Heading into the international break, Ante Budimir scored his 15th La Liga goal of the season Saturday afternoon in a 4-2 Osasuna loss to Luka Modrić and Real Madrid. In the 7th minute of play, Budimir cleaned up a second pass across the box following a corner to equalize the match. He now only trails Real Madrid’s Jude Bellingham (16) for the La Liga scoring title. Does Budimir dare challenge for the La Liga scoring title this season? I assume he would need 3-4 goals across the last nine matches of the season to accomplish that feat.
Luka Modrić came off the bench in the 72nd for Real Madrid in the 4-2 win. He was given a 6/10 rating from Managing Madrid for his 20 minutes on the pitch as he “Tried to get involved with 21 touches and 17 passes during his 20 minutes on the pitch.”
Nikola Vlašić scored a goal and was given MOTM honors (8.5 FOTMOB rating) in Torino’s 2-0 win over Udinese Saturday. He cut on the defender on the right side of the box and then sent a nice, low left-footed shot inside the left post. He definitely fooled the defender but the Udinese goalie may have done better. In 27 matches this season, this is Vlašić’s third goal.
Kristijan Jakić played the full 90 minutes at CDM Saturday, scored two goals, and was given a 8.9 MOTM rating in Augsburg’s 3-1 victory over Wolfsburg. Jakić has been hot since coming over on loan to Augsburg from Eintracht Frankfurt during the winter transfer window. The CDM was hurt for most of the first half of the season anyways. He can very well be Brozović’s replacement when he retires so we must keep an eye on him. Former Croatia manager Niko Kovač was dismissed by Wolfsburg following the match. Wolfsburg have been winless in 11 straight matches.
Both Mateo Kovačić and Joško Gvardiol got the start for Manchester City Saturday in a 2-0 win over Newcastle United in the FA Cup quarterfinals. Both were given 8/10 ratings from 90min.com as well. Kovačić: “Did all the hard work around Rodri. Happy to buzz around in defence but was really involved in the final third, always looking to feed his forwards.” Gvardiol: “Probably his best game in a City shirt. Great passing and really impactful pressing to ensure his side remained on top.”
Good news is that Orsic is in full training and available for team selection, he was on the bench on Sunday for Trabzonspor in their 3 – 2 home loss to Fenerbache.
Things got ugly with Livakovic being hit on the chin by a thrown object and then punched in the head at the end of the match by pitch invading fans.
https://www.reddit.com/r/soccer/s/AhcwCIG5l0
Ya here it is for my fellow redditors
I just saw it
He was trying to get everyone to leave the pitch then got sucker punched
Crazy Turks
How liva doing? We don’t really talk about him much these days
I know he had a bit of a slow start
Great to hear on orsic
Hopefully his knee feels strong and a couple months to get in game shape!
These next two months before a major tournament are torture. Constantly checking when and why our guys get subbed out of a game, praying it’s not an injury. Fine line between wanting our guys to play steady minutes and staying healthy. I’m ok with Luka getting the last 20′ of a game with a start sprinkled in here and there. Biggest concern is what the hell is going on with Perisic, and the form of our back line. June will be here before you know it.
https://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/2024/march/pedro-s-spain-recall-brilliant-and-well-deserved-ange/
Spurs’ Pedro Porro RB called up for Spain
Well deserved – he’s been excellent for Spurs this year – excellent passing ability / vision / good offensive (and link-up with those around / in-front of him) / much improved on defensive side
TBD if he can surpass Dani Carvajal (32) and Jesus Navas (38) in pecking order by Germany – but looks like he’s the heir apparent (as things currently stand)
Would love to see him play against Croatia (I’m sure Spain has realized who our (lack of) options are on left side – and see good match-up potential there)
Spain also called up a 17 y.o. CB Pau Cubarsí (from U17 straight to senior) – while we still have Luka Vuskovic “stuck” w the U17…
Are you high or something? This is CROATIANsports.com weirdo.
https://www.goalstube.online/2024/03/heerenveen-feyenoord.html?m=m2
Lovely cross from Ivanusec. That’s 3 assists in his last 4 games. It looks like he’s rounding into form after his injury.
