Croatian NT news, Qualifiers and Squad lists.

Croatia Beat Kosovo in Pristina 6-0. The starters were Subasic - Vrsaljko Corluka Vida Pivaric - Brozovic Kovacic Badelj Perisic - Kramaric Mandzukic. It looks like we played a 4-4-2 formation. Not much to report but I hear that Pivaric was not great defensively as he was beat a few times out on the left hand side. Matej Mitrovic replaced Vedran Corluka at half time. Nikola Kalinic came on for Mario Mandzukic at the 59th minute and Marko Rog came on for Andrej Kramaric in the 71st minute. Here are the highlights

 

Saw the game since then and know it was played in Albania. Some of back passing was terrible, agree, we will be punished if play like that against better teams. But this also gave some of the little used players an opportunity to play more. The same can be said of the game against Finland.

 

Ante Cacic called up the squad that will face Iceland in WC qualifying on Nov 12th and a friendly against Northern Ireland to be played 3 days later in Belfast. Marko Pjaca is injured so he is not available and Dejan Lovren has been left off the list for personal reasons. The only new player called up was Marin Leovac and Ivan Strinic has been dropped, but no reasons were given as Strinic not being called up.

Keepers: Danijel Subasic, Lovre Kalinic and Ivan Vargic
LB: Josip Pivaric and Marin Leovac
CB: Matej Mitrovic, Vedran Corluka, Domagoj Vida and Tin Jedvaj
RB: Sime Vrsaljko
DM: Milan Badelj
CM: Luka Modric, Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic and Ivan Rakitic
Wing: Ivan Perisic
AM: Marko Rog, Ante Coric
CF: Andrej Kramaric, Mario Mandzukic, Nikola Kalinic and Duje Cop

The game against Iceland in Zagreb will be played without any fans. This was imposed by UEFA due to crowd issues this past Euro championships.

 

So a couple things, Nikola Kalinic has been dropped because he has some minor health, but will not be ready in time for the game against Iceland. A second DM has been called, Filip Bradaric from HNK Rijeka.

the Iceland squad has been called up. Though 3 key players for them are out due to health issues of one kind or another. So Emil Hallfredsson, Alfred Finnbogason and Kolbeinn Sigborsson are not available for this upcoming match. This squad will play hard and to win. We need to get the win here because we can't have a second straight game at home end up as a draw.

Their squad:
GK Hannes Þór Halldórsson
12 1GK Ögmundur Kristinsson
13 1GK Ingvar Jónsson
2 2DF Birkir Már Sævarsson
6 2DF Ragnar Sigurðsson
14 2DF Kári Árnason
23 2DF Ari Freyr Skúlason
5 2DF Sverrir Ingi Ingason
19 2DF Hörður Björgvin Magnusson
4 2DF Hólmar Örn Eyjólfsson
17 3MF Aron Gunnarsson (captain)
8 3MF Birkir Bjarnason
7 3MF Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson
10 3MF Gylfi Þór Sigurðsson
18 3MF Theódór Elmar Bjarnason
15 3MF Ólafur Ingi Skúlason
16 3MF Rúnar Már Sigurjónsson
21 3MF Arnór Ingvi Traustason
3MF Aron Elís Þrándarson
22 4FW Jón Daði Böðvarsson
9 4FW Viðar Örn Kjartansson
4FW Elías Már Ómarsson
20 4FW Björn Bergmann Sigurðarson

 

Croatia bet Iceland at home 2-0 with a pair of strikes by Marcello Brozovic. this game was played at home in an empty stadium. So after 4 games the standings see us in first followed by the rest of the crowd.

1 Croatia 4 3 1 0 10 1 +9 10
2 Ukraine 4 2 2 0 7 3 +4 8
3 Iceland 4 2 1 1 6 5 +1 7
4 Turkey 4 1 2 1 5 5 0 5
5 Finland 4 0 1 3 3 6 −3 1
6 Kosovo 4 0 1 3 1 12 −11 1

Against Iceland we played a 4-2-3-1. with the starters being Vrsaljko Vida Corluka Pivaric-Modric Badelj - Brozovic Rakitic Perisic - Mandzukic



they also has a friendly against Northern Ireland. they beat Northern Ireland in Belfast 0-3. With the goal scorers being Mandzukic, Cop and Kramaric. Really impressed with Kramaric, hope he gets to start some of these qualifying game going forward
Played 4-2-3-1 against NI too. With the starters being Jedvaj Mitrovic Vida Leovac - Badelj Bradaric - Rog Kramaric Cop - Mandzukic.

 

Yeah I don't get the Jakov Puljic omission either. I kind of like to see how this squad does in China.

