Luka Modrić scored an 85′ winner for AC Milan Friday night in a slim 2-1 victory over Pisa on the road. The midfield maestro played a messy give-n-go with Ricci which somehow missed all the Pisa defenders in the box. Modrić would find himself wide open from seven yards out to poke home the winner. The victory now moves AC Milan back to five points behind leaders Inter Milan with 14 matches remaining in the Serie A season. Modrić received 8.4 MOTM honors from SOFAScore with SempreMilan saying, “The reality is that it wasn’t the best performance from him, with more misplaced passes and lost balls than usual. However, the goal means so much for Milan and it was a proper take the bull by the horns moment. So so important, and he was also good apart from the aforementioned mistakes.”
Nikola Vlašić scored his 6th goal of the Serie A Sunday in a 2-1 Torino loss to Bologna. Vlašić took down a parried ball at the top of the box and nutmeg’d the defender to free the goalie to equalize the game at 1-1 in the 62nd minute. He now has 6G/3A on the season as Torino now only sit six points above the relegation zone. It will be interesting to see who finishes the Serie A season stronger between Vlašić and Baturina. My guess is it will be Baturina.
Luka Vušković played the full 90 minutes for Hamburg and picked up a yellow card in a huge 3-2 win over Union Berlin. It was not his best game my any means with a 6.4 SOFAScore rating, however, his efforts have helped Hamburg climb to 9th on the Bundesliga table after the club’s promotion last season.
Marko Pjaca scored in FC Twente’s 1-1 draw vs. Telstar Saturday.
I don’t remember when people started to believe that Modric will be great. It seems like even when he went to Real Madrid, people wondered if he would fail, or if he would flop.
Do we have another Modrics’ amongst the new players, that we maybe under appreciating. I sure hope so, and I so bad want to say the answer is yes.
It seems to me Modric clearly had made it against Spain in the Euros, when he hit that cross to Rakitic on his outside left foot. Rakitic did not score but the beautiful of the passing and brilliance on display in that game will never be forgotten. Modric was the facilitator general, at his peak, and standard of excellence when it came to this in the league at the time.
Who is the next Croatian Modric, and will he be part of the diaspora, having no desire or connection to play for the checkers.
The way our Midfield controlled the ball and possession was such a pleasure to see in 2018.
I think our hope in such excellence moving forward is in our new developing backline, which will shut down opponents, and then quickly strike with these new recruits, whose quality is yet to be discovered or displayed fully.
Laku noc, Sanjaj lijepo
Anonymous has read the comments about formation / personnel
Agree 3-5-2 SHOULD be tried in order to play to LV’s strength – but Dalic has PTSD from playing 3 at the back – and the last time he tried it (and changed it at HT) he said he’s never playing it again – hence why Anonymous initially suggested the 4 at the back (which you’ve landed on as consensus)
@Crnkovic raises some good point (not surprisingly) – and mentions Dalic needs to have a Plan B if Croatia gets pinned back (like vs. Spain Euro 2024) i.e. the long-ball downfield – at Euro2024 we had front 3 Krama, Budimir, Majer – all snails – so that Plan B was not an option – as such hopefully Dalic has learned – and realizes this Plan B could be an option with Baturina, [mobile striker], Jagusic – this Plan B is key and we saw at the last Euros that having Budimir up there eliminates it as an option (but Budimir could be a good sub – when England CBs are tired – and if Croatia needs a goal – see Perisic role below)
All things considered Anonymous has revised the starting XI for England – Anonymous has replaced Vlasic with Krama (with Vlasic as first sub for Krama who won’t last 90 minutes vs. England) – as Dalic won’t sit all the geriatrics (although Anonymous thinks it works better with Vlasic) – however, Baturina and Jagusic still start ahead of Perisic – if u think about it – this makes sense – as whoever of them is not performing and/or getting gassed comes off and Perisic comes on for impact (able to play either LHS or RHS)
Starting XI
[mobile striker]
Baturina – Jagusic
Krama
Pero
Modric
Stanisic LCB Vuskovic Jakic
Livakovic
Second XI
Budimir
Perisic – Perisic/Marco P
Vlasic/Mario Pasalic
Kova/Moro
LB LCB RCB RB
Keeper
Even with Pavlidis struggling in a 1-0 match vs Real Madrid, Ivanović still didn’t come off the bench for Benefica in their Champions League match today.
Anonymous did mention that going from USG to Benfica is a WC year was a huge risk (remember Benfica almost didn’t even qualify for the CL) and the previous manager bought Franjo – but bad luck Mourihno comes in
Can we expect Jaga to make the team as the token young buck ?
I would have said vuskovic but he has cemented himself as a proper position and not the token slot
If Jaga wins a starting spot at PAO and continues to play well throughout the year, then yes, he’ll probably be a late addition (even over a guy like Ivanović).
Playing (and starting) in the Greek league gives him more legitimacy in Dalić’s eyes over starting for Slaven Belupo.
When has Croatia ever had a “token young buck” ???
We’ve had a token Brazilian (Sammir) but never took a young player along just for the ride
In any event, read Anonymous’ eye test below, and put some respect on Jaga’s name – IF (big IF) be continues to progress – he could be a starter at the WC (taking over the role we thought Wedding Boy was going to have)
Dario Šimić for Euro ‘96.
Igor Tudor and Anthony Šerić for France ‘98.
Luka Modrić for WC2006.
Nikola Kalinić for Euro2008.
Kova for WC2014.
Ante Ćorić for Euro 2016.
You forgot Olic 2002 too!
But all of those became mainstays in the NT in the years that followed (and some played in those tournaments eg Modric 2006, Olic 2002) – save Coric and I guess Seric
Ie they weren’t “token” – they were there on merit – “token” sounds like some quota that the NT needs a young player for the fun of it
Jaga deserves to be there on merit of what he’s achieved – i like Olic as the precedent – he only played for NK Zagreb in 2001-2002 (yes he led the league in scoring) but that was good enough to go to the WC and win the game vs Italy (and get minutes away from Suker and Boksic)
2026 Jaga is 2002 Olic
However, the argument for Jaga not to start has to be that there is another right-side #10/inside forward that’s doing better – let me know how Mario Pasalic did yesterday vs Dortmund (he played that position) look at his passing map most were sideways or backwards lol and not a lot of progression bc he lacks pace (this is the same we’ll face vs England in June)….
With a 3 man back line Hamburg and Vuskovic seems exposed many time against Berlin. They were lucky to get a win.
Yes, I agree best we play best with 4231, defensive posture, would be better. Rather be the one counter attacking, then continually overreaching and exposing.
Mono Lisica already with 29′
Only 2.5 months out
Not as severe as Maminjo predicted
Hopefully he stops kissing on infected girls
Anonymous is disgusted by DDB – he never passes (is the assist to Vidovic the first pass this year?) and always complains if he doesn’t get a pass – who the F does he think he is ? You notice when Zajc scores and DDB comes over (reluctantly) he turns away from him lol. On DDB’s goal – I mean the Istra player headed the ball right to him – and he’s celebrating like Mario scoring the winner vs. England in 2018 lol. Anonymous refuses to watch any NT games if he’s on the field.
What’s happened to Valincic ?? He’s anonymous since he’s come back. Has he lost his ability to bomb down the flank ? Mono Lisica looks like he’s fully recovered his pace. Stojko looked lively (is he ahead of Fruk yet in NT pecking order?)
