Croatia Disapointingly Squeak By Cyprus 1-0 In WC Qualifying

ALBANIAAAAAAAAA

Kulenovic was a joke. Own goal aside, he offered no press or effort up front or on defense. He was a waste, didnt even try. Send him home

Dalić out, wtf

A lot of negativity considering Croatia always stutters through qualifying, though agree we aren’t playing great.

Hoping Dalić can pull out of this hole and the team improves, he’s a good Croatian and a good human being. Personally I think he’ll turn it around and qualify.

However if not, I see Ciro coming in until a suitable replacement is found. No chance a foreign coach can succeed in Croatia, not that we could afford it anyway.

On Modrić, what a legend but no need to feel sorry for him playing in this Croatia team in transition. Despite his frustration it’s still an honour for him and I’m sure an additional reason for him to continue playing was to break the record, which he’s done and good on him.

ZDS

Foreign coach?
The results would be worse. Only a Hrvat can understand a Hrvat.
A lot of teams had trouble this week. Everybody calm down. That’s soccer.
You think Russia or Slovenia won’t drop any points?
We’re fine.

@Maminjo
Watching the second half of the U21. We were up 3-0 and Kulenovic subbed in and he just scored an OG.
Barely hanging on at 3-2 but got the win.
He is a bigger body that can press from what I watched.

@Mali Ante
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I think I would prefer a big and physical target man.
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Someone who is an aerial threat, but can also be physical for us to wear away the opposing defenders (and make it easier for the rest of our creative midfielders and wingers).
Mandzukic did this well for us. Klose did this for Germany. Giroud does this for France. They don’t even really have to score often.
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A player like Rijeka’s Kulenovic may not be any sort of elite prospect for us, but I can see how very useful he could be in the future. This is why it’s kind of a shame that we are potentially going to lose Igor Matanovic to Germany. Kid is already 6’4″ at age 17 and is playing on a 2.Bundesliga team. Could be very useful for us.
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I haven’t watched Lovric play, but I think he’s more like a traditional skilled forward who can play as both a winger and striker. I don’t think he’s physical or an aerial threat.
I think we are good with Petkovic up top for now, but in a few years we will need to find some other youngster who can provide this.

Does anyone know much about Lovric? Any potential to fill the striker void for us?
Just checked out a YouTube video showing some of his goals…he takes free kicks. Seems to have a nose for the net.
Having Rebic back to help press will be big.

Someone mentioned having Vlasic play up top and press and have Krama play off him. Wishful thinking but not sure it would work well given that we then would not have a target
man for any crosses.

We need Mandza to come back like Zlatan did. Lol.

the way Stipe was knocked down just like Croatia recently }{ such a weak |+ will get annihilated 6-0 by the strong team! )_

come on +_
slack off and like to jog around the arena !_I
this team need to be blessed -:> by GOD

Thanks Iggy for YouTube link. SBS coverage of wc98 was awesome

I wouldn’t give up on Krama just yet, but I do give up playing him in Dalić’s favored 4-2-3-1 formation.
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I’d try him in a new formation with Petković up top and Krama as the second striker, but that’s it. If that doesn’t work, then it’s bench time. Same thing with Kovačić. I don’t play him when Luka plays. Duje Ćaleta-Car today pretty much did what Kovačić does all game, and it didn’t cost us a midfield spot.
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Dalić subbing out Budimir for Krama directly was a bad move. He should’ve kept Budimir on, so we can see how Krama works for us with a target man. Another missed opportunity.

Remember when we tied Malta?
I do.
Dalic out! Cant fuck around anymore

Guys remember when we tied Finland
It’s the same ole shit going on
Either no one legit wants to play or dalic lost em I don’t know

I totally agree may as well roll out the youth and dinamos best at this point with luka in the middle

I know the ball is round as they say and anything can happen
But surely we have more talent then these other teams
Sure not all world class but you put Badelj on any of these teams and he is a starter

Match Luka’s efforts and see where you get

Bring in the hungry young men….

Next friendly needs new faces. Who cares what
The final score ends up to be. Try a couple
Kids and mix things up.