Here is the squad for some who want to take a look

Vratari: Andrej Prskalo (Rijeka), Dominik Livaković (Dinamo)
Obrambeni: Matej Mitrović (Rijeka), Josip Pivarić (Dinamo), Borna Barišić (Osijek), Mateo Barać (Osijek), Josip Juranović (Hajduk), Jakov Filipović (Inter), Toni Datković (Koper).
Vezni: Josip Mišić (Rijeka), Luka Ivanušec (Lokomotiva), Franko Andrijašević (Rijeka), Mario Šitum (Dinamo), Domagoj Antolić (Dinamo), Fran Tudor (Hajduk), Filip Ozobić (Gabala)
Napadači: Antonio Perošević (Osijek), Mirko Marić (Lokomotiva)

 

Squad for the upcoming qualifying game against Ukraine and then friendly verses Estonia:

Vratari; Danijel Subasic(Monaco), Lovre Kalinic(Gent), Dominik Livakovic(Dinamo Zagreb)
CB: Vedran Corluka(Lokovmotiv Moscow), Domagoj Vida(Dinamo Kiev), Matej Mitrovic(Besiktas), Marko Leskovic(Dinamo Zagreb), Tin Jedvaj(Bayer Leverkusen)
RB: Sime Vrsaljko(Athletico Madrid)
LB: Josip Pivaric(Dinamo Zagreb)
DM: Filip Bradaric(Rijeka), Milan Badelj(Fiorentina)
CM: Luka Modric(Real Madrid), Mateo Kovacic(Real Madrid), Ivan Rakitic(Barcelona), Marcelo Brozovic(Inter Milan)
AM: Marko Rog(Napoli)
RW: Ivan Perisic(Inter Milan)
LW: Marko Pjaca(Juventus)
Napadaci: Mario Mandzukic(Juventus), Nikola Kalinic(Fiorentina), Andrej Kramaric(Hoffenheim), Duje Cop(Sporting Gijon)

Standby players: Mario Pasalic(AC Milan), Marin Leovac(PAOK), Franko Andrijasevic(Rijeka)
http://hns-cff.hr/news/15959/izbornik-cacic-objavio-popis-igraca-za-ukrajinu-i-estoniju/

Only 1 new face from last game, and that is Marko Leskovic. Dejan Lovren being the only notable absence. And would of liked to have seen Mario Pasalic get a direct call up, as he has done well in Milan this season. Ukraine game will be a home game. While the friendly with Estonia will be played in Tallinn

 

Hi Ivan, i agree but coaches are a weird lot they all have their favorites. So yes i would prefer Strinic to Pivaric and Leovac, even when Strinic only plays sparring to the other 2. But now Vrsaljko is injured, and will probably miss the game. I guess Jedvaj plays now in that RB position. Nobody will be called up in Corluka's absence. And for 1 game its not that critical but with Lovren and Corluka both out either Leskovic or Mitrovic will be partnering Vida. And i really don't get the Leskovic call up, he has appeared in only 5 games for Dinamo this season and he gets an immediate call up. Not sure how that entire backline will function now with Corluka out of this upcoming game, some inexperienced player will earn his first qualifying cap in that backfield.

 

Beat Ukraine 1-0 at home. I only saw the last 20 minutes but the analysis is that we played well in the first half and were pretty pedestrian in the second half. I have read different things about who played well and who played poorly. But since I didn't see the game I will not comment. Instead I am posting the up to date standings:

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts
1 Croatia 5 4 1 0 11 1 + 10 13
2 Iceland 5 3 1 1 8 6 + 2 10
3 Ukraine 5 2 2 1 7 4 +3 8
4 Turkey 5 2 2 1 7 5 +2 8
5 Finland 5 0 1 4 3 8 −5 1
6 Kosovo 5 0 1 4 2 14 −12 1

Here are the highlights:

 

So we played our friendly against Estonia today and lost 3-0. Personally I find it good that we lost, as it will bring this coach down a peg or 2, as I am not a fan of his. And we can't play with 3 at the back. none of the defenders play as part of a 3 man backfield. it looks like we played a 3-5-2 of some sort. Anyway from what I read it was poor overalll, but I read there were not only on field issues but logistical issues too, Suker doing everything on the cheap probably. Anyway I can't believe they scored on us in the first minute of the game . Looking at the starters, it looked like there was very little width, when we got no fullbacks, everything will go through that middle. The starters were:
Lovre Kalinic ,Marko Leskovic, Matej Mitrovic, Domagoj Vida , Filip Bradaric, Mateo Kovacic, Marko Rog , Duje Cop, Andrej Kramaric, Ivan Perisic, Marko Pjaca

Here is the video highlights, not like there is much to see, just Estonia scoring on us :

 

With friendlies its about getting something out of them. Did he get/see something in backfield duo of Mitrovic and Leskovic? Is there something there in one of them to make you consider calling them up when Corluka and Lovren are back in the squad. Was playing Rog on the wing a good idea and did he show that he can play on the wing. Can Filip Bradaric be a DM mid for us going forward , if we need to shut a game down, can we count on him. Were there any successes in the 3-5-2 formation work? Is Duje Cop an option off the bench if we need a goal... These questions should be what Cacic needs to answer before WC next year. Because this up and coming WC will be the last WC hurrah for Modric, Rakitic, Corluka, Mandzukic, Kalinic and possibly Perisic and Badelj too(at least in terms of playing at a high level). So Cacic needs to needs to supplement these guys with players that will add to that collective.