SPAIN
Ivan Rakitić was ‘Man of the Match’ Sunday as Barcelona scraped by for a 1-0 road win at Athletic Bilbao. Rakitić played the full 90 minutes and scored in the 21st minute when Arda Turan sent a soft, looping cross from the edge of the box onto the head of the streaking Croatian. It would be the only goal of the game as both sides had multiple chances in the match. Rakitić should have been called for a foul in the box in the 90th minute, however, it was not called. With the win, Barcelona start their season perfect in the first two games.
Rakitić Goal vs. Bilbao
Luka Modrić played his first La Liga game of the season Saturday as he was suspended last week due to yellow card accumulation. Modrić got the start and played 69 minutes in a 2-1 Real Madrid win over Celta Vigo. Los Blancos are on par with Barcelona through the first two games of the season. Modrić had a fantastic 20-yard run during the match which resulted in a laser beam shot off the crossbar. Modrić has become much more aggressive with his shots in the past 12 months. The match against Turkey at Euro is a prime example. Mateo Kovačić rode the bench in this match.
Modrić hits the crossbar @ 2:25
Duje Čop played the full 90 minutes for Sporting Gijon in a 0-0 scoreless draw at Alaves. Čop hasn’t scored yet for his new club but it appears he will be the #1 striker for Sporting after coming over on loan from Malaga last season. Šime Vrsaljko finally made the bench for Atletico Madrid but did not see the field against on Leganes. Atletico have started the season with two draws and are already four points behind league leaders Barca and Real Madrid.
ENGLAND
Dejan Lovren played the full match for Liverpool on Saturday in a 1-1 draw at Tottenham. Liverpool got on the board first from a first half penalty just before halftime but Danny Rose would equalize for the Spurs in the 72nd to chop the points. A cross from the corner wasn’t cleared by the Liverpool defense and Rose was left wide open in the middle of the box to slam home. Lovren was not at fault for the goal. Let’s see what kind of role Lovren will play for Croatia going into next weekend’s World Cup qualifier against Turkey.
GERMANY
Alan Halilovic played the final 24 minutes for Hamburg as they drew 1-1 with Ingolstadt in their first Bundesliga match. Halilovic failed to make much of an impact, as he had just ten touches and seven passes.
Tin Jedvaj played the full match for Bayer Leverkeusen at right back as they fell 2-1 at Borussia Moenchengladbach. Jedvaj was partially responsible for one of his side’s conceded goals, as he failed to keep level with the rest of his defensive line.
Andrej Kramaric started and was subbed of in the 79th minute as Hoffenheim drew 2-2 against newly promoted Red Bull Leizpig in their first match of the 2016/17 campaign. Kramaric was kept quiet, firing one shot off target and creating zero chances as he spent much of the game on the wing.
Ante Rebic’s start at Eintracht Frankfurt has been put on hold, as the winger has contracted mononucleosis, which will likely result in an extended stay on the sidelines.
FRANCE
Danijel Subasic was in goal on Sunday for Monaco as they pulled off a 3-1 win over French giants PSG. Subasic made two easy saves in the match and was not at fault for PSG’s lone goal. The victory gives Monaco seven points through three matches, which puts them in a three way tie at the top of Ligue 1.
Goal: 2:00
UKRAINE
Domagoj Vida made his first start since his concussion on Saturday, as Dynamo Kyiv were shocked in a 2-0 home defeat to Vorskla. Despite out shooting the opposition 18-6 and keeping the ball 68% of the time, Kyiv were unable to score. Kyiv’s first lost leaves them with 15 points through 6 matches, three points behind still perfect Shakhtar.
RUSSIA
Vedran Corluka started for Lokomotiv Moscow as earned their first win of the season at FC Krasnodar on Sunday. Corluka picked up a yellow card just before halftime as his side won 2-1. Lokomotiv have four draws and a win after five matches in the Russian Premier League, which leaves them in 9th place.
Italy
Juventus begins the season just like they finished the last one. After 2 rounds, Juventus secured all six points following the 1-0 away win vs Lazio on Saturday afternoon. After a blocked first half, the Italian title holders managed to go ahead with Khedira in the 21 minute of the second half and secure an important 3 points. In spite of the acquisition of Higuain, Mario Mandžukić was a starter for the second match in a row for the bianconeri. The former Atletico Madrid star is not involved in the game in the first half as his team struggles to move the ball forward. In the second half, the Croatian international manages to touch some more balls and registered a shot. However the ball bounces too high and his shot is weak and central. He came off in the 20th minute of the second half, right before Juventus scored.
Gazzetta dello Sport ratings: Mario Mandžukić 5,5 “Plays the first half in a Saharian climate. The big Croat is not involved as much. The only shot in the second half comes from him. Subbed before the 1-0.”
Marko Pjaca made his debut in serie A when he came on with 3 minutes to go. In spite of the limited time, the former Dinamo player showed glimpse of his potential with a good dribbling display and shot.
Gazzetta dello Sport ratings: Marko Pjaca: “No vote Too little to judge. Enough for dribbling and a shot to be mentioned.”
