Showing newest posts with label friendly. Show older posts
Showing newest posts with label friendly. Show older posts
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
LIVE FROM SAN FRANCISCO!!!
Sunday, July 18, 2010
SPURS-QUAKES IN SAN JOSE
It was a packed house at Buck Shaw Stadium on Saturday, July 17th as Tottenham Hotspur opened up their 2010-11 season with a friendly against MLS club San Jose Earthquakes. The match ended in a dreadfully boring scoreless draw, with Luka Modrić and Niko Kranjčar coming into the match as second half substitutes. Vedran Ćorluka did not suit up due to a minor right ankle injury.
The Croatians sped up the tempo in the first 10 minutes of their season debut but couldn't find the net as the extremely hot conditions during the day game made players think twice about their current endurance. CSR met up with Kranjčar and manager Harry Redknapp after the match. Modrić was unable to be reached for an interview but Harry definitely made up for it. This guy is true class.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
CROATIA-ESTONIA FRIENDLY
Saturday, May 22, 2010
CROATIA-WALES FRIENDLY
Pletikosa, Strinić, Šimunić, Lovren, Srna, Rakitić, Vukojević, Petrić, Modrić, Mandžukić and Jelavić got the start in a 4-2-3-1.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Monday, March 1, 2010
CROATIA-BELGIUM LIVE ON CSR
Saturday, November 14, 2009
CROATIA REMEMBERS VUKOVAR, CRUSH LIECHTENSTEIN
Croatia defeated Liechtenstein 5-0 today from an absolutely raucous Stadion Cibalia in Vinkovci. With the 18 year anniversary of the massacre at Vukovar just days away, extra flags, flares, banners, and songs were seen and heard at the packed out stadium throughout the course of the match.
Upon arriving in Slavonija for the match, all players and coaches visited the memorial site at Vukovar to pay their respects to Croatian civilians and soldiers who were the victims of ruthless Serb militias aided by the Yugoslav People's Army.
"It isn't usual to do these things on the day of a match, but it was the wish of every player. I am exceptionally pleased that we have visited Vukovar, for if it wasn't for that city and it's defenders, today there would be no Croatia, let alone a Croatian National team."-Slaven Bilić
Croatia began the match in a high gear and didn't take its foot off the pedal. Mate Bilić scored the first goal off a great pass from Drago Gabrić just 44 seconds into the contest. Gabrić hustled the entire match and played with a hunger that very few of our veterans have left, but most of our up-and-comers should take note of. This guy definitely impressed me in his NT debut and should be heavily considered for our EURO 2012 qualifying campaign.
Ten minutes later, Darijo Srna put Croatia up 2-0 with a free kick past goalkeeper Peter Jehle. Eduardo came through in the 23' by burying a shot off a pass from Mate Bilić as a result of a well-placed cross from Srna.
Going into the second half up 3-0, Croatia coasted the rest of the match as Eduardo again hooked up with Mate Bilić (47') for the fourth tally of the contest (and his second on the day) which was nearly identical to the Brazilian-born Croats first goal of the match. These two players are already showing that they have great chemistry together. Mladen Petrić and Ivica Olić could be on the bench if Bilić keeps up these solid performances. Two minutes later, Bilić found the back of the net for his second tally of with an absolute blast off a free kick.
Despite a 5-0 result, let us not get ahead of ourselves. Liechtenstein are far from a world class opponent. However, it is worth noting the multiple new faces in Croatia's lineup, most well deserving of an NT callup. The game featured the international debuts of Drago Gabrić, Gordon Schildenfeld, Tomislav Dujmović, and Danijel Subašić. Mladen Bartulović, another new face, acutally earned his second cap for Croatia today, three years after his first in 2006. Subašić started but was rarely tested, Schildenfeld entered the contest in the 59' for Srna but failed to make an impact. Tomislav Dujmović, however, provided an impressive effort after coming in for a lackluster Ognjen Vukojević in the 66'.
