Croatian NT news, Qualifiers and Squad lists.

Discussion in 'Croatia' started by LordofTheFlies, Jul 23, 2016.

  1. Gilbertsson

    Gilbertsson Member+

    Barcelona
    Spain
    Apr 1, 2012
    Geneva
    Club:
    Toronto Croatia
    Nat'l Team:
    Switzerland
  2. Gilbertsson

    Gilbertsson Member+

    Barcelona
    Spain
    Apr 1, 2012
    Geneva
    Club:
    Toronto Croatia
    Nat'l Team:
    Switzerland
    Mexicans complain because Croatia won't play with the first team against them.

     
  3. 954gator

    954gator Member

    Jun 16, 2016
    Agreed 100%. I'd say the teams Peru has the hardest time against are Colombia and Brazil, but I agree if they move on I'd feel better if they played teams outside of Conmebol.

    By the way Ruidiaz Misitich scored today! Also, congrats on the win vs Mexico!
     
    Gilbertsson repped this.
  4. Gilbertsson

    Gilbertsson Member+

    Barcelona
    Spain
    Apr 1, 2012
    Geneva
    Club:
    Toronto Croatia
    Nat'l Team:
    Switzerland
    A lot of chances, but no precision from both sides, in media they say it was real war, injuries. I haven't saw the match. Croatia wins against Mexico in friendly matches, but Mexico wins at World Cups.:rolleyes:

     
    +PL+ repped this.
  5. Gilbertsson

    Gilbertsson Member+

    Barcelona
    Spain
    Apr 1, 2012
    Geneva
    Club:
    Toronto Croatia
    Nat'l Team:
    Switzerland
    Croatian users probably know this already...Zdravko Mamic.:)

    https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44381167

    http://global.espn.com/football/din...c-sentenced-to-prison-for-tax-evasion?src=com

    He got the citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina, through origins and he is now in Roman Catholic sanctuary Medjugorje.:cool: Medjugorje became connected a lot with footballers. Luckily, there are no other worries in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina besides football.:rolleyes::sleep:

    https://www.total-croatia-news.com/...onds-to-verdict-i-m-surprised-but-i-feel-good
     
  6. Gilbertsson

    Gilbertsson Member+

    Barcelona
    Spain
    Apr 1, 2012
    Geneva
    Club:
    Toronto Croatia
    Nat'l Team:
    Switzerland
    Croatia - Senegal



    [​IMG]









    Interesting football legacy

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  7. LordofTheFlies

    Dec 9, 2015
    A shout out to the players who have recently retired from the National Team:

    Vedran Corluka(32). Has 103 Caps under his name. Was first called up by Slaven Bilic in a friendly against Italy in August of 2006. Hvala Carli !!!





    Danijel Subasic(33). Has 44 caps to his name. He was first called up by Slaven Bilic in fall of 2018 against Ukraine and Andorra. He did not get his first cap until November of 2009 against Lichtenstein. Hvala ti Suba!!!



    Mario Mandzukic(32) . Has 89 caps to his name for the NT. He too got his first call up by Slaven Bilic in a qualifying game against Macedonia in November of 2007. Hvala Mario!!!!



     
  8. LordofTheFlies

    Dec 9, 2015
    Game is friendly against Portugal
    No Rakitic or Lovren for this game as both will be joining the team for the game against Spain. While Rebic and Kramaric will be skipping both fixtures as they try to get back to health and fitness.Also Duje Cop(Real Valladolid) has been added to the squad

    [​IMG]
     
  9. LordofTheFlies

    Dec 9, 2015
    Played a friendly against Portugal the other day. we drew 1-1 did not see the game so the highlights is all i got. But it looks like Portugal had more chances. From our end there were new faces tried out. And it sounds like Mitrovic and Barisic played well, which is good to hear as competition for spots is good to have. I think we played a 4-3-2-1. Starters were L.Kalinic, Vrsaljko, Vida, Barisic; Badelj, Modric, Kovacic; Pjaca, Perisic; Livaja. Others subs were Jedvaj, Milic, Santini, Pasalic, Cop and Rog

     
  10. That's Liquid Football

    Boston United
    England
    Sep 21, 2018
    Hi guys,

    Hope you don't mind me jumping in here with a Shameless Plug, but we've been running a new series on our site this season called 'Love Letters to the European Union', in which we profile one player and one game from each of the 27 EU nations. We recently wrote a piece on Croatia, and it'd be great to get some feedback.

    https://thatsliquidfootball.com/2018/09/06/love-letters-to-the-european-union-fiery-madness/

    Any comments welcome, and sorry once again for the self-promotion!.
     
