Starting Vatreni center-back Domagoj Vida was substituted out of the game in the first half of Croatia’s 1-1 draw with Portugal Thursday night. While chasing down a Portuguese attacker making a break towards the Croatian goal, Vida slide tackled to thwart the threat, but in the process, had a full speed Lovre Kalinić kick him in the arm.
Vida stayed in the game but looked uninterested the rest of the way as he was responsible in guarding Besiktas teammate Pepe on the header goal he scored to equalize the game. Vida fell to the ground and was stretchered off the field but it is unclear why he couldn’t walk off the pitch under his own power since it was an arm injury. However, 24Sata has reported that Vida will be ready to go on Tuesday for the Spain UEFA Nations League opening match.
Vida injury: pic.twitter.com/elAZlaZlpj
Here is what I think; Nations league is for real! It’s about expanding our brand at this point, feed the momentum. England and Spain are good, but we can play with them, and all 5+Million Hrvati believe that. Issue at hand is striker, wing and defense.
Vrsaljko looked a step slow, Modric has nothing to prove and Livaja is cocky. Basic analyses will suggest that badelj is on the bench, pjaca has potential, Barisic is solid. Kovačić needs to find his nitch; either Hamšik combo or full time off the bench instigator. Kalinić is the truth and I just hope that 2 out of our cb combo workout.
We need a backup right back and left back! We need fullbacks!!
Borna Sosa could blow up, or not. I hope we get a stud left back for 2 generations rather than having another suker level talent at forward. My opinion and own Hope is we beat the gypsies and brits home and away and claim the crown in 202o!!
Pivaric over Barisic. He was decent at the WC.
I honestly don’t see us doing a damn thing with our current strikers.
So I asked this before the Portugal game and I am now even more curious as to what everyone thinks here. Who should play Left-back and who should be the Striker vs. Spain? Barisic vs. Pivaric and Livaja vs. Santini. I’m still really torn between both because they offer very different strengths and weaknesses.
Also, from what little I saw, Spain and England both looked very beatable.
Sorry Iceland has key injuries to their starters.
Next for Spain the checkered menace .
Switzerland defeated Iceland 6:0 maybe out World Cup group was very easy.
Yea, De Gea caught the ball and flew into Welbeck, who seemed to be just standing there.
Reminds me of 2014 when we played Brazil and Olić jumped straight upward and was called for a foul because the keeper sloppily flew into him and fell on the floor. De Gea did the same thing.
They gave England 11 minutes of injury time to tie it up, and De Gea almost let them.
He’s such an overrated keeper.
UNL is more real than I thought.
UEFA made a big time move with this idea.
Spain match is going to be on fire.
England is crazy predictable and Spain lull themselves to sleep at times.
It’s a blessing to get to play these quality sides.
That looked to be a legitimate goal by Wellbeck?
De Gea jumped and landed on him and then lost the ball.
Kalinic would have gobbled that up!
England Spain is on UniMas if any wants to watch on TV
Euro 2020 qualifying will be the easiest ever.
Top two teams go on, and so long as we don’t finish bottom two in the entire League A, we will be a top seeded team when they draw the Euro 2020 groups next year.
Dalić is also putting all his focus on Euro, so we’re good.
Still… I’m greedy and want this damn Nations League trophy. Would be nice to be the first ever winners.
Nations League is connected to Euro 2020 so it starts with Spain. Our future hopes are bench riders Coric,Halilovic,Jedvaj. We might lose to both Spain and England either way we still finished 2nd at a World Cup even if we go bad for the next 10 years still happy with our recent achievement.
I don’t want us losing to Spain and England (after getting the last laugh on both of them).
At the same time, Dalić is absolutely right in placing the priority on Euro 2020.
You definitely want to start preparing now, and ensure that chemistry is developed between players over these next two years (and not a month before the tournament, which is what we’ve done in the past).
But still, I do hope we play well at the Nations League as well.
Livaja looks like he is a meat head.
if i could just add that coaches have tactical ideas which they come up with to solve situations that have maybe caused problems in the past in tournaments. so they think about it. then they have 3 days to suggest it to the players and then try it out during the friendly. so in this game in noticed some new things for example, at one point livaja was marking neves in midfield, as false 9 sometimes can, with modric and kovacic and eventually also badelj were all ahead of him pressing the portuguese back line. the purpose being to apply pressure high up the pitch with out losing your man-to-man marking on their deep lying playmaker. also allowing our wingers to stay in a position protecting our full backs on the flanks. so it was kind of a counter intuitive, back to front, pressing strategy.
also with the ball they were trying to play more Sarri ball style. quick pass pass run pass…..
so these things take time to research and develop. it wasn’t a friendly it was practice match
I don’t think that Dalic is taking the little tournament that seriously. He recently said something along those lines in an interview. He’s saying that he wants to focus more on long term development and being ready for 2020. If he was taking it seriously; I’m sure he’d re-invite Caleta-Car back over a guy like Milic and Brekalo over a guy like Cop.