"I don't want to single anything out, I am simply satisfied with everyone. If you really want, I must point out Dujmović, who showed that he wasn't chosen to play for such a strong club (Lokomotiv Moscow) by accident."-Slaven Bilić
Clearly, this will not be the last time we hear of Tomislav Dujmović.
The Croatia U-21 side defeated Cyprus 2-1 from Peyia, exacting revenge after a shocking 2-0 defeat in their previous encounter with the Cyprian squad. Newly demoted midfielder Ivan Rakitić looked rather impressive in his first venture with Croatia's junior squad, assisting a Domagoj Vida goal in the 60' before scoring a goal himself just five minutes later to seal the come from behind victory.
With the win, Croatia are in second place in Group 7 with 9 points, one point behind group leaders Slovakia. The young Croats travel to Slovakia on Wednesday to face the group leaders in a pivotal match that will determine who will be leading the group into 2010.
~Ivica Peroš reporting from Long Island, New York
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
DINAMO DENY GALAXY, ARGENTINA TO PLAY CROATIA FOR FREE?
Dinamo Zagreb's sporting director, Zoran Mamić, has denied the Los Angeles Galaxy a chance to play Dinamo in a friendly before the upcoming winter transfer window. Mamić has said that the main reason for not wanting a Galaxy friendly was because Dinamo are currently committed to their Europa League season.
I don't buy that one bit! Galaxy are probably looking for a king's ransom from Dinamo as they would bring Beckham into the deal as a marketing ploy. Good move Mamić! But it would be fun if Dinamo made it 'Tomato Night' at Maksimir so the BBB can really show how much love they have for David Beckham!
Rumors circulating around the Croatian media are pointing towards a Croatia-Argentina friendly to be played on November 18th in Croatia. It would be absolutely foolish of HNS secretary, Zorislav Srebić, not to schedule a match with the South American giants as Argentina would come to Croatia basically for free. Argentina have already scheduled a friendly with Spain four days earlier and are charging the current European champions €1.5 million for the visit.
The only thing the HNS would have to pay for is an airplane from Madrid to Croatia for Argentina's national side. It looks like everything is in place for Croatia; the HNS would just have to OK the deal.
Should the game be played in Zagreb or Split?
Monday, July 27, 2009
EDUARDO DOUBLES IN PRE-SEASON DEBUT
Croatia's 'adopted son' looks to be running on all cylinders to start off his 2009-10 campaign. Eduardo managed to score two very nice placed goals in Arsenal's 5-0 friendly win over Hungarian club Szombathelyi Haladás.
Eduardo played 63 minutes and reports claimed that he looked extremely fit before being subbed out. So far so good. The only thing I now fear for Dudu is if he keeps receiving minor knocks and muscle pulls which will keep him out two to four weeks at a time like his return last season.
Now that Emmanuel Adebayor has moved onto Manchester City, will Eduardo have enough in him to become a starting striker for the Gunners?
Friday, July 24, 2009
DUGOPOLJE CHRISTENS NEW STADIUM
Third division Croatian soccer club, Dugopolje, opened up their brand new stadium in a friendly against neighbors Hajduk Split Thursday night. The 5,200 seat stadium is part of a larger complex which also includes tennis courts and what looks to be an Olympic size swimming pool.
This is fantastic news that Croatia is building new stadiums and sports complexes in its communities. However, I have a few questions regarding this new stadium in Dugopolje.
Why build a new stadium for a third division team? This new stadium blows Prva Liga venues out of the water. Granted it only holds 5,200 people, the soccer-only field has great sighlines as fans sit right on top of the action. Just imagine it on a bigger scale.
Who financed the operation? We all know that third division teams aren't exactly huge moneymakers. Did the city of Dugopolje or nearby Split front the cash for the complex or is this (hate to say it) another mafia related experiment?