Good news.
We’re thin on the left side with Perisic and Orsic out.
But if Ivanusec is fit and can play 90 minutes, then we shouldn’t have a problem there. He was great for us in 2023 before he got injured.
Been watching Feyenoord. No doubt about it. Ivanusec is definitely rounding into better form last few games.
News not so good with Ajax today. Sutalo and Sosa both out of the lineup. The commentators say they are injured, Sutalo apparently injured in the 4-0 loss to Aston Villa in Conference League. With the back line depleted, Medic still did not draw into starting line up. They moved Henderson to the back line….
We need our Dutch contingent to really take shape
As much as we need all the other pieces
If Sosa, sutalo and ivanusec come into euro playing to their highest level we got some questions really answered
We have a good target man in budimir. We need sosa to budimir to start connecting and this can work over Italy and Spain I feel
Remember when all we did was try to cross it in and head it for a while
I hope we can add that piece again
Krama is not that guy to get fed for headers and junk as we all know
Budimir is a junk guy. Pasalic for me is a junk guy
They can seemingly finish the trash and are strong and big enough in the box
Again from what I can see with my layman footy knowledge
I think we talked about krama and budimir together
Is there a world where it would work to have budimir and petko upfront together Petko kind of playing as more or a setup guy like krama
Or do we lose too much elsewhere?
Just asking to make some convo
If yours is layman footy knowledge, it is at the very high side of that range. I’m at the lower side, but enjoy reading this board over the past couple of years and learning more from all the deep knowledge that hangs around here.
I like your ongoing thesis that players who have played together for some time, on the same club team, give you something just a little extra when they are on the field together. You and I have seen the phenomena deeply rooted in NHL hockey, the many famous lines and linemate combinations over the decades, which might contribute to why we think this way.
The Orsic-Petko combination strikes me as something like that. Against Brazil, they just seemed to know who was going where as Orsic flies down the left side, and then you create that quality opportunity that turns into a huge goal. (On the other hand, Budimir was also on the field at the time….)
I am not sure we go with both Budimir and Petko on the field together to start a game. Maybe we lose too much elsewhere.
I think probably better to start with Budimir right now given La Liga form, with the idea that Sosa and/or Ivanusec can give some quality crosses/service to Budimir from the left side, and then if Orsic is ready to go, maybe save Petko-Orsic off the bench as supersubs.
But others here know much more about these things…
Thanks for the kind words friend
Hockey is a crazy game as line combinations and strategies change more then a football match or at least much more on the fly
But ya we can’t negate the connection a couple players can get
I’m a Vancouver boy and if anyone watched the sedin twins play. By themselves they were obviously talented but together it was another level
So ya if we had 4-5 of our guys on a good team playing in Europa or champions league regularly
My Commodore 64 says chances are it would carry over to the repka
If sosa played with budimir everyday for a year and knew where he could hit that cross as he knew more or less where he would be, how can that not be advantageous
Niko Kovac gets the boot at Wolfsburg. Not surprising considering the bad results over the last few months. We’ll see what happens with Majer when the new coach is appointed? even with Kovac he was not always a regular starter, we can only hope that he is not relegated to the bench with EURO just a few months away.
Majer didn’t seem like a Kovac type of player.
Kovac likes the Rebic types.
Doesn’t really value technique and creativity, if it comes at the expense of hustle.
Do you think this is why kovac just can’t last long a as a coach?
He gets them firing and working hard then sort of when that sputters has a tough time with match ups and the more finer technical side?
Friendlies leading up to Euro 2024
Italy – Turkey / Bosnia (ahead of Albania) – makes sense
Albania – Liechtenstein / Azerbaijan (ahead of Italy) – whatever
Croatia – N Macedonia / Portugal (ahead of Spain) – makes sense
Spain – Andorra (ahead of Croatia) – WOW
So Spain going to prepare for Croatia by netting 10 against Andorra ? lol
Major disrespect by Spain against Croatia (i.e. that they aren’t playing a serious team ahead of us)
On par w/ Canada coach saying we’re going to [u know what] Croatia
Croatia should pin this up in the dressing room
I wouldn’t put too much into this.