Will quickly watch Rijeka
Fruk still ahead of Stojko
The thing is the HNL is so slow and simple with no patterns of play – that might be why Fruk hasn’t been able to translate to looking good on the NT – in the HNL he has so much time to do his little “Krama-like” moves with the ball or so much space on the ball he’s trying shots from 30 yards out – at the NT level the intensity of the game is higher and time on the ball less so he has struggled to perform at that higher level
A bit more from Barisic vs. Valincic – Barisic didn’t really stand out either, but a bit more active – but looking at him – suspect there is a player in there – not saying he’s going to be NT caliber – but to keep eyes on
Teo Barisic still getting that “diaspora privilege” I see 🙂
Ha !
Guilty as charged 🙂
Something about a French-born Croat that is intriguing (as it’s some a rarity / novelty)
He’s got to be decent to survive at Lyon so long – and unless Valincic can get his skates back on – what other young RB do we have to put on the list as potential starters for 2030 ? 😉
Ante’s WET DREAM starts today 😉
Igor Tudor’s first interview as Hotspur Head Coach
x.com/SpursOfficial/status/2023729969491578928
He’s more articulate and has a surprising level of inteilligence
Another tough day for Barca 2 CBs
They let in 2 goals vs. Girona
I guess they know Luka Vuskovic is coming and it’s unsettled them
CB eat CB world
I wonder if Modric retires immediately after this tournament or not.
If he must retire, it would probably be nice to do it in the Croatia vs Spain Nations League game on October 6th.
Seems appropriate to retire at home, in Zagreb, while playing against the country where he spent most of his career in.
Funny thing is he also played in England, and we would be playing them three days earlier in England.
This Nations League could be quite an appropriate farewell tour for Modric.
Do you think Luka Modric is coaching material going forward.
I would think the same vision that made a good general on the field, would make him a good general off the field, from the sidelines.
He would have respect of all future players.
A lot of people have had negative things to say about Davor Suker on this website, but don’t know enough about him to comment.
Has anyone been to his Vegas restaurant?
I wouldn’t make that assumption that Modric is a good coach.
Lots of National Team legends (like Andrea Pirlo) are mediocre coaches. It would be foolish to give him the keys to the National Team without trying his hand with a club (like Dinamo) or even the U21s.
Re: Suker’s restaurant…
Funny you mention Suker’s restaurant. I was looking for it the other day online, and it’s nowhere to be found.
Unless I am mistaken, I think some Romanian restaurant is located on Google Maps where Suker’s restaurant used to be.
https://www.croatiaweek.com/davor-suker-croatian-restaurant-las-vegas/
It was supposed to be called “Top Bar and Restaurant”. I know there have been issues regarding reduced foot traffic in Las Vegas. Apparently, it is not the bargain it used to be and people can’t afford it anymore.
Dalic / Nose-Pickers –
U guys heading to Greece soon ?
Find below an article detailing the all the Croats who played in the Greek SuperLeague this past weekend (btw: Jedvaj looked sharp at least during the Jaga cameo period – no clue about the rest)
https://sportnet.hr/vijesti/623167/nogomet-ostale-lige/jagusic-usao-u-zavrsnici-utakmice-panathinaikosu-tek-bod-protiv-ael-a-remi-paok-a-i-aek-a/
Anonymous’ Olympic Gold Medal Eye Test re: Jagusic cameo vs. Larissa (action by action – suggest u read to the end – as the BEST part comes AFTER the final whistle)
Housekeeping: Jaga’s jersey reads “Jagusic” not “Jagušić” – it’s not that PAO can’t do diacritics – as the Serb Pantović is Pantović (not Pantovic) and Duričić is Duričić (not Duricic, albeit he is missing the “Đ”) – even the Polish Świderski is Świderski (not Swiderski) – it’s the dirty Greeks playing their dirty and deliberate passive-aggressive tricks against the Croats (once again) – needless the say it’s highly offensive and completely unacceptable to not just poor Jaga but the entire Croatia Nation and every Croatian in the World [@Mart: why didn’t you pick this up,?🤷♂️]
81:07 – camera pans to Jaga, the staff is trying to find his kit to put on (Anonymous suspects one of his dirty Greek teammates trying to sabotage Jaga by hiding his kit, but eventually they find a back-up one – dirty Greeks!) but Jaga is locked-in ready to go, you can see it on his face, the dirty Greeks trick isn’t phasing him one bit
81:57 – Rafa is giving Jaga a tactics/pep talk with his arm around his shoulder before he goes on – Jaga is locked-in and ready to go and acknowledges the instructions (no eye contacted needed, Jaga is focused on the field) – Rafa ends the talk with a little encouraging tab on his face and pushes Jaga to the 4th ref to get on the field – Jaga’s ready
82:55 – Jaga enters – like-for-like swap with 24.66 y/o Argentinian Taborda (never played for any Argentina juniors nor NTs)
Mart is correct – the SuperLeague is MUCH quicker and more intricate than the HNL – players are actually running around – the combination play b/w teammates is intricate, as is their fluidity with changing positions with each other on the field (similar to how Croatia NT has played at it’s best) and the passing swift and efficient – Anonymous was surprised – this is a massive step-up from HNL (and in particular Belupo) – but if Anonymous didn’t know Jaga was at the HNL/Belupo Anonymous wouldn’t have gotten this impression based on the cameo – meaning, Jaga looked already perfectly up to speed of play and actions required – in fact he was at times leading the action and almost (but not quite yet) looked a step AHEAD of the play – have to say this (if I compare how out-of-place Baturina was at Como at the beginning – it was painful to watch) – for Jaga it’s a seamless transition, like he belongs at this level and has been playing at it for a long-time – this in itself is UNBELIEVABLE given he’s had like a week of training / learning tactics and getting to know his teammate and he’s already picked it up – UN F-ING BELIEVABLE – ELITE ELITE ELITE FOOTBALL IQ (especially compare/contrast to Baturina @ Como)
Now let’s get down to the actions – Anonymous knows everyone (especially Mart) is waiting for it !!!