Nonetheless, the stadium is beautiful and should urge other cities and clubs to build as well. Maksimir needs to be torn down and replaced with a new state-of-the-art stadium in my opinion as even Poljud needs a nice remodel. I hope this is only the start for Croatia as they push towards being an eventual host for Euro Cup.
Friday, July 10, 2009
KOVAČ CALLS IT A CAREER
Niko Kovač, one of Croatia's all-time legends, has finally decided to hang up his cleats after a spectacular 20-year club career. Niko went out with class Friday evening in a 0-0 friendly against Bayern Munich. Players from both squads gave Kovač big hugs after the final whistle as he then made a lap around the field to thank all the fans for their support with tears in his eyes. Robert Kovač was also in attendance to watch his brother's last professional match.
Niko Kovač has played with Red Bull Salzburg since 2006 where he scored nine goals in 65 appearances. Earlier in his career, he played for the likes of Hertha Berlin, Bayer Leverkusen, Hamburg and Bayern Munich; tallying a total of 479 matches played at club level.
Kovač was a true leader his entire career. So what will he do now?
Niko has taken over the reigns as manager of Red Bull Salzburg's youth squad. He definitely isn't looking for a well-deserved vacation as he starts his coaching career immediately after retiring as a player.
All the cards are in place for Kovač to follow Slaven Bilić as the next manager of Croatia. Sure he's still young but he knows the system and most importantly all the current players respect him. I would support this move by the HNS instead of bringing in a foreign coach or promoting one of the current assistants.
We've all witnessed how great Croatia really is without Niko, so why not keep him around?
Who's with me on this?!
Sunday, July 5, 2009
BBB STOP FRIENDLY IN AUSTRIA
Yes ladies and gentlemen, the BBB work hard in the summer as well.
Dinamo Zagreb played a friendly against Steaua Bucharest in Austria on July 5th; only for the match to be called off in the 85th minute due to BBB interference. Members of Dinamo's illustrious club were trouble from the beginning.
The Bad Blue Boys lit flares from grass stands overlooking the field, stole corner flags and ultimately swarmed the pitch before the game was even done in the afternoon matinee. Dinamo lost 1-0.
All in all, it was yet another bad move in representing Croatia as Dinamo will now go home early without playing their final friendly which was planned for July 8th.
I'll let the photos and videos from the following articles do the talking for me:
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
CROATIA WIN IN EDUARDO'S RETURN
So far, so good for Croatia in 2009. The 'Vatreni' went down early to Romania in Bucharest but managed a 2-1 victory in the end with some new faces, some old ones and most importantly that one returning face.
Yes, Eduardo is officially back! He was subbed into the game at the 60' mark for Ivica Olić. Although he only had a few touches on the ball, Eduardo managed to squeak a ball to Niko Kranjčar for the game-winning goal. Now it's time to see what he can do for an injury-plagued Arsenal team before the Croatians get together for their next quaulifier against Andorra on April 1st.
The friendly with Romania was a bit of a bore to watch. The pace was slow and many little technical mistakes were made by both teams. If you didn't catch the game, don't worry because you didn't miss much.
Romania opened up the scoring midway through the first when Ivica Križanac broke up a threw-ball in the box with a slide tackle. The result left Romanian striker, Ciprian Marica, with an easy 10-yard shot on goal. There was nothing Pletikosa could have done to block the shot. However, Danijel Pranjić or newly capped Croat, Ivan Jurić, should have picked up the wandering striker. Plain English: our defense was lazy on the play.
Minutes later, Ivan Rakitić put a beautiful free-kick into the box which ultimately made it into the back of the net with the help of an accidental 'dummy' by Ivica Olić. As Olić tried to head the bending ball into the goal, he missed which froze the Romanian keeper from attempting the save.
Stipe Pletikosa made a beautiful save on Răzvan Cociş in the second half to keep the game at 1-1. Cociş was one-on-one with the Croatian goalie and should have easily put Romania up a goal but Pletikosa found a way to get a finger on the ball to deflect it out of bounds.