Agree with needing to some U21 players to be integrated into the team. It’ll challenge some of the older players who seem to be taking their spots for granted. I was disappointed with both Brozo and Perisic this past 2 games. Both were not anywhere near how they can play. Throw in Basic….throw in Orsic.
Sosa at LB I’d like to see as well.
We need Rebic back and Petko would have been a great option these last two games. Krama could play off Petko but I’m
just not a fan. Completely selfish and you can see the lack of
chemistry with the repka. Decent option off the bench maybe.

Should we start recalling Marko pjaca the forgotten young man
He at least who have been hungry

I honestly think that we just need to call up a bunch of U21 talent and have them challenge our current starters.
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Gvardiol being present will make Lovren and Vida a little nervous.
Toma Bašić or Nikola Moro will make Kovačić do the same.
Lovro Majer can play both ACM or wing, so I’d sub him in for Perišić or Krama regularly (if nothing is going on with these two). Even Ivanušec could play with the seniors.
Sosa and Bradarić would easily snag that LB role from Barišić.
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I think that we’re overdue for integrating our top youth players into the first team.
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Some of our existing young players who are on the first team already (like Brekalo) are getting a little too comfortable as well. We need some hungry players pressuring them for their jobs.
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Livaković is a problem though. We handed him the job too easily. His goal kicks are horrible, and he has an panic attack on every high ball. We need to call up Ivušić from Osijek and give him a game at the next friendly.

Perisic quite simply plays better against better teams, teams that are going to come at you, it’s always been that way with him. He’s at his best when he can use his speed on counter attacks, and people that know the game know that those opportunities don’t present themselves against teams that bunker.

We’ve discussed, argued and debated. There’s a few things I want to clarify.

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I’ve never felt confident or comfortable with Krama as our number 1 guy up front. You can post every stat you want about him, he’s never convinced me.

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Barisic over Melnjak…not a real hard comparison if you ask me. Once again, you can tell me Melnjak plays in a shit league and that’s not convincing enough for me…I see what I see, the performances are there for all of us.

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I’ve always said “we go as Perisic goes “ and as of right now, he’s not doing well and neither is the team. Perisic has always had mental blocks during certain periods.

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Caleta Car is head and shoulders above anyone we have in central back, Dalic has to stop the bullshit going forward.

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Pasalic is a sub and nothing more.

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Vlasic has a lot of potential, I hope he asserts himself as a leader for us. He had many bad periods but it’s obvious he’s a player.

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Livakovic is a damn nightmare with his feet. He scares me anytime a ball is played back to him. Totally shocking at how bad he is with his feet.

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I don’t even consider Budimir as any part of our solution but I felt he worked hard today…and that’s exactly what we needed. He was good even if he didn’t score or come close to scoring.

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Vrsaljko has many periods of shaky performances. I feel he’s always had some challenges but he can change gears in tournaments.

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We do not have another general on the field…Modric is the only one. I remember lots of people shook off Rakitic and said he’s replaceable but I disagreed then and I do now, Rakitic was a fantastic player with soo many great attributes to his game and he helped Modric get some freedom on the fiend.

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Remember the Mandzukic debates? How many brawls we had because I defended him snd many were done with him. Tell me, how handy would he be if he were here. He didn’t have to score to be effective…he made space and drew attention all the time. Irreplaceable if you ask me

Maybe it’s the veteran guys except Modric that are the problem with this team sick of them half assing it. If they don’t show up on Tuesday in force and put in a convincing win then fucking Send them back to series a and the Bundesliga.

………Budimir……..Kramaric
Orsic………. Pasalic……Kovacic
……………….. Badelj
Perisic.. DCC… Uremovic… Juranovic
……………….Livakovic

It is sad that we are wasting vintage Modrić.

Dalić is making basic adjustments but we need more ideas.

I want to see young hungry legs this Tuesday against Malta.

Malta played Slovakia straight up today.

We need maximum intensity from the kick off.

Modrić should be rested from the start.

@Becar

i agree with everything u said. for me brozo and krama are the most disappointing. brozo is not hustling nearly enough for us as he does for inter. krama is just lost and cant link up with anyone on the team.

haha ronaldo scored the winner in the 93rd minute but they didnt count it

For me, the saddest moment came in the dying seconds. You’re hanging onto a one goal lead, deep into injury time and you win a corner. Modrić walks over to take it only to realize that every other teammate of his on the pitch is a complete idiot. The fact that he had to call someone over to take it short is inexcusable. So sad…..

