England
West Ham ended one of the longest winless streaks in EPL history with their first victory at Anfield in 52 years as Liverpool struck out 3-0 on Saturday. Former Dinamo Zagreb defender, Dejan Lovren, started the season strong but was up to his usual tricks by losing the ball as the last defender which resulted in West Ham’s second goal. Dejan started as a central defender and went the distance for Liverpool in defeat. Liverpool fans around the world have blamed Lovren for the defeat and bombed the Croatian international with death threats on his personal instagram account. The £20million centre-back received such a torrent of abuse on social media on Saturday evening that he deleted his Instagram account.
Lovren will look to redeem himself against Manchester United after the international break: “I’m the first one who is disappointed with myself. Of course for the first minute after the second goal I wanted to go under the table. What can I do? In these moments you have to keep your head up and to play the rest of the game. I tried everything but what can I say? It was a bad decision by me and mistakes happen. But it is finished. The game is finished. I’ve forgotten it already. Now it is the national team and in two weeks we have Man United.”
Liverpool 0-3 West Ham | All Goals (2015/2016) by channelsport
Andrej Kramarić was left off the Leicester roster sheet for Saturday’s 1-1 draw at Bournemouth.
Spain
Photo: REUTERS
Real Madrid redeemed themselves with a 5-0 win over Real Betis on Saturday following a nil-nil draw at Sporting Gijon last weekend to open up the new season. Former Dinamo Zagreb playmaker, Luka Modrić, started and played 75 minutes for Real Madrid in the win. Luka made several attacking passes in the Betis half and did well in stopping the Betis counterattack. Real Madrid enjoyed 66% possession in the win.
Mateo Kovačić made his Real Madrid debut in the 75th minute of play after coming in off the bench for Luka. The former Dinamo Zagreb playmaker just had a few touches on the ball as the match had already been decided.
Photo: EPA
Ivan Rakitić started and played 63 minutes at Right wing for Barcelona in a 1-0 win over Malaga on Saturday. Malaga parked the bus for most of the game as Barcelona finished the match with 16 shots on target. Ivan didn’t have much of a game and finished without a shot before being subbed out. Barcelona are perfect after two games.
Alen Halilović made his debut for Sporting Gijon by coming off the bench in the 63rd minute of play in a scoreless draw against Real Sociedad on Saturday. The former Dinamo Zagreb midfielder couldn’t get anything going in 30 minutes of action and finished the match without a shot.
FRANCE
Danjiel Subasic was between the pipes for Monaco as they were thrashed 3-0 at home against Ligue 1 leaders PSG. Subasic faced ten shots, making a couple nice saves (seven total), and was not to be blamed for any of the goals. Mario Pasalic was subbed on in the 81st minute and failed to make an impact. Monaco are not off to a great start in domestic play, and are 13th in Ligue 1 with just five points after four matches.
Goals: 1:15, 1:38, 2:10
GREECE
Panathinaikos won 4-0 at home Sunday to newcomers Kalloni Lekanopedio as they became one of two teams to take six points from six thus far in the Greek Super League. Mladen Petric came off the bench in just the 12th minute after striker Sotiris Ninis went down injured, and scored the simplest of goals in the 80th minute. Danijel Pranjic started and was subbed off in the 72nd minute for Nano.
Petric goal: 1:01
UKRAINE
Darijo Srna was shown (what appears to be) the first straight red card of his career, in the 87th minute of Shakhtar Donetsk’s 2-0 Saturday win over Metalurg Zaporizhia. Srna disrupted a clear goal scoring opportunity with the score at 1-0, and can have no complaints with the decision. Luckily for the skipper, the ensuing penalty was saved and Shakhtar scored minutes later to go up two. Eduardo started the match and was subbed off in the 57th minute. Shakhtar are second in the Ukrainian Premier League, three points behind Dynamo Kiev through six matches.
Srna Red Card: https://youtu.be/x1Q2CbtG18s?t=4m50s
Domagoj Vida was an unused substitute in Dynamo Kiev’s 0-0 away draw to Zorya on Sunday. The draw was Dynamo’s first slip up of the season, and they sit on top of the Ukrainian Premier League with 16 points in 6 matches.
RUSSIA
Vedran Corluka started and played the full match for Lokomotiv Moscow as they won 2-1 on Sunday at home against FC Krasnodar. Loko cemented their hold on second place in the Russian Premier League, and trail leaders CSKA Moscow, who are perfect through four matches, by four points.
Germany
Photo: Hamburger SV
Ivo Iličević started at left wing and went the distance for HSV in a 2-1 loss at Köln on Saturday. The German born, Croatian international was very active on the offensive end and finished the match with three shots. Ivica Olić looked on from the bench in the loss.