85:36 – Jaga first touch !!! Prior to this Jaga was running around smartly (per Rafa’s tactics/instructions) trying to find space vertically in b/w the lines (i.e. defensive vs. midfield) as well as trying to find space horizontally, especially in the half-spaces, in b/w defenders, off the defenders shoulders (“blind-spots”), etc – it would be instructive if people watch how intelligent his movement and intent is b/w 82:55 and 85:36 – Jaga found space in the middle of THREE opponents (including pulling in a CB and LB into him, and hence they are out of position) – receives the ball and recycles it back to another defender
86:12 – Jaga 2nd touch – he picks up the ball centrally and takes it out to the wing – when the full back makes a run down the wing – look at 86:17 – with this movement Jaga has drawn FOUR opponents to that side of the pitch (i.e. LB, LCB, and two midfielders) – that’s the purpose and intent – to draw them to that side, and out of position, and than quickly changes direction and WHIPS a pass to his teammate, when his teammate receives the ball, there are still three opponents out of position – there is intention in every movement/action in Jaga – either to be direct or draw opponent out of position to open space for others
86:24 – Jaga 3rd touch – picks it up centrally – drops the shoulder and shimmies in between two players – one of the defenders gets tight to him – he passes it to the FB – but continues his run – the FB passes back to him (1-2) centrally and Jaga is open with SPACE – the impressive part is again drawing the low-block out of position and thus making space to run into – it’s an incredible sequence (how t f has he picked his up in like a week of training and one previous cameo ? This is NOTHING like Belupo played!!!) – once again, this tells us his football / tactical intelligence is OFF THE CHARTS and he executes with his excellent technique and skill – now when he received the ball back at 86:28 he didn’t receive the pass-back well and the ball was a bit behind him, but he quickly adjusted – touches it away from one defender, than gets past a second defender – he didn’t give up because his first touch was poor – he quickly adjusted and improvised and made it work (this tells us is decision making speed is also OFF THE CHARTS) – he draws THREE opponents to the touchline towards the corner flag – again all three out of position, opening space centrally and passes it to open teammate at 86:37 who gets a terrible cross/shot into the box off but it was Jaga would created this goal-scoring opportunity – Jaga gets a 11/10 on this play from 86:24 to 86:37 – it was sublime and perfect (and this is only after one week at POA – UNREAL)
86:45 – Jaga gets ball back – he recycles it back (he needs a quick breather after the world-class sequence he just produced in the aforementioned)
86:59 – Jaga took on trademark “Belupo in the box position” as a cross came in from the left-side of the pitch, hoping a rebound or deflection comes his way (it never did, but he was there in open space in the box ready to pounce and and bang one in top-corner)
87:00-88:40 – Dirty Greek fakes hamstring injury to time waste
89:04 – building off confidence built above – Jaga runs into open space and again draws defenders out of position and towards him, in this case the defender gets really right, so Jaga receives/stops the ball right his right foot, and immediately NUT-MEGS (!!!!!!) the defender with his left foot – OMG WHAT F TECHNIQUE ON THE BALL – the defender quickly turns and recovers as Jaga tries to get around him on one side and then the other and they duel (Jaga doesn’t give up) and then a PAO teammate comes flying in and presses the defender into the corner and fouls him – OMG what a play by Jaga – it’s incredible and unbelievable this is what he’s doing in a league that is 66.66% higher speed/more intense than HNL/Belupo (per Skegro’s data/stats cited at time of transfer) with ONE WEEK OF TRAINING AND TACTICS INSTRUCTIONS
90:02 – look where Jaga picks up the ball ! He has tracked all the way back to help on defender and picks up the ball – head up – he sees his only his striker open centrally but is 1 vs 4 with four defenders right there with him – so Jaga knows he has to turn around and go back as nothing open and had a little inconsequential slip as he was about to pass the ball but the Larissa player kicked it out of play anyways – when Anonymous talks defensive work-rate, this is what they mean, working HARD AND SMART to be in the right place defensively (it doesn’t mean run around little a headless chicken like a Connor Gallaher lol)
90:30 look where Jaga is when cross goes over his head – he has timed his run and movement to draw the defenders to him – so as the cross goes over his head, the LB was out of position (bc of Jaga) and hence the PAO RB receives the cross and passes it to Jaga who made the run over and JAGA FLICKS THE BALL WITH HIS LEFT FOOT AS IT TRAVELS THRU HIS LEGS WHICH IS A PERFECT PASS TO HIS TEAMMATE BEHIND HIM – do you understand the FOOTBALL/READING IQ he has to be able to create the play (to first run centrally), then go over to support the RB, but as he’s going over he knows his other teammate is moving into space right behind him, so Jaga knows he needs to let the ball travel thru his legs but needs to flick it with his left foot (BLINDLY) and that it will be a pass to his teammate – so clever, what disguise, so intelligent – this is again OFF THIS CHARTS stuff
90:36 continuation of previous – he ran into open-ish space in the half space – receives the ball – turns inside and passes it to his teammate – he follows his own pass – so his teammate passes it back to him (at this point Jaga is in a classical #10 central position) and Jaga one-touch pass into the striker at edge of the box
91:50 Jaga receives in the RHS half-space left foot, followed by another left foot touch dribble past defender – but nothing open so needs to recycle back to Jedvaj – Jaga continued all the way to a LHS #10 position (to draw defenders to stay with him across the field – to create space behind him or force the opponent to keep changing the man-marking) and receives 92:01 and recycles again
92:49 perfect one touch Jaga touch/pass to bombing FB doing an underlapping run
93:01 – Jaga throw-in – unfortunately Rafa had him throw short – so we didn’t get to see one of those patented long-Jaga-throw-ins – Jaga receives ball back on the “RW” and tries the thread a pass b/w two defenders, but not enough whip on the short pass and defender sticks leg out and intercepts it – it was the wrong decision by Jaga as even if pass got through the teammate was covered closely – he should have passed/recycled backwards to #11 – but Jaga doesn’t want to go back – Jaga trying to win the game and time is running out!
94:52 – bc Jaga tracks back (again this is OFF THE CHARTS FOOTBALL INTELLIGENCE AND SMART DEFENSIVE WORK-RATE) – he is in an excellent position when ball is turned over – so he receives the ball and PROGRESSIVE CARRIES IT DOWN THE WING IN OPEN SPACE 38 YARDS (!!!!!) – the whole play is a direct result of Jaga’s intelligence, defensive work-rate and tracking back – that’s what creates the play – the thing is he didn’t NEED to track back (he wasn’t following/covering a specific man) and the opponent was 1 vs 2 for PAO, but he WANTED to track back as his football intelligence told him to be in that position, in the event of a turnover (which there was one), he would be open – so after the 38 YARDS he turns inside and has to hold up for a teammate to catch up centrally – and Jaga’s vision shows him the pass and he WHIPS A PERFECT PASS TO HIS TEAMMATES FOOT WHO IS BOMBING FORWARD – the teammate then passed it to the striker who SCORES – the thing is the STRIKER is a MORON and was offside by a couple of yards – so the goal didn’t count – but Jaga created the play and goal scoring opportunity with his intelligence, reading the play (and where it might evolve), work-rate, picking up the ball, driving forward, passing it to the teammate centrally (and thru four opponents Anonymous might add) – the parallel for the NT ? Jaga same play – Vlasic is running thru centrally – who passes it to Franjo and a goal
96:03 – Jaga receives in half-space – but given his versatility and desire to mix it up so he’s not predictable – this time he decides to take it straight down the wing (as time is running out with 7′ ET !!!!) and tries a cross with his right foot – the ball gets intercepted in the box – but the importance is Jaga has variety in his bag – he can cut inside – he can drive down the wing – he can do everything – and his taking responsibility and trying to win the game – this is also a really clever play as the FB was on the touchline and 99 out of 100 times the play would be for Jaga to pass it to the FB, but Jaga uses the FB position as a decoy/dumb and the opponents are not expecting him to drive down the wing instead – so smart
FULL TIME WHISTLE (I know @Mart probably went to go pee-pee at this point, but Anonymous noticed the camera continues to roll and has a full-picture shot of the entire field so he can see what everyone is doing – Anonymous continued to watch closely as EVERY LAST DETAIL MATTERS !!!!!)
1) Jaga immediately slaps the ground with his right hand in anger bc Jaga wanted to win !!!!! None of his other teammate are doing that, they are walking around, laying on the ground to rest, but Jaga is p’sed off he didn’t score !!! WHAT ELITE MENTALITY – JAGA IS A WINNER WINNER WINNER – and NOT HAPPY WITH THE DRAW
2) Jaga said congrats to a couple of opponents – then noticed the ball was still sitting on the pitch – so he picks up the ball and walks it over to the ref and hands it to him – THIS ALONE IS ALL ANONYMOUS NEEDS TO SEE TO KNOW JAGA IS GOING RIGHT TO THE TOP – in this day and age of young footballers thinking they are all the sh*t and entitled and prima donnas (looking at you Wedding Boy) – young HUMBLE Jaga has manners (see Lewandowski comments about young players not wanting to pick up balls and cones after practice as it’s not their job – even though 40 y/o does it) and is OLD SCHOOL MENTALITY – JAGA HASN’T FORGOTTEN HIS ROOTS – the impressive thing is Anonymous doubts Jaga knows the camera still rolls at this point (and there were no on-field cameras near him) so he’s just doing it as he wants to do it (not some contrived BS for the cameras) – this is the genuine Jaga
Wow. Anonymous you are both absolutely hilarious and also extremely informative. Thanks for the update on Jaga. Also thanks for telling us about the dirty Greek who hid Jaga’s kit. Not many would’ve noticed that!! Lmao 🤣). Brilliant
With pleasure Crnkovic!
