(Luka Vušković on the left, Patrice Čović on the right)
Luka Vušković is a name we all know, and he has just joined Hamburg SV on a season-long loan from Tottenham. There is no buy option, as Tottenham see him as a key part of their future. He joins his brother Mario at Hamburg, but the two will not be able to play together because Mario is still serving a four-year doping ban, which runs from November 2022 to November 2026.
Luka is coming off a strong season in Belgium with Westerlo, where he scored 7 goals and provided 3 assists as a centre-back, showcasing both defensive skill and attacking threat. He also made his debut for the Croatian national team in June against Czechia. This loan to Hamburg is a big opportunity for his development, allowing him to play meaningful minutes in a tough league and in front of some of the most passionate fans in the world. It is a huge step up from Westerlo, where he played in front of just 8,000 fans, to Hamburg, where the stadium regularly hosts 57,000 fans.
Another exciting Croatian to watch is midfielder Patrice Čović, also 18, currently playing for Werder Bremen. Naturally an attacking midfielder, Čović is seen as a player with serious potential. Last season with Werder Bremen’s U19s, he finished the campaign with 14 goals and 4 assists in 28 matches, including scoring the game-winning goal in the German Cup, highlighting his ability to deliver in important moments. His versatility has already been tested at senior level, with two appearances out wide and one as a defensive midfielder this season, and he is expected to get regular minutes in the Bundesliga this season. Once he secures the number 10 role, he could establish himself as a key player. Werder Bremen rate him as the top talent in their club, and it feels like only a matter of time before bigger clubs start showing interest. He recently earned his first call-up to the Croatia U21 national team.
Excitingly, Luka and Patrice will line up together on September 9th for the Croatia U21 national team as the duo prepare for the U21 European Championship qualifications. If both perform well in the Bundesliga this season, we could see them become regulars for the Croatia national team early in their careers.
With Luka and Patrice both under 19, performing well in one of the best leagues in the world, it is an exciting time for Croatian fans to watch the Bundesliga. These two are definitely names to track this season.
Rijeka Replaced Dalovic with Spanish coach from Getafe
And who is going to replace him? Well, everything points to the Spaniard Víctor Sánchez del Amo (49). He’s available after finishing his stint at Olimpija Ljubljana, which, by the way, knocked Rijeka out of Europe last season. We like the option, although we still don’t understand the Dalovic thing.
All the rumblings is what Yugo scum love. Of course all the Croatian media are going to hate on dalic. If your a true catholic and love Croatia and on top of that from Livno they will take any opportunity turn the country against you. Lovren said it best there is nothing more to describe a normal discussion like between lovren brother in family dynamics with pro sports.
People can keep making excuses for Sucic, need to let it go guys a tool. And his sister husband a bigger tool.
He isn’t guaranteed anything and has done nothing to make me believe he’s going to be 100% in the mix for future. I hope he is but again from what I’m reading in Spain I don’t t think he’s gonna see the field much never mind repka guy needs to make sure he has a club career first.
Sucic is 22 and is no longer a puppy. A what point will the great L.Sucic actually play to his potential at some point you are what you are.
Salzburg is a good club that are good businessmen and have in past sold players for big money. They sold Sucic for nothing. Now it’s starting to make more sense.
The way I look at it is that the sister’s wedding is not Luka’s to plan. The sister probably didn’t even ask Luka about any possible football commitments because she knew he’d be there whenever it was.
Dejan Lovren would more than likely choose football over his brother’s wedding, his brother knowing that and wanting Dejan there, made it so the wedding date centred around Dejan.
So Luka had a choice to go to his sister’s wedding or not to go, he chose to go. There is only one reason that Dalic could have a problem with that and that is if Luka is a Catholic and his sister was getting married to a non-Catholic, in that case you would expect Luka to choose to play soccer because God Himself would not recognise an interfaith marriage as sacramental, but if the marriage is between two Catholics, and therefore sacramental, then Dalic should expect Luka to go to his sisters wedding because that is more important than a soccer game that God would see as frivolous.