Malta will definitely give Croatia a run for their money no doubt. Malta was able to tie Slovakia and lead. They also preformed well against Russia.

Malta tied Slovakia LOL

how in the actual fuck was slovakia losing to malta by 2!?! theyre playing in slovakia and skriniar is starting. thats insane. they tied it up now, but if slovakia really is this bad since hamsik left, then russia will end up with 9 points at the end of the international break.

We will get slaughtered at Euros. That was pitiful to watch and I’m surprised we got a win. Can someone please tell me why Perisic was starting?! None of his crosses were successful, he was slow and not engaged. If 3 shots on goal is all we can achieve against Cyprus then we won’t qualify. I’m calling it now. Russia will top and Slovenia will get second. Slovakia will lose to Malta which is good. Fire Dalic please. His old school mentality and game plans aren’t working anymore. If we’re being tactically outclassed always then it’s time for him to go. He’s has been the coach since October 2017. Time for Stipe fight

Croatia’s play was fine – plenty of balls into the penalty area of both Slovenia and Cyprus.

Only players effective so far in trying to finish have been Pasalic with his headers and Orsic with his shooting.

The bigger issue is what used to be Croatia’s advantage. Our veterans view playing for the national team as a bothersome nuisance.

Club over country.

We also have to understand that of course a player will look better playing for his club – he’s with them all the time. Our players might all be Croatian, but, that means very little if you only play together a few times a year.

Need an example? Juranovic. You could just see and feel his enthusiasm and youth in wanting to perform well.

Not the most talented, but, it’s better to go with these younger players who have the motivation.

Can’t blame Dalic – he’s playing the guys you all would . Criticism of national team coaches makes absolutely no sense. They don’t have these players year round.

Their main job is to motivate.

another free header 2-0 portugal- serbias d looks terrible

Maminjo is gonna be mad…Dalic just said Melnjak will start next game

Malta 2 – 0 Slovaki

Oršić has the dynamic speed to put the defense on the heels.

Who needs to start Tuesday:

Juranovic
Oršić
Vlašić
Kovačić
Budimir
Brekalo
Car

💪💪💪💪STIPE💪🏆💪🏆💪🏆

You’re right Cigan, Juranovic was really good today.

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Stari, what makes you think Portugal was happy with their result…even though they won. Also, Azerbaijan has a history of being extremely tough to play against.

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The fact is that we slowed the game down in the second half and that’s just a horrible strategy when you need to gain confidence and get goals…that’s a simple and easy thing to understand. Whenever we do this, we always suffer…NEVER in any era has this been a good strategy for us unless we are getting totally dominated and we are trying to stop the fast tempo of the game.

@Stari I don’t mind “enjoying the ride” if it’s entertaining win, lose or tie, but this type of soccer is stale, unattractive, and tactically inept.

The ride the last 18 months has been chalk full of potholes and red lights.

HammerHrvat,

Dalic win percentage is crap. He’s clueless tactically and his lineups are terrible. People need to get over their honeymoon phase from the World Cup. He’s not a good coach, as hard as that is for some to believe.

Stop blaming Dalić! They are not tanking on purpose. Cyprus just tied Slovakia and narrowly lost to us. They are a better team than their ranking indicates. Cyprus may be able to steal some points versus the Slovenci. They will probably give the game to the Russians (5-0) as Russia, their Orthodox brethren, are their protectors against the Turci.
Sometimes it just doesn’t flow. If there’s anyone to blame, it’s the players.
We will either win the group or come second and go into the playoffs.
Normal Croatian underachieving qualifying campaign.
In both our deep World cup runs we had to play in the playoffs. It’s just the way we do things. It’s almost as if we don’t play well unless it’s do or die.

I think we are confusing two issues.

Our play is fine

Our finishing is atrocious. Nobody seems ready when they are nicely setup to score.

Where are our strikers?

Slabo, dečki !

Zero threat up front. Need Bull/China/Shop/Rebić back to raise hell.