It was a bit tricky to see/pick-up given the 1960s boob tube quality stream (the Greeks need to modernize their equipment and start streaming their games properly) but nothing gets past Anonymous when he is locked-in 😉
Looking toward the future…
I am curious if a 3-4-2-1 formation be the best suited for our players.
We succeeded with our pressing in WC2018, and it seems like we have the players with speed who can overload in the attack.
We have a very rare talent in Luka Vuskovic who has the skills of being a strong stopper but also a “libero”. Ideally, we would start Vuskovic in the center (as our “libero”) with two CBs playing with him (one on each side).
We seem to have a conveyor belt of talent coming on (when it comes to CBs) so we could end up with a pretty talented trio back there, allowing us to even slide Gvardiol to that left side in the midfield if we must.
The weakness of this formation is exposing the back three on counters, but Gvardiol has that strength and speed to get back (if he is caught pushing too deep). We just need someone on that right side who can play a similar role.
Further up, Baturina is already thriving in that inner-left #10 role, and if Jagusic continues his trajectory, it seems like he is best suited for that inner-right #10 role. They would compliment each other well, as the two CAMs playing behind the lone striker up top.
It’s really just a matter of who we play on the right side (opposite Gvardiol), who we pair in the central midfield with Petar Sucic (whether it is Kovacic, Luka Sucic or someone else) and which of our young strikers can become that target man up top (Ivanovic, Matanovic, etc.).
Worst case, you can revert to a 5-4-1 against certain teams who have that ability to expose you but there aren’t many teams like this.
Interesting.
Another question along these same lines: can someone explain whether the way AC Milan lines up might fit with our current players?
AC Milan appears (look at Sofascore for an example) to play a 3-5-2, three defenders, five midfielders with Modric in the middle, and two attackers. What about this? . . . Does that line-up fit with our players?
Vuskovic knows three defenders, and can play in the middle of that system so that is a good starting point . . . if Gvardiol is healthy he is on the left and Stanisic is on the right . . . Modric knows the five midfielder set up as he already plays it at AC Milan. We have so many good midfielders, we can easily play five, say Baturina, P Sucic, Modric, Vlasic, Kovacic . . . And then you have two attackers, Budimir and one other. . .
So . . . Does the AC Milan 3-5-2 system potentially work? Given the players’ responsibilities in that system, does it fit our national team? Can someone who understands the game at that level offer an opinion?
Thanks.
Hey. I don’t think anyone here understands the game at international level.
However, in theory there is no reason 352 or 3421 can’t work. As maminjo says, theoretically you should play whichever formation suits the players you have. But….continuity is important and all new systems need time to gel.
So yeah it’s possible to make it work, maybe better in the long run, but for now I think we play best with 4231.
The players are used to it. In my opinion we’ve been playing extremely well for a while now, with krama as a 10.
I’ve heard a lot of people saying our group was easy but in the past we have struggled massively to beat lesser teams. The fluidity and energy in the team recently has been top level. They’ve played very well. Beating Czech 5-1 for example is impressive for any team. If Brazil or Germany beat Czech 5-1 people would be saying wow they are incredible.
I don’t think any big changes are needed at this point. Only make sure the players and team are ready psychologically for the up coming challenge. The bench will be deeper than ever before. Dalic must be ready to use the bench early if things aren’t working. Apart from that we are good.
Oh yeah: The biggest problem we have had is against Spain in euros, second leg against France recently, and against England a couple of times. When they pin us in our own box and we can’t get out. This stops us playing our possession game and we haven’t found a solution yet. This is where most of our preparation should be. Getting plan A (playing out from the back through the press, which requires a lot of bravery and sharp thinking) and plan B (hitting long for the big man, which requires planning, so we have 2 or 3 players quickly close to budi/petkovic/matanovic to get the second ball and start possession there).
These things are fairly basic but they do require everyone to be on the same page and confident. Once the game settles in midfield we will be fine. Modric and pero will run the game. But they can’t do that defending in their own box. I’m also not worried about goal scoring. The players will come up with something in a variety of ways. It’s just making sure we don’t get pinned in our own half again. This is number 1 preparation
We have repeatedly failed whenever trying a 3-man backline. Dalić started putzing around with it during one of the WC qualifiers and made massive changes at halftime with repeated breakdowns and guys open where several goals should have been scored. This coming from a man who rarely admits to mistakes (he admitted it in the post-game press conference as well).
I get your point that this was pre-Vuškovic and before some of the young midfielders had the recent success in Serie A and your wish after this summer’s games.
I’d prefer we stay with a 4-man backline and that the future coach (assuming Dalić leaves) figures why we can’t get the ball to the million strikers we’ve tried after Super Mario retired instead of going back to experiments that have always failed.
Our problem isn’t the formation. It’s the failure to score and have a speedy right midfielder, which a 3-4-2-1 won’t solve.
Well that’s just it.
You play what best suits the players you have.
Dalić went back three, but with the exact same players he would field in a back four formation (makes no sense).
This is all future talk, but it makes sense to look into it soon as our slower skilled guys (Krama, Perišić) are being replaced with skilled speedy guys…and our current teenage phenom successfully operates in a back three in the Bundesliga.
Time flies quickly and this could be our best option as soon as the end of 2026.
I still hope that Modrić still sticks around (even in a bench role) to ensure the transition goes smoothly.
Anonymous’ Olympic Gold Medal Eye Test re: Jagusic cameo vs. Larissa (action by action will follow in separate post)
Recommendation: @Mart please seek a 2nd opinion from another ophthalmologist as you didn’t even pick up they mis-spelt Jaga’s name on his jersey, so how can we trust anything else your eyes tell us ?
Background: Jaga enters at 82:55, the game is 1-1, PAO is going for the win, hence Jaga is brought on to create and take risk, his position was a hybrid #10/Inside Right Forward (the full back is the one who provides width) in a two-player #10 system (whereby a teammate is playing #10/Inside Left Forward)
Punchline: based on 15 min cameo, Anonymous is 1000% sure Jaga will be a #10/Inside Right Forward in the English Premier League (i.e. “English First Tier”) – Anonymous reiterates Chelsea or Igor Tudor’s team as potential teams (Chelsea assumes Palmer moves to Man City as Jaga and him are very similar, although Palmer is better centrally, while Jaga is better off the wing, for now). TBD whether Jaga can become a central #10 in the Premier League (some players are better/more capable of playing centrally e.g. Palmer, Xavi Simons, while others are better off from the half-spaces e.g. Jaga (again for now))
For Dalic / Nose-Pickers: Jaga is playing the same position as Baturina, but on the other side, so if you guys have a brain, you will try them both on the field playing together in the March friendlies – the full-backs (Stanisic and Jakic) will/can provide width down the flanks – you put a “striker” centrally up front (but they need to be “movement-focused” #9 (i.e. not a target man sitting/waiting in the box like a Budimir – someone like Franjo would be perfect (who can also help with a three-man forward line aggressive press vs. England CBs/build-up) – but he’s not playing – maybe Franko (if he scores in Europa – but he’s more “target-man-ish” and seems more a “fox in the box” and not sure he has the pressing energy) or Kulenovic (if he scores in Serie A) – and three in midfield, maybe a 2 man 6/8 pivot, and 1 man as a 8/10 pivot – so it looks like the below (Anonymous watched 20 minutes of Vlasic this w/end (waiting for Kule to enter) and he needs to be on the field at the WC as a starter (yes, Anonymous said starter) – not bc he scored a goal but bc his energy, fight, spirit is elite/top-shelf – he is a warrior fighting and never giving up (and he never seems to have a bad game i.e. he has a good/stable floor) – I think him playing with Baturina and Jagusic just in front and able to combine, along with a striker like Franjo (but he’s not playing) would provide good balance and would work well together
[Franjo]
Baturina Jagusic
Vlasic
Pero
Modric
Stanisic LCB Vuskovic Jakic
Livakovic
English media have Tudor as dead man walking already…he does get passed around more than the Kardashian’s.
