modric’s quality, even at his tottenham days then I can’t take your opinion seriously. During his tottenham days people complained about his lack of scoring even more than they do now, but people didn’t realize then just like you don’t realize now that that isn’t his game. He doesn’t get many assist but if soccer had hockey assists i bet you he’d be the leader. He connects all parts of the pitch and makes it look damn easy.
sure, I may be biased towards him, but look at how all the greats talk about him and look at how real madrid struggled yesterday.
People complaining about Modric make me question if some of you have actually played the sport or any sport.
@ Zvonko
A beautiful thing indeed!
@ Svima
Modric over rated ? Pa da.
Is the jadransko more over rated?
Is Dalmacija over rated ?
There are all phenomena that you appreciate more and more.
I can’t believe with all that talent at RM there are pedestrian without Real Modric.
Bale? Majke boze how much of his salary should he pay Luka? He looks like crap without him.
Ancelloti probably cries himself to sleep at night when Modric unavailable.
I pray for a full recovery and that Luka can age like Pirlo and play a good 6 more years.
I hope all of our young studs can make life easier for him on the repka. We have asked way too much of him. We should just allow his field genius to express without having to constantly play against 3-4 players by himself.
I just posted the Anonymous above and forgot to put my details in.
Naprid Bill, I disagree. Without Modric in Euro 12 that game against Spain specifically, we would’ve gone down by a few goals had he not dominated. Even against Brazil last year he was solid. I would call these teams pretty tough opponents. Just because Modric doesn’t smash in the goals, doesn’t mean he is dominant. Look at RM without him, I know we’re all biased, but they look lost and no link between defence and attack. Modric is so important to the setup of both club and country. In saying that though, we have enough quality in midfield and up front to see off the Italians. I just wish our defence was as solid as the stable of the team.
Well said Bobby V, Modric is class and Real sure missed him today. Let’s Enjoy watching Modric while he is at Real, and appreciate it! Appreciate that a Hrvat can play at that level.
@Naprid – Modric was voted best midfielder in Spain last season – No Croatians voted on that.
@Ciro
Re: Vrsaljko and him being at Sassuolo temporarily until Juventus want him…
Yea, I read that too a while back. Juve has a ‘partnership’ with Sassuolo. Lots of former Juve players, joint ownership players, and loanees playing on Sassuolo.
Not too much unlike the Dinamo and Lokomotiva partnership, lol.
@naprid bili
open your eyes
Ivic…..LMAO
@bil
i do, and i would see him more often but he gets easily injured
@Dukic
Please, even Ciro mentioned he would of done things differently in the game against France. A experienced strategist like Ivic wouldn’t allow us to lose like that.
@vatrena cast
Of course Modric is overrated. People glorify him too much because he’s a Croat playing for Real Madrid. Take a look at his stats for Real Madrid. Also, look at his performance on the national team. Yea he recently made some plays against tough teams like Azerbaijan and Malta but where is he during the matches in this previous World Cup and the tournaments before that? He’s a ghost. Sorry but its true.
To say that Modric is overrated shows you know nothing and are foolish. Watch some games and maybe you will understand.
I agree with dukic.
If you think Modric is overrated, then you know nothing about the sport. Im sorry but its true.
@ Naprid bili
No way we would have been champions. I think 3-5-2 was the perfect formation for that squad. Ivic played 4-3-3. Suker would have struggled alone up top and not have a true right back didn’t help either. Bottomline is Ciro did the best he could with that squad.
@ Naprid Bili
Juventus coach states that everybody knows who Ronaldo is, but he considers himself “extremely lucky that Real Madrid will be without their most influential player – Luka Modric”
I’ll believe him over you.
However, you are spot on about Tomislav Ivic – best Croatian coach ever.
@Ciro Blazevic
If Tomislav Ivic was coach in 1998, we’d be champions.
Luka Modric is highly overrated.
If i, Ciro Blazevic, was still coach, we would be playing in my 3-5-2. We would be european champions in 2016.
———–Mandzukic-Kramaric————-
———————Rakitic———————
–Perisic—Brozovic-Modric—Vrsaljko–
———-Lovren-Corluka-Jedvaj———–
——————–Subasic———————
Kovacic, Vida, Halilovic, Strinic, Brozovic, Badelj, and Rebic
The team has everything. Kramaric gets into the team, and in a ‘second striker’ role which suits him the best imo. Vrsaljko uses his wingback abilities to do a job on offense, and defense in this formation. Lovren and Jedvaj are quick enough to cover a lot of ground as the outside CBs. Corluka gets used in a ‘libero’ role, and gets put in the heart of the defense, and using his passing skills to get the ball into our play makers. Perisic still gets in this team even though he’s more of a winger due to the work rate of brozovic who is expected to protect Perisic and Lovren on the left side. Rakitic is used behind the strikers in the #10 role, and Modric dictates the play in a ‘Pirlo role’, and this time with a bunch of players in front of him, more than he is used to in a Hrvatska jersey.
This team wins Euro 2016. End of.
Hopefully we see Vrsaljko at the RM position replacing Lichensteiner soon. Supposedly his move to Sassulou was just a ‘middle-man’ team until he was ready for Juve.
@Soul Champ
It is a great feeling seeing all these Hrvati competing at this stage. Hopefully next year we make a good run at the Euros.
Bog I Hrvati
I remember when this site first came online and we had only Srna with Shaktar any where near the CL.
Now we have world class players lifting the cup on the regular.
There is a correlation between critical mass of players competing in the champions league and national team success. You learn how to compete at the highest level.
Ziva and I have been holding basement vigils from his Mom’s house and we can assure all the grammatically incorrect diaspora Hrvati that Luka Modric will be back this season.