CROATIANS AROUND EUROPE WEEK *XII*

England

EDUARDO BACK IN ACTION VS. THE SPURS

Arsenal destroyed city rivals Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 in front of 60,103 at Emirates Stadium Saturday afternoon in the North London derby. Eduardo did not start for the Gunners but came on early (37') for fellow striker Nicklas Bendtner who appeared to tweak his groin. Eduardo didn't have to do much as a Robin van Persie double and Cesc Fabregas counter against a sleeping Spurs defense was enough for a dominating win. However, Dudu did have a chance to join in on the fun as he was free on a breakaway in the 53' only to be blocked by Spurs keeper Gomes. It was a prime opportunity for Eduardo to find the back of the net. He still hasn't scored a 'quality' goal this season.

ĆORLUKA COULD ONLY WATCH AS VAN PERSIE PUT ON A SHOW AT THE EMIRATES

Vedran Ćorluka was the only Croatian to play for the Spurs as Niko Kranjčar sat on the bench as an unused sub and Luka Modrić heals from a broken fibula. Ćorluka started for Tottenham but could not help his club beat the bad luck bug in their 3-0 loss to Arsenal. Ledley King had a horrible day in the back for Tottenham. Ćorluka was not at fault for any of the three goals.

ARSENAL-TOTTENHAM HIGHLIGHTS

KALINIĆ WAS ROBBED OF A GOAL IN MANCHESTER

Nikola Kalinić came on in the 76' for Blackburn in a 1-0 game against English champions Manchester United. The Red Devils made it 2-0 nine minutes later off a nice Wayne Rooney flick. Kalinić should have broken the United shutout in injury my scoring his first ever Premiership goal off a rebound. However, the linesman incorrectly called Kalinić offsides. It's good to see Nikola being subbed into a close game, especially at Old Trafford. Even though Blackburn results are not impressing, Kalinić has made the best of his short time on the field in recent games.

OFFSIDES CALL 5:15 INTO CLIP

Ivan Klasnić was not featured in the squad for the Bolton Wanderers in their 4-0 defeat to table toppers Chelsea at the Reebok Stadium.

Germany

PHOTO: fcbayern.t-com.de, Danijel Pranjić practicing with teammates

Bayern Munich and VfB Stuttgart battle to a 0-0 draw in front of 42,000 fans at the Mercedez-Benz arena in German Bundesliga action on Saturday afternoon. Danijel Pranjić remained on the Bayern Munich bench for the entire match as a substitute. Despite a very hyped transfer this past summer to the Bavarian giants, Pranjić has had little to cheer about considering his lack of playing time and involvement in coach Louis Gaal's tactical approach this season. How long will Danijel remain tight-lipped before voicing his displeasure with club management? Bayern Munich currently sit in 5th place of the German Bundesliga standings and will host Bordeaux in UEFA Champions League action on Tuesday.

Bayern Munich striker Ivica Olić will be out of action for a few more weeks after sustaining a calf injury on international duty with Croatia.

Photo: HSV.de, Mladen limping off against Hertha Berlin

Hamburg striker Mladen Petrić has been ruled out until after the Bundesliga's winter break due to an ankle injury suffered against Hertha Berlin on October 4th.

bundesliga.de, Ivan Rakitić celebrating with Schalke 04 teammates after a remarkable comeback

Schalke 04 drew Bundesliga leaders Bayer Leverkusen 2-2 by scoring two late goals in the contest (83', 88') to salvage a point in front of 61,000 crazed fans at the Veltins-Arena. Ivan Rakitić came into the match in the 67' for teammate Christoph Moritz to add some creativity and fresh, youthful legs to his side, which ultimtaly payed off. Schalke 04 are away at Bayern Munich next Saturday.

bundesliga.de, Ivan Rakitić (#10 Blue) in action against Bayer Leverkusen

PHOTO: achtzehn99.de, Josip Šimunić

Josip Šimunić and TSG Hoffenheim defeated Ivica Banović's SC Freiburg squad 1-0 at the Badenova-Stadion on on Sunday afternoon with 24,000 in attendance for the contest. Both veterans proved their worth despite their respective ages, playing the entire game for their clubs. The victory has TSG Hoffenheim sitting in 5th place in German Bundesliga standings while SC Freiburg are 13th, dangerously near the relegation zone. TSG Hoffenheim next take on Vfl Wolfsburg while SC Freiburg are away at Vfl Bochum.

PHOTO: achtzehn99.de, Ivica Banović

France

Vedran Runje allowed only one goal past him today as his Lens squad tied Lorient 1-1 in French Ligue 1 play. As you can see from the video below, Vedran had very little help from his porous defense on the tally, yet was able to hold his own for the duration of the contest to salvage a desperately-needed point for team in the standings. Most notably, Runje made a save off a Lorient free kick in the final minutes of the contest which may very well be considered one of the better saves we have seen in Europe this season.