With 15 minutes left in the game, Eduardo squeaked a baby pass to an on-side Niko Kranjčar who ripped the ball into the net from five yards away. After an unsuccessful Croatian corner kick and Romania unable to clear the ball with 15 players in the box, Eduardo managed to retain possession and find the open Kranjčar amidst all the mayhem in the box.
Like I said before, it was a boring game. You could have even called it a scrimmage if you wanted to. Sure, there were a couple ticky-tack slide tackles here and there but nothing to cause alarm.
Vukojević came in late but only played 22 minutes as he was elbowed in the face. He was not on the pitch long enough to make an impact nor for me to have an opinion on him for this match. The same goes for Hrvoje Čale, who in his first game for Croatia only got 20 minutes to impress.
On the other hand, Ivan Jurić played the full 90 at an aggressive pace to say the least for the match being a friendly. He will fit in nicely for the remainder of qualifiers.
Captain Srna and Mladen Petrić were nowhere to be seen during the match as they didn't do much. Petrić had a good look at goal but ended up putting the ball well over the crossbar. We should ask FIFA if Petrić could play in a Hamburg shirt- he might actually score!
And finally, Pranjić needs to be moved out of defense and up to the midfield. He is getting lazy in the back and needs to play at his natural position. Hopefully Čale can fill that void soon, because we need it.
~Ante Kvartuč, reporting from Bucharest, Romania~ (no, not really)
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
CROATIA-ROMANIA-PREVIEW
Davor Šuker, 1998 World Cup vs. Romania
Well boys and girls it's that time again. Time to dust off that Croatian shirt that has been sitting in your closet since October 15th, a World Cup Qualifier at home to Andorra, almost three months ago. It's game time baby! Croatia-Romania!
History
Croatia and Romania have played four times with the Vatreni winning twice and drawing the other two.
For those of you that are having trouble finding the match on TV.....
Last 4 matches
October 15, 2008 (Qualifier): Croatia -Andorra 4-0
October 10, 2008 (Qualifier): Ukraine- Croatia 0-0
September 10, 2008 (Qualifier): Croatia -England 1-4
September 6, 2008 (Qualifier): Croatia -Kazakhstan 3-0
Starting lineup straight from the horse's mouth.... (thanks Croat)
Goal: Pletikosa
Defense: Ćorluka,Križanac,Šimunić,Pranjić
Midfield: Srna,Jurić,Modrić,Rakitić
Attack: Olić Petrić
Romanian squad
Predictions?
I have Croatia 2-0 (Olić, Petrić)
~Denis Svirčić, reporting from Lakerville
Friday, January 30, 2009
BILIĆ NAMES SQUAD VS. ROMANIA
Before we get to the squad, I would just like to apologize for this post being published so late. I have been busy and Denis is currently computer-less. We have been aware of Bilić's picks and are glad some of you got started without us commenting on the squad.
So to the team...
GOALKEEPERS
Stipe Pletikosa (Spartak)
Danijel Subašić (Hajduk)
DEFENDERS
Robert Kovač (Dinamo Zagreb)
Josip Šimunić (Hertha Berlin)
Vedran Ćorluka (Tottenham)
Ivica Križanac (Zenit)
Hrvoje Čale (Trabzonspor)
Hrvoje Vejić (Hajduk)
MIDFIELDERS
Danijel Pranjić (Heerenveen)
Darijo Srna (Shakhtar)
Ivan Jurić (Genoa)
Niko Kranjčar (Portsmouth)
Ivo Iličević (Gruether Fürth)
Luka Modrić (Tottenham)
Nikola Pokrivač (Monaco)
Ognjen Vukojević (Dinamo Kiev)
Ivan Rakitić (Schalke 04)
STRIKERS
Ivica Olić (Hamburg)
Mladen Petrić (Hamburg)
Eduardo da Silva (Arsenal)
Nikola Kalinić (Hajduk)
Mario Mandžukić (Dinamo Zagreb)
To answer croatiafan:) from a previous post and comment he left on why Kalinić and Mandžukić have been preferred over Mate Bilić and Ante Rukavina. The answer is money.
