While some Croatian players are keeping themselves out of the good graces of manager, Zlatko Dalić, (errrrm…Ante Rebić) others are trying to get themselves back in. Šime Vrsaljko has been quiet on the football pitch with injuries since helping solidify the Croatian backline at the 2018 World Cup. He’s currently playing second fiddle off the bench for Atletico Madrid and has not been named to the Croatia squad for qualifiers following the summer break.
However, a small confidence boost struck Vrsaljko Tuesday night in La Liga action and hopefully it can trigger something more for the rest of the season. With the game tied 1-1 between Atletico and Getafe in the 84th minute, Vrsaljko came off the bench and supplied the game-winning assist in injury time seven minutes later. Vrsaljko sent a perfect “spray and pray” ball right on the 6-yard box for Luis Suarez which he headed home for the win. Poor defense can absolutely be chalked up for the goal but how nice is it for Vrsaljko to come on late and help his team grab all three points? If he is healthy in November, he should absolutely get the nod against Malta. The Vatreni have missed his pinpoint crosses from the sideline. At 29 years old, it’s not too late for Vrsaljko to make a nice little comeback.
Pjaca’s goal was a header…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6qlJtgodTs
Time to crowd the box with Pjaca, Pasalic and Budimir. Get Sosa and Juranovic to throw some bombs into the box and see what happens.
😉
I would never write off any player who can offer quality to national team even the forgotten Jedvaj who replaced Carli at lokomotiva moskva and is 7.6 player rating. Vrsaljko if gets playing time is good to have on a team. Rebic situation is his own fault we really dont know whole story just like Kalinic situation 2018.
Pjaca i like him even as joker off bench why not he plays wing and second striker.
The striker situation is trouble some why not call colak again or try petar musa young tall target man
actually, you make a really good point here Miki. If Pjaca could get his form up, I would agree he can contribute off the bench, as a second striker or on the wing.
Wow Pjaca in for Brekalo and scores again for the second time in a row lmfao
Maybe they’ll have to start benching Brekalo and starting Pjaca
Why mess with a good thing? 😉
Keep doing the Pjaca joker thing off the bench and see if it continues.
Maybe he’s the next Nuno Gomes.
2 minutes after Pjaca subs out Brekalo, he scores….second game in a row!!
Pjaca on as sub for Torino, scores moments later for 1-0 lead in 75th or so minute.
Watching Torino play, it is evident that Brekalo’s problem is that he is lazy. He spends most of his time on the field walking around. He doesn’t help on defense, and he doesn’t even run to get into open positions to receive passes. He got a yellow card because he arrived late to a pass because he was waiting, instead of checking to. The guy has a lot of skill, yes. But when you are that lazy, how do you ever expect to win?
Much like his marking against Spain.
Maminjo, this is a great day for you.
Dario Melnjak, Croatia’s favourite left back, just signed for Hajduk….now all Hajduk need to do is bring back Kalinic!
I guess this means that he will be starting again for the National Team during the November games.
……Perisic…………..Kalinic………………Rebic……
………………Modric…………….Kovacic………………
…….Sosa……………Brozovic…………..Stanisic…..
…………….Gvardiol……………Pogracic……………..
…………………………..Ivucic……………………………..
Have you lost your mind???
No god of halilovic??
Kalinic coming back? Are we that desperate for striker? He had two really good seasons in Italy. He’s not that guy…all are you all delusional thinking Rebic and Kalinic are the guys to lead us. Please, they play in a league that’s dominated by one team and isn’t even close to being on the same level as La Liga, Premier or the German. If we want forwards, be patient and wait to see our youth build up. Other then that, keep playing Perisic/Pasalic at wing and have Orsic as our guy. As for Rebic, Kramaric, Brekalo and Petkovic…all are trash and won’t do jack.
Kalinic with both gols for Verona, up 2-1 at half.
Speaking of comebacks, Nikola Kalinić has scored two goals in the first half for Verona today. I think he scored over the weekend too. Any chance he comes back to the repka? I guess Dalić’s main criteria are consistent playing time and team ethic. Can Kalinić develop a good attitude for once?
Budimir is on the standby list because he hasn’t played much at all for Osasuna so far this season. The team is winning without him, too.
YES 100% ABSOLUTELY. He’s scored 2 goals in his last 21 games, he’s exactly what we need!
Honestly haven’t followed any news of this guy since he was at Fiorentina. Just saw his name on the scoreboard 😀
I love sime just as much as the next non homo brate on this site
But I don’t believe he will have much impact for us going forward
Stanisic looks to be such a versatile defender and the fact that Bayern still rates him high even after he chose us is a great sign
I am down with a Pjaca come back
Maybe he will never be the same but maybe his injuries were at a young age and he has learned to adapt and can have some impact for us
A super sub type guy
Pongarcic deserves a call up
I think skoric will be fine for us next couple of games in a schildenfeld type roll but we need to prepare for the future
Dcc, pongarcic
But really how many options do we have on both wing backs now
It’s really a luxury we haven’t had in years
Yea, I think Gvardiol/Pongračić is something that could be a great CB tandem.