I guess as Croats we are supposed to fire our coaches every two years or so, lol.
Past their expiration date.

Croatia looks like what they were before Dalic was hired. I’m guessing they stick with him for the Euros, and when they don’t make it out of the group, they replace him for the WC qualifiers in the fall.

They are tanking on purpose. Cant you see???

Can we bring that Cyprus defender who made that mistake to start as our forward for the next match? Only guy able to score for us.

Normalna kvalifikacija za Hrvatsku. Nemojte se bojati.
Bog i Hrvati

that was painful to watch

Pathetic performance

Vlasic, Orsic and Juranovic are all doing well but the level of pressure and intensity has significantly dropped…not affording the attack and consistent pressure. I’m sad to say this but I really hope we have an alternative for Dalic

The national team is in trouble. Changes need to be made ASAP to try and salvage this moving forward. Need new eyes and direction from the coaching staff. Youth needs to be played NOW. This loyalty to older guard needs to stop.

Pretty underwhelming that we are having to see the last 5 minutes out just to scrape by to beat Cyprus by the narrowest of margines, at home no less.

brozovic is an asshole

Games like this are bad for my health

Cyprus need 1 lucky break and we are fucked

Vlasic and Juranovic both lively and energetic…at least something positive

Oh majke mi mile, pa sta je ovo?

Cyprus are turning up the effort and pressure, so we’re making a few bad passes here and there.

barisic scarred to beat that guy one on one?

Barisic having bad game and that yellow on perisic he had nowhere to go ? bullshit

This looks like a fucking disorganized disaster again! WTF is going on…I’m so disheartened by the complete change of tactics and slowing the play down.

atleast theyre are trying to take dives in the box!

One mistake and we are screwed .

Now Krama with a CRANKED shot into the sky lol

Well there goes our pressing with Budimir getting subbed out for Krama. Hopefully Krama and his selfish ways can pot one.

Whoa we subbed in Juranovic? lol

I think I passed the ball better when I was 6 years old than Brekalo does now. Just awful every time.

Brekalo van

Maminjo, im really worried about Russia.. obviously as we saw in the WC they arent easily defeated.. gonna be an issue playing them away and even potentially at home : /

So long as we do not sub in Kovacic, we’ll be fine.
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He will hold the ball too long. Plus, we have Caleta-Car back there, so we don’t need Kovacic to drop back and start the play.

Petkovic would have been amazing for this.
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Big striker, but with elite dribbling in these tight spaces.

No way. Budimir is perfect for games like this.

@Lovro
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I don’t understand why (in a game like this) we feel like we need to CRANK the shot full blast.
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This is why I like Vlasic. He focuses more on ensuring his shots hit the target.
We had a few decent chances, but blasted them so far and wide.
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It’s a crowded box, and we’re pressuring them. Just get it on target. Someone like Budimir or Pasalic will clean up the rebound if it bounces off a few legs.

Iggy, we are playing well bro…we just need to keep up the intensity and flow of play and we will tear through bunkers

We must keep the transition from defense to attack going without slowing down the play and allowing the other teams to adjust defensively

Still have a problem scoring against a bunker. Orsic would be your best option. He can shoot from distance ( poor Modric was at least trying) and create quick one-two passes in the area.

Yeah i think we can all agree we aren’t playing well… but i guess we have to hope for a win anyways despite our bad play

Offside I think.

Why did that Budimir goal get called off?!?

@Eric
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Yea, he runs well without the ball.
But we can’t play him in any other position that Vlasic’s role.

@Stipe
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Come on now.
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They’re playing with intensity and pressure the entire half, and didn’t slow down.
It was only a matter of time until Cyprus messed up.
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So long as we keep the intensity going, that Cypriot defense will screw up.

^ That was me

Better than the Slovenia game in terms of controlling possession and squashing any possible counter attacks (Slovenia had quite a few good runs at us on the counter).

Crosses and shots on goal this game have been weak. We’re just cranking them. Crosses seem to be too high or strong, and we had a few good shots on goal that we seem to just crank at full strength.

Intensity is good though. Not slowing down, and not letting Cyprus have the ball for even a second to gather themselves.

If we can’t score by halftime, we need to get Vlasic in there and keep this going.