I’d ask Dalic how he’d expect Luka’s sister to react if her brother didn’t go to her wedding?
The way I look at it is that the sister’s wedding is not Luka’s to plan. The sister probably didn’t even ask Luka about any possible football commitments because she knew he’d be there whenever it was.
Dejan Lovren would more than likely choose football over his brother’s wedding, his brother knowing that and wanting Dejan there, made it so the wedding date centred around Dejan.
So Luka had a choice to go to his sister’s wedding or not to go, he chose to go. There is only one reason Dalic could have a problem with that and that is if Luka is a Catholic and his sister was getting married to a non-Catholic, in that case you would expect Luka to choose to play soccer because God himself would not recognise an interfaith marriage, but if the marriage is between two Catholics then Dalic should expect Luka to go to his sisters wedding because that is more important than a soccer game that God doesn’t put any stock in.
I’d ask Dalic how he’d expect Luka’s sister to react if her brother didn’t go to her wedding?
Dejan Loven’s brother really loves him and planned his wedding date around Dejan’s work
Luka Sučić propustio je utakmicu Hrvatske protiv Češke zbog sestrinog vjenčanja i Dalić ga sada nije pozvao. Kako gledate na to?
– Kad je moj brat imao svadbu, on je mene pitao kad mi paše datum. Tako da se on prilagodio meni. Tu sam sve rekao.
Why didn’t wedding boy Luka Sucic zoom into his sister’s wedding like Erlic ?
Martin Erlić debitirao je za Vatrene 6. lipnja 2022. godine. Dan prije toga ženio mu se brat s kojim je jako blizak, ali vjenčanje je pratio video vezom iz hotela u Splitu. Nije ni pitao Dalića da ga pusti. Nije mu se činilo normalnom da ga to uopće pita. Brat mu je u tome dao podršku jer dobro je znao što je sve prošao kako bi dobio reprezentativni poziv.
U trenutku kad je određen datum vjenčanja nije ni bio reprezentativac pa se baš tako pogodilo. Zaigrao je na Poljudu protiv Francuske. I nije samo on nazvao Ivu Olivari zbog vlastitog vjenčanja ili nekoga iz obitelji. Mnogi su to napravili, dogovorili i problema nije bilo. To je pitanje odgovornosti prema Hrvatskoj.
Martin Erlić is a player who never really had NT potential, and (after we went through a transition period with our CBs) the opportunity for a callup happened, so he jumped on it.
Opportunities like this are far and few for a player like Erlić, so he had to miss that wedding because it may not come back around for him again.
Luka Sučić, on the other hand, is a young player that is already considered to be NT caliber. He knows that he is a part of the future setup, and can get away with potentially upsetting Dalić over missing a couple of qualifiers.
He will probably miss a few callups, but he’ll be back in no time and (for family) it is worth it for him.
Agree Erlic is fringe, while Luka Sucic is (in theory) a future mainstay (if he gets his act/attitude together and commits 100% to football)
Dalic has totally lost control of the topic
He spoke at length on it with the press
Why ?
Just be short and sweet and get back to the upcoming matches
Had to laugh re: the following
Martin Erlić je prije pet mjeseci zvao Ivu Olivari s pitanjem kad su točno reprezentativne obveze u 2026.
Why ?
Firstly, he hasn’t even been called up since October (i.e. the last three windows he hasn’t been even called up by Dalic) – so why is he concerned about the 2026 WC lol
“Hey Iva, its Martin, I know you guys aren’t calling me up these days, but just in case you change your mind, and do call me up eventually, I want to book my wedding and wanted to check when I can’t have it in case you call me up and I need to play”
LMAO
Secondly, and this also goes back to Dalic initially referencing Modric and his sister having to move her wedding for his games, the entire FIFA international calendar window is known until 2030 – – that is disingenuous on the part of Dalic (Modric’s sister knows when his games are, she doesn’t need to call Modric and ask and re-arrange anything blah blah blah)
i.e. overall, there is no need to call Iva Olivari and discuss with her – what is she telling them – look up on FIFA website the dates are there – I mean the players aren’t figuring this out themselves ?
inside.fifa.com/tournament-organisation/international-match-calendars
This whole thing hurts Dalić more than it does Sučić.