Is he too hot headed to coach our national team?
We would play attractive football with him, and he would blow up on some players for sure (maybe kick one off the team).
Whether or not that would yield good results is a complete coin toss.
He’s done pretty good with some teams, but he often fights with management. He would probably get into a fight with the HNS president (Kustic) and abruptly leave like he did with Hajduk.
At the same time, he’s getting older and seems to be calming down with age.
I would put a pin in Tudor as a potential NT coach for the future for sure.
Looking ahead this week . . . An upcoming game that might be flying just a bit under the radar, but that some will want to note on the calendar, is Thursday’s Europa League match up between Panathinaikos and Viktoria Plzen.
Thursday, February 19, noon Pacific Standard Time (9 am on the East Coast).
For many of us, this will be the first real chance to see Jagusic play. Hope he gets the start.
In Canada, Europa League is on DAZN.
Another note of some interest: if Panathinaikos gets by Viktoria Plzen and Dinamo gets by Genk, then I believe Panathinaikos and Dinamo would meet in the next round.
What am I thinking . . . I believe it is noon start West Coast, 3pm on the East Coast . . .
Jaga sadly not in Europa squad
His transfer was one day after the deadline to submit the squad
☹️😢
Maybe if someone gets injured he can be the replacement (not sure)
Disappointing!
I’m actually not too happy about the Nations League draw.
Although I will enjoy watching the fun matches against two top nations in the World…I would prefer to have an easier group as we transition to a new generation and possibly a new coach.
I don’t want us to face two teams in their peak while we’re searching for a new coach, retooling our team, then get relegated, and have it affect our Euro qualification seeding.
We’ve had the benefit of being a seeded team for many tournament qualifiers (especially this really easy one for WC2026) and I don’t want to risk that.
We should still be good even without Modrić, Perišić, Krama, Budimir…but the sudden shock of losing all four of them (especially at the same time) would have us reeling to find a new coach then prep for Spain and England almost immediately after.
Would Dalic really leave after this tournament? He has coached the NT for almost a decade. Most achieved and successful coach. Who’s our substitute? I keep hearing Bilic. He was pretty successful as our coach during the 2007-2012 period. Those England wins that knocked them out of Euro 08 will forever live in my memory. Besides that, he’s accomplished virtually nothing. Is it crazy to say we should search for an international coach?
That team that Bilic had for 2008 Euro imo was one of the best that we had and had it not been for that unlucky loss to Turkey we could have gone on to the final and possibly win it. Prior to the tournament Eduardo also broke his leg.
Bilic was also in charge when we missed qualifying for the 2010 World Cup coming third in our qualifying group behind England and Ukraine.
Personally, I would stay away from foreign coaches even if it means appointing Bilic or possibly Juric.
Fully agree with @Mart.
A Croatian coach much preferred.
One of the great soccer nations of the world—pound for pound, the greatest in the world—can surely always produce a top coach who will want to take on the honour of coaching the national team.
Yea, I would also prefer a Croatian coach. The exceptions would be Kek (Slovenian) or perhaps an Italian coach. But these are neighbors with similar mindsets.
I think Niko Kovac (although Croatian) had more of a German mentality, which did not fly with our players.
If Dalic were to leave at the end of this tournament, Bilic would very likely become the next coach.
Bilic always has great starts…but then he plateaus after a few years.
With Bilic, we looked incredible during Euro2008 qualifying and even the tournament itself (despite losing Eduardo)…but we did miss 2010 (with some injuries of course). We played too safe in 2012 qualifying (Greece) and the tournament itself (Italy) which cost us a bit as well.
So, Bilic is a bit of a mixed bag.
He actually reminds me a lot of Dalic, in that he tries to be too friendly with players (Pranjic handshake incident). But he has a lot more club experience and might have gotten better over the years. We won’t know for sure.
He’s not some head and shoulders pick over Dalic, so I would be largely indifferent whether it was him or Dalic continuing after this tournament.
Edin Terzic would be worth taking the risk on (due to his pedigree) and I would personally take a chance on Matjaz Kek (due to his offensive style and ability to win with little talent) but both of these guys are unlikely selections.
We should see what Dalic accomplishes without Modric. Modric is the manager. Dalic just plays the part of the manager.
If that is the case, why did they need Coach Dalic in lat ‘17 in the last game of qualifiers to qualify just for the playoffs? Let’s give him some credit here. We will miss him when he leaves. Viva Zlatko!
Dalic first game?
Modric describes this in the Bilic podcast
He basically said Dalic came in and asked the players (Modric) what didn’t work and how they wanted to play
Dalic told them to play the way the players (Modric) wanted to play
Modric does credit Dalic for being “calm”
But make no mistake – Modric has been the coach from Dalic’s first game “in charge”
Coach Dalic is just a puppet. How lucky Croatia is to have had such a puppet for 9 years. We need more of these puppets! Viva Zlatko!
Yea, but there is a strong possibility that Dalic strategically leaves when Modric leaves.
Then we’ll never really know if Dalic’s success stems from his own abilities as a coach, or if it’s all just from the “Modric effect”.
Coach Dalic gets some well-deserved credit for the last 9 years. Other than Coach Deschamps, only he has taken his team to the last 2 World Cup semifinals- not a small a feat considering the talent of other national teams. Viva Zlatko!
I don’t think these 4 would retire immediately after the World Cup as they probably would like to finish their time with the National Team at a home game. I guess we will see.
Our next several matches will determine our pre World Cup condition. The post World Cup will also dictate our future when some retirements will happen indefinitely and possibilities with a new coach. The England and Spain fixtures are exactly what we need.
Colombia: Missed the last World Cup but gave England issues in the round of 16 and lost via penalties. The fast and young attacking is their strongest asset. Diaz, Hernandez, Surarez will test our back line and it’s a glimpse to see how the speed will match speed. They drew and beat Colombia in qualifying. That speaks volumes. Also Copa America finalists.
Brazil: They don’t worry be as much as Colombia due to lack of defending and the team is so inconsistent. No Neymar but the forwards now look just good as Colombia or better. They aren’t the same giants as they use to be from 94-02.
Belgium: Declining and struggled in qualifying. Definitely look worse than they did when we played them in Qatar. Courtois is holding that team together. The midfield seems to be decent and above average but no depth like 2018.