Tin Jedvaj remains out for Bayer because of injury and missed the 3-0 drubbing at Bayern Munich on Saturday. Jedvaj wasn’t included for Croatia against Azerbaijan and Norway next week.
Italy
Photo: Inter
Italian media report that Inter Milan have signed Ivan Perišić to a five-year contract. Inter will pay Wolfsburg a 20 million euro ($22 million) transfer fee. The 26-year-old, former Hajduk Split prospect, joined Wolfsburg in January, 2013, from Borussia Dortmund, and scored 18 goals in 70 Bundesliga matches for the club.
PHOTO: inter
Inter Milan are perfect after two games after squeaking out a 2-1 win over Carpi on Sunday. Former Dinamo Zagreb midfielder, Marcelo Brozović, started as an attacking midfielder and played 85 minutes in the win. Marcelo didn’t have much to show for on the offensive end and will most likely be shuffled around the pitch as fellow countryman Ivan Perišić is introduced into the starting lineup.
PHOTO: EPA
Mario Mandžukić put up another goose egg as Juventus fell for the second time following a 2-1 loss at Roma on Sunday. The former Dinamo Zagreb striker played 62 minutes in the loss and finished the match without a shot. Mario will have to figure something out real quick or it will be a long Serie A season for the top Croatian striker. Juventus had lost only three Serie A matches all last season.
Photo: EPA
In a dull and almost uneventful match, Sassuolo scraped by Bologna 1-0 on Saturday. Former Dinamo Zagreb defender, Šime Vrsaljko, started and played the full 90 minutes at right back for Sassuolo in the shutout. Vrsaljko played well and finished the match with two fouls. Sassuolo are perfect after two Serie A matches.
Nikola Kalinić started and went the distance for Fiorentina in a 3-1 loss against Torino on Sunday. The former Hajduk Split striker didn’t have the right service or maybe didn’t position himself well for the proper service as he failed to convert on two semi-chances. Ante Rebić made his debut for Fiorentina by coming off the bench in the 76th minute of play. Ante finished without a shot. Milan Badelj looked on from the bench for Fiorentina in the loss.
Photo: Palermo
Palermo upset Udinese 1-0 at the Friuli stadium to pick up their second straight win in Serie A. 27-year-old, Croatian international, Mato Jajalo started in a central defensive midfield role and went the distance for Palermo in the win. Mato played well and picked up a yellow card in the 82nd minute of play. Stipe Perica looked on from the bench for Udinese in the loss.
Next Matches:
Thursday, 9/3
Croatia at Azerbaijan(9am PST/12pm EST)(ESPN3 USA, ESPN Deportes TV, ESPN2 Australia, HRT 2, Canada Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet World)
Sunday, 9/6
Croatia at Norway(9am PST/12pm EST)(ESPN3 USA, HRT 2, Canada Sportsnet World Now, Sportsnet World)
~Denis Svirčić reporting from sunny Southern California and Zach Gilfix reporting from Minneapolis, MN
Kovacic made his debut a week earlier vs Sporting Gijon.
Final twenty minutes just like Real Betis match.
Coric cilic final, can it happen? Don’t know if they are in the same bracket.
He was solid…tough, but not at Tin’s level.
@slavonac
Seriously you played with his father. I heard he was a solid defender but never saw him play. Just going by word of mouth.
Now I understand why you know your soccer so well. You played a high level. Good stuff.
Kasich is not loved by the right wing. He would actually do well in the general election, but will struggle in the Republican caucuses and primaries.
Sadly, his H-R-V-A-T-S-K-I is not even diaspora quality.
no talk of Kasich either on here?
right wing?
former Fox host?
a 2nd generation Hrvat?
I bet his Croatian is perfect too.
what more do you people want from a candidate?
while I won’t comment on candidate stuff on here…
Bernie is a funny guy and all, but no way can you elect a guy that would potentially be 75 when entering the White House and almost 80 at the end of his first term… Dude will drop dead half way through his term.
I wonder what a Kvartuc presidency would look like ? ?
@ARMADA87,
Hillary Clinton +120
Jeb Bush +600
Donald Trump +1000
Scott Walker +1200
Marco Rubio +1300
Bernie Sanders+1500
Ante Kvartuc +500000000000
ahahaha look at the picture of Coric on his official US Open website page
haha, what is he, 13 ?
http://www.usopen.org/en_US/players/overview/atpcg80.html
Oh hey Nishikori lost round 1 – last year’s beaten finalist v Cilic
Donna was seen hanging out with Stan just before the start of the tourney at various places around NY so that’s who she’s still with. No change there. But i dont know if that was an honest Q above or just ppl being facetious.
fuck me i googled US Open and first hit, i got some golf shit
anyone watches that? fuck my balls, get off my monitor
Trump looks like he will run indepedent and that will ensure a democratic victory so we should actually all be thanking him ! Now just need Bernie Sanders to get the Dem nomination 😉
If it turns out to be Hillary vs Trump, Donald Trump will be the next President of the United States. Could Bernie Sanders beat Hillary? We all know Donna can beat everyone.
new nickname for ziva:
Donna Drolja
added bonus: it will make iggy all mad…
Cilic with the straight set victory. Bravo, to je nas hercegovac.