Sučić is already a bench player who knows that he won’t get to start until the veterans retire.
Krama, Modric and Kovacic (and sometimes even Mario Pasalic) will always be favored by Dalić over Sučić.
Even though Sučić was one of our most impactful midfielders at Euro2024, he knows that his time won’t come until after WC2026 when at least a couple of these guys retire.
Sučić missing a few callups from now until the Summer of 2026 won’t make any difference to him. I completely understand why he bailed and just went to his sister’s wedding instead. I would probably have done the same.
The way this could (potentially) hurt Dalić is that he likes to keep a calm locker room…but maybe some players will see this as him favoring the “senatori” over the rest of the team.
Players are competitive and they all want to start. Preaching ‘family’ is a way to manage the egos, but who knows, maybe some players relate to Sučić’s situation, and the constant ramblings about this topic via the media is just a reminder that this ‘family’ is really just “Modric and friends”.
Does Stanisic even have a GF ? A partner ? A wife ?
Full credit to him for keeping his social media 100% business (a role model for the younger generation – looking at you Jagusic)
But
This however leads to speculation….
If, hypothetically, the baby is born out of wedlock, doesn’t this contradict Dalic’s and the NT’s Catholic values ?
Don’t think a NT player has ever had a baby out of wedlock – it would be the first (we would have heard about it)
As such, is Dalic going to ban him from the NT for potentially anti-Catholic values ??
Perhaps like a father he will try to counsel him rather than punish him. In spite of being a devout Catholic, I am sure coach Dalic will try to handle this discreetly and appropriately.
I’m mocking Dalic and him even saying this
He doesn’t need to be saying every players private business as justification why they are away every time – he’s just looking for trouble with media then pressing him further on these distractions
Just say Stanisic is away on private leave and may return. Full-stop. Period.
He doesn’t need to announce Stanisic is having a baby – Stanisic is deliberately keeping his private life private (kudos for him for doing so) – and as such nobody knows his private situation – so pretty sure he doesn’t want Dalic (of all people) telling the world he’s having a baby
What if, as example, Stanisic has a husband and they are having a baby via surrogate ? Does Stanisic want the world to know this ? Alternatively, to avoid any such speculation, now Stanisic may be forced to publish details of his situation and this baby for the world
This is Dalic’s fault – he keeps doing to same thing (in this case Stanisic is a private person – so makes it particuarly bad)
So.. what your saying here is he should turn a blind eye the newborn baby? Would that make him a good Christian? Are those the value that are dear to your heart?
How do you know it’s a newborn as opposed to an adoption ?
Would Dalic be ok w a player leaving during the international break for an adoption ? Would there be consequences in that scenario (given “arrival day” is a discretionary/flexible decision) ?
Dalic hasn’t clarified, so just matter of time till media ask him – so neverending – on and on
You don’t suspect Marko Livaja has had a child out of wedlock somewhere with someone?
Responded as a joke, but then read the rest of the comments. This Anonymous speculation about Stanišić is just weird…
Livakovic going to La Liga
Much better for him than the Turkish League.
Livakovic signs for Spanish side Girona
That meant to read like let’s hope Croatia doesn’t mess up the Montenegro game. My models have Croatian wc odds at 90 percent but they are assuming Montenegro is a fairly routine victory
Seems like a good time for vuskovic. What is stanisic doing having a baby so young
Let’s hope Croatia doesn’t mess up Montenegro. If they do, things become more uncertain
Why are you cheering for Montenegro?
Don’t think it’s a matter of rooting for Montenegro
Zuti 100% has focused on the upcoming Croatia games for probably 6 months
He beats Dalic twice – Dalic gets canned – Zuti takes over as NT coach (or at least puts himself near top of the list)
That’s real pressure – Croatia/Dalic needs to be really focused – because sure as hell Zuti is
Zlatko Dalić on the absences:
“Gvardiol is out, Juranović is injured and hasn’t been able to return to training. We’ll see what his situation is when he joins the camp.”