If we beat England and get top of the group we get an easier path with a third best place team. That’s the goal cause a second place finish means we get Colombia or Portugal. Either one scares me. Then if we win that match we get Spain in the round of 16. Haven’t had luck with them recently. Only two competitive wins against on them. 3/4 of the Euros are losses against Spain and the last two have been ugly. If by chance we won those two games. We would get a QF matchup against an easier team by the looks of the format. At least we play Colombia in the knockout stages we know how they play from the March game. However, that’s if a second place finish and the pork chops get first. The England game will already tell so much about our tournament. They aren’t going to win shit ever but still worry me a bit. We can handle them. A first place finish would give us so much breathing room and could coast for a bit.
Meant to say they beat and drew Argentina in qualifying and made the copa and lost.
Wikipedia actually breaks it down nicely.
If we top the group, we play an easy third-place opponent in the Round of 32 in Kansas City.
Even though we don’t know for sure which third placed team…you can see that it will very likely be an African or Asian team (strongest team would be Senegal).
After that, we would very likely play Mexico in Mexico City.
It we finish second place in our group, we play the second place team in the Portugal/Colombia group in Toronto.
After this, we would play Spain in Dallas.
This is our likeliest path and it’s probably the worst path for all Pot B teams.
If we finish third, we actually get a slightly easier path. We play the first place team in the Portugal/Colombia group in Atlanta.
After this, we would play (likely) one of Canada, Switzerland or Italy (if they qualify). Whoever of those three top that group.
Kulenovic on the bench already
One game. Maybe it was a strategy change.
Either way, his replacement had a bad game.
There was a period last season when Kulenovic was in great form and deserved to be called up by Dalic. He was not and his chances of being in the squad for the WC are minimal with Matanovic, Musa and even Petkovic ahead of him.
Ivanovic is another player that can forget about going to the WC unless his fortunes at Benfica turn around quickly.
There was never a period when Kulenovic deserved to be a national team player. Scoring goals against Istra does not mean a call up.
Jaga on 83’
They need a goal to salvage win
Bang one in Jaga make us proud!
All up had about 15 mins, one or two good touches with one bad pass and lost possession once. Greek league is a lot quicker than HNL but overall, for the 15 minutes on field he looked OK and we can only hope that he gets more playing time.
@ Tin U
I watched Covic, liked what I saw good touch, typical Croat always standing in right area good movements and high motor and definitely not timid or scared a lot of potential, Very encouraging.
@ Okosokolovo
Yeah that’s pretty much the line up of healthy with either sutalo or pong and either Vušković , Erlic or D-CC.
@ Anonymous
When it comes to Vušković he is they most hyped player I’ve seen, ever on this web site or any web site. I’ve commented on this since beginning I’ve never seen anyone so hyped or talked about on this chat.
On kovacevic I have no idea but I think why not call him in March.
@ Crnkovic
I agree on Pongracic and I think he was better than most think at euro 2024 at the moment based on form he’s ahead of sutalo one of two will play sutalo or pong along with Either Vušković Erlic or D-CC. I think even if by some miracle Gvardiol is back and ready for WC I think he’s on the left. Like okosokolovo line up.
On petkovic 2019 yes 2026 no. Last two seasons petkovic lack of availability is what caused much of Dinamo problems. I have no idea his shape or conditioning currently but I know his lack of professionalism caused his last two seasons to be horrendous. He was always injured. If we had to pick a guy based on partying and banging girls in Zagreb he be # 1 pick.
It’s true he is great for possession again even 2022 I’d agree but 2026 I can’t . who’s gonna run onto the ball? Perisic slow kramaric slow like attacking three of perisic krama and petkovic saddest attacking three in WC.
Perisic is half winger half CM with his lack of speed last few games is the most I’ve seen him pass the ball back to defence he doesn’t take on anyone one on one anymore. Krama forget about it guy is just a lurking 2nd striker. Beljo gives a little bit of what Petkovic has and I think is faster I’d rather have Beljo than Petkovic on roster.
March friendlies will be a contest between Budimir and Musa with Matanovic as the wild card who still has a shot. But I truly think it’s between Budimir and Musa esp based on last qualifiers. Musa overall skill set I think suits our team more and if he has good performances in march and stays in form in MLS I’m ok with it.
But who know in the end there all right there.
👍🏻👍🏻
This is such an accurate and well written comment. We have four games to run trial runs with Musa, Matanovic, Ivanovic. Playing teams like Colombia or Brazil will be challenging enough when they have speed. Players like Perisic or any you listed that are on their way out can’t be expected to do it anymore. There’s only few that can preform at this level at this age and Messi is one of the few. Perisic had one brilliant moment against Japan with that header, Petkovic had that goal last minute to tie against Brazil. It was luck but that’s what happens. Orsic with quality assist too. You can only go so far and have limited success with hasbeens. Spain don’t start Morata cause they have new players. Brazil don’t start Neymar cause they have new players now. If we have new and fresh defence we boast about that can start, why wouldn’t Dalic start the youngsters. Save the older guys for a game we are in dire need of a goal or something else. England and especially Ghana we will require speed.
I can not believe I already forgot about Majer he dissappeared after injury I guess and Kulenovic as a striker option.. Kule is lanky striker similar to Mandzo in disposition.. if he is half as good I’ll take him
With Vlašic scoring another goal for Torino, should Kramarić really be cemented as the starting attacking midfielder for the WC?
10 months ago, I wouldn’t even want him as a backup, let alone in the starting lineup, but he’s proved himself. He’s been used by Dalić as a right midfielder and has been “ok” but I’d rather see a speedster like Marco Pašalić there who can whip in crosses and crack shots from 25 yards out.
Andrej started out as a ball-hog and now is deservedly a legend on the National Team, but if the WC started next month, I don’t know how you justify starting him over Vlašic. It’s not going to happen, but the starting midfielders who would give us the best chance of winning and scoring (a huge issue over the years) would be:
Vlašić
Modrić
Perišic
Marco Pašalić
P Sučić
Nothing embarassing about Andrej and Baturina coming off the bench and providing a spark. We don’t know what we’ll get out of Kovačić since he hasn’t played in ages. Luka Sučić is always hurt and doesn’t have the maturity which is sad because he is gifted (will he even make the WC roster?). Mario Pašalić is strictly a 70th minute guy.
Happy to have vlasic back in form. Always liked him. Humble hardworking kid
Busy weekend but have rolled the tapes on a few games.
Saw Werder v. Bayern from the point Covic was subbed on, in about the 65th minute. He is not a big player like Vuskovic or Igor, but rather brings to mind Modric in his height and weight and in the way he moves around the field, and in his positioning, speed, and mobility. He seemed to be in a defensive midfielder’s role, accelerated well. Works hard getting back to defend. He did not have a lot of touches of the ball, but when he did he was effective, completed his passes . . . He held his own against Bayern, high level competition for an 18 year old. I wouldn’t mind seeing an overall scouting report from one of our experts who posts on this board. Appears to me we have a player with some good potential in Covic.
On the other side of the field, Stanisic was solid but not spectacular . . . classic Stanisic. He started and then was subbed off when Davies came on very late in the game.
Watched Hoffenheim v Freiburg from point Igor Matanovic came onto the field. 3-0 Hoffenheim final. Igor came in about 2/3 of the way through the game. He couldn’t seem to get a break offensively. I thought he pressured the Hoffenheim defenders very well when they had the ball, showed surprising speed and tenacity.
On the other side, was very impressed with Kramaric.
I was in the camp that felt he had perhaps slowed a step but he was fast, could shift direction with lightning speed, excellent dribbler and distributed the ball to his teammates really effectively. Created chances, always dangerous offensively, got back and worked hard when Freiburg had the ball. Krama is the highest scorer on a Hoffenheim team that is third in the Bundesliga standings, and if you combine goals and assists he is highest in that category as well.