Shocking! The more things change the more they stay the same….ineptitude all the way around.
A bit off topic here, but an interesting read here from Index on how the Croatian Basketball Federation failed to take advantage of hosting the first round of Eurobasket.
http://www.index.hr/sport/clanak/eurobasket-zasto-je-hrvatska-napravila-promotivno-samoubojstvo/839255.aspx
I know its Index, but tough to argue with what they wrote here how they federation failed from a marketing perspective to create some real interest around the national team.
Hrvatski Barbie’s english is better than mine though.
Don’t know…..maybe Hillary is for “za dom…..spremni”. We know Hrvatski Barbie is not.
Hillary is 1-1, uffffff I’d rather than Hrvatski Barbie than her!
what are the odds on Trump winning the presidency? anyone dropping a few bucks on the Donald?
I put $50 on Coric to Beat Nadal on Friday when I saw the draw. Nadal doesn’t look anything close to his old self and Coric winning tonight would not be a surprise. Worth the $50 risk, especially when I made it on Friday. The odds have come down a bit in Coric’s favor. So, getting Friday’s odds were better.
@Ziva,
Betting any US Open tennis?
I put a $20 on Coric
I doubt anyone cares who she is with. I think most of us get a good laugh out of the entire situation.
I guess her dad didn’t do a good job of watching or following her. I’d hate to be in his shoes right now.
His daughter is now known for one thing.
@Elvis,
hahahahaha.
Imagine Lovren pulling something like that for Croatia at the Euros…. Dude wouldn’t be able to return to Croatia
I actually laughed at that last ziva comment. There are people out there that are seriously wondering who she is with right now.
I met her pops at Indian Wells a few years back. He used to tag along with her wherever she went.
I wish her the best, especially, since she decided to play for Croatia instead of jumping ship and representing the Brits.
Lovern must have had balls on his mind lollllll
Livaja from Empoli to Ruben Kazan….
By the way, US Open begins today.
For most of the competitors that means playing on the courts. Do we which guy Vekic is with today/tonight/tomorrow?
Stuck on what???????????
If he was soooooooooooooooooo excellent, he wouldn’t have been stuck for a year.
Ivo…I knew his dad and played with him….Tin is 10 times better than he was.
@Ziva
LOL, Here you go jumpring all around again once you get stuck. He did not play 25 minutes or garbage minutes as you might want everyone to believe or crap on the HNL as you love to.
Take a look at his stat. He played 13 games for dinamo and 1,170 minutes. 90 minutes a game for a 17 year old. The first offer that came from Roma was rejected by Dinamo. They knew the kid was a gem. Your argument that it took a year is funny.
You really do not understand the game. Shame.
@slavonac
I was in Italy on buisness when it was official they sold the kid to Levek. I recall one fan tellling me they will regret this move. Only concern are the injuries, He is not afraid to play the ball and it shows but sometimes those are the worse injuries that result. Kid still is maturing.
You realize the other option is snail-like Corluka?!?
I’m done with Lovren. Mental midget syndrome at its finest.You guys want to see him at CB in the Euro against a big boy NT? He would get trampled on by a Belgium, Germany, Spain, etc.
I’m also not that impressed with Jozo Simunovic. Bit slow for my liking and he never stood out in my eyes vs. decent European competition. Not sure what Celtic see?
Simunovic and Datkovic (Rijeka’s big defensive “talent” who has been on loan in Italy and Switzerland) are the same player. Tall, sorta slow, position themselves well, will be serviceable DF’s in Europe, but no locks for CB in the repka. Neither a world beater.
Yet as Lovren suggested afterwards, the problem is not just with his pairing alongside an equally shaky Martin Skrtel, but in a midfield where Lucas and Emre Can were simply overpowered by Kouyate and Obiang.
http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/brendan-rodgers-cant-afford-liverpool-6352119
He is 26, so can’t really say he is a young man in soccer terms any more…it is quickly becoming the reality that his one year at Southampton was the outlier and the rest of his play the norm?
These are the kinds of gambles the big clubs invariably seem to make…see Mario Altobelli as another terrible gamble by Brendan Rodgers.
Lovren is not a big game player. Even at Lyon he did very well against the lesser teams, but struggled in Champions League play.
Balic to Juve rumours out there.