“Stanišić is expecting a baby, so we’ve called up Ivan Smolčić.”
Let the uproar begin on here from everyone arguing “family first” for Luka Sucic
Go
Majer is ok and will be playing in a top 10 club in a good league nothing wrong with that.
Baturina still early, just because como isn’t a big name club doesn’t mean they don’t have good players. Nico Paz who plays the #10 is one of the better midfielders in Serie A, until they sell him which they prolly will next year back to Madrid, Baturina might not get as many starts as he’s hope but it is what it is .
P.Sucic is gonna be the next modric which all you need is one on a team. Teamed up with gvardiol our future already has a couple of studs.
L.Sucic I will admit is worrisome, guy in 2nd season looks to be not in coaches plan. In 3 games barely played. Un used sub in game 1, game 2 subbed out before the 60 minute mark and game 3 got barely any minutes. Season still early but not good sign and playing at a mid level club. Hopefully this kid can get it together as he’s very talented.
Como is no joke.
They went from Serie C to a 10th-place finish in Serie A within two seasons.
They are in the top half of Serie A club in market value (on par with Lazio and Fiorentina), and they will be challenging for a Champions League spot this season (and will likely try and spend some more over the next two seasons to take that next step).
I feel these attacking mids are constantly hyped and rarely truly manifest. Vidovic, baturina, sucic, marin, coric, vlasic, majer….list goes on and on… still never seen one actually be able to be a staple of the nt
Majer was never particularly hyped. He is a very good player who has been somewhat unfortunate with injuries and is still on course to fulfil his potential as a good player. Vlasic burst onto the scene with some massive contributions for the NT and has since plateaued as an average to good serie A player. He was hyped because of his age when he broke through. It’s true that he has performed below expectations. Baturina and L sucic are still young and trying to adapt to new leagues and massive expectations, we won’t know if they are over hyped for atleast another season. They have the talent. Vidovic is also on course and cannot be written off yet. Marin and coric 100% overhyped. The attacking midfield number 10 role is the hardest in football. It takes not just talent, but unbelievable confidence and self belief to be the main man at top level. All to play for
Majer is still a solid player.
He’s just not a complete box-to-box midfielder like Petar Sučić is, but he’s still a decent player. Not everyone can be this type of midfielder, which is why Sučić is getting such praise at Inter.
Majer will always have a job in the Bundesliga (he would be solid in Serie A and La Liga too).
Vlašić is a niche player. Good in certain situations, especially when you need a tough rugby caliber midfielder. Croatia is too technically good for him to ever start for us, but he was a very useful substitute for us at WC2022.
Baturina and Luka Sučić are still young and we’ll see how their careers progress. Vidović too.
Marin and Ćorić were always overhyped. When Dinamo sells a prospect before the age of 20, it means they found something they don’t like. Dinamo are the best talent evaluators in Europe, so their actions speak volumes.
If you’re referring to Marko Marin, he’s a Bosnian Serb. Not eligible to play for us.
We’re talking about Antonio Marin.
He tore it up for Dinamo in the UEFA Youth League 6 years ago, but never did anything in the HNL.
Dinamo were quick to sell him to Monza (a Serie B team) for like 6 million plus an option to buy…which pretty much signaled that they weren’t too high on him.
Depends what you mean by staple. Vlašić was a pretty important player on the repka from September of 2018 through Euro 2020, the WC 2022 cycle, and the following Nations League cycle. He’s had some injury problems in the past couple years, but he’s been pretty important to two of the three medals Croatia has won under Dalić and successful qualification for Euro 2020, which may have gone better for Croatia if it hadn’t been postponed by a year. Vlašić was definitely a staple and is still only 27 and could become one again if he heats up. Majer is basically a staple of the repka, but he’s injured half the time, and obviously there are a lot of very good Croatian midfielders who can fill that spot on the bench when Majer is injured. A bunch of other players who were not hyped that much have become staples, and that’s a good thing. Hype is cheap, and players develop over time.