|
Croatia come to the World Cup with silver medals. In our 2018 run to the second spot we had a lot of luck, with only two major powers (Argentina and England) in the path, and with games against Denmark and Russia decided in penalties. We also had only one striker after the second choice Nikola Kalinić got booted out because of insubordination. Still, nobody said it was undeserved. Luka Modrić got the Best player award and he got the Ballon d'Or too that year. Of course, the results plummeted in the Nations League after the World Cup, and the Euro 2020 performance was lackluster. Milan's Ante Rebić got thrown out of the team for publicly saying that Croatia had been playing like poo poo for years. The WC qualifying was solid and the new Nations League even better - we defeated France for the first time ever and topped the group. The spirits are high. Noone is injured or missing (except Rebić), and an exit earlier than quarter finals will be a disappointment. Also maybe interesting... - Managed to win against all major football nations except Brazil and Portugal - Missed only one World Cup and one Euro since independence - Only on two tournaments won a game after the group stage. In 1998 World Cup when we took bronze, and in 2018 when we took silver. So, once we're out of the group phase it's either instafail or a top three spot. Here's a game for you! Try to identify the players. A star next to the name means the player doesn't appear in the cartoon.   GOALKEEPER Domink Livaković - solid in Dinamo Zagreb but also a spinster of a sorts. Already 27 and never made that big sale, which is what everybody expected every transfer window, and which is how Dinamo pays the bills. DEFENDERS Joško Gvardiol (RB Leipzig) - big with great technique, one of the most promising young defenders in the world. The other day suffered a broken nose and a concussion so will likely play with a face guard. The other full back could be Dejan Lovren (Zenit Sank Petersburg), a loudmouth and an anti-establishment guy who's authority in the team is only behind Modrić's. Another veteran option is fan favorite Domagoj Vida (AEK). It's more likely Dalić will use a younger player, Josip Šutalo* (Dinamo Zagreb) or Martin Erlić* (Sassuolo). Josip Juranović (Celtic) - right back Borna Sosa (Stuttgart) - was unhappy with not being invited for the senior team and signed for Germany... only for the deal to fall through because ofr some formality. Very offensive LB. Borna Barišić (Rangers) - another LB, more of an all-rounder. MIDFIELD Luka Modrić (Real Madrid) - Our Captain Marcelo Brozović (Inter) - One of Inter's key players, but after a recent injury successfully replaced by Calhanoglu. Mateo Kovačić (Chelsea) - After Ivan Rakitić retired, now standard in starting XI. Nikola Vlašić (Torino) - Was great in CSKA, then poo poo at West Ham, and now is getting his form back on loan in Torino. Mario Pašalić (Atalanta) FORWARDS Ivan Perišić (Tottenham) - Old, reliable winger. Second to Modrić in number of caps and importance to the team. Mislav Oršić (Dinamo Zagreb) - Winger and Dinamo supporters' favorite because he rejected Burnley's offer and stayed in Zagreb. Bruno Petković (Dinamo Zagreb) - Strong and slow, can carry two defenders on his back and keep the ball. Great technique, doesn't score much. Andrej Kramarić (Hoffenheim) - Used to be one of the top Bundesliga scorers, but never that successful in the national team Ante Budimir* (Osasuna) - Tall, energetic. When you want pressure on defenders or a desperate header. Marko Livaja (Hajduk) - Hajduk Split's best player and decent in the national team but he's also here to appease Croatian south. Doctor Malaver fucked around with this message at 00:07 on Nov 14, 2022 |
#
?
Nov 13, 2022 23:45
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 4, 2024 13:26 |
|
|
Borna Barisic is a good lad.
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2022 12:05
|
|
|
HappyCamperGL posted:Borna Barisic is a good lad. I want him to score a fully sick free kick
|
|
#
?
Nov 14, 2022 14:18
|
|
|
We defeated Saudi Arabia today. Most of the game they looked the better side but the last 20 minutes or so we scored three goals, two of which were canceled for offside. Perišić's goal was first class and after ref's decision you could see him swearing raunchily. Good thing Saudis don't speak Croatian because he'd probably be beheaded.
|
|
#
?
Nov 16, 2022 19:03
|
|
|
Croatia : Morocco 0:0 Possibly the most boring game of the tournament so far. We were very defensive and cautious. Gvardiol didn't make any of his trademark runs even though he had ample opportunities, Sosa made very few crosses (he was well covered though). Moroccans made quite a few errors in their half but when we took the ball we had too few men in the attack. All respect to Modrić again - tackling at the edge of getting a yellow, cutting crosses, shooting, going to the back line to start the attack...
|
|
#
?