Bilić and Rukavina do not play in the Croatian Prva Liga. They are outside Croatian jurisdiction and get their own exposure from their respected leagues. However, the HNS still controls what happens to Kalinić and Mandžukić because they both currently play for Hajduk and Dinamo. Therefore, giving Croatian Prva Liga players exposure on the international level, albeit a friendly, can only increase their value where clubs around Europe can scout them and ultimately bid on them.
And who makes money when Croatian players are sold? The clubs and the HNS. So giving Kalinić and Mandžukić a shot against Romania is not really a tactical move compared to the business side of it. It's a free commercial that the HNS is putting on for the rest of Europe to see.
Calling up Rukavina and Mate Bilić is a no-brainer, we all know that. But there's that one little word we always hear come up in situations like this- and that word is MAFIA.
I would also like to welcome back Darijo, who has been away from us for quite some time as well as make sure that Australian heat wave hasn't fried off Joze just yet.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
CROATIANS AROUND EUROPE
Germany
Ivica Olić's 'eye-gouging' incident will cost him games against future club, Bayern Munich, as well as Karlsruhe when the BundesLiga returns from winter break on January 30th. Olić has also been suspended for three future friendlies.
Robert Kovač waits out a possible transfer from Borussia Dortmund. Where to exactly? Try Dinamo Zagreb.
Initial reports indicated that Kovač would be entering 'Bad Blue Boy' waters by the end of the week. However, Dortmund manager, Jürgen Klopp, has said, "There is no way I am letting Robert go." We will definitely know by week's end as the transfer window closes on January 31st.
Robert, come to the MLS! I'll pay good money to see those flying elbows of yours!
England
Since we last left you, the Premiership has taken a backseat to the FA (English) and Carling Cups. Tottenham faced off against Manchester United in the FA Cup 4th round at Old Trafford. Vedran Ćorluka played the entire game while Luka Modrić was subbed out at halftime.
Roman Pavlyuchenko gave the Spurs an early lead but it wasn't Tottenham's day as ManU ultimately won 2-1. Ćorluka appeared a bit absent minded as he let Berbatov run free on that second goal. Tottenham has now been eliminated from the FA Cup.
In a much less important Carling Cup match, Tottenham took on Burnley in the second leg of their tie. Ćorluka did not play as he got to catch up on rest and Modrić only played the first 65 minutes of the match. With Tottenham up 4-1 on aggregate, this game was supposed to be a 'piece of cake' for the Spurs. However, English Championship side, Burnley, ended full-time up 3-0 which forced extra time.
Roman Pavlyuchenko and Jermain Defoe saved Tottenham with a goal apiece in extra time. The Spurs are currently on the cusp of a relegation spot in the Premiership and have not looked all that impressive in recent weeks. Luka Modrić is finally meshing with his offense but appears to be afraid to shoot the ball within 25 yards of goal. Ćorluka remains to be a brick wall on defense as he has easily become a 'Top 10 Defender' in the world.
Niko Kranjčar sat out Portsmouth's 2-0 FA Cup loss against Swansea City. He has not seen the pitch since his late game substitution vs. Tottenham on January 18th do to a minor knock. Niko has also been ruled out of Croatia's friendly in Romania.
It also sounds like Kranjčar will be leaving Portsmouth in the summer- most likely to join Eduardo at Arsenal.
Netherlands
Danijel Pranjić converted a penalty in Heerenveen's 2-0 win against Roda Kerkrade. He also started the play which lead to the first goal of the game. Pranjić is playing extremely well for Heerenveen. He should have already moved to a bigger club but his price is too high right now. A summer transfer for Danijel is now inevitable as he will stay in the Netherlands for the remainder of the season.