  11. LordofTheFlies

    Dec 9, 2015
    So for the Euro 2020 Qualifiers Croatia drew with: Azerbaijan, Hungary, Wales and Slovakia . With the dates set as follows

    21st March, 20:45 (Thursday): Hrvatska - Azerbaijan
    24th. March, 18:00 (Sunday): Hungary - Hrvatska

    8th June, 15:00 (Saturday): Hrvatska - Wales

    6th September, 20:45 (Monday): Slovakia - Hrvatska
    9th September, 18:00 (Monday): Azerbaijan - Hrvatska

    10th. October, 20:45 (Thursday): Hrvatska - Hungary
    13th. October, 20:45 (Sunday): Wales - Hrvatska

    16th. November 20:45 (Saturday): Hrvatska - Slovakia
     
  12. Gilbertsson

    Gilbertsson Member+

    Barcelona
    Spain
    Apr 1, 2012
    Geneva
    Club:
    Toronto Croatia
    Nat'l Team:
    Switzerland
    Wales is the hardest opponent here.

    Ben Davies (Tottenham), Aaron Ramsey (Arsenal), Gareth Bale (Real Madrid).

    Other teams seem much more weaker. Any Croatian defeat should be a surprise.

    Hungary, Slovakia, Azerbaijan - defensive teams.
     
  13. LordofTheFlies

    Dec 9, 2015
    #138 LordofTheFlies, Mar 5, 2019
    Last edited: Mar 5, 2019
    So Zlatko Dalic called up his squad for the start of Euro 2020 qualifying. The first game will be at home against Azerbaijan on the March 21s and the 2nd game will be in Hungary on March 24th.

    Vratari: Lovre Kalinić (Aston Villa), Dominik Livaković (Dinamo), Simon Sluga (Rijeka)

    Braniči: Domagoj Vida (Bešiktaš), Dejan Lovren (Liverpool), Tin Jedvaj (Bayer Leverkusen), Borna Barišić (Glasgow Rangers), Marin Leovac (Dinamo), Antonio Milić (Anderlecht), Duje Ćaleta-Car (Marseille)

    Vezni igrači: Luka Modrić (Real Madrid), Ivan Rakitić (Barcelona), Mateo Kovačić (Chelsea), Milan Badelj (Lazio), Marcelo Brozović (Inter), Marko Rog (Sevilla), Mario Pašalić (Atalanta), Filip Bradarić (Cagliari)

    Napadači: Ivan Perišić (Inter), Andrej Kramarić (Hoffenehim), Ante Rebić (Eintracht), Marko Pjaca (Fiorentina), Nikola Vlašić (CSKA Moskva), Josip Brekalo (Wolfsburg)

    Players on Standby/Being Evaluated for a call up: Karlo Bartolec (Nordsjaelland), Bruno Petković (Dinamo), Marin Pongračić (RB Salzburg) i Josip Posavec (Hajduk).

    Notable omissions are Sime Vrsaljko and Matej Mitrovic who are both injured. And Karlo Letica who can't get game time as a Keeper at Club Brugge.

    From Dalic's first press this year:
    - He wants to use young players and find a long term solution with the right back. The goal is to build a squad towards the European Championships and beyond.
    - Sime Vrsaljko will miss the entire qualifications
    - Lovre Kalinic is out with a concussion but if healthy he is still the #1
    - Bruno Petkovic is a type of forward that Croatia currently doesn't have and a decision will be made on him after Dinamo's matches against Benfica
    - Dejan Lovren should be ready to play by the Hungary game (he is suspended for Azerbaijan)
    - Drazen Ladic scouted the Austrian league closely last few weeks; Marin Pongracic is the closest new candidate for the NT while they also looked at Mateo Barac from Rapid Wien. They are also scouting the HNL for depth players
    https://hns-cff.hr/news/19591/dalic-sad-se-mijenja-stil-igre-moramo-biti-spremni/

    I would move on from players like Filip Bradaric and Marin Leovac and give spots to younger players out there. As neither player IMO has any long term future with this team.
     