Nov 23, 2022 16:21
|
|
|
Croatia - Canada 4:1 That was a nice win, made juicier by Canada manager's pre-game comment that they gonna gently caress Croatia, a plan supported by some posters in the Canadian SA thread. Sex did happen, just with reversed roles.  Kramarić scored three times (once denied by offside), each time with sniper-like precision. Possibly his best game for the national team ever. The rest played well too, great game overall. Juranović couldn't handle Davies one on one, but for the modest Celtic man to neutralize Bayern's star, that would be asking too much. Good team atmosphere, good work by reserves, looking forward to the game with Belgium. If they needed ref's help to defeat Canada, and they lost to Morocco, I expect we'll at least draw even on a bad day. Doctor Malaver fucked around with this message at 12:15 on Nov 28, 2022 |
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2022 11:15
|
|
|
Given the free kick he let in, got to think Croatia will be playing for as many as possible to scare Courtois with. Maybe Lovren will finally get one?
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2022 11:26
|
|
|
Lovren attempted one during the last Euro. There were some eyebrows raised and Dalić explained Lovren had been practicing them at training so if he felt like trying, why not. It's not like we have a free kick expert. I'm not even sure who's our first choice. Maybe Modrić, since he does everything.
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2022 13:31
|
|
|
It probably was Rakitic if I had to guess and obviously that ship has sailed.
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2022 13:35
|
|
|
It’s not Modric and/or Perišić?
|
|
#
?
Nov 28, 2022 18:12
|
|
|
sticksy posted:It’s not Modric and/or Perišić? Yeah, probably. Funny thing, Modrić learned to shoot in his early thirties. I remember watching a Real game maybe 8-9 years ago and a friend commented how Modrić was just a worker in Real, how he could only deliver the ball to others who were proper players and real stars. Literally seconds later, Modrić scores a howler. We were like, wow looks like he's learning to shoot too...
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2022 11:21
|
|
|
Shrapnig posted:It probably was Rakitic if I had to guess and obviously that ship has sailed. And before him, Srna. Unlike Modrić, Srna's set pieces skill deteriorated with age but the team hierarchy was firm and he took and wasted countless shots.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2022 14:11
|
|
|
https://www.washingtonpost.com/spor...afcd_story.html Ruh oh looks like croatia did a racism on a serbian canadian (i'm as shocked as you are really) https://twitter.com/samstreetwrites/status/1596935954581061633?t=orY26Bq9PyQx31ov7JnJ3g&s=19 stab fucked around with this message at 14:22 on Nov 29, 2022 |
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2022 14:17
|
|
|
Yeah that was very lovely. The reason Borjan is hated is that he said once in the past that he was born not in Croatia but in Serbian Krajina. The Yugoslav wars basically started with Serbs in Croatia declaring their own state, Serbian Krajina, and ethnically cleansing Croats. Later Croatian army liberated that area and Serbs fled, many on tractors. Of course Serbs don't acknowledge the first cleansing, and Croats the second. But my point is that they didn't target him because he's a Serb, but because he's a Serb who made a nationalist statement which in a way defended that first cleansing. I read an interview with him last year, by a Croatian reporter, and Borjan sounded like a nice and reasonable guy and he wanted normal relations with Croats. I don't remember if he retracted that statement but he definitely didn't double down on it. He didn't deserve all that hate over something he carelessly said many years ago.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2022 19:34
|
|
|
I would suspect that with having fled with his parents at the age of 8 he probably had a lot of sentiment that (may have?) tempered as he got older
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2022 20:09
|
|
|
There's another player on this WC with an almost identical story. Miloš Degenek is also a Serb, also fled Croatia as a kid, also played for Red Star Belgrade, but he represents Australia. And he never made such a statement so he is mostly unknown in Croatian media and I'm sure he wouldn't be insulted like Borjan was (if we were playing Australia). Even a pundit on the state TV was sarcastic about Borjan. "He's not good with geography" and similar stupid, unfunny, and unnecessary comments.
|
|
#
?
Nov 29, 2022 22:28
|
|
|
Dobar dan! Two of my cousins from krk are visiting me in new york this week and we are very excited to watch the game tomorrow. We watched the FIFA documentary Croatia: Defining a Nation last night and it was very cool. I was born in the usa and I didn't know much of that story. It's worth a watch for anyone interested in the story of Croatian national football. https://www.fifa.com/fifaplus/en/watch/movie/74v2TCBHGqFB6l22chV7cb
|
|
#
?