@ BZ
You’re right ..
But Man Jedvaj went Depeche Mode on us.
Also from a defender it looks even worse.
Hey you want to be a cockatoo then you better be doing it in the attacking third making scoring plays.
I admit superficial on my part but threw me for a loop.
I promise to be focused for Spain on Tuesday!
Unbelievable: Bordeaux President Martin admits that Croatian midfielder Toma Basic was accidentally left of their Europa League squad list because they forgot to add him. He will now not play in Europe this season.
Budala!!
I am on a holy crusade to ensure that every nogometaš world wide is respected and recognized for being AWESOME!
Tuesday begins a new cihapter in our EPIC journey to being European Champions!!
Calling Stef a yugo is ridiculous.
@Soul-you usually distance yourself from appearance comments, but I don’t. I cannot stand when soccer players have bangs that they need to keep sweeping to the side, so they can see the ball.
Either grow it out and put a Modric band on or go full Simunic.
The team was only playing at 70% to 75% of their capabilities…
At any rate, Buckle up folks, ’cause come this Tuesday Vatreni are gonna go FULL THROTTLE!
@ Truth
LMFAO !!
Bro .. I had to take a double take .. I thought someone hacked the feed and photoshopped his hair do?
Now that we conquered our mental midget disease can we start to work on image marketing?
No .. really .. it takes something to be a global icon.
Modric is just now being recognized after 5 straight years of world class play.
Love to see Kovačić play great this year at Chelsea FC, and sign some cool commercial deals.
Bre Stef has a very nice Serb mentality.
Goku who you calling a Yugo? Buddy only if you knew, I think you’d be retracting those words quickly.
I’m frustrated with yesterday’s display because of that Portuguese monkey we can’t get off our backs. It’s important we break that shitty loss/tie streak once and for all.
@Iggy
Hard to assume that.
That wasn’t a Nations League game.
Goku
so i take it we’re dicking around this nations league thingy?
Yea i heard he brought a pic of Nick Carter to the barber and said, ” iiiiiiiiii want it thaaaaat way”
@ Ziva
Once a blue moon you are actually quasi clever and funny ..
Jedvaj haircut ??
Trip to the frizerski salon??
Stef; Dalic left out a perfectly healthy Brozovic and Rakitic. I think that tells you a lot about how seriously he took this game.
That said, I was extremely impressed by Barisic. Confident on the ball, great timing on his tackling and overall composure. We have to find a way to play Kovacic. Santini>Livaja. Everyone else went for a light jog in Faro.
Stef is just a bandwagon yug0
@ Stef
Croatia never plays well unless it is a bigger
Opponent and on stage. You know this.
Nothing more than going through the motions yesterday.
Not much be taken from it.
A September friendly is like kissing your sister.
http://www.espn.com/soccer/real-madrid/story/3626266/cristiano-ronaldo-congratulated-luka-modric-on-deserved-uefa-award
Yesterday’s game was Peru worthless as Croatia and Portugal were largely uninterested and i can’t blame them
No questions were answered
And the only question created was whether tin jedvaj had joined the backstreet boys
Wow in Stef’s mind Croatia have gone from heros to zeros after 1 friendly.
If they play anything like yesterday I’m not interested in watching that game. Yesterday was a complete disgrace! They were dominated by Portugal. If it wasn’t for Kalinic it could have been much worse. The strikers had 0 presence on the field and Pjaca continues with his invisible display. Should have called Brekalo for the game vs Spain if Rebic is not ready.
While we’re on the topic of CBs. My post never got posted on the last thread. While there isn’t much info on the Bayern Munich Junior’s team captain, Josip Stanisic (18).
The German born Marin Pongracic (20) is playing for RB Salzburg and the Croatia U21s.
https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/josip-stanisic/profil/spieler/483046
https://www.transfermarkt.com/marin-pongracic/profil/spieler/282144
Kramaric played over 45 min last week and scored a goal. Does anyone know if Rakitic and Kramaric are playing on Tues?
24sata says he will play vs spain
Should be fine?
http://hns-cff.hr/news/18713/ozljeda-domagoja-vide-nije-teze-naravi/