Check out Vedran's incredible save at 3:34

Lens are away next Saturday at Sochaux. Expect the veteran Runje to stay between the pipes for the rest of the season after today's performance.

Italy

PHOTO: inter.it, Dario Knežević tangled up with a teammate

Inter Milan defeated Livorno 2-0 from Stadio Armando Picchi on Sunday in Italian Serie A play. Dario Knežević played the entire match for Livorno but was unable to contain a potent Inter offense. Despite a long season ahead, Livorno have little to look forward to. Sitting 3rd to last place in the Serie A standings, the threat of relegation is a real possibility come season's end. Knežević, at 27, still has a few solid years left in him which he surely wouldn't want to waste in the Serie B. What is in store for the club future of Dario Knežević? Livorno are away at Bari next Sunday.

PHOTO: AP, Mato Jajalo (right)

Mato Jajalo played the entire match for Siena in a 1-1 draw with Lazio from the Artemio Franchi Montepaschi Arena. Jajalo had a solid scoring chance in the 54' after a setup pass from teammate Albin Ekdal, but the shot sailed high and wide. Later in the 76', it was the young Croat setting up Abdel Kader Ghezzal for a chance on goal, only to be blocked by a solid Lazio defense. Last place Siena are away at Genoa next Sunday.

Ivan Jurić remains absent from the Genoa lineup after sustaining an injury a few weeks ago. There is no set date on when Ivan will be returning to the lineup.

Igor Budan was not featured in Palermo's lineup for a wild 5-3 shootout loss to Inter Milan after sustaining an injury this past week. No word on when he will return to the lineup. Budan came in late in Palermo's 0-0 draw to Genoa on Sunday as well.

Spain

PHOTO: deportivo-la-coruna.com, Mate Bilić in action against Deportivo La Coruña

Deportivo La Coruña and Sporting Gijon drew 1-1 from Estadio Riazor with 28,500 fans in attendance. Mate Bilić came into the game as a substitute for David Barral in the 67'. Only two minutes later, Diego Castro Gimenez of Sporting Gijon scored to bring the game level. Sporting Gijon sit in 7th place in the Spanish Primera Division and host Catalonian outfit Espanyol next weekend.

Belgium

PHOTO: www.clubbrugge.be, Ivan Perišić in action against St. Truiden

Ivan Perišić played the entire match for Club Brugge as they defeated St. Truiden 1-0 in front of a sold-out home crowd at the Jan Breydel Stadium. Club Brugge has collected at least a point in their last 7 Belgian Jupiler League contest and look to continue riding that momentum at they travel to Belgrade this week to take on Partizan in UEFA Europe League play.

Austria

PHOTO: skrapid.at, Nikica Jelavić

Nikica Jelavić played 89 minutes for Rapid Vienna in a 1-0 win over SV Josko Ried from the Gerhard Hanappi Stadion on Saturday afternoon. As has been common in recent weeks, Jelavić remained off the scoresheet for his club, making for what has been a quite October for the Čapljina native after an incredible start to the season. Rapid Vienna sit in 2nd place of the Austrian Bundesliga standings and will be hosting Israeli outfit Hapoel Tel-Aviv this Thursday in UEFA Europa League action. Jelavić is in need of a solid performance this week on the European stage to gain some confidence in his game before returning to Austrian Bundesliga play next weekend against LASK Linz.

PHOTO: redbulls.com/soccer/salzburg, Nikola Pokrivač in action against SV MMattersburg

Nikola Pokrivač and his Red Bull Salzburg team defeated SV Mattersburg 2-0 at Red Bull Arena. Pokrivač played the entire match for his team, hitting the crossbar in the 48' on a spectacular shot. In the 61', a Pokrivač cross to star striker Marc Janko was put away by Franz Scheimer to make the contest 2-0. The Austrian Bundesliga leaders travel to Bulgaria for a UEFA Europa League match against Levski Sofia on Thursday.

Russia

PHOTO: fc-zenit.ru, Ivica Križanac (left) in action against FC Moscow

Ivica Križanac played the entire match for Zenit St. Petersburg in a 1-0 loss to FC Moscow from the Eduard Streltsov Stadium in frigid temperature and slushy conditions. As the Russian Premier League season winds now, each match remaining gains significance, especially for teams fighting for UEFA competition spots for next season. Zenit and FC Moscow are both tied for 3rd place in the standings, making for an exciting end to this season. Zenit host Terek Grozny next weekend in an incredibly important contest.

PHOTO: fc-zenit.ru, Conditions worsen as the Russian Premier Leeague season draws to a close

Who will be seeing UEFA Europa League action next season?

Spartak Moscow defeated FC Tom' Tomsk 3-1 from Trud Stadium in front of a raucous crowd of a whopping 8,200 fans (I guess the weather is keeping everyone indoors). Tomislav Dujmović played the entire match for his team. The win makes for a very tight chase for Zenit St. Petersburg's coveted 3rd place spot (UEFA Europa League spot) in the Russian Premier League Standings. FC Moscow, CSKA Moscow, and Lokomotiv are all within a point of each other in the standings. Lokomotiv Moscow host FC Amkar Perm' next weekend.