No Kovacic though. That guys is the opposite of intensity.

Haha. We need for Cyprus to score for us – haha

Same old shit – can’t score against a bunker. Three shots on goal against Slovenia, zero so far against Cyprus.

We dominated Slovenia too.

I don’t see this as any better then the Slovenia game save for that goal.

Not the same old shit.
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Croatia is dominating and Cyprus hasn’t even come close to creating a single chance.
If it keeps up like this, Croatia will win.
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But they need to keep this level of intensity all game. If they start to drop off, then it’s an issue.

Same old shit. And you guys are worried about formations and who our defenders are?

Ana Konjuh has come back from a devestating injury and she looks good as fuck, beating #16 Swiatek

https://sportsbay.org/watch/101255/1/ana-konjuh-vs-iga-swiatek-live.html

Anytime

Tomislav, your link works on my smart tv…thanks bro!

I have DAZN but I’m totally dumb when it comes to things like VPN

“U” will have access via your dazn acct.

Thanks very much gbvh and Tomislav!

Slavonac: I’m in Canada too, and this is where I watched on Wednesday: http://livetv.sx/en/
• • • • •
Had to try a couple times on their different options and had to battle a couple pop-ups, but eventually found an almost perfect stream.
• • • • •
Ajmo!

Where can I watch the game? UEFA.TV is not showing it

Pašalić in the starting eleven over Vlašić? Really?
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Well, at least they got him in the right position this time. Dalić seems to really love experimenting with Pašalić at CDM and the wing.
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Good to see our boy Duje in there.
However, we do lose talent by sitting both Vlašić and Krama.
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I guess Dalić is (kind of) listening to us, by not playing Krama as a target man and actually having our wingers play their proper roles.
However, we still could try and adjust the formation to include more talented players.
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Good to see Duje in there, but I would like to see a lineup where Barišić can be replaced by the infinitely better talent we have on the bench.

The Russian win is ok for us. Much better than a Slovenian victory.

Hopefully Slovenia can tie this up. I don’t want Russia running away in this group.

2-1 Russia at the half. Slovenia has 51% possession right now. Stats-wise, it looks to be an even game.

Don’t understand how people don’t consider perisic World
class – (he’s has bud moneys when he’s switched on and off) and perhaps not as consistent as Rakitic) Luka we all know is our engine #1 but perisic over the past 3 major tourneys has scored the most goals and arguably been up there with Modric as our best player. The England game was phenomenal by the whole team but perisic literally took the game into his own hands by scoring that cobra Kai goal and out jumping/winning the header that set up MandZo game winning goal

Budimir
Orsic Modrić Kramaric
Brozovic Kovacic
Perisic DCC Lovren Vrsaljko
Livakovic

If Dalic is smart he will bunker against Cypress Hills

I can’t believe that Croatia was in the final 2 years ago and now all our hopes are on Ante Budimir.

Can you imagine if our team had like an Alen Boksic in it? Geez.. we’d be unbeatable : )

Hopefully we re-enact that friendly we played away to Russia a couple years back where we smashed them 3-1 on their own ground and Krama was a hero

Based on what we saw against Slovenia, if I were the coach, I’d put out a 4-1-3-2 of:
Vrsaljko, Lovren, DCC, Perisić; Brozović; Modrić, Pasalić, Orsić; Kramarić, Budimir.

The reason? These were the players who made the most impact moving the ball forward and threatening the goal. We likely will control the ball 70% against Cyprus and Malta. The challenge is in overwhelming the defense. I wish Dalić had gone into the Slovenia game with this approach, but even so, maybe we come out of this week top of the group. The other teams in the group all are capable of stalemates, so let’s hope that everyone else splits points while we win the next two. Football has gotten so ugly with these defensive tactics… Imagine a world cup full of teams that can only defend. No fun!

Let me be the lone warrior here who wants to see Pasalic in there. We score when he plays…

@Cigan
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Yes, this will be a messy group. Just like the last one we were in.

Lol, not meaningless game… But one where we don’t really need him.

Budimir
Brekalo Vlasic Perisic
Modric Brozovic
Barisic Caleta-Car Lovren Vrsajlko
Livakovic

Expect an early intentional yellow for Brozovic so he sits out the Malta game and has a clean slate for Russia/Slovakia.