One interesting commentary I heard a few weeks back re Lovren was that Liverpool has not brought in a true stopper at CDM since Mascherano left, which has left Lovren and whomever he is partnered with exposed….he was excellent at Southampton (thus the big transfer fee Liverpool paid) with an excellent Schneiderlin acting as the key destroyer in midfield providing cover….frankly, he looks overly nervous.
I watched him a lot when he was at Southampton and he was a revelation there…take the last game against West Ham, he missed a sitter off a corner where at Southampton it seems like he was popping one in every 3 or 4 games. and would have no doubt finished that one off.
Don’t under-estimate what confidence means to a pro….it is huge.
Armada,
How dare you? How dare they? That’s blasphemy.
Jozo Šimunović is a target for Celtic prior to the transfer deadline. They are about to ship out Virgil Van Dijk and are looking for a replacement.
Btw, how about Crystal Palace beating Chelsea 2-1 on Saturday.
Come on you Palace!!
well I guess we can all agree that Jedvaj was impressive whether he played 90 minutes or 25. He was very young at Dinamo and saw the field at times which is something he didn’t get much of at Roma…once he got to Bayern Leverkusen, they showed some confidence in him and he delivered. there were a few games where he demonstrated his age and inexperience but overall, the kid is a real stud.
so on my vacation this past week, I had to frequent a general store for some food, goods, etc.
Turned out almost the entire staff of this store (cashiers, cooks, stockers, etc.) were from ZG and working in this resort area (here in the US) for the summer. A number of the guys there were “big time” Dinamo fans, according to them. We had a number of interesting talks and they were quick to laugh and point out when I butchered certain phrases or sayings haha they told me to go back to my baba and dida and brush up on my cakavski
One topic they had a lot to mention was Mamic. According to them, not only does he have vast control of the HNL and repka. They spoke about in detail about the control he has over “other aspects” of life in and around ZG.
Hercegovici gonna Hercegovici I guess?
I do…..he wasn’t “excellent” outside the hajduk game. If he was so “excellent” he wouldn’t have needed ayear to play in a real match.
Very nice player right now, but you don’t have to defend your crazy comments just because you said it. You made a mistake. It is ok to say you were wrong.
@ziva
You questioned him playing only 25 minutes. Read your comments again. The kid is 17 at that time, they play him accordingly and regardless most of the games where he touched the field he played the entire fixture! Watch the games, you pick up more.
i just saw Syria is in that u17 world cup
how the fark did that happen with all that’s going on there ????
can’t believe they even have a team
thanks for mentioning the u17 world cup !
are we going to be okay? I note we are playing USA ! Hooray !! i hope it is an okay time to watch i might be able to get my partner to watch with me cos she is a yank hehe : )
i know junior tourneys are kinda crappy and meaningless but i guess we’re all starved of repka activity lately, altho by then we will have played a few times
@Ivo…….do you actually believe what you write???????
“Also when you have a prospect like that you don’t play him all out against Osijek.”
So, you tell him to go half ass?
I’m no expert in that league but I do believe it’s more speed and physical…which may help him.
Jedvaj has some serious dribbling skills (unlike Lovren who bumbled the ball at his feet, resulting in a West Ham goal yesterday).
Jedvaj seems ambidextrous. I can’t tell whether he is right or left footed. He seems equally strong with both.
He’s a great prospect for us.
I haven’t watched much of Jozo Šimunović, but that kid looks very jacked and shredded for a footballer. He looks like he could become one of those very athletic and imposing defenders for us.
I’m also not too crazy about the Celtic move, but it’s obviously just a stop gap to get into the EPL. I’m sure that’s where he wants to go, and it’s pretty much where every high-ceiling Celtic player goes after. Mamić will enjoy his 20% kickback from that future sale as well.
Regarding Lovren and his performance yesterday…I’ve made the comment in the past that he looks like one of the characters from “Happy Feet” and let me tell you, he just makes me nervous as hell. The guy looks very strange at how much he moves his feet, like he’s running in the same spot!
@ivo
the kid is a beast, 6 2″, fast, reads the game but wold of preferred Levek. bring him up at a slower pace, injuries can take a toll
@ziva
Of course he was excellent. I watched those games unlike you who prefers to turn off the HNL. Every time the kid was on the field he was solid. Remember he is 17 at that time and playing with grown men. Why did Roma pay 5 million for him? They were impressed with what they saw. Remember 17 and you expect them to play him immediately?
Also when you have a prospect like that you don’t play him all out against Osijek. He gets injured and guess what no return on your investment. Mamic knows what he is doing.
Pogba wasn’t that good today either.
I watched Mandzukic today.He did nothing!!! I’m worried about him at juve. Loosing Pirlo and vidal destroyed there midfield in my opinion.Mandzukic needs service to be affective.