Very surprised with how fast, creative, and dangerous he seemed to be in this game. Freiburg is a good side, and Krama stood out in this game. Creates a lot of chances, just seems to have a nose for open space and getting or creating good chances to score. From what I saw he has one more WC in him for sure, and is playing with a lot of confidence.
Nice
Jaga on the f-ing bench for 2pm
Why is the f Greek stream coming thru with same quality as 1960s boob tube ?
😂
Why did Erlic get a red card in 81’ when his team was winning 4-1 – what’s the point ? And now misses 3 games. Sad
What is Igor Tudor going to do with Mr. Small Feet 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣
See Frankfurt’s 3rd goal y’day – this is the antithesis of Luka’s heading ability – the ball comes in and he’s scared and/or completely mis-judges the ball and misses the ball and the striker picks it up and is 1-on-1 with the keeper
Remember – this is a CB bought by Igor Tudor’s team lol (most likely for the marketing angle (but u can’t say that out loud) i.e. huge fan base in Asia/Japan, e.g. kit sales, friendlies in Japan, etc)
Anonymous is very happy that the “Croatian mafia” was successful in highlighting his small feet and hence potentially chronic nature of his plantar fasciitis – sorry (not sorry) but anything and everything to promote and protect our Croatian brate Luka – it’s a CB eat CB world after-all
Oh yeah one more thing. In my opinion petkovic is still our best striker. He has size and skill. He can hold the ball against any defender and pick the right pass. This benefits the other players. He may not score many but he is capable of scoring a goal in any game. His lack of pace is not ideal but if other players run into the space he doesn’t have to. He can be a pivot in attack. When first broke into the NT he was phenomenal, Barcelona were interested. It went to his head and he stopped working hard and out on weight. But the last couple of years he has worked very hard to regain his level. He plays in turkey which is a good league. I haven’t seen any of his play this season. But I’d bet it’s good. He was also captaining his team for a while. He is good, very underrated. He is like the opposite of budimir. I want to see what he can do against Brazil and Colombia. If he is fit and focused he is a better player than our other forwards.
Budimir I like him, he is great, but we know he is limited. Depending on the opposition he is good to either start games aggressively or come off the bench
Franjo doesn’t play
Matanovic is doing well now and I want to see him get minutes but he is not yet proven
Beljo….come on dude, get over yourself, you can still make it to the top but you need to stop sulking and worrying and being flaky. Get on with it
Kulenovic – wildcard
Musa – he is ok/good, Also underrated but Let’s see
Petkovic is the best still
Kovacevic? Be serious
Matkovic – big talent, long way to go
Unfortunately, Bruno has scored only 6 goals this season (in 16 games)…and two of them were PKs (that were won by others on his team).
So, really, he has 4 goals in 16 games (averaging a goal every 207 min) and he hasn’t scored in almost a month now.
Every single striker we have, scores at a higher frequency than him…and many are doing it in better leagues.
I like Petkovic, and I am disappointed with him that he’s nevere taken his fitness seriously. He’s a a big what-if player for us, that would be scoring regularly in La Liga right now if he cared about his career. But he doesn’t.
There is pretty much zero chance he is called up to the National Team by Dalic.
I hear you Maminjo, but petkovic job is not scoring goals. It’s holding the ball to allow his team to control the game and create chances. Also before 2010 World Cup I was talking ti an Italian guy at work, I was saying that Côte diovoire can do well in the World Cup, he said no, he said Ghana would do better. I said Ivory Coast have Drogba etc. he said strikers score lots of goals over a season but at a tournament each game is like a chess match. Scoring 40 goals for Chelsea or Barcelona guarantees nothing at a tournament. During the World Cup it’s far more important to have a strong midfield as it allows you to adapt to the chess match and control the game. You only need a few big goals to go far. You don’t need your striker to score 7 goals. Just 2/3 with other players contributing. He said Ghana will do much better than Ivory Coast because they have a strong midfield (muntari, kwadwo etc) he was right. Ivory Coast went out in the first round. Ghana almost made semi finals. So thats why like I like petkovic, he makes it easier for our midfield to control the game. Goals will come from all over modric 1, pero 1, perisic 2, baturina 1, gvardiol 1, kramaric 2, budimir 1, petkovic 1, pasalic 1 etc
Franko – look at the highlights from y’day – he just “looks” like a NT striker who he is and moves on the pitch (and had a couple of nice chances before they went down to 10 men, and even thereafter) – we can’t dismiss him – he has Europa coming up – let’s see if he can carry them thru a couple of rounds with some goals – n.b. Dalic “over-rates” Europe performance (he has said before it’s important how players play in Europe – of course that’s a dumb – as it’s different playing vs. Arsenal in the CL (like Pero) vs. playing the last place team in Conference League – but that’s Dalic)
***.youtube.com/watch?v=AqDtNcxAbwA
I’m not a big Ivanović fan, but despite not playing he’s still a way better option than Petković.
The Brazil goal was deflected, otherwise the keeper saves it. I was more impressed by him nutmegging someone in that same match and providing a nice pass that was shot wide in Extra Time. I get your point, but your striker needs to be feared and the go-to-guy and not your point guard.
That fact that Budimir is a top goal scorer again in La Liga as was Musa (MLS-haters, give it up please as he was also legit in Portugal), is a poor reflection on the ability of our midfielders and Dalić to get the ball to the strikers. While no one has been near the class of Mandžukic, a large part of the reason we haven’t been able replace him is we no longer get the great service when one of our strikers makes a nice run but doesn’t get the ball.
With the lack of service the past 8 years, even Suker, Eduardo and Bokśic in their prime would have struggled.
For all of his faults, if Livaja had half a brain and was serious about being in shape, he could of still been on the squad.
I can’t believe this comment. Petkovic as our top striker? What did he do besides that equalizer against Brazil? Orsic did all the work and provided the assist. If anything Orsic had a better World Cup than Petkovic. He’s slow, lazy and inconsistent. He also never hits the target. I remember going to Zagreb for a trip and was walking near the zoo and saw Dinamo run by me for warmups. Guess who was last and looked tired? Petkovic lol. Our top striker now is Matanovic. Despite low minutes. He’s young, tall, and can use his body more usefully with headers and aggressive in the 12 yard box. After him it goes Musa, Ivanovic, and then start the oldies or sub them in. Our top midfields are Sucic from Inter, Vlasic, Jakic and the Modric. We need speed to compensate age for speed and youth. Luka went to Milan and was smart with that move. He knew he wouldn’t get minutes at Madrid and needed to stay fresh and look at him now. I’m convinced he’s the only one that is above 30 who would start indefinitely. Not only because he’s our captain, leader and most experienced man but because he works extremely hard and has stayed consistent. If we start players that are near mid 30 or late 30s against Ghana or England we are fucked and in for a suprise.
I watched the whole of inter vs juve and Como vs fiorentina.
Sucic was excellent. He really does everything so well.if someone has sofascore can you put the stats here please?
His passing was accurate and sensible and also creative. He tried to make the difference when he had the chance, almost earnings penalty with outrageous skill on the edge of box. He ran like epic brozovic. He won the ball more than anyone else. He looks very comfortable. He is fantastic. The only negative was that he sometimes drifts too far wide looking for space. He is still learning how to impact the game in every situation, but he is close to being top top player already and improving quickly.
Baturina was excellent. Como kept giving him the ball all the time and his touch and passing were perfect. He is also starting to dribble and force himself on the game. He had a big chance to score, his touch was so good but the shot lacked composure. He continues his progress at a quick rate. If he continues like this he will be ready for a big role in the NT very soon.
