It was rumored a few weeks ago by a South American friend of CroatianSports.com that Peru was looking for a European team to play before the World Cup kicks off; and Croatia could be that team.
Now the rumors have begun on the Croatian side of things saying that a Croatia/Peru friendly could take place sometime in March or May in the United States.
I could only imagine this would be an east coast game but Šuker did tell me in May that he was looking at Toronto and New York as future cities for Croatia to play in.
friendly confirmed
https://www.24sata.hr/sport/priprema-za-argentince-peru-na-vatrene-23-ozujka-u-sad-u-553168
The success of the national team is not important. Money is
The A team needs as much play time to build chemistry.
Why? So the B or C team can get more experience? The HNS is one of the few who don’t take friendlies seriously.
Rumor= The friendly won’t happen
We just need to play our intelligent speed of thought game with our power guys on the flanks.
We are too good to worry about Nigeria?
They are good and have talent but our players have seen everything under the sun on a football pitch.
As always we need ZDS the middle and create from there.
CDM will be key to protect our CB’s, but this will be needed as well for Messi and company.
Modrić forward is a revelation as our trequartiste.
Just please deploy powerfully wingers like Perisic-Rebić-Pjaca.
Kovačić will need to take the space that Modrić will open up and be in attack mode.
Lovren is growing through this crucible of a Liverpool experience where he is put under extreme pressure to cover for all there high pressing.
He will be ready for Nigeria and Argentina.
Vida is a BEAST.
Full respect to our group of national sides but if Dalić chooses the best in form talent we have available then ZDS.
We keep the ball vs Nigeria. We’re better there. We can and should. They’re bigger stronger faster more athletic and younger in average, makes no sense to run and gun with them.
They’ll try and play counter or put pressure on us. Can’t see them playing bunker. England plays crash bang soccer, we kept posession well and didn’t allow them to set the tempo or get any rhythm/momentum going when we beat them 3-2 in England.
Keep the ball, control the mid/possession is the only way to not allow those teams to set a pace or tempo we don’t like even though Perisic did run half field to score vs Cameroon. You do more running when you don’t have the ball and I think we can’t bunker for shit not that we would vs Nigeria. We may play counter and high pressure force them to cough up the ball or make an error, who knows. Interesting to see who is going to be the bull and who is going to be the matador. Greece 2nd game was about the best neutral/counter game we’ve played in a while. We didn’t bunker but we also didn’t push agressively leaving ourselves vulnerable. Risk averse but we could afford to be considering we were playing Greece and 3 goals up via the 1st leg so I am not sure how credible it is. It was still a little comforting to see them more focused and somewhat playing but historically we’re not great bunkering or sitting back.
We need to play an African team but apparently we’re not, at least yet. Ghana or Ivory Coast would be good.
@Maminjo i think a mini tournament of 4 teams would just start out in a semi-final format. So only two games. The March break is usually only a week
I think Iceland will hurt Argentina and Nigeria more than they will hurt us.
Croatia has played Iceland four times in recent years, and we outplayed them in all four games (and managed to lose one in injury time).
Croatia is also very good at getting revenge against teams they lose to in the recent past (i.e. Germany, Turkey, Spain, Ukraine, Greece).
For this reason, I’m glad we got them in the draw (even though they are probably the strongest Pot 3 team).
Nigeria, I’m not a fan of drawing because they are definitely not a Pot 4 team. They, along with Iceland, are closer to being a Pot 2 team than a Pot 4 team.
Croatia are a good counterattacking team themselves, but I doubt Nigeria will hold the ball in midfield and try and create chances if we gave them the ball. They don’t really do that. If we sit back, they will run at us and probably just try to swing the ball into a crowd in the box, maybe try and win some set pieces and corners. I expect us to dominate possession, but with Nigeria pressuring us hoping for a fumble or two.
Nigeria is not that great at the back, so I don’t see how they can weather a storm of Modric, Rakitic, Perisic, Brozovic, Pjaca, Kramaric without making some defensive errors in the box (leading to a goal).
I assume that we will take over possession, but at the same time, be weary of that looming Nigeria counter.
I’m hoping it doesn’t turn out to be like the Euro 2016 match against Portugal, where we dominated possession…but played scared to avoid the Ronaldo counter attack. Now, Nigeria has no Ronaldo…but they do have a lot of fast wingers who play in the EPL for teams like Chelsea, Arsenal and Leicester.
Modric played too defensive in the Euro 2016 match against Portugal. If he presses forward like he did in that recent Ukraine game, I think Nigeria will be in trouble.
If Badelj features in a lot of these friendlies leading up to the World Cup, it probably means that he and Modric will play the exact same roles they did in the Ukraine match.
I agree don’t think we need any more prep for Iceland. Nigeria and Argentina should be the focus cause if we can take care of business then Iceland is just a formality
Maminjo so do u think we just go with our possession style and try to just wait for our chance? Press and hope for some set pieces
What is the classic approach of beating athletic counter attack teams?
Does dalic try to get the boys to hold the ball keep the game slow and wait for second half or does he try to get the boys to come out swinging?
Sweden would be nice, but we’ve already played Iceland twice and Finland twice in the past 18 months. I don’t think we’re going to learn anything new playing more games against high-effort, poorly skilled, and physical Scandinavian teams.
Uruguay would be great though. They have killer strikers and like to hold possession. Would be great preparation for Argentina.
The Nigeria game will be interesting for us. Nigeria will let us have possession with the hopes of trying to kill us on the quick counterattacks.
Having Lovren back there on a Nigerian counter will be a complete hit or miss.
On the one hand, he’s athletic, strong and just as fast as a black guy…so he would be better than Corluka in a situation where Nigeria try and spring one of their forwards loose on a quick counter.
On the other hand, Lovren is Lovren and I can totally see him misreading a pass or bounce, only to follow with a hard tackle from behind once the player has him beat.
Playing a mini tournament with Mexico, Peru and Costa Rica isn’t a bad idea. That’s three games against quick, nimble, and offensively focused Central/South American teams. It will definitely help us against Argentina, and may even be useful against Nigeria (as Mexico is a also quick counterattacking team, although a lot smaller and physically weaker than Nigeria).
But it’s still important that we include more teams who play similar to Nigeria’s “Palm Wine” football that they are trying to brand for themselves.
Nigeria plays with pace and quick counter-attacks. They push forward with physicality and athleticism.
It would be nice if we can get a very fast, young, athletic team who plays counterattacking football with lightning pace in a friendly.
This is probably more important than this mini tournament with the South & Central American teams.
Peru lost its best player due to drug suspension. USA isn’t a team to prepare for our world cup group. Sweden, Gana, Uruguay would be great before the world cup. This is a waste of time. Mexico would due.
BMO field has been asked to host a Croatian game. Nothing officially decided yet but its there.
Yes NY!!!!