I don’t know the dynamics of this locker room.
I do know Kum Kovac is loyal to Srna, so I wouldn’t expect him to go anywhere until after the Euros.
@Ziva
On Srna I’d like to know what would you do, play or drop him?
I agree with you about Srna and Mandzukic…didn’t really watch Jedvaj at Dinamo but I have with Leverkusen and I really like the kid. He has great anticipation and reads the okay very well…and he’s tougher than nails. The only thing that worries me are his constant injuries.
I think we are going to witness a gradual decline in Mandza’s production. I still think he is a piece that works for the repka, but his game is built on physicality. Once he loses that “half step”, his game will decline because his technical skills are average to below average. What set him apart were his physical skills. Bayern let him go and At.Madrid let him go for a reason.
Regarding Srna………….you either keep playing in the starting 11 or you drop him. If you bench the captain, that means you have to give someone else the armband and with egos being egos, most captains wont take too kindly going to the bench and could cause trouble in the locker room.
@Ivo………come again…..you said “Jedvaj going back to his Dinamo dates was an excellent player.”………really, Jedvaj was far from an excellent player at dinamo. He was nothing more than a very highly rated prospect. Dude played less than 15 games for dinamo……let me repeat, he played less than 15 games for dinamo………..he wasn’t excellent. He was a highly rated prospect. Big difference in that. He was so “ecellent” that he barely played for a full year once he left dinamo.
Now, he looks like the real deal. But, he sure wasn’t “excellent ” with dinamo, unless you think coming off the bench for 25 minutes against Osijek is “excellent.
I am 70 minutes with the beast MANdzukic.
If he is sluggish then 45 minutes.
Let him beat up the D and bring in young legs to run them ragged for 20 minutes.
We need young alternatives sooner then later anyway. His form should not be relied upon to carry us going forward.
I don’t mind if saves his top form for the repka.
We know what he can do and what service he needs.
Full faith that we can provide him opportunities to EAT!
Yeah, I know Juventus has had one of their worse starts in history, I just hope this has more to do with getting organized than it does with their quality.
That’s good, I heard Simunovic was being looked at by Celtic, I’m not to crazy about that move but since he’s young and defenders usually take a bit longer to develop, it may not be so bad if he goes there. That league is pretty crappy if you ask me though!
I watched Mandzukic. Didn’t do anything. Roma dominated play much of the game. Madzukic subed out around 63rd or so minute with Morata coming in. Juve lucky to lose by 2 to 1 result although they almost tied the game on a late corner. Great save by the former Arsenal Polish keep. Roma looks strong.
@slavonac
Simunovic is the real deal. Another great Dinsmo prospect generating much interest in Europe. Jedvaj going back to his Dinamo dates was an excellent player. Not injury prone at all but recently some bad luck for the kid. Hopefully his fitness returns.
Mando was rated poor today. Juve now have lost two straight!
Anyone watch Mandzukic today? I read he didn’t really do much…not even a shot on goal?
Jozo Šimunović is supposed to be a solid CB prospect as well, who is a close friend of Jedvaj’s.
I’m hoping these two continue to develop and become part of a strong defensive line with Vrsaljko at RB, and hopefully someone coming up through the ranks at LB.
It’s really just a LB and Center Forward prospect we need to be looking out for. We seem to be pretty solid in all other areas.
Hahaha…Poglavnik, anything else?
Tin Jedvaj is very very very good.
Yeah, I’m not sure about our future strikers either.
What id give for a proper CB that we could put the arm band on!
We’ve got some nice pieces but Id say our glaring needs would be a forward that can create and score on his own and a dominant CB that could lead us from the back line.
If we get those things, combined with this midfield, look out!
Oh, and a proper manager..
@ Hammer
Sign me up for 45 minutes for Srna at RW.
He is good for a pin point cross or two.
Vrsaljko can cover for him on D and over lap on O.
Second half bring on young explosive talent to shift things up.
Pass arm band over to Rakitic.
@ Svima
October 17th u17 World Cup in Chile.
Tin Jedvaj is (in my opinion) a beast…the shitty thing is he gets injured a lot. I’ve read but not watched a lot about Simunovic snd hear he is also developing well…maybe someone that’s been following him can tell me?
I think some of us overlook certain details and we expect good play and results without realizing the weaknesses. Olic could always handle the physical part of the game so all coaches opt for him, he has incredible lung capacity and was physically very strong…and effective.
Having someone on the field is almost like playing with a man less…if they aren’t creating or contributing to the overall defending, they aren’t effective. This is most likely why Ziva dislikes Halilovic…the kid looks explosive and can blow past players…40 yards out….but he isn’t effective. Going back to Olic, who doesn’t have 10 % of Halilovic’s skill but was a big contributor! He was always either threatening by attacking defenders or attacking defenders and causing turnovers.