  14. Ivan Nitko

    Ivan Nitko Member

    Aug 24, 2016
    Well, since Kalinic doesn't seen to be getting any playing time with Aston Villa lately, I think it would be safer to go with Livakovic as 1st GK for the time being, since he is the one that is playing more regularly.But let's see how he plays tomorrow against Benfica. I agree with you about Bradaric and Leovac, but in Leovac's case I think it's a temporary thing since Pivaric and Sosa are injured. I believe Barisic will be the one in Pivaric's place until he is fit again.I don't think that are really any backup options: Petar Mamic is terrible, Erlic is not playing at all, and it's a long time since I last heard of Anocic. Colina, which is one of the few decent players from class 2000, still hasn't had any main team experience whatsoever. Right back position is even toughter. I can't really see any decent backup to Vrsaljko besides Jedvaj or playing Vida as RB and another CB in his place beside Lovren(maybe Caleta Car). I really don't see what people see in this Bartolec dude, he doesn't look anything special...
     
  15. Gilbertsson

    Gilbertsson Member+

    Barcelona
    Spain
    Apr 1, 2012
    Geneva
    Club:
    Toronto Croatia
    Nat'l Team:
    Switzerland
    #140 Gilbertsson, Mar 13, 2019
    Last edited: Mar 13, 2019
    It seems that there are no great goalkeepers in Croatia. Kalinic plays in 10th ranked club Aston Villa, (Second English League). Livakovic should be number 1. I would invite Karlo Letica maybe instead of Sluga.
    Too bad that Subasic retired. He could play until EURO 2020 at least. But texts in media judged him, when he made the sign of cross, was it Orthodox or Catholic style.:confused: This important mystery is still unsolved.:rolleyes:

    It would be OK to force Borna Barisic more, with Tin Jedvaj and Duje Caleta Car.
    Leovac and Milic are not some national team material. Vida remained in Besiktas, entire league is much weaker. Lovren should be the starter, if he stops to talk against some teams or players in negative sense, like Sergio Ramos for example.

    Ivan Rakitic is the best in central part. Absence of Cristiano Ronaldo is evident in Real Madrid. Modric isn't making some contribution there.
    Marko Rog has 1 match for Sevilla. Not good.
    Nikola Vlasic vanished after his goal against Real Madrid. Weak club CSKA Moscow. Even Zenit lost easy against Villarreal who is among last teams in Spain.
    I followed Chelsea, Kovacic plays there, but doesn't show anything. I don't understand why they invite Bradaric.:D Rakitic, Brozovic, Badelj, Pasalic kept the same quality.

    There are choices in attack, even more than it seems. Perisic, Rebic, Kramaric, Brekalo.

    Why do they invite Karlo Bartolec? He plays in 7h club of Danish league. I could understand, if he plays in FC Kobenhavn, Midtjylland, Brondby. Deal with Dinamo Zagreb I guess. Providing him stronger league, better transfer.
    Matej Mitrovic is also weak player for defence on higher level.

    When they have more than 22-23 years, if they are good, important clubs would buy them. They stay in weaker clubs with the reason.

    Marin Leovac - 30 years, still in Croatian league, he refused high salaries just like coach Zlatko Dalic.:D
    Antonio Milic - 25 years, Anderlecht, fifth club in Belgium.
    Nikola Vlasic - CSKA, Everton would return him from the loan, if he is great.
    Filip Bradaric - 27 years, Cagliari. If he is great, top clubs in Serie A would buy him. He plays with doping Srna there.:cool:
    Bruno Petkovic - 24 years, Dinamo Zagreb. He played in Italy, switched 7 clubs there and no one wanted him. He reminds me on artificially created talent and surprise, like Leon Benko, Ivan Krstanovic, Mihael Mikic, Niko Kranjcar.