I like Ćaleta-Car, but he is a bit slow. Pongračić and Gvardiol both match Ćaleta-Car’s skill level and size… But they’re both fast defenders.
Sosa, Bradarić, Barišić, and Gvardiol can all play LB.
Stanišić, Juranović, and Vrsaljko at RB.
Uremović can be a decent backup CB.
Honestly, that’s 10 defenders right there. These are the players that I would go with in the backline.
Lovren and Vida would be decent backups, but if they can’t handle the demotion, then I would just “retire” them.
Lovro Majer not even on the bench today for Rennes. What gives, is he hurt?
The lineup report at flashscore.com for Sunday’s game v. Marseille said he was unavailable due to hip injury.
https://sempreinter.com/2021/09/22/inters-ivan-perisic-rated-motm-by-italian-media-for-performance-against-fiorentina/
Perisic playing well
I didn’t realize handanovic the keeper for Milan was a Slovenian
How the heck can we not produce a keeper for a top class team
someone help me out here. Danijel Subasic has played a grand total of 14 games since the 2018-2019 season and Hajduk decide’s to sign him and then sell him as “pojacanje”?
Is he damaged goods looking to make a little money or is he still a reliable asset? I wonder if he just screwed some younger keeper out of a job?!
He screwed some younger keeper the same way he screwed us in the Finals by playing injured (because he wanted to play in a Final).
I guess the point to my comment is…”why would Hajduk want him” at this age and at this point in his career when he hasn’t played a single game in over 2 years?
Old boy’s club mentality.
They look out for their own… But at the detriment to the team.
Livaja’s and Lovre Kalinić’s careers were in jeopardy, and Hajduk did them both a favor to help revitalize their careers.
Livaja managed to get his career back on track… And Kalinić ended up costing Hajduk a Europa spot.
I admire the Dalmatinac loyalty, but it’s a stupid way to run a club if you want to win games.
You don’t see Dinamo jumping on Halilović or anything like that. They have their development system, which gives their youth a chance to be promoted and have the same opportunities that Alen had.
I’m waiting for guys like the Sinjski dijamant Ante Vukusic and Tonci Kukoc to come back to the fold… get the entire band back together. Throw in Andrija Balic too while we’re at it.
I have faith that the Hajduk has-been/reject team can win the HNL title!
Rijeka is not immune to this either lol.
Didn’t they bring back Tomecak? They also like their former Hajduk rejects too like Andrijasevic and Tomasov.
Though they seem to do better in maxing out their usefulness.,
Everyone seems to have career years at Rijeka.
I’ll start off by saying I’m a HUGE Vrsaljko fan….but I have serious doubts about him.
On one hand, he’s always given our National Team his best effort and the guy deserve’s a lot of respect, he’s always going to be dear to me because og 2018 and even years before that.
On the other hand, Sime has struggled on various occasions throughout his career and in my opinion, he’s surpassed his prime. If i look back at his career, I remember him playing in Italy and then in Spain, he’s had several confidence issues…even with our National team we used to see him constantly indecisive for long periods…his game was shaky at best.
Do I think he can still play a role for us? I do, but thats a guess. He’s had soo many injuries its really hard to tell if he can overcome the physical and psychological part that makes him be his best.
On this topic, I’m probably still one of very few hopeful people wanting to see Pjaca return to our National team. I highly doubt he will ever get back to his top game but he brings a style of play that we having had in a very long time. He’s Rebic with far more skill and brains…the guy runs directly at defenders, he’s strong, he’s fast, he can dribble and shoot. The guy was totally robbed of an amazing career!
I think Šime can get back to form if he leaves Atlético.
He should go back to Serie A where he will get guaranteed playing time, under a coach that doesn’t hate Croats like Simeone does.
Vrsaljko has almost become another Pjaca for us, where he was awesome when healthy but now it’s been three full years of struggling to get healthy.. And when he can play, he’s left on the bench keeping him out of form.
We’re very lucky to have Stanišić and Juranović now, but Vrsaljko is much better defensively than Juranović…and brings more offense than Stanišić.
Would love to have Šime back if he can get to 100% but it’s not a big deal anymore since we are lucky to have good young replacements there who would usurp Vrsaljko from the starting position within three years anyway.
Sime, dis ti, magarac? I’m a Sime fan – very crazy personality- when he’s healthy he can help the team – great song choice for this post- I vote for Klapa musica every post-
ummmmmmmmmm my dude, it’s too late.
Health is key for Vrsaljko.
He actually has been off the field for years and his legs are not burnt out.
If he stabilizes his body he would be great for us at right back. I love the depth with him as the veteran, Juranovic as the middle guy and Stanisic as the young phenom.
RB depth and LB depth are resources for us. All that hard running on the flanks keeps the magicians in the middle fresh to create.
Rebić = BEAST.
Beta dudes don’t get this.
Alpha men know a beast when you see one and you put that beast in position to hunt.
So what he said the tactics were limited?
News flash .. THEY WERE!!