I think he’s not a great winger either , but who else do we have?
I’d play both Vrsaljko and Srna . Vrsaljko at right back and Srna right midfield in 4-5-1 formation, I’d have Pasalic as the CDM and Kalanic upfront. I’d love to hear how our future at CB looks ok.
@Slavonac
I always agreed in regard to Olic deserving his playing time. Whether it was from a lack of having beter options or not, we seem to be a better team when he’s out there making things happen up top with his hustle and smarts. He’s also scored some very timely goals. Only thing I don’t like is seeing him on the wing.
For Olic…damn iPhone!
PS…I argued For solid because he did his part both by scoring and by running his balls off and pressing defenders. I do think he’s pretty much done now…his time is up.
We have all bragged about our midfield, even our future in centre and right back look ok but we have an immediate challenge at left back and right sides attacker.
Poglavnik…no, but I thought he got into yellow card issues…sorry man, I could be wrong on this!
Well, from what I know…a captain has (or at least should have) the role of making certain decisions and while he’s on the field, his decision has to be respected. In this case, I see it as a very difficult (sensitive) thing to do by taking away his decisions to take some free kicks although I 100% agree that Rakitic should have this role. My opinion is that Kovac has to make that decision and make it decisive and clear…Rakitic takes free kicks and Srna should be ok with that, it’s a preference and nothing more.
Perisic is and has been in excellent for for over 2 years now so I really do think you don’t fuck with what’s going good! if you recall, I wasn’t much of his fan until last year…I give him full credit for the amazing player he’s become.
I’d really like to know what’s going on with Kramaric, I’ve always thought he was very agile with nice quick turns, he is creative and has a good work rate…what is going on with him?
In pre-season I saw Rebic play a few times and saw some glimpses of excellent play. The problem is he was really inconsistent and in and out of the play. He is now being subbed in at Fiorentina and if he continues to get minutes, I think he’s legitimately earned some playing time.
Halilovic is probably my last choice or 20-30 minutes. He hasn’t yet shown he can be effective. Shooting from 22 yards out and never posing a threat means nothing to me. I have seen very few of his games but when I have, I don’t see his play as anything special other than a few runs. He looks like he’s gonna do something but just doesn’t….and when he is effective it’s once every 8 games, not there yet but definitely worth giving
him a little experience if he gets minutes at Gijon.
Unfortunately, it looks like we’re in a bit of a challenge. Our strikers aren’t in form and although we’ve been getting goals by others (Perisic, Brozovic, Modric…) we definitely have to have our strikers firing on all cylinders for the Euros next year…we may squeak by a few teams but as the tournament goes on, our strikers have to play a bigger role or we’re done!
@Slavonac
Are u sure about Srna being out next game?
He is on the roster.
We all know he’s past it but as you’ve argued for Olic’s case time and time again, is there a better right winged, two-way option at the moment.
Ok so look who’s filling Kova’s boots at Inter? They played Brozovic in the attacking midfield role behind the two strikers, Jovetic and Palacio.
Now when Perisic joins the party, hopefully they drop Palacio and he formulates an “Adriatic Trident” with Brozovic and Jovetic. As I would like to see Perisic play as a forward, as he has finishing skills.
@ Slavonac
How do we integrate Srna as we move forward?
He has been a good captain and seems to have a good 45 minutes in that golden right foot.
I just can’t anymore watch him crowd Rakitic on the pitch as well as on free kicks.
Perišić has evolved into a true libero and can rock on both wings AS WELL as play up top.
Who is the other wing?
I say play Halilovic and let the mini Robben attack dribble all day!
The kid is the goods.
For decades I have been praying for a legit attack winger and the lord gave us Perišić, now I see we need one more !
I need to see Modric and Rakitic be able to express their genius for Hrvatska in the next two tournaments.
U boj …
Although I don’t think Vrsaljko would not do a decent job as a right wing option, I think that’s a huge stretch/risk to try considering we have options. Also, Srna is out next game and finally and thankfully we should see Vrsaljko start.
If we were in a tournament setting and had injury issues and covered at right back, I could see the trial of utilizing Vrsaljko as a right wing option…I do think it’s a bit of an irresponsible thing to try out since he is most valuable as a right back and we have other options at the right sided player.
The only people bagging/blaming Vekic are her fellow Hrvarti. The ONLY ones. That’s sad.
Kalinic has looked lively for Fiorentina.
4-1-2-2-1
Or a morphed 4-3-3
Need to have CDM to free up Rakitic and Modric.
Mandžukić up top
Perišić on left wing … AND …
Vrsaljko on right wing!