    Petar Bockaj is removed from the club, NT team, because he was guilty in some car accident, he ran away. Turbo folk music and alcohol. How unusual in Croatia.:confused: How can anyone listen such music.

    Udri, do zore, seljaci.:sleep: It reminds me on Anatolian style on their wedding ceremonies.:cool:



    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petar_Bočkaj

    It would be interesting to see finally Filip Krovinovic in important club like Benfica, after he came back after injury period.:)

    Niko Kovac, Robert Kovac lost at home with Bayern against Liverpool. Terrible performance. Players don't recognize his authority. Bayern reminded me on Croatia - Mexico match. How can such weak coaches end in such great club.:confused: Bayern is the title holder in Germany even before the season starts.:)

    Coaching resources are still pretty modest, Slaven Bilic doesn't train anyone, Robert Prosinecki took Bosnia and Herzegovina, Nikola Jurcevic took Azerbaijan, Igor Tudor without the club, Branko Ivankovic in Persepolis.
    Besides few exotic destinations, there is no progress.:sleep:
     
  16. LordofTheFlies

    Dec 9, 2015
    The LB and RB positions are extremely thin. So my analysis of the current backs would be like so. Sime Vrsalljko is the best back we have and i would rate him like an 8 or 8.5 out of 10. The problem is looking at all available RB's and LB's knowing that he is injured for the next 8 months. And there is no perfect replacement for him. I personally would call up Karlo Bartolec(23) and have him train with the NT, knowing that he is a step below Vrsaljko. Hoping that he grows as player along the way. Of the players that actually got an invite for the Azerbaijan and Hungary games, i would start Tin Jevdaj RB. As I know that he played RB 15 times the last 3 seasons for Bayer Leverkusen and for the NT he has appeared as at RB 8 times. I know he has played LB more recently with Bayer but even so he is the best for that position of the players called.

    At LB, i don't know if there is a best player. But i am not a fan of Josip Pivaric defensively and so that is not someone i would call up. And with this injury he could be potentially even slower. As for the players that were called up. I would start with Borna Barisic against Azerbaijan and see how he performs against them. He is doing well in Rangers and he should IMO be our starting LB going forward. Marin Leovac has not played for the NT since november 2016. His callup is because we have no one else.
    Nenad Gracan called up 4 LB's for U21 friendly with Italy, Petar Mamic, Borna Sosa , Marijan Cabraja and Domagoj Bradaric. I like competition but even to me 4 players fighting it out for LB positon would be too much, if not for the fact that he called up no RB's for that game. those 4 vary in age from 19 to 23. I just think that by post Euro 2020 the NT will need to have another credible LB who is not named Ivan Strinic, Josip Pivaric or Marin Leovac.

    So if EURO's started today and everyone was healthy, my Back callups would be Sime Vrsaljko, Borna Barisic and Tin Jedvaj.
     
  17. Ivan Nitko

    Ivan Nitko Member

    Aug 24, 2016
    There's also Fran Tudor, who seems quite decent. Maybe he could get a chance too, although I think he should gain more experience out of 1HNL first...
    The truth is that we don't have at the moment another true RB as good as Vrsaljko, or at least a reliable one. I'd rather go with Jedvaj or Vida by now while Vrsaljko is out. I don't really think that Bartolec is all that. Some media even called him " Our Dani Alves" ! Come on!
    About LB, I'm not a big fan of Pivaric either, but at least he is already well adjusted in the team and knows the way they play. Besides, Barisic sees to be falling behind at Rangers. So yes, I think he is good and deserves a chance, but it's still to early to ditch Pivaric in favour of him. Let's see if he gets back regularity at Rangers before giving him a definitive spot at the 1st team.
    Oh, right, I forgot about Domagoj Bradaric. He seems promising, but I think he needs to prove himself some more before getting a chance in the A NT. But Petar Mamic?! I don't think we are THAT desperate...
     