PHOTO: inter
Inter only have collected one point so far after a disappointing 1-1 home draw vs one of the weakest Palermo ever to my memory. Ivan Perišić makes his seasonal debut from the first minute as an offensive wing in the 4-3-3 that the new manager Frank De Boer has designed for the team. Who knows the dutch manager would expect his team to try and find the wingers for isolation play and probably Palermo know that well too. As a result, Inter possession is slow and rarely the plan is followed. The former Wolsburg star looks on and off the match too often and he is the only dangerous player in the team in the first half together with Medel even though he cannot seem to be able to display the same skill set he usually shows in the national team. Then starts vanishing in the second half when he eventually comes off in the 67 minute for Candreva with the team down 1-0.
Mario Brozović watched the match from the bench. The former Dinamo star is rumored to be on the verge of leaving the team after the nerazzurri brought in the european champion Joao Mario. Juventus officially made an offer but Inter have stated that they are willing to sell him only abroad. However is market tally, reportedly in the region of 25-30 million, has so far scared away interested teams. A move from Chelsea is expected this week. Whether or not it will be a positive one remains to be seen.
Josip Posavec plays from the first minute for Palermo. The former Inter Zaprešić goalkeeper saves what can be saved and nothing more he can do on the equalizer for the nerazzurri. Another solid performance.
Gazzetta dello Sport ratings:
Ivan Perišić 5 “Moves more than Eder, but looks out of the game. Only a central header before being subbed.”
Josip Posavec 6 “Helped by imprecise finalization from his opponents, he is nonetheless ready when called to action. Not guilty on Icardi.
Udinese beat Empoli 2-0 at home to secure 3 points. Stipe Perica comes on in the 19 minute of the second half for a mediocre Zapata. The striker from Zadar plays his best match in Serie A as he manages to win a red card when fouled by Laurini an then eventually comes strong out of a hard tackle and goes on to score the ultimate 2-0. Andrija Balić watched his teammates from the bench once again.
Gazzetta dello Sport ratings:
Stipe Perica : 6,5 “Moves way more than Zapata and scores a goal with great belief.”
Photo: ilnapolista.it
Fiorentina beat Chievo at home 1-0 and get their first 3 seasonal points under their belt.
Hrvoje Milić makes is unexpected serie A debut due the unavailability of the viola captain Gonzalo Rodriguez which forces Paulo Sousa to play Alonso in the centre of the defense. The former Hajduk player has a good impact on the game. Does not struggle to defend and manages to make himself available in the right position on the offensive end. A positive performance. Paulo Sousa knows he can count on the Croat for a left spot.
Milan Badelj starts from the bench but eventually plays almost the entire match as he comes on in the 9th minute following to an injury occurred to his team mate Vecino. The former Hamburger star plays a solid match made of geometry and tackling whenever needed. Nothing impressive, but nothing less that one would expect from him.
Nikola Kalinić is also a starter for la viola and goes on for the whole 90 minutes. The former Dnipro star is never dangerous though nonetheless plays his usual match with sacrifice and team spirit. He is reported to be on Napoli’s radar who apparently are still looking for a striker. The parties still seem to be distant as Fiorentina valued Kalinić at 35 million euros. Napoli are not willing to pay cash but have offered Gabbiadini + 10 million euros while la viola is reported to like the player but would rather have another 5 million euros.
Gazzetta dello Sport ratings:
Hrvoje Milić 6: “Solid match.”
Milan Badelj 6: “Not in shape yet, but makes no big mistakes.”
Nikola Kalinić 6,5:”A precious trampoline for his teammates.”
Sampdoria top the table with 6 points as they beat Atalanta at home 2-1. Ante Budimir comes on in the 28 minute of the second half for Quagliarella. The former Crotone star is rumored to be probably leaving Genoa out on loan back to Crotone who are desperately looking for a striker.
Gazzetta dello Sport ratings:
Ante Budimir: 6 “Gave a precious hand in the final part of the match.”
Next Matches:
Monday, 9/5
Turkey at Croatia(2018 World Cup Qualifier)
~Ante Kvartuč and Denis Svirčić reporting from sunny Southern California, Zach Gilfix reporting from Minneapolis, MN and Salvatore Cagnazzi reporting from Italy
@ allen
i know this story and I clearly mentioned it as the public reason
i state that ” he has not been present at the training for personal reason related to family health, but there seems like there could be another twist”
buzz out there is there is more to it….
@Allen
That sounds a little more accurate.
If Andre’s narrative were correct I would’ve added #5) He’s soft!
Congrats Andre for putting so much work into nothing.
Here is the real reason from Croatiaweek.
Rakitić revealed that his youngest daughter has had health problems and that has kept him from travelling to Zagreb.
“My family always comes first and that is why I asked the manager and teammates for understanding. The latest test show everything is OK and if the doctor confirm that today I will join up with the side in Croatia on time,” Rakitić said, before adding.