He can make it down the flank to the touch line and will provide cover for Srna.
This is the only way we can live with Srna captain and still get Vrsaljko in the starting 11.
The MF is going to have create tap in opportunities for the forwards.
@ Ziva
Very thin up front currently when starac Olic continues to be called into the team as well as still unproven Rebic….will need more production rom the midfield it would appear.
Can’t be jock sniffing. This is a site meant to discuss Croatian sports. A simple discussion is never a form of jock sniffing.
@Iv
I agree. There is too much discussion about this. That was my one and only post on this subject.
Gossiping about an 18 year-old who doesn’t even know who you are, must be pretty high on the jock sniffing scale.
What do you think, Živa?
Vekic likes to throw herself at men. Nothing wrong with that, but you have to live with the slut label. She banged two guys in the tour in the last six months or so that we know about, so imagine what has not been made public. Looks like she will be known more for this than for her tennis results. Question…………does she prefer the forehand or backhand approach when delivering pleasure to her man?????
Back to soccer……..I think at the club level we are going to see a lack of scoring from all of our scoring options who are playing forward and under consideration for the repka.
@ Sveci
Pa da …
I am calling đubre on all this sanctimonious shelling on a 19 year old Hrvatica.
30 year old dude robs our cradle and we take a crap on our people ?
I know all the veliki hrvati here are all model citizens but for the rest of us where is the compassion for Vekic?
Tell you this, when my daughter turns 18 and if she is involved with a 30 yr old married man, she will be second on my list of what needs to be dealt with.
ZDS
I don’t know the story behind this scandal and whether Wawrinka was happily married at the time, separated or one of the types of guys that will take any opportunity at any time to go outside of his marriage or not. In this case, from the little I do know, I can say that anyone that cheats on their spouse is the one that’s to blame…they said their vows and made their promise of “in sickness and in health, til death do us part”.
Does this mean Vekic has no responsibility? Absolutely not, but who knows what Wawrinka told her? I myself would never consider cheating or shagging someone else’s wife, life always catches up to you and I’ve seen first hand how even 20 years after people commit adultery, it come back to haunt them.
In my opinion, Vekic should have known better…but I wouldn’t put her in the category of slut, she can be considered a homewrecker and will have to live knowing she was the other woman. We will see throughout life if she really is a slut…she is young and there is time for us to learn if she goes from cock to cock.
One day she will most likely get married to someone she loves…she may even have her own kids…and she will most likely have a chance at being the women she affected, the wife of a man that cheated on her…that’s the shitty part about life…karma’s a bitch!
Hammer and maminjo same person and acting like little girls by bringing her up. Please grow up and enough of this.
Iggy, I get where you’re coming from, but this is different than when most people randomly call a girl a ‘slut’. What she did (assuming this is all even true) was so very wrong, whether or not she was a guy or a girl.
Vekic is barely 19 years of age (was 18 at the time this all happened), and is fooling around with a married 30-year old man, who has a young child. That’s fucked up. If I were her father, I would completely lose it on her.
Wawrinka is obviously at just as much fault as Vekic. He has a daughter for fuck’s sake, and he’s banging a teenage girl behind his wife’s back? There were some flirtatious tweets between them too, where he was playfully making fun of Vekic for being too young to know how to walk in high heels. Dude’s a borderline pedophile, IMO.
If people are making fun of the two of them, it’s wholly deserved. This namecalling will eventually pass, but the damage is already done and you’ve now got a broken marriage and a little girl with divorced parents who will probably grow up hating her father.
It comes down to whether you believe her behaviour is immoral and dissolute. I can tell you who agrees with me, Wawrinka’s former wife. You should read his former wifes statement, you’d be shocked that Wawrinka would call anyone low.
Now go Valentino Rossi!
What is it that makes her a slut? Is it that she slept with two people in her life? Is it that her sexuality is public knowledge? I am interested to know what the qualifier is?
That’s not nice calling me a “cunt” and a “wanker,” all I’ve done is use the word slut in the correct way. By the way Vekic isn’t playing the US Open, she’s got a back injury.
Hammer, the simple test is this: do you apply the same rationale and standards to men, or is it for women only, and if so, why ?
Kyrgios made some shitty juvenile comment about her as a piece of meat, and you cunts gobbled that shit up hook, line and sinker and are perpetuating ancient slut-shaming views.
The following is from a piece written by monica attard:
“Shocking, too, was that a 20-year-old man, educated in Australia, might think it acceptable to so denigrate a female player. The inherent sexism in holding up Croatian player Donna Vekic as a piece of meat for Wawrinka and Kokkinakis to battle over is – as Wawrinka correctly pointed out – low. Maybe that’s how men just out of their teenage years think. If it is, let Kyrgios’ humiliation be a lesson to them all.”