Greece
Ante Rukavina received a straight red card in the 53rd minute of his latest game against Ergotelis. Panathinaikos lost the game 1-0 as Ergotelis scored just three minutes after Rukavina suffered the red.
The video isn't clear, but it appears that Rukavina hit an Ergotelis player in the body. Further suspension is unknown at this time. If anyone has any further information or can read Greek, let us know.
Current Croatian 3rd string goalkeeper, Mario Galinović, could not stop the lone goal of the game as his defense broke down. Regardless, Mario is playing fantastic alongside Rukavina for Panathinaikos.
Italy
Ivan Jurić had to sit out Genoa's 1-1 draw against Catania on January 25th due to accumulating too many yellow cards thus far in the season. He should be back in action on Wednesday the 28th to take on AC Milan at San Siro. Genoa is also in contention for a 2010 Champion's League spot as they currently sit 4th in Serie A. So keep an eye out for them.
Jurić should also be the only new Croatian face in the lineup for the friendly against Romania on February 11th. Bilić will name the official squad later this week.
~Ante Kvartuč, reporting from a van down by the river~
Monday, January 12, 2009
JURIĆ GETS THE CALL
Sportske Novosti has reported today that former Hajduk Split defender Ivan Jurić will get his first cap for Croatia in a friendly against Romania on February 11th. Slaven Bilić was impressed to say the least after watching the 33 year old uncapped Croatian assist on two of Genoa’s three goals in a 3-0 victory over Torino on Saturday.
Bilić was extremely impressed:
"Jurić is the captain of his team, one of the best in Serie A. Genoa are a very talented squad that clearly dominated Torino on Saturday. Ivan is aggressive and in tremendous shape. More importantly, I seen more from our talk than from his performance on the pitch."
Bilić isn’t worried about Ivan’s age:
“Even though he will turn 34 in August, he runs like he’s in his twenties.He understood what we are looking from him and he is determined to make this happen. Tuesday, Nikola Jurčević and I will watch him play in the Italian cup against Inter. His performance on Tuesday will not change anything; Ivan is confirmed in Bucharest for Romania!”
Now the question is, will he start?
Genoa-Torino highlights
~Denis Svirčić, reporting from Lakerville
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
CROATIA VICTORIOUS IN SLOVENIA
While one Croatian made his first ever appearance for the 'Vatreni', another made his record 100th. Yes, Dario Šimić finally got his record 100th cap; making him the first ever Croatian to reach the century mark. I think it's a great way for Šimić to go out. I don't see him starting anymore games as World Cup qualifiers start within a month or getting any playing time coming off the bench. Šimić has been with Croatia since 2006; and a 12-year international career is seldom seen on the world level. Only the great can make it to 100. We praise you Dario for making it this far and sticking by your country through the highs of winning 3rd in '98 to the lows of not getting out of group stage in numerous tournaments thereafter.
As Šimić's career winds down, we say hello to a new Croatian defender, Ivica Križanac, who symbolically replaced Šimić at halftime. Križanac is a 29 year-old Split born defenseman who is currently playing for reigning UEFA Cup champions, Zenit St. Petersburg. He will be a good player to have in Croatia's arsenal for the upcoming qualifiers. It's still too early to know if he will have a starting gig with the national team, but you can count on him coming strong off the bench.
Dario Cvitanić was no where to be seen, but don't worry as that was in Bilić's plans from the beginning. Bilić has said that Cvitanić is not yet in the form he would like him to be as he now has to convert to a European style of football. Bilić has also been heard saying that Cvitanić will not be used for the Kazakhstan and England qualifiers in September. We'll see what happens as Bilić is known to be a cunning coach who knows how to play psychological games on his opponents.