Spain probably want to avoid injury and have a simple warmup before the tournament.
I, too, don’t want to get into some competitive matchup with Portugal (with Luka probably wanting to play heavy minutes against Ronaldo) or some physical Balkan matchup with Macedonia where someone gets injured on some muddy pitch.
I hear you
I think these friendlies come down to the coaches / federation agreeing ahead of the game on the intensity (e.g. tackling), how long the starting 11 will stay on, how many subs they plan to use, etc
Hopefully we’re smart and agree on “lower-impact” games – agree it’s crazy if Modric goes full-tilt vs. Ronaldo
In some ways you could argue Andorra is also high-risk – as not sure they have much by way of tactics – if one of their players wants to make a name for themselves they could go in for some heavy challenges – so there is still risk playing them (aside from the random injuries like Pjaca when he did his knee the first time on that friendly bc the pitch was terrible)
I hate friendlies so close to the tournament (but know why they do them) – just asking for an injury – probably better to focus on “inter-squad games” in your own training
https://www.goalstube.online/2024/03/wolfsburg-fc-augsburg.html?m=m4
Here are Jakic’s goals. The 2nd is a result of poor goalkeeping.
https://www.goalstube.online/2024/03/udinese-torino.html?m=m2
Here’s Vlasic’s goal. He did well to create it but the shot was terrible. Lucky for him the goaltending was worse🤣.
https://streamin.me/v/c234b686
Here’s Budimir’s goal. He did well to bang it in.
What a nice game put together by Kova and josko. They were both great but Kova was flawless, nice to see his game come together.
Great to hear
He really is on of those guys that seems a bit streaky… on his day he’s like a top 10 midfielder
On another day….
Raketa and luka could more consistently bring it for club. While kova while not that far off their talent level just can’t seem to string it together long enough
Let’s hope his 30-35 age is the time he hits that Croatian vintage time
I’d rather focus on Marty McBaturina
Back to the future baby
Yes I hope he can be the next golden one
He does seem like his progression is fairly uphill
I had hoped for him to be the next best luka and sucic to be the next raketa quality
But sucic may have joints of my baba who passed it on to me;)
Baturina is pretty solid already.
Sucic looks good, but we’ll see how things go for him.
Remember, we also have Zvonarek who is on the bench at Bayern. If he gets regular time at Bayern, then he’ll probably surpass Sucic as a prospect already (and being three years younger too). To be honest, I like what I’m seeing from Dinamo’s Sucic too.
We also have some really interesting prospects on our U19 HNL teams, and even in the diaspora lately. I’m sure one of them will pan out.
Most important thing is getting regular playing time, which most of them are doing.
Kovacic, Ivanusec, Majer are good stop-gap midfielders in case some of these youngsters take longer to develop…but either way, we will always be solid in the midfield. I’m not worried about this area.
I want to see some more sure fire wingers coming up the pipeline. We seem to have quite a collection of young strikers, and only one really needs to pan out. But I want to see more wingers.
I like Brajkovic as a prospect. He did great at the U19 Youth League, but Hajduk needs to give him some minutes like they were doing earlier in the year. Now, they’ve been loading up on the wing with older vet guys like Mikanović, Brekalo and now this Morroccan guy. All these vets…and for what? To choke and finish second or third in the league anyway?
I don’t want this to become a thing where we’re committing to these vets on multiyear contracts, and Brajkovic rots on the B team. At least Dinamo loans their players out to decent HNL teams. Hajduk unfortunately sends them off to Slovenia or other lesser leagues.
Well, at least we have Belinho as our next Richarlison on the wing. 😉
I’m gonna start calling him
Marty Batina cause he gonna lay the beat downs
See if it sticks
I know it’s not a pee alot aca or whatever the dumb degrading Nick names the truth or whoever uses
I read this tweet online saying that budimir is really hard to push around in the box
We just need him to be a poor man’s mandzo for one month and we may be ok with the supporting scorers around him