“I would not have been concentrated and focused on football, and this would not be of use to the national team. Thanks to the coach, teammates and all others for their support and understanding, I believe that we will see each other soon and prepare together for the Turkey match”, the vice captain said.
as reported after the Euros, rakitic looks like he is leaving the repka. he has not been present at the training for personal reason related to family health, but there seems like there could be another twist
he has been turned off by several factors 1) the corruption that brings players on who don’t deserve it (dont forget he is boys with halilovic thru barca and was vocal when halilovic was snubbed)…. and the corruption that brings in adequate puppet coach’s 2) his feelings toward playing for the team have been tempered by the attack on his family in uglan, croatia this past summer. after his family received death threats in switzerland to switch to croatia, he asks himself why does he deserve new death threats for playing for this country he switched to 3) the barcelona season is demanding between la liga, champions league, and cups. he’s already feeling the wear and tear 4) he’s actually a bit upset he didn’t get the captainship. sure modric is a great player, but he’s not the same type of leader as rakitic who already had success captaining sevilla to a euro cup victory
JM
It’s Wednesday. Articles will be posted eventually.
guys the turkey game is still a few days away, there will of course be a post and more discussion about it in due course
highlights were posted in the more recent thread
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXagDx9Zc4Q
Any highlights from today’s game? Only know it was 8-1
Rakitic not play vs Turkey?
Shame, rakitic just played his best game for barca…..
seems little fanfare for the turkey game.
not even an article by the site
couple interesting notes: turan not included for turkey..looks like he’s been dropped post euros
rakitic is mysteriously absent. has not joined team…and coach’s not letting on why…just saying private problems
We are really playing against Hnk segesta, I was hoping this was rumor.. They would be better off with an inter team scrimmage
@JB thats to increase his price next year; he’s gone
Brozovic re-upping with Inter.
Poglavnik 2easy
Hey does anyone know if today’s friendly will be televised ? If it is, anyone know where to stream it ?
Thanks
@Bobby
If this decision is true, then it’s only being done as a favour to the Swiss FA.
Without the ethnic Albanians on that team, Swiss football would have never become what it is today.
i was thinking recently of making a YouTube vid of like the top 10 goals Cro has scored actually and wondering where that Luka volley would go, it would be right up the top somewhere that’s for sure.. maybe Suker’s goal v Denmark in ’96 would be higher but there prolly wouldnt be heaps of others
@ Svima
Actually Modric did WIN the Turkey match on his volley into the net.
And his world class club teammates don’t win trophies without him on the pitch.
Modric has more goals in him and I have a feeling with the captain’s arm band he will have even more confidence to shoot and score.
He could be writing a few more chapters in his World Class career that would have him become immortal in the realm of Croatian soccer players.
He lifts the World Cup in 2018 then he will be the greatest Nogomentas in the history of Croatia.
Modric is must see TV!
^ ^
I thought this was leading to a Kaepernick joke..
I’m white, but I can call myself black as much as I want, even 30 years down the road, I still won’t be black
Yugoslavia continued (Serbia/Montenegro) for a few years.
Yugoslavia ceased to exist euro2016 countries didn’t
The only loop hole would be grandparents and I doubt they are
Granit Xhaka does not want to switch sides, granit xhaka is saying that so he doesn’t get crucified
…if that Fifa decision is indeed true ( I disagree with it, Kosovo is a new country), could you imagine if they put a similar restriction on players from the former Yugoslavia not being able to switch to Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro, etc. because of a recent tournament appearance for Yugo?
Would have been a complete mess.
Why should Kosovo born players who played at Euro 2016 be penalized for their success while another Kosovo born player from a country that didn’t make it to Euro 2016 be allowed to play?
Worse yet, there are reports that these Kosovo eligible players(mostly from Switzerland and Albania) were never told this before the tournament.
Typical FIFA.
FIFA has recently ruled that if you represented another country at Euro 2016, even if you were born in Kosovo, you would not be eligible to switch over.
http://www.thesportbible.com/football/news-granit-xhaka-wants-to-switch-national-sides-but-fifa-wont-let-him-20160830
Anyone know about Halilovic’s grandparents? Don’t think he would switch, but, would be interesting to see if he was eligible.
Enough with this BS of Halilovic representing Kosovo.
His dad is a bosnjak from Doboj, and his mom is a Croat from Opuzen.
He couldn’t even represent BiH on account of him not having BiH citizenship during the time he was capped by our youth team (new rule which was the reason why we couldn’t get Gregory Sertic). Yet that didn’t stop people from spreading that BS.
Now he can suddenly play for Kosovo? Why? Because his dad is muslim, lol?
@mishko
Senior at OSU, studying international relations and globalization
I’ve been in Insurance (claims mostly some sales) and mostly recently managed a restaurant
Glad to see modric is named captain. It gives him a chance to be one of the Croatian greats…. Unfortunately unlikely…. While a talented player, he is not one that can win a game for you with so so players… He thrives disputing to world class players…. Not these overhyped repja guys…. Him playing for this team is like Steve nash throwing an alley oop to Donald trump…. Modric looks great when he passes the ball to Ronaldo, he looks much worse when he passes to mario mandzukshit
I doubt the rumours are true, however, if he is willing to abandon Croatia for Kosovo, he’s not worthy to wear the checkers.
And why are you guys hating on Hailokebab? He’s okay.. i definitely want him playing for us, not Kosovo..