  18. LordofTheFlies

    Dec 9, 2015
    #143 LordofTheFlies, Mar 16, 2019
    Last edited: Mar 16, 2019
    I will start with Borna Barisic, this season at Rangers he has played 1625 minutes. Seems pretty good to me considering this is his first season there. He is more controlled going forward then Strinic every is or was and is a better passer then him. Does not have that same burst as Pivaric has in that attacking third, but like i said i a good passer and has a great cross. He also covers the space behind himself better then Pivaric does. And nobody thought Pivaric as a viable NT player until 2016 when Cacic started calling him up regularly(after dropping Strinic post Euro's). So i would not write off any player no matter how young or old for that matter. but Pivaric just had knee surgery last month and he will not be back practicing again till July, so yes he knows the system but at 30 coming back from knee surgey is no small matter.
    As for Bartolec, nobody should think he is the next Danny Alves, but he is good going forward from what i have seen. I have not watched him enough recently to say how he compares to Fran Tudor, or even how good his defense is. Judging players in the HNL is fools gold in most cases, as this league just does not have the competition you see in the top 6 or 7 leagues in Europe. Being that Sime is out this entire qualifying campaign is problematic because it exposes the lack of depth this NT has. this is down to the reprezentacija(and clubs too) not doing a good enough job in their youth development. And the reprezentacija just never has enough depth(outside of potentially the CB) in any position. As the issue with LB's and RB's has problematic for years now. Speaking to lacking of vision this reprezentacija has and the lack of leadership at the top!
    Your right about one thing in the sense that none of the current players who are in the U21 squads or U19 squads ( be it,Colina, Mamic, Bradaric, Cabraja or even Sosa(who has struggled h injuries this season)) has shown enough to be considered an A team player. But like i said ,my callups if everyone is healthy would be Vrsaljko, Barisic and Jedvaj

    P.S. - We knew that Vrsaljko was out but today it was reported today that Jedvaj is out for these games too, so Karlo Bartolec(FC Nordsjaelland) has been called up as a replacement. And Bruno Petkvoic(Dinamo Zagreb) has been called up to replace Marko Pjaca who will be out this whole qualifying campaign too
     
  19. Gilbertsson

    Gilbertsson Member+

    Barcelona
    Spain
    Apr 1, 2012
    Geneva
    Club:
    Toronto Croatia
    Nat'l Team:
    Switzerland
    After Benfica - Dinamo match, goalkeeping position is also at high risk. Fran Tudor can'r play, because he is Hajduk Split player. Hajduk players can play for NT, only if they give up from Hajduk stories and if they make critical tones against Hajduk staff management. The usual pattern. Players who don't do that, they are out of the picture as players / coaches: Igor Tudor, Fran Tudor, Robert Jarni. Assistant coaches are Ivica Olic, Drazen Ladic (ex-Dinamo Zagreb players). Karlo Bartolec (youth career of Dinamo Zagreb, Lokomotiva Zagreb - same club).

    But, when you see this video of Karlo Bartolec, someone would think - football expert.:D

     
  20. Gilbertsson

    Gilbertsson Member+

    Barcelona
    Spain
    Apr 1, 2012
    Geneva
    Club:
    Toronto Croatia
    Nat'l Team:
    Switzerland
  21. LordofTheFlies

    Dec 9, 2015
    #146 LordofTheFlies, Mar 26, 2019
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2019
    Lost to Majarska the other day 2 - 1 in Budapest. Goalscorers were Szalai and Patkai. While for Hrvatska Rebic scored.
    Positives - I thought we played with a lot more intensity in the second half against
    Majarska, which was good to see. I also like the way Borna Barisic looked. He looked good in both games he has started in. Hopefully his injury is not a serious one. As i see him as first choice LB now.
    Negatives - 3/4 issues. 1) how we defend set pieces - the goalie has no command of that goal and players always make a mistake, so we give up goals ; 2) too many mistakes out there right now- players like Brozovic and Raktitic were poor this game(other players just looked rusty) 3) this team has difficulty breaking teams down in the final 3rd. This was not really any different in the WC either, as we went to shoot outs with both Russia and Denmark. they need a system or as style of play . 4th if there is a 4th issue, some players like Leovac, are not NT quality(but this is more of a consequence of injuries then anything else)