Pongracic was really good. He has all the attributes and skill of a top defender. Tall, strong and quick with very good anticipation and his technique is excellent. He made one mistake, he just switched off a bit. Mentally that is not top level. But he is also close to being a super player.
I was impressed by all 3 of them. They are doing VERY well
Excellent. I knew P Sucic and Baturina were going well, but great to hear that Pongracic also has what it takes to help the NT.
One of the things about Pong is that he always seemed to me to play somewhat better in Serie A for his club than he does for the NT. Let’s hope he is ready this time, particularly with Gvardiol potentially still injured and Stanisic being injury prone.
Kotarski
2 goals
1st – he guess way too early in committed/dove in the wrong direction (also you see his first step is out and then to his left – even if he saved it – he would have been called for encroachment and the penalty retaken)
2nd – not sure what he’s doing here – sure it’s a break-away, but 3 defenders are chasing the speedy guy back (who has very lose touches in his dribble) – Kota doesn’t commit aggressively – but he’s in half-way no-mans land – I think the right play would be to go back towards the goal-line – no ? Maminjo ?
***.youtube.com/watch?v=Wrcn74n4bfo
Was Sutalo so desperate to score a goal he boots it into his own net ?
***.youtube.com/watch?v=By3P8eSyRdU
Imagine Luka did this – folks would say send him back to U19s !
Watched 1st half Vuskovic vs. Berlin
Punchline: he’s ready to start against Brazil
Things to clean-up:
U see on first goal he heads the ball back towards his CB teammate and the keeper – this is becoming too predictable – he did it at least 3-4 times in the first 45′ (and I’ve seen him do it in other games as well) – the opposition are catching on and anticipated that’s where he’s going to head it and run into that space – he should save that only for the odd occasion
He tried a bunch of long-balls passes over the opposition defensive live, but his accuracy was lacking – it looked like he was over-hitting it over and over again – however, not sure he was really over-hitting it or there was some confusion in his expectations of when the wingers/forwards would be making runs/chasing the long-balls – suspect a bit of both – maybe they discussed/cleaned this up at HT (hopefully)
Otherwise very nice half by Luka
Ante Suto
2nd goal in 83′ in 3 sub appearances (2x @ CF, 1x @ RW), to make it 2-0
Really nice movement and finding space in the chaotic box as the cross comes in
Looks like he’s playing CF, he’s subbing for CF Dane Scarlett on loan from Igor Tudor’s team (Scarlett still hasn’t scored in 4 games (3 starts), would be funny if Suto takes his spot in the starting XI, let’s see)
***.youtube.com/watch?v=9RTmW0Y_g3E
I see where Patrice Covic was subbed on for Werder Bremen in the 65th minute against Bayern.
He is still only eighteen, four months younger than Vušković. A pretty good test for the youngster, being sent out on the field against Bayern.
Did anyone watch the game and see how he played? If so, could you post a report?
Why dont they use VAR for red cars/second yellows? The Inter dude who took a dive to get the Juve guy sent off was despicable. If anything, HE should’ve gotten a red for diving and 10 match ban. That’s the only way you stop that kinda scumbaggery.
That’s part of the game
Ask any Italian or South American
I’m old enough to remember when simulation was an auto yellow or red card for a while. Need to go back to something like that, but as with all things, be reasonable and not over-zealous about it from either perspective. I remember ppl being sent off for simulation when all that happened was someone fell over/tripped (not a dive) because referees are idiotic. Bit of commonsense would go a long way.
Cro Friendlies starting line
—————————Budimir——————————
——Perisic—————————-—Kramarić——
—————————Kovacic——————————
——————Modric———P.Sucic——————
Gvardiol—————————————Stanisic—
—————–Vuskovic——Sutalo———————
—————-———Livakovic—————————
Subs Would like to see Mario Pasalic get a chance at striker as he’s been a proven scrorer not sure if it’s worth wasting to much space on the other 3 but one of them will be chosen based on form… Ivanovic is a question mark too.. is Orsic or Petkovic still national team calibre?
—————(Matanovic/Beljo/Musa)————
—————————Pasalic——————————
—(Ivanovic/Jagusic)—(M.Pasalic/Lisica)
——Baturina——————————Vlasic———
—————————L.Sucic——————————
——————-Moro———Jakic————————
(Bradaric/Hrgovic)—————(Valincic/JJ)
Pograncic—————————————Smolcic
————————-—(Erlic)——————————
———————DCC———Prpic————————
—————————(Pandur)—————————
—————————Kotarski—————————
Would like to see these crop of players
Sankyou
Interesting post. Your starting lineup is probably pretty close what Dalic has in mind right now for WC.
I would like to see Jagusic get some time playing with the NT in the games leading up to the WC. What Dalic will do likely depends on how it goes in Greece. I suspect his plan is to have Jagusic in the same role Luka Sucic was in 2022 . . . On the bench but not on the field at WC. Jagusic will probably have to make a very strong case for himself in Greece if he wants to get consideration from Dalic.
Another interesting question is who should play as central defenders. Vuskovic is one of our top three defenders, and despite Dalic slow-walking his elevation to the starting eleven, Dalic is smart, smart enough to see that Vuskovic has to play, and that he should be starting against Brazil and Colombia. It seems he has to give Vuskovic a good amount of playing time in those games so that he gets comfortable with the NT before WC officially begins.
Honestly, how didn’t Marin Ljubicic get a shot at Union Berlin this year ?
The Serb Andrej Ilic missed a completely open net just before HT (HSV scored their 2nd immediately after) but looking at Ilic’s stats for the year
In 1521′ this season – he has 1 goal (vs. 4th tier side in the Cup) LMAO
Feel bad for Marin – either this Serb has some kompromat on the Berlin owners or the like – or Marin is really terrible (Anonymous assumes the former is more likely)
Agreed. Ljubicic deserved better than what he got this year from Union Berlin. He had zero starts and two brief appearances in league play. Scored two goals in about twenty minutes of total playing time.
Selected matches Anonymous will keep tabs on
Sat
09:00 Baturina start vs. Pong start
09:30 Luka V starts [JJ out injured] – nice to see Glatzel CF starting (first start since he scored vs. Stuttgart but came off injured after 34′ – he was very good that game) with on-loan Otele moving to LW – would be nice if HSV can score some goals to give their defence a breather
09:30 Krama start vs. Igor bench
09:30 Stanisic starts LB (Davies on the bench – ouch)
10:00 Ante Suto vs. St. Mirren
11:00 Franko vs. Zala [more important mark Feb 19 3pm vs. Ludogorets leg 1]
11:00 Kotarski
14:00 Sutalo
14:45 Biondic
14:45 Pero vs. Juve
15:00 Wedding Boy vs. Real Madrid
Sun
09:30 Jakic
10:00 Bradaric
10:00 Erlic
10:30 Letica
10:30 Prpic
10:45 Darko Nejasmic
11:30 Majer
12:00 KULE & Vlasic vs. Moro
***************❤️❤️❤️14:00 Jagusic vs. Larissa❤️❤️❤️*****************
The good news is Sutalo scored.
The bad news is that he beat his own goalie, scoring on his own net.
Did anyone see the game?
How did he play otherwise?
Any reports from today’s Ajax game?
That was Messi like
“This Modric is promising young talent…… Let’s keep an eye on him”, I overheard the Grand Canyon say to Plitvice falls.
He is peaking @ 40 years old just at the right time. It is a slow decay regression from here.
I heard Croatian boys develop much later in football in particular after the age of forty lol