With all that news, Croatia still had a friendly in Maribor, Slovenia today. It is their only friendly before qualifying starts against Kazakhstan on September 6th in Zagreb.
Here's a list of all the starters with the subs that replaced them:
HRVATSKA: Pletikosa (45' Runje), Ćorluka, Šimić (45' Križanac), R.Kovač, Pranjić, Srna (81' Pokrivač), Leko, Kranjčar (19' Vukojević), Rakitić, Petrić (45' Klasnić), Olić (85' Vejić)
It's all pretty basic stuff for our team except for the fact that Runje replaced Pletikosa at halftime. Sure it was only a friendly and Pletikosa had a fine Euro 2008 campaign, but the way he's been playing for his club team, Spartak Moscow, has been embarrassing as of late. If he continues this; and remember that he's never played bad for Croatia, I good see a changing of the guard in goal for the 'Vatreni' soon. Runje was lights out in the Poland match at Euro 2008 and showed he is also deserving of the job.
Off to the game!
Croatia was down to Slovenia at 2 different points in the game. Slovenia scored a quick goal out of the gates in the 4th minute only to be leveled by Ivan Rakitić in the 37'. Slovenia then scored again in the 59th minute just to have Darijo Srna convert a penalty one minute later. With another poor friendly result looming for Croatia, Ivan Rakitić put the game away in the 64th minute with his second goal of the game. Let's hope he can keep that going. Croatia ultimately won the game 3-2 and saw a new face in the making. (I apologize for the quick analysis as the game was unable to be seen in the States.)
Qualifiers coming up!!! Should be another fun one against the Brits!!!
Monday, August 11, 2008
CROATIAN 'IRON MAN' MOVING TO MONACO
Croatian international defender and yet to be crowned 'Century Man' Dario Šimić, has packed his bags and will be moving to France. The 32 year-old leaves AC Milan, where he hardly played the past few seasons, to join fellow Croatian teammates Nikola Pokrivač and Jerko Leko at Monaco. Šimić has signed a 2-year deal with his new French club. We'll see how much playing time he receives though as his career is dwindling down.
Šimić has been stuck on 99 Caps for the Croatian national team. Should he play in the Slovenia friendly on August 20th in Maribor, he will be the first Croatian to reach the 'century mark' in his career. It looks like Bilić will give Šimić a look at 100, but we all know he is only on the team for experience and leadership. His spot on the national team has been permanitely replaced by young phenom, Danijel Pranjić.
Šimić has had a worthy playing career, both internationally and with his clubs. His career highlight has to be playing alongside now coach, Slaven Bilić, as Croatia took 3rd place at the 1998 World Cup in France.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
THE STRONG GET STRONGER
Slaven Bilić has called upon Ivica Križanac for duty. Križanac is a 29 year-old defender born and raised in Split. He started his career in the Croatian Prva Liga with HNK Sibenik before moving to Slaven Belupo and Varteks. In 2005, Križanac signed with Zenit St. Petersburg of the Russian Premier League. Last season, Zenit not only won the Russian league title but defeated Rangers to take the UEFA Cup championship.
Bilić has said that Križanac will be called up for the Slovenia friendly on August 20th in Maribor. The Zenit defender could be seen as taking over Robert Kovač's spot as his international career is slowly winding down. Križanac has said that he has been waiting his entire life for this opportunity and that he will make the most out of it.
Dario Cvitanić will also be in Slovenia to show off his skills in checkers for the first time. The Slovenia friendly, however, is not an official FIFA sanctioned game so we will have to wait for the World Cup qualifier vs. Kazakhstan to call these players 'ours' forever.
The addition of Cvitanić and Križanac with the leadership of the Kovač brothers with Eduardo on the way and the state of the team in their professional prime after Euro- that's one hell of a winning equation for a World Cup if you ask me. I can't wait to see all the guys together again on the pitch.
Please ring in and let us know what you think about this new addition to the Vatreni.
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