Ya, Mandžo would have come in handy, but I think Rebić would have broken through the bunker. We just needed some aggression, and quicker passes to create the chances.

my prediction:
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russia beats slovenia, russia ties slokavia, slovenia might tie cyprus.
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Points at the end of this international break:
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Russia-7
Croatia-6
Slovakia-5
Slovenia-4
Cyprus-2
Malta-0
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i actually think wee are gonna be okay (as per usual) .. slovenija and russia gonna draw i think (hopefully)

Ideally for us would be a Slovenia-Russia draw. We want Slovenia, Slovakia and Russia drawing as many times as possible between themselves. If Russia goes off and wins every game against those two teams we could be in a lot of trouble.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGr6OYRIC4w

Lucy Zelic gets emotional about Hrvatska’ final appearance : )

Looking at tomorrow’s games and into the future in terms of games in this group…
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Do we want Russia and Slovenia to tie tomorrow? Or perhaps one of them to win?
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We’ll have a huge test with the games after the Euro in early September. Russia (could be H or A), Slovenia (H) and Slovakia (H or A). All in the span of a week… By then, we should know if we’re trending or we’re in 1st or needing to catch up to whoever is in first.
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Assuming that last game we have vs. Russia will decide the group? Do we know if that is in Russia or Croatia? Not seeing locations for quals after the Euro’s.

Yeah they lacked urgency against Slovenia, in the next two games they’re gonna play like someone shoved a rocket up their arses!
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I hate to say it, but seems that Croatia only come out to play when their backs are up against the wall!
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And Maminjo, oh he hasn’t lost the team (yet). As he has conveniently installed players like Vida and Lovren in the Captains-Suite. So they have Dalic’s full support, with the knowledge that if someone else comes in they could lose their starting spots and be stripped of captaincy.

If we don’t collect all 6 points, it’s time for a new coach….we laid a massive egg in our first game!
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According to SN only 3 teams in the last 23 years finished in first place of their qualifying group after losing the first game.
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The last time we lost our first game in a qualifying cycle, we didn’t qualify for that tourney (lost against Ireland, Tourney Euro 2000).
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So no more eggs laying!! I know Easter coming up but save till then!!

well it’s been a while since I’ve been around. business has jsut been roaring so I’ve been able to observe but not participate

a couple quick notes from the slovenia game to help educate the crowd

firstly, i know we’ll go to the usual no-heart narrative, but the effort looked fined to me. croatia played like the better team with 70% position, more shots… slovenia just so happened to hit one in . and then once you play against the slovenian bunker, it’s going to be hard. slovenia has not lost in its last 9 games and barely gives up goals

secondly, wow is modric so much better than all our other players. the guy just has a spark of creativity that the others simply do not have… and one can’t help but fear what does the team look like post modric

overall qualifying odds for croatia for the world cup stand around 50%. another loss we’re going to see that drop to about 35%, so hold on tight for the next big match up

@Hrmic
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Yea, I’d like to see that lineup.
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Lovren and Vida still scare me, but adding Duje in there makes it better.
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I think Krama has too much quality not to start, and I always liked what Bruno brings. We need to find a way to harness this.
Two ELITE technical players up top would be fun to watch.
My only concern is that Krama is not a willing passer, but I guess Hoffenheim deal with that too and he’s still a large net positive for him. We have to see how they play together. We might be pleasantly surprised.
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We simply cannot start Kovacic though. I would rather have the front man up top, and Krama plays deep anyway. Caleta-Car being in the back will do essentially the exact same thing that Kovacic was doing all game last time. We need to stick with the trio that has worked (Modric, Broz, Vlasic) and not mess with it.
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I hope we can test this out in a friendly when Bruno comes back from injury.

Thanks Iggy!
I needed that

@Croat Canadian
Grbic wasn’t even called up
Dalic chose Kalinic and Sluga over him

@Croat Canadian
Sosa has never played for the senior team and was on the U21 Euro roster. Needless to say, you won’t see him in the next two games. Also he’s injured.
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Has Grbic even played more than 2 games in the last year or so? Probably the reason he wasn’t even called up by Dalic. You won’t see him either tomorrow.
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I think DCC is the most obvious change. The rest probably depends on when was their last club game. I know Inter’s last game was postponed so maybe we see Brozo again. I think Luka could use the rest but maybe too important to rest.