    Anyways,
     
  22. Gilbertsson

    Gilbertsson Member+

    Barcelona
    Spain
    Apr 1, 2012
    Geneva
    Club:
    Toronto Croatia
    Nat'l Team:
    Switzerland
    #147 Gilbertsson, Mar 26, 2019
    Last edited: Mar 26, 2019
    Several players are not national team quality: Lovre Kalinic, Dominik Livakovic, Simon Sluga, Domagoj Vida, Marin Leovac, Antonio Milic, Duje Caleta Car, Karlo Bartolec, Mateo Kovacic, Filip Bradaric, Bruno Petkovic....with coaches like Zlatko Dalic, Ivica Olic...
    Hungary was motivated, they already had few highlights - EURO 2016.
    Traditionally, the ball was usually slow, the way of playing without the ball, search of empty spaces, predictable style.
    Now, it becomes evident that Croatia was really lucky at World Cup, when they meet very weak Argentina, the weakest generation in the last 30 years, weak Iceland and Nigeria. It was good to meet equally similar Denmark and Russia.
    The first serious matches were against England and France. The best match of Croatia against England.
    After the World Cup, they got relaxed, defence was always critical, heavy defeat against Spain 6-0, where they mentioned falsely that Nations League was not important for them.:D
    Lets hope to see less political messages, false coaching offers from Asia and millions of dollars, pathetic statements about the unity with fans, we together stories. Serious teams don't give their reputation so easy. Observe Belgium, England, France, they all win, because they want to justify their top 4 positions at the World Cup. Germany is fighting back against the Netherlands.
    This reminds me on EURO 2000 qualifications, when they came after the bronze medal and lost against Ireland 2-0 away, they tried to return but failed to qualify on that EURO 2000 which was a nice chance for that generation, perhaps quarter-finals, semi-finals.
    They need to find 2-3 normal defenders, not some unknown guys picked randomly. They had good picks when they revealed unknown Josip Krizanac, Dario Knezevic in defence. Maybe they could visit South America and find someone from diaspora. People from diaspora give more for Croatia than domestic players. Just observe Rakitic, not a single scandal, negative thought, respected in clubs where he plays.
    The next match is in June 2019. They usually never win in June, they make excuses about the season ending. They had defeat against Scotland at home in that month. A lot of problems for them in June month over the years. Against the British teams and Ireland, there are usually some problems. Combined with France, Portugal and sometimes Spain.

    11.06.2017. 20:45
    SP2018 (KV.)
    Island 1 : 0 Hrvatska

    12.06.2015. 20:45
    EURO2016 (KV.)
    POLJUD, SPLIT
    Hrvatska 1 : 1 Italija

    07.06.2013. 20:15
    SP2014 (KV.)
    STADION MAKSIMIR, ZAGREB
    Hrvatska 0 : 1 Škotska

    06.06.2009. 20:15
    SP2010 (KV.)
    STADION MAKSIMIR, ZAGREB
    Hrvatska 2 : 2 Ukrajina
     
  23. Gilbertsson

    Gilbertsson Member+

    Barcelona
    Spain
    Apr 1, 2012
    Geneva
    Club:
    Toronto Croatia
    Nat'l Team:
    Switzerland
    Ovo bi bila dobra momcad: 3-5-2

    Livakovic (GK) - Barisic, Lovren, Jedvaj - Vlasic, Rakitic, Brozovic, Modric, Vrsaljko - Perisic, Kramaric.

    3-5-2 formacija je ona izvorna, prirodna formacija.

    4-4-2 je besmislena varijanta modernog nogometa.

    Selektor bi trebao biti netko izvana, ali skuplje i strucnije rjesenje. Mozda onaj iz Monaca, onda Ancelotti, Blanc. Netko tko poznaje taktiku, mentalitet, raznovrsna rjesenja. Ovako uvijek isto, kontra, pa natrag.
     
  24. Gilbertsson

    Gilbertsson Member+

    Barcelona
    Spain
    Apr 1, 2012
    Geneva
    Club:
    Toronto Croatia
    Nat'l Team:
    Switzerland
  25. Gilbertsson

    Gilbertsson Member+

    Barcelona
    Spain
    Apr 1, 2012
    Geneva
    Club:
    Toronto Croatia
    Nat'l Team:
    Switzerland

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