Mishko, good on you for heading home! Goodness knows Hrvatska can use people moving back in given the shrinking population
The Truth is not Ziva. It is highly likely Ziva has passed away. Let’s honor him with some fond farewells, as he is likely buried 14 feet under (6 feet under his parent’s basement)
Stop spreading nonsense.
Halilović and Hamburg requested to the HNS for him to not be called up for this next game, which was granted.
good, I hope he goes
@jb
yea i’m hearing the rumors of him going to play for kosovo are true. kind of funny given that they are in our group…. will give halilovic the chance for immediate revenge
Halilovic quoted as saying he has changed club/country.
Jozo Šimunović undergoing medicals for Torino as I am writing
@Idemo, we started a paintball manufacturing company making goggles, gear bags etc, after product release at the end of September we’re moving into other sports. Prior to that I was working in high end IT sales. What do you do now?
.
@mishko I’m planning to move soon, either back home or somewhere closer as all of mine will be moving back after I graduate.
Was there for 3 months this summer gauging interest and work opportunity (and vacationing ha)and was troubled by the lack of proffesional employment.
Do you mind if I ask what you do?
Let our friends at kosovo have him…
Kriz I will have to bear….ziva istina is truth! Prick that’s his line…he stole my mental midget saying. The truth is ziva!!! Lol
@idemo, I’ve left the states, no coming back unless I’m forced too. I got my citizenship about 2 weeks ago and fuck it. I have one more house to sell and I’m done. I’ve got two business, and I’m having discussions with my partner about moving some production to Croatia because of the import taxes, same as the U.S.
What I’ve found moving to Croatia, if you make a plan, follow the plan and have proper people work with you it’s not as bad a people say. Also, just like in any part of the world, if you act like an asshole you get treated like an asshole. I’m super nice to people and they’ll actually go out of their way to help me.
Halilovic should just get it over with and switch to Kosovo.
With our lack of quality in forwards as the main rerason, Stipe Perica deserves a call up.
I’m a big fan of his and Robert Muric – hope they both get a chance – they have very unique skill sets.
“if we had real players like Markovic and Ljajic then id be more confident in our future. At least theyre not on the bench at Liverpool and Inter.”
well well. it looks like there is an impersonator of the truth!!
friends, please know that I would not post such things as this if it gives the appearance I am from Kosovo or another former Yugoslav region. I am probably the biggest croat and domoljub on this board. if some of you want impersonate, I suppose that is the kriz I will have to bear
I’m glad to see all the home games will be hosted by Zagreb. the people in split have shown no self control
Alen Halilovic snubs Nenad Gracan by not showing up for the U21 first practice before their two upcoming matches.
We can all understand why he would find this site a lot more interesting than any Serbian soccer forms.
“The Truth” is “Turkey”. A Serb for sure.
mishko you’re the one that just bought that open lot you posted pix of recently?
working or leisure back home?
Thanks Denis.
yeah the no fans thing is shithouse.. it really detracts when you are watching the game and there’s no noise from fans or anything.. sucks donkey balls
Croatia was originally scheduled to play three qualifiers this year, but with Kosovo being added to our group, we will play them in Shkoder, Albania, which is in the northwestern part of the country on October 6th.
Also, as of now,,all home qualifiers are scheduled for Zagreb.
Croatia are sanctioned by FIFA to play two home matches (against Turkey on 5 September 2016 and against Iceland on 12 November 2016) without spectators for two cases of discriminatory chants by fans, which occurred during friendly matches against Israel on 23 March 2016 and against Hungary on 26 March 2016, having already been sanctioned for similar incidents by FIFA and UEFA.
ah piss on my piss.. i watched that video of Pjaca and you know what’s annoying as fuck, are we going to have to listen to him being called PIAKA by english commentators forever? Someone better point out how to say it to that commentator quick before they get used to saying it in such an obnoxiously incorrect way, cuntrashes..
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Thanks CS.com nation
Croatia has the best midfield in world football!
This guy has the nerve to talk about Kovacic…Markovic couldn’t make the bench at Liverpool.
Truth, kosovo baby! Lol
Markovic and Ljajic were really impressive in Euro 2016. They did a heck of a job watching Kosovo and all the other Euro heavyweights in the expanded field from their Moms’ basements.
Ljajic rode the bench for brozovic and perisic last season.
You serb hater mother fucker…brozovic and pjaca transfers are worth more than serbias entire roster. Matic worth what 25 mill. Grujic went for 5…
Markovic is the biggest bust of the last 5 years…Ljajic would not make Croatia’s bench. Dude you talk down Kovacic…Markovic??? Fucking idiot!
if we had real players like Markovic and Ljajic then id be more confident in our future. At least theyre not on the bench at Liverpool and Inter.
Funniest post ever. Especially Jozip Bust-alo and Halilo-shit!
LONG LIVE THE TRUTH!
ko crotch ich? (Madrid) – no
love -men (Liverpool) -no
“kramar-shit (hoffenheim) – no
bozo- vic (inter) – no
re bitch? (Frankfurt) – no
radose-bitch (who knows) – no
pasalic – no
vrsaljkoholic( atletic)? – no buried on bench
halilo-shit? (hamburgh) – no
josip bust-alo (Wolfsburg) ? – no”
BOZO-vic. The truth kills it again! HA HA HA.