Nov 30, 2022 18:38
|
|
|
Croatia - Belgium 0:0 More exciting than the result shows. And it may turn out for the best given that we'll now evade Spain next match. We were the better team most of the match, had that weird cancelled penalty and many attempts throughout the game but Lukaku's chances at the end were really close. I'm getting memes with a firing squad and the officer asking the man with the blindfold "Do you have a last wish?". He responds "I want Lukaku to shoot". The media were dying over Livaja after the Canada game, but he produced nothing against Belgium. Now they're dying over Gvardiol and this time I tend to agree. I'll be surprised if he doesn't go to one of the top clubs next year. Sosa wasted countless balls to missed passes and failed long shots, but I don't hold it against him. He was good defensively and in the attack he's there to try. If one of those hit the mark, he'd be a hero. Still, we can see why a supposedly great talent is playing in Stuttgart and heading for the II Bundesliga Division. Livaković again insecure with high balls. Hopefully we won't see many from Japan. djent posted:Dobar dan! Two of my cousins from krk are visiting me in new york this week and we are very excited to watch the game tomorrow. Bok! Did you enjoy the game? BTW I was on Krk (Punat) for the All Saints holidays and it was very nice. Autumn is the new Summer, at least on the Adriatic.
|
|
#
?
Dec 2, 2022 14:02
|
|
|
Croatia - Japan 1:1 (3:1) Barišić came in for Sosa, who wasn't fit, and Petković replaced Livaja. The formation stayed the same, just the midfield stayed more to back to prevent Japan's counters. Similar to our game with Morocco. The result was a relatively passive game. Not much running, not many ideas. I saw for the first time our player (Brozović, I think) standing with the ball, and everybody else also standing still, and seconds are passing. Just no idea what to do. We sent many crosses but our target men disappointed. We tried all three (Petković > Budimir > Livaja) and not one of them had an attempt I'd remember. We expected Petković to rule Japan's box but he was nonchalant, inefficient. I knew when Japan gave up in the last 15' that we'll do well in the penalties. I didn't expect that, though. Japan should've went all in, conceded one in the final minutes and go home as heroes, that was embarrassing. Trivia! Only three keepers saved three penalties in the WC. Portugal's Ricardo, Subašić in 2018 and now Livaković. Subašić and Livaković are both from the town of Zadar and had the same coach as kids.  As for the next game... I have an online meeting every Friday at that time. So before the Japan game I'm telling my colleagues, if we defeat Japan, no Friday meeting, we'll likely be playing Brazil then. After the Brazil - Korea game one of the guy messages the group "I don't think we should cancel the call". Meaning, Brazil will thrash us so hard it'd be painful to watch. That's the general feeling, that we can at most hope to put up a decent fight.
|
|
#
?
Dec 6, 2022 22:55
|
|
|
I hope you cancelled that meeting!
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2022 20:27
|
|
|
Up the Croats
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2022 20:49
|
|
|
OP I hope you got to watch the game. I took the day off and had the pleasure of watching with multiple second generation Croats in a Canadian bar, all of whom somehow speak the language better than I do despite it being my first language. We also scared the poo poo out of the staff and regulars when the team scored that first goal. My only complaint is that Oršić should get more time. Starks fucked around with this message at 23:49 on Dec 9, 2022 |
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2022 23:46
|
|
|
Hi, I'd like to request football asylum in this thread as I'm a Dutch football refugee. I'd like to offer my sincere support for Croatia to become the next FIFA World Cup ChampionsTM.
|
|
#
?
Dec 9, 2022 23:52
|
|
|
After the game I felt like after sex. And now after reading pre-game comments on SA (we're old geezers, slow and tired, Brazil gonna steamroll us, they gonna cruise to victory, etc) the feeling returned. I even asked the wife for a few cigarette puffs. Juranović is my new hero. He played in the Croatian 3rd league at the age 18-19 and was considering quitting football. And now look at him. He destroyed Vinicius so hard, Tite took him out. I heard back in the group stage that Juranović is getting a nice transfer out of Celtic. I hope that he hasn't signed it already because he's worth millions more after every game. A TV pundit called Livaković one of the best shot stoppers in the world. Maybe... true?! He's poo poo in the air, and he's not that great with the ball in his feet, but that's secondary for a keeper. His long passes to Juranović were all precise. He too could move out of Dinamo Zagreb. Oršić actually said after the game "If we don't sell him now, we never will." Remember when I said this about Petković? Strong and slow, can carry two defenders on his back and keep the ball. Great technique, doesn't score much. He was the opposite today, couldn't keep the ball for a second but he scored when it mattered. What to even say about Modrić? It's all in the thread title. Full 120 minutes after 100+ minutes with Japan, and played all the group games too. Ancelotti will get indigestion. Starks posted:OP I hope you got to watch the game. I took the day off and had the pleasure of watching with multiple second generation Croats in a Canadian bar, all of whom somehow speak the language better than I do despite it being my first language. We also scared the poo poo out of the staff and regulars when the team scored that first goal. I watched the Japan game in a bar and some guy lit a flare. You should introduce that nice custom to Canada. Our news were saying yesterday and today that Oršić had a fever and that otherwise he would've probably been a starter against Brazil. He's as good as Perišić in many areas but Perišić is a better scorer and we need that since all our strikers are second rate. Elliptical Dick posted:Hi, I'd like to request football asylum in this thread as I'm a Dutch football refugee. I'd like to offer my sincere support for Croatia to become the next FIFA World Cup ChampionsTM. Welcome! I hope you brought some stroopwaffles.  I know everybody hates Neymar but this was sweet. Perišić's son consoles him after the game. Doctor Malaver fucked around with this message at 01:11 on Dec 10, 2022 |
|
#
?