Soul sista self proclaiming himself as an ALPHA because he knows a beast when he sees one lol
NEWS FLASH!!
Those who boast about themselves do it due to the fact NOBODY boasts for them!!
The Beta speaks
That’s a conversation to be had between Rebic his teammates and the coaching staff. It’s not for social media. Must’ve felt like he needed to “share” that because he played like balls and him and his big ego are obviously a little insecure about it.
Nothing a sincere apology shouldn’t fix. Problem is too many people hate to admit when they’re wrong.
I woukd not right off Sime butt if he still loves the game and repka he should go on loan and play.
Rebic needs to apologize and clear things up with hns. Thats the only way he gets called or Dalic gets fired and another coach calls him.
Dalics D calling this term and Striker callings make no sense to me you dont call only precalls colak budimir
And his love for mile skoric is crazy respect to mile warrior in hnl but with lovren vida uremovic now gvardiol injured the back 4 next 2 games looks like Juranovic Stanisic Skoric Sosa!??
I don’t think Lovren is injured.
I think he was just benched by his club after he put them into a hole.
Lovren wasn’t even on the bench of Zenits last game.I think his mouth might have gotten him sent to Siberia.
Sime was a key role in the WC run. I hardly hear about him since he’s injured all the time. I don’t think he’ll get a starting position back anytime soon if our right backs like Jurnaovic keep playing well and stay healthy. As for the Rebic compliants, he won’t come back unless Dalic is desperate or when he is no longer coach. Rebic won’t be back all qualifiers. Only reason he doesn’t produce for the NT is because he disagrees with Dalic’s tactics and doesn’t put in an effort. Lovren and Kalinic were dropped too. Perisic also netted a goal today.
@=U=
You make Rebic sound like a real piece of shit there, “doesn’t put in an effort,” the fans chant “u boj uboj za narod svoj” and Rebic is thinking to himself “fuck the stupid narod,” I play to get rid of Dalic. Think about what you’re saying, how will he ever know if he can play as a striker if he doesn’t apply himself like he should (ZDS?)?
You don’t need “Croats” like that on your team, izdajice koje misle samo na sebe, ali ne za Hrvatski narod za koji bi trebao dati sve od sebe.”
Bog i Hrvati
ŽAP
ZDS
=U=
Did you watch him at Euros?? The guy had one good tournament. Scores a giveaway goal against Argentina and had a good game against France in the final. Bedsides that, I’m not sold on him playing at national level. You do realize his goals are because of Ibra? His Frankfurt stats were below average. Now all the sudden he’s scoring at Milan when paired with Ibra or other playmakers. I ain’t calling his character out, his effort at NL were substandard. Dalic and him obviously don’t see eye to eye. All I’m saying is that he won’t try at the national level and that’s been evident.
Listen he doesn’t like Dalic fine but you have to suck it up sometimes your playing for your people not him.
Ante…great klapa track!
Šime still has a long way to return to the repka, but I’m cheering for him. He was a stud for us a WC2018! Hopefully he’ll get fully fit and find a starting position soon.
So when Vrsaljko plays well at club level, it means that he’s trying to get back into Dalić’s good graces?
But when Rebić plays well at club level, it doesn’t?
Vrsaljko doesn’t give a shit about Dalić, and he also mocked him just like many on the Na Team.
The team is just going through the motions until after Qatar, and then Dalić can finally leave with his full paycheck in hand.
Maminjo, Rebic would get into good graces by apologizing. Vrsaljko has to do it by playing well.
I told you after EURO this team is a shit show with Dalic. Locker room is a mess. But we still have to qualify and play well on the pitch. Figure it out later. I would hate to miss a World Cup…for any reason.
Vrsaljko is good for us when healthy. This is one small step forward.
If Dalic is the problem, why hasn’t he been replaced?
What a shame! We have all the talent to be a great team.
Because his contract runs until the end of 2022 and it is fully guaranteed.
The HNS don’t want to be paying for two coaches, and Dalić doesn’t want to step down (because he would be leaving money on the table if he steps down).
So the HNS will pretend like they’re satisfied with him for now (when they’re not) and Dalić will pretend like the past three years and Euros were a success (when it wasn’t) and continue to ignore the fact that multiple players on his team have no respect for him.
They’re all good for us when they’re healthy.
But none of them give a shit about Dalić. They know that he is a lame duck coach who is guaranteed to be gone by the end of 2022.
If Dalić cut all the players who disrespected him, we would lose half our team.
He only cut Rebić because Rebić had the spotlight on him from his bad game and his comments were published nonstop.
Vrsaljko mocked Dalić’s player selection, Krama made a very disrespectful comment implying that Dalić doesn’t know any better than his grandma, and others made comments as well. I’m sure there are comments behind closed doors that we have no idea about (Lovren kinda alluded to this a bit).
I think Rebić, Vrsaljko, Petković, Oršić, Sosa, Brozović and Kramarić think very little of Dalić. But these guys are just sticking it out because Dalić will be gone in a year.
I just don’t agree with the “good graces” comment. None are trying to get into his good graces. They could care less.
I think you mean couldn’t care less.