Now Chunk-o-shit will say we have low IQs
They’re both for the “otadzbina” so you should be good 🙂
Mishko best of Luck in Croatia brother!
Luka Modric officially Captain of the Repka.
https://twitter.com/HNS_CFF/status/770197283044556801
Also Marko Rog officially at Napoli
https://twitter.com/sscnapoli/status/770284465868378112
@Ante
I’m more of an SNS kinda guy 🙂
Well here comes another one with Marcelo BOZO-vic moving to Chelsea. I hope he likes the feel of being buried on that bench. But hey, we have a midfielder playing for Chelsea… We ll definitely win the world cup now
Brozo to Chelsea it appears.
Maminjo,
Good one. Are you trying to bring them over to your SDSS? 😉
And in other news my cars made it to Croatia. You like the Trump sign. 🙂
http://oi63.tinypic.com/3143wnd.jpg
http://oi63.tinypic.com/2u7yk4y.jpg
I have no clue Maminjo…are they?
if thats the case then I really have an issue with them. the thing about the BBB topic is this… I don’t know about fanboy organizations because I’ve always been a player…never cared about being part of the fan club…I find it extremely immature and very embarassing to want to be associated with a fanboy organization. sure, fans are important…the most important, but theres something about a group of people that organize a get together and making plans to either support or sabotage, that makes me uncomfortable. do they really have nothing in their lives important enough…they have to organize cheers and walk around cities acting like desperado’s and wannabe’s!!!
demanding money to be a cheerleader is a new low!
Well aren’t BBB huge supporters of SDP anyway? 😉
BZ…I think you’re gonna piss off some of the BBB and Torcida supporters on this site with that video you posted. An interesting thing here, apparently HDZ doesn’t see things the way BBB fanboys do…and I wasn’t really informed about the demands from these fanboys for money, hahaha…this just makes things even funnier than I thought. fanboys demanding money from the club? oh boy!!!
Yea, Cristiano Ronaldo is also one of those wingers turned forwards too.
In terms of the physical side of things, those two look a lot alike. Seems like they have the same weight, height, speed, athleticism…and they ‘run’ the same.
Of course, I don’t expect Pjaca to become a Ronaldo.
Pjaca already has nice teeth, so he won’t need the veneers.
what’s happened to this site? its like everyone’s IQ has risen by like 20% LMFAO. is it because ZIva has gone into hiding?
some good points maminjo….
thierry henry was a winger converted to striker. he scored plenty. not bad for a semi crnac (smh) lol. as i said pjaca can be something like the new thierry henry…..
Kovacic has a good game against Sociedad this weekend too.
Rifled an awesome, powerful shot on net from outside the box while on his slalom run, that the opposing keeper did very well to save.
He also should have had an assist after he set up Isco beautifully in the box.
I’m pretty critical of Kovacic, but I was impressed. If he plays like this, he can already be counted on to be a key starter in those La Liga games against middle of the pack teams (at age 22). If this progression continues, he can be counted on for the big CL games.
We will have Modric and Rakitic for the next 2-4 years, so if he does pan out, the timing is perfect.
We forget that so many of our star players today took so many years to develop, even after they first showed signs of being top quality…but now we expect this new generation to develop sooner and faster.
Remember when Rakitic scored those Champions League goals as an 18-year old for Schalke?
We all thought he was gonna break out in a year or two, and it seemed like he completely plateaued from age 18-23.
But sometime during his third season at Sevilla the guy seemingly blows up and becomes a La Liga star.
This has happened to lots of our players. We’re not some Africans who are superdeveloped physically by age 19. Some guys take time. The thing is, we can’t really watch their development, unless they display it during a game or in a highlight video. I’m sure Rakitic was getting better and better, but we’re on the other side of the pond and we only take notice once goals are scored.
🙂 🙂
Pjaca is a beast.
Wingers are usually nimble but frail.
This guy has that speed, but also the athleticism and size to be a power forward (like Boksic).
Like most wingers, he won’t score as often as a true striker, but in similar fashion to Boksic, will draw so much attention and wear away the opposing defenders (creating havoc in the box and opening up opportunities for others to score).
He came off the bench against Lazio the other day and only played 2 minutes. Check out the impact he made in those 120 seconds that he played:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpCNwKwd4PA
He gets two touches on the ball.
The first one, he gets physical with some crnac, backheels it through the guy’s legs and draws a foul.
The second touch, he does a few nifty stepovers, completely undresses their veteran left back (Radu) in embarrassing fashion and puts a nice hard shot on net (unfortunately, too close to the keeper)
I know a few Juve fans, and they were watching him in the Juve friendlies. They love him.
No one is talking about the new stadium Dinamo is planning on building.
They are having a meeting today to talk about their plans.
The truth gets respect for his nicknames alone.
@ Svima
Modric and Rakitic are WORLD CLASS and their games are NOT based on explosive speed.
They have access to the best trainers in the sport and will be in top form for the next 2-4 years.