This is correct. The way people on this site talk about her indeed reminds me of 15 year old boys. As i said, she could win wimbledon 10 years in a row and all she’d be remembered for now is this on this particular website. But i have to say the reaction on the internet at large has been really quite good.
It makes me think the croatian community is backwards, sexist and full of male pigs, to be honest with you.
As for Corbyn, he’s great ! He supports 75 % of tax on rich cunts and an actual living wage for low paid workers – awesome ! A fairer society is better for all and leads to social harmony and less crime.
“No point turning it on me, im agnostic and i dont ascribe to any of those views about pre-marital sex or any of it.”
@Iggy
I’m quoting you above, change the word agnostic to Catholic and the words pre-marital sex to slut shaming. In my mind she is an immoral and dissolute woman which is the definition of SLUT! So feel free to not call her slut if you wish, but I don’t have to see things your way, you are a bully. Ha Ha Ha
By the way that Corbyn is a fuck wit, he thinks the holocaust was about racism.
Here we go.
Now she’s a slut forever.
She could win wimbledon years in a row and you cunts would be calling her a slut. Basically you are doing exactly what cuntkyrgios wanted. Wankers.
Playing or playing with?????!
Any news who that slut Vekic is playing in the first round.
Borna Coric is gonna beat Nadal in round 1 of the US open fellas
In terrific news, Jeremy Corbyn looks like heading Labour in the UK. Let us all take a moment to celebrate this great moment that i’m sure all my fellow CSR commenters are pleased about :)\
Of course they’re gonna play counter attack style against Arsenal and Liverpool, it’s easy to come up with that game plan against better teams. West Ham lost to Leicester and Bournemouth because of complacency, like Bilic said. West Ham gotta realise that teams like Leicester and Bournemouth don’t fear them, just like Arsenal and Liverpool don’t fear West Ham. 90% of this game is half mental.
Lovren being Lovren. Good thing the city of Liverpool has accepted him and his lifestyle or it could be brutal for him.
Before half time Modric had his ankle rolled by a nasty tackle, he’s back in so he must be ok. Don’t think Benitez would make the same mistake his predecessor did. Kovacic warming up.
.
http://m.101greatgoals.com/blog/liverpool-west-ham/
ouch!
if you guys havent seen it yet, lovren’s blunder was pretty bad today.
FYI – Halilovic looked really good for Sportin today.
I was there! Best time ever watching the Repka live….magical!
If West Ham can play more of an counter attack style, they should be more consistent. You look at their two wins and that’s where it came from. Also fortunate that neither Arsenal or Liverpool attacked the wings. Both teams played really narrow and West Ham gobbled them up. They played Bournemouth in a 4-3-3 and it turned out to be an absolute disaster.
Always try to watch West Ham, since I’m a firm supporter of Bilic. The success that they’ve had with a lack of attacking talent is pretty remarkable. I had no idea who Lanzini was until today. He was excellent and robbed Lovren off the ball. No Valencia or Carroll, yet still scoring on a weekly basis. Payet might be signing of the season so far.
If they can sign Alex Song and add a striker, they could push for a top ten finish. Right now they need more of an attacking threat. Defense should hold up fine. Song made a big difference last year.
Next game for West Ham should be fun. They’ll be home to Newcastle, who is managed by Steve McClaren. I hope everyone remembers the last time Bilic and McClaren managed against each other. It was a rainy night at Wembley..
Very happy for Bilic!
Good to see Bilic lead them to victory today, especially given 50 year drought for Hammers at Anfield! Poor officiating today, didn’t think red cards were warranted in eithrr instance.
Halilovic on the bench right now, hopefully he gets some playing time
Ha ha. West Ham fans are going to be like Croatia fans with Bilić.
He somehow beats Arsenal at Emirates, but loses to Bournemouth and Leicester, then beats Liverpool 3-0.
He’s going to have so many fans and enemies.
Cool.
Mr Kitty is cool fellas.
Better that Lovren makes big mistakes with Liverpool than with the Croatian NT.
This mistake will probably continue to reinforce Kovač’s decision to play him off the bench for us.
Until I see a full EPL season of Lovren not making bonehead mistakes, he should not start as a CB for us. We have youngsters who are better than him already.
Damn Bilic takes down Liverpool 3 – 0
And Kramaric isn’t even on the bench. I have feeling he’s going to Chelsea.
Lovern being Lovern-
Just when ya thought Lovren turned a corner, the old Lovren rears his ugly head.
OMG, Lovren just made the biggest fuck up ever. It’s bad.
.
I’m going with a Raketa worldie!
Will one of our forwards score a goal? If so, will it be an Olic-style tap in or Mahir Mandzuka-style sitter?