Stipe Pletikosa remains off the Spartak Moscow roster with a serious knee injury.

Ukraine

Darijo Srna did not start for Shakhtar Donetsk in their 1-0 away win over Chernomorets Odessa. Shakhtar only needed a 2' strike from Jadson to get by Odessa. It is unknown if Srna played at all since Shakhtar.com was down the time CSR looked for match info. It is also a possibility that Srna had to sit out due to the acquisition of too many yellow cards. Shakhtar now sit four points behind rivals Dynamo Kyiv.

Ognjen Vukojević did not play for Dynamo Kyiv in their 1-1 draw to Karpaty Lviv due to receiving a red card earlier in the week against Shakhtar in the Ukrainian Cup. Goran Sablić is still out of action for Dynamo due to injury.

Turkey

PHOTO: trabzonspor.org.tr, Hrvoje Čale (4th from right) practicing with teammates this past week)

Trabzonspor crushed winless Ankaraspor 3-0 at the Ankaraspor Stadium on Sunday. Hrvoje Čale and Drago Gabrić both started for Trabzonspor but match reports have been sparse to detail how they performed in their respective roles. Trabzonspor sit in 9th place of the Turkish Super League standings and host Besiktas next weekend.

~Ivica Peroš reporting from Long Island, New York with help from Ante Kvartuč while Denis Svirčić is on assignment in Croatia.

MATE BILIĆ STILL WAITING FOR CROATIA CALL

What does it take for former Hajduk Split striker Mate Bilić to get a call to represent Croatia? The 28 year old, Sporting Gijon star has been asking himself this question the last year after continuing to get overlooked by Croatian manager, Slaven Bilić(no relation) the last two seasons. Slobodna Damacija finally sat down with the former Rapid Vienna star today and this is what last seasons 12 goal scorer had to say:

"When I was playing for Rapid Vienna, I was the second best striker in the Austrian Bundesliga and I wasn't noticed by Croatia. I feel that I have done enough to deserve a Croatian call, scoring goals in La Liga is not small potatoes. There hasn't been a Croatian striker since Davor Šuker who has smelt success in Spain."

~Mate Bilić

Mate Bilić highlights

Last season, Slaven Bilić sent Robert Prosinečki to visit Mate Bilić in Spain and report on his progress:

"It seems to me that the Prosinečki visit was just a bluff to shut up the people that kept asking for my call up. After Robert's visit, no one has contacted me from Croatia. However, I still have faith in a call up. I am a Croat and know what it means to put on that uniform. If they decide to call me great, if not then I won't worry about it because I feel that I did enough to deserve a call up last year. I don't know what else I would need to do to deserve a call up."

~Mate Bilić

Altogether now..

Bilić has scored 22 goals in 59 appearances for Sporting Gijon in arguably one of the top two league in the world(La Liga, Spain), however, has yet to appear in a Croatian senior shirt. Now with Eduardo and Petrić ruled out in a friendly against Qatar and a final World Cup qualifier at Kazakhstan next Wednesday, does Mate finally deserve a chance?

~Denis Svirčić, reporting from Lakerville(It's back)

CROATIANS AROUND EUROPE

Germany

Mladen Petrić made sure that Ivica Olić's presence would not be missed as Hamburg took on German giants, Bayern Munich, as the BundesLiga resumed after a lengthy winter break. Olić has been suspended for the first two BundesLiga matches of 2009.

Petrić played the full 90 minutes and scored a nice rebound header just before the halftime whistle blew. It was enough for a 1-0 Hamburg victory as the rest of the game was a grind for both teams. This is a fantastic start for Petrić and his 2009 campaign.

In other news around Germany, Ivan Rakitić returned to the starting lineup in Schalke's 1-0 loss to Hannover. Ivan played the entire game and looks to be fit. This is fantastic news as Ivan can give the national squad a solid midfield option off the bench as well as raise his stock before the summer transfer window arrives and he is able to move to a much larger club like Juventus.

MARKO BABIĆ

Josip Šimunić also played his usual full 90 for Hertha Berlin in their 2-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt. I'm happy to say that Josip was 'yellow card free.' Marko Babić also made his debut for Hertha as a 76' substitute. No goals in his first game.

DFB Pokal (German Cup)

Ivica Olić decided to make the best of his situation as he won't able to play a competitive match for another two weeks. The suspension is due to the 'eye gouging incident' he had with Hoffenheim's Eduardo in a friendly a few weeks ago.

So all Olić did in his 3rd Round DFB Pokal match against 1860 Munich was score a hat trick in a 3-1 Hamburg victory. Mladen Petrić played 77 minutes before being subbed out.

Sure none of Olić's