We DO NOT need for ALL of our iLLmatic young players to pan out right now, just need 2-3 of them ready for this next qualifying cycle.
Kovačić is getting better at RM and he is learning under Zidane. Not sure we realize the challenge it is to break into the line up of the #1 club on the Planet!
Vrsaljko is ready at RB right now and will learn to become a world beater at AM under Simone.
Halilovic brings a distinct attacking skills set that is always a plus in a squad. Sit his ass down and let him know to be ready when your number is called and support the team.
Lovren is on the other side of his maturity issues. Could have used him against Portugal and should start against Turkey.
Pjaca is the goods and provides athletic attacking presence of the likes we have not seen since Alen Boksic.
Rog is a TOUGH and talented prospect that the squad needs as well.
Etc …
The point is that these players are fulfilling much needed roles that our squad has been lacking over the last 4-5 major tournament qualifying cycles.
I am so happy that we have a tough group to compete against. Every match will bring out our best.
Zlatko Kranjčar is an excellent coach that gets a bad rap for 2006. Srna makes that penalty against Japan and we get into the knock out rounds.
Maybe after a strong season at Dinamo we bring him back and this time round he does not have to worry about playing his son Niko over Modric.
T – minus 6 days till Turkey!
ZDS
truth is like a cross between ziva and turkey….
but its prob ziva drumming up site traffic… its been relatively quiet here and he is just doing his “job” as he had claimed a few times in the past of bringing traffic
like some of you had said its a percentage game… i sure as shit like the list of possiblities for us and for sure if only a handful of them pan out we are looking pretty darn good
i remember back in the day manduzukic wasn’t highly rated on the site…. sure he hasn’t been some superstar but was more then servicable for us and the teams he has been on… perisic was rated well but nothing like some of these other youngsters are. maybe its croatian hype but like someone said do you think some cheap ass wop team(we all know how tight wops are with their money) is just going to blow all that money on a pjaca or rog without doing their research
what do you think they come on croatian sports.com and listen to us hype em lol
i must admit i did LOL at “re-bitch 2.0” haha.. to be fair The Truth’s nicknames for our players are better than most of Ziva’s 😀
Modric and Rakitic each with man of the match level performances for what are arguably the best two teams in the world.
I would like to see a few more defenders on the list of top prospects, but our embarrassment of midfield riches looks like it will continue for quite some time.
My only concern about the youngsters given today’s transfer market is that they need consistent playing time and many are not getting it (or won’t).
– Kovacic at Madrid : he did get a the start last week and played very well.
– Pjaca at Juve : it’s early, but looks like he’ll come off the bench here and there.
– Rog at Napoli : can’t imagine he slots in as a starter.
Strinic will be keeping Rog company on the bench unless he gets a transfer. Our other guys are in good situations and can always move to bigger teams as they continue to develop.
As life long Las Palmas fan I am very happy with Marko Livaja’s play for us so far!
Go Yellows!
Bbc wrote an article on Croatian hooligans, for those that missed it:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-37190459
Didn’t realize Rakitic scored today, good for him.
Also, Ivan Juric (coach for Genoa) won his first two Serie A games. He did VERY well with a crap Crotone team in Serie B last year, gaining them promotion. Genoa snapped him up quickly. They must’ve seen something they liked.
These same hamsters were hyping up guys like Modric, Eduardo, Corluka, Kranjcar, Kalinic, Rakitic, Mandzo and Perisic about 6-7 years ago.
Their theory is that, with so many prospects, you only need a few of them to pan out.
Well the “hamster theory” turns out to be right.
In the example above, some of them busted out (Kranjcar, Eduardo), some weren’t stars but became solid players (Corluka, Mandzo, Kalinic), and some became awesome (Modric, Rakitic, Perisic).
Also, Eduardo didn’t truly bust out, but he broke his ankle which ruined his career. But i’ll factor this as ‘busting out’ in my example anyway.
You’d be an idiot to assume that ALL of the many prospects that Croatia has (who are 23 and under) will bust out…especially since top Euro teams (who know a little more than you do) are comfortable dropping over 20 million euro on them.
Most of these guys are still well under 23 too, and you can even see how some of the older group (ie. Brozovic) are impacting their club teams (and Brozo wasn’t even a high end prospect).
Sorry, troof, you’re gonna have to go back to coaching that little league team of yours and squint a little harder.
Edit: sorry, “assistant” coaching that little league team
^ doubt it
@ lika joey
I won’t pretend to be a soccer expert. I played in the American college level and did some assistant coaching the as well. I don’t watch as much soccer as I’d like but i watch enough to know. But this isn’t a question of soccer. It’s a matter of understanding the hamster wheel you guys are all ruNning on believing in the hype train with no results to show for it
The Truth = Ziva Istina
Truth you watch soccer often? Or do you watch a couple of games and year?
Kovacic will be world class!
@truth
What’s your background? Just curious.
…Pasalic, Lovren (Davor), Moro, Tudor, Soldo, Simunovic, Perica, Brodic, Posavec, Livakovic, Maric, Leon-Habib 🙂
Just a few more off the top of my head too.