As I said on the other thread, I would like to see us try a 3-4-2-1. This is the game to experiment against a weaker opponent and see if it works for us. Play Perisic and Vrsaljko as wingbacks and Brozovic and Modric in centre-mid. Play 3 centerbacks with Lovren, Caleta-Car, and Vida or anyone younger and better. Play Kramaric in attacking-mid, which is where he plays for Hoffenheim most of the time and still scores. Play Vlasic in the other attacking-mid position as he has a nose for goal. Play Budimir in the target man role but ideally this would normally be Petkovic. Now we have three guys in the box to look for on crosses and if there are any knockdowns from the crosses. Kovacic can be used as a sub when one of our centre-mids tire and Orsic and Brekalo be can be subs for our wingbacks. Rebic would be good in one of our attacking-mid roles or on the wing when he returns. Pasalic would be a good sub for our attacking-mids.

I am interested in our lineup but I’m more interested in the “plan”…Cyrpus will bunker…we need to play fast and spread them out….something we didn’t do vs Slovenia.

Also Zlatan had the attitude. He
Would pay back opponents with
Judo chops. We would have at least
Made every knock out round the last
Four tournaments and deeper.

I get Kovacic is great at Chelsea, but this reminds me of the scenario that Rakitic and Modric had, prior to 2018. Rakitic would be in all-world form for Sevila and Barca, came to the NT and could never jive really with Luka in the middle. Mateo is in that same condrum now. Plays a very similar game to what Luka gives us and honestly, we don’t need that and we have a very good DM in Broz, so we don’t need another midfielder hanging back. We need someone who can push the envelope (kinda like what we’ve seen from Vlasic).
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I obviously want the full 6 points from these games, but honestly, I want the foot on the acelator for the full 90 minutes with each game. Give me a few 3-0, 4-1 wins here and get us on a positive trajectory as we gear up for the Euro.
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I’d just feel like some ‘win by the skin of our teeth’ 1-0 scoreline vs. a garbage side like Malta or Cyprus wouldn’t ‘feel’ as big of a win as it would if we really hammered both sides.

Rebić kinda does what Bokšić did, but with brutal finishing lol

That brutal challenge on Modrić Wednesday.
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https://www.marca.com/en/football/real-madrid/2021/03/25/605caeb2ca474197338b45db.html

We better see a couple of 3-0 beatdowns

My only beef with our lineup on Wed was no DCC but I understand going with the tried, tested, and in form Vida against an inform opponent. Regardless with 3 matches in 7 days, Dalic will surely rotate the starters.
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Unfortunately for Kova, I agree that him and Modric are not easily playable together. One needs to be willing to venture into the attacking third more. Maybe Modric needs to adjust and trust his teammate enough that he reframes from dropping deep too often and stick between the oppositions lines.
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Same with Krama, if he’s gonna to drop deep than Perisic and Vlasic need to take his position occupying the CBs. Like many previously said, a lot of crosses that didn’t lead to good scoring opportunities.
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I will say that Krama always seems to bounce back after a poor showing for the Repka…

Not sure who will be in that lineup, but I expect 2 clean sheets and at least 5 goals for between the 2 games. I can see Dalic going all out offensively thinking that Cyprus and Malta will not be much of an offensive threat. He knows his job is on the line and the nation needs a huge morale boost heading into Euros. Another interesting issue is, we have a ton of guys on yellows and our next matches after Malta, are against Russia and Slovakia in September. A lot to think about when the pressure is on and 6 points are essential with your shot to pad goal differential (playing weakest teams on home soil) is at stake.

When i was a kid in the 90s (Aussie kids will get this) i remember just before the 98 WC started, SBS having a profile on Hrvatska that was really cool… and i finally found some dude who uploaded it now, 23 years later, in YouTubbies, i love this profile and this team, amazing hey!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAQGv5b-UgI&list=WL&index=170

The question should be who do we do not want and who should be in charge