Dec 10, 2022 01:09
|
|
|
So how is everyone feeling about the match up with Lionel Messi & the Perfidious Argentines? I have a good feeling about the ability of Croatia's midfield to find gaps in the Argentine defence that I felt the Netherlands was unable to.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2022 17:46
|
|
|
Here lies the first frauds of Group F
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2022 21:59
|
|
|
Blowatia
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2022 22:09
|
|
|
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2022 22:13
|
|
|
Croatia : Argentina 0:3 I couldn't watch the second half because of family obligations, but apparently I didn't miss much. Except that great assist by Messi. You can see that Gvardiol is young and a bit overconfident, insisting on that duel. A more experienced defender would have fouled him way out. I had a bad feeling after the Brasil game because it was a climax of a sorts. After them, Argentina seemed almost second rate. We defeated them 3:0 in Russia after all. So maybe we entered the game with a lack of focus. Also the ref in the TV studio insists the penalty was a bad call. Livaković spread himself like he has every right to, and Alvarez chose to slam into him. It looked as a penalty to me during the game, but in the post match analysis he convinced me. Livaković wasn't moving into the striker, he assumed his position one meter before the contact. But that doesn't detract from the fact Argentina were much better. I don't think we have much chance in the next game either. Morocco will want it a lot more than us, and France is simply too good.
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2022 23:02
|
|
|
GG hrvatska. My parents are Macedonian and Greek so I’ve always had a soft spot for our Yugoslav neighbors. Safe to say no country in the world punches above their weight like Croatia. Absolutely brilliant last few tournaments for them. I vividly remember being heartbroken for them in the Turkey match at the euros in 2008, I’m glad they’ve done so well since then
EC10 fucked around with this message at 23:21 on Dec 13, 2022 |
|
|
#
?
Dec 13, 2022 23:18
|
|
|
That Turkey match in 2008 was the last time Turkey did anything worthwhile in international football so I think Croatia got the better deal in the end
|
|
#
?
Dec 14, 2022 08:16
|
|
|
EC10 posted:GG hrvatska. My parents are Macedonian and Greek so I’ve always had a soft spot for our Yugoslav neighbors. Thanks. You're absolutely right about the punching. Since our independence we've reached WC semi finals three times. In those 24 years that's better than Argentina, Italy, Spain, Portugal, or England. And equal to Brazil. I heard that statistic a few days ago and it blew my mind. For some reason, we're not so good at Euros.UnfurledSails posted:That Turkey match in 2008 was the last time Turkey did anything worthwhile in international football so I think Croatia got the better deal in the end Hmm, that's a new perspective. Still, I'll probably remember that feeling while I'm alive. In other news, bookies are giving us better odds than Morocco. I'm surprised, honestly.
|
|
#
?
Dec 15, 2022 13:16
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 4, 2024 13:26 |
|
|
Croatia : Morocco 2:1 We played a much more offensive and fun game. Brozović was out, Inter too requested he be spared, but instead of replacing him with another defensive-minded midfielder, we put in an attacking one. Went from 4-3-3 to 4-2-3-1. Perišić as the LB for the first time ever, playing at the same time as Oršić, another first time. I was joking that Perišić was so good as a LB that Tottenham will move him to that position. A friend tells me "He's already a LB" and shows me their page where they introduce him as a defensive player. Hell if I know. Anyway, the game was fun and the ref was poo poo, but it was ugly how Moroccans manhandled him. You are leaving the tournament as the first African and/or Arab nation to reach the semi-finals, and you want to be remembered by arguing with the ref in the final scenes? A lot of celebration on Saturday (after the 3rd place game) and Sunday (the team arrives home). Some stupid quarrels over Zagreb's leftist mayor not allowing players' favorite nationalist singer to perform. The crowd chanted LUKA STAY and he said he will. It wasn't really an option to quit now with the Nations League finals coming in March. After that, who knows. BTW he apparently made himself available to Ancelotti for the Dec 30 game and Carlo told him to piss off and rest. gg
|
|
#
?
Dec 19, 2022 21:54
|
|