I’m just glad that our youth that is coming up the ranks seems to be more balanced. We have several goaltenders and defenders that are coming up the ranks. We only need a few of these guys to pan out.
listen, I was almost fooled by mateo ko-crotch-ich ‘s dribbling….till I realized it never amounted to anything….the guy does not have the power to finish plays with an assist or goal and that is why he never has any to his name…and he is soft as seen when lukaku bullid him off the ball on the way to a goal
a truly great player shows himself by that age
i’ll give marko Pee-jaca a year to see if he can show anything.. a couple goals in the hnl and some runs in the euros that lead to nothing don’t prove much….looks purely like ante re-bitch 2.0 to me
even Andrej kramar-shit scored four times as many goals as pjaca (ante re-bitch 2.0), and hasn’t managed to do anything since leavng
Adem Ljajic is under rated…grujic is good…I watched him preseason when he got injured. The two of them would be bottom of our talent pool. But for Serbia they are great prospects. Lol
Crnkovic well said brother! You forgot Moro…we are on fucking cloud 9 with our soccer future…let the haters hate! In my opinion Kovacic, Halilovic, Brozovic are already good players…they will do much more soon.I still haven’t given up on Kramaric
markovic is overhyped i agree. grujic is a very good player…ljajic is also good…
out of these young players: kova, halil, coric, vlasic, brozo, pjaca, krama, livaja, rebic, balic, jedvaj, benkovic, caleta-car, rog, brekalo, benko, muric, fiolic, knezevic, pavicic, sosa, semper….thats 22 talents off the top of the head. if 3 become world class, 5 become decent international level players and the other 16 prove to be over hyped or busts..thats already the best generation we have had since suker et al. can’t see them all being busts, thats against the law of nature. unless the truth is planning to poison them all. good times are coming, no doubt about it… 🙂
Lazar Markovic is an overhyped prospect.
Pjaca, is a tremendous athlete…kid has great feet and movement…comparing him to rebic is laughable…two different talents. Even pasalic has done well in Spain and monaco.
The truth- Are you the famous black boxer nicknamed the Truth? Cause you think like a man w CTE from the ghetto.
Every fan of every sport in every country KNOWS 90% of what they read & watch is hype.
1) The only thing Croatia needs, is for our overhyped players to be better than other country’s overhyped players.
I’ll go forward w an old Modric and Perisic, and am sure a few prospects will come to fruition. Future is so bright, I have to wear a burkini!
Rakitic saves Barca!
Kovacic, is a diamond in the rough…the kid might be one of the best dribblers in Europe already…he just needs to settle into a spot….for now he is a jack of all trades and a master of none…he will settle in and become a stud.
the truth. jedvaj plays for the most physically demanding team in the bundesliga. leverkusen play an insane quick pressing and counter attacking game. the coach likes him a lot and hasn’t looked after him, laying him in almost every game at full back where he has to charge forward and get back super quick. thats the main reason for his injuries as far as i can tell. that should improve, if it doesn’t he’s just unlucky. he has the ability to be world class. and the attitude. how is that false hype? pjaca very good player. yes i watched him in the croatian league, he has exceptional attributes. even the juventus manager allergy has spoken of pjaca as an extraordinary talent. is he trying to see him already? lol. you’re full of shit. are you a serb? or just an imbecile who thinks its clever to be cynical? as for kovacic, he has ridiculous talent. show me a player who has gone straight to inter at his age and put on the number 10 shirt and then to real madrid….he will play this season, he is improving well now after getting worse for the last year. think about moving country aged 20, playing with massive pressure, learning first italian, then spanish. the kids are all doing exceptionally well, they are gaining experience, in football and in life, this can only benefit croatian football…..
just another pundit who knows nothing about football. talking out of spare holes
give me analysis of these players weaknesses and strengths. prove you know something
@ lika joey
mateo ko-crotch-ich continues to show no progress and development….he was simply played sparingly at the start to try to raise transfer value…but now that the season is under way, that is over and to the bench he goes. no goals and no assists for him in a year
tin jedva igra will never have a good career because he is made of glass. he gets hurt every time the wind blows
Potential
Modric didn’t even leave dinamo until his early 20’s.Luka struggled at spurs at first…was voted the worst signing in Madrid….then the rest is history. Pjaca,Coric,Kovacic, Jedvaj will have tremendous careers. The rest have real potentia….
The Truth, aka idiot….how many players lock down full starting roles at big clubs in there teens or at 20. Kovacic even playing at real at his age is huge. These guys need time to develop. Our future has never looked so bright.
kramar-shit is kinda funny
well, if you are making a point about hype culture, there’s a discussion to be had there – just look at no man’s sky 😉
also isnt perisic mid 20s? He isnt on your list, i noticed
if half of our youngsters pan out we should be pretty good.. i wouldnt go as far as some and say we’re going to win the next 10 world cups in a row or anything, or even one.. but at least we’re competitive
in the NRL i follow the Bulldogs and in the AFL i follow Brisbane Lions.
The bulldogs regularly make the finals and entertain me for a whole year up until the final couple of weeks of the year, they havent won a premiership in ages, but they’re always competitive and i get to support them all the year
the lions on the other hand are utter dogshit and are breaking all sorts of records in terms of losing and being an embarassment – and its been that way for years, 3 weeks into the year, their year is over
one of the good things about being a fan of the Vatreni is we’re more like the bulldogs, we tend to always qualify and then have a legitimate chance to do something in the tourney (the finals) once we’re there (if we could get over our mental issues that is)
countries like serbs for example are more like brisbane lions, just utterly hopeless and there’s no joy to be had in being a fan of theirs
there’s enough young talent to keep us at the level we’re currently at – that sorta bulldogs level of regularly qualifying and being competitive.. which at the end of the day, im thankful to have the entertainment of and joy of being a supporter of a team that has at least some good moments
The truth,
How long did it take you to come up with those nicknames?
There are only 2 possibilities.
1/ You’re under 12. That would be okay.
2/ You’re pathetic
the future is bleak
you guys don’t understand how the transformation of the market place combined with the growth of media (social and internet) has caused Croatians to be deceived by the potential of these youngsters.
the situation of Croatian soccer adds fuel to the fire as it has these guys play for a vastly superior team in a fixed league and then sticks them on the national team years before they are capable
I’ve heard good things about youngsters for years….where are the results?
who do we have that is currently in their mid 20s that is any good?!
ko crotch ich? (Madrid) – no
love -men (Liverpool) -no
kramar-shit (hoffenheim) – no
bozo- vic (inter) – no
re bitch? (Frankfurt) – no
radose-bitch (who knows) – no
pasalic – no
vrsaljkoholic( atletic)? – no buried on bench
halilo-shit? (hamburgh) – no
josip bust-alo (Wolfsburg) ? – no
name me a young 20 yr croat who is really shining like the hype machine would have us believe
Tin jedvaj also is the real deal…his injuries worry me…but the kid is special.
I watched him play against westham…I saw his cameo for juve…all 10 min lol…this kid is different. He is special. Coric is ultra talented but small…my personal opinion is pjaca has the entire package. All out athlete…
But honestly, how much have you seen of Pjaca? At Dinamo he was playing against third rate competition. At the Euros he played one full game.
Halilovic could have a great career…but comparing him to messi is insane.
Obviously not all these kids will pan out. Pjaca is super talented… Extremely athletic and strong on the ball….if he doesn’t make it none of them will. I personally think Halilovic is over hyped.
@ Maminjo
Agreed that Modric can contribute till 35 … But he has always been a better defender than Pirlo and for the next 2 years can marshal the side. After that we will utilize his vision and creativity and have to cover him on D .
There is some truth what the Truth says. Pjaca is presently over-hyped based on his accomplishments. He played one game against a floundering Spain and suddenly he is the next Mesi. But then some superstitious people believe wishful thinking is capable of influencing reality.
Croatia’s future has NEVER looked brighter.
Of course, not all these kids will live up to the hype. However, we have never has so many potential super talents before.
@the truth
That was super weak.
A bit early to dog Coric Brekalo and Pjaca.
Sounds more like wishful thinking on your part.
The Truth, wow!!!!! Your an idiot….
there is a massive misconception of a bright future of croatian football
this is called by an overhyping of young talent that is caused by the way the transfer market is now working
where teams are increasingly importing these young players from smaller countries at huge fees
this gives the perception of undeniable talent, but really its mostly hype and false hope
we continue to be fooled by some guy that is allowed to play at dinamo at a young age, gets a big transfer, and therefore will be a transformational player: FALSE
lets take a look
kovacic: bust…will simply rot on madrid bench and can’t even get in game for croatia
halilovic: dong 1 good thing for every 20 bad things…huge hype creator, but at the end of the day, not even good enough to play for poor german team or even make croatian team
pjaca: rebic 2.0
rebic: rebic 1.0
lovren: enough said
coric, brekalo etc…. busts to come
Judging by that Halilovic video, I’m just glad he finally fixed that weird hair he was sporting these past 2-3 years.
Dam phone
The past two years everyone has been talking about Kovacic,Halilovic,Coric….Pjaca will have a tremendous career…a true athlete strong and has great quality. This kid is the future of croatian football.
🙂
Modrić is like Pirlo.
He will be playing high level football until he’s 35 easy.
well on that halilokebab goal, as i said i still have a lot of hope for him
@ Dannyj
Modric will be in top form for the next 2 years.
His game is based in intelligence.
FINALLY we can surround him with young legs to do the all dirty work for him.
Also be great to have explosive speed up top and the wings to give more space to create.
Bog i Hrvati
But sure nice to see the young ones playing hungry
Nice news on modric
I hope he can stay healthy and strong for at least World Cup
Anyone see this beauty but the young musliman
http://www.barcablaugranes.com/2016/8/23/12598378/watch-alen-halilovic-goal-hamburger-barcelona-german-cup
@ BZ
Modric looked powerful today, picked up a knock the right foot.
Man Modric gets better and better.
That’s what happens when you start for the #1 Club in the World.
Hope to see Modric wear the captain arm band for the Turkey match.
Modric saved Real today. He was by far the best player on the pitch.
spurs best year still behind arsenal
How many Cros in champs league? Go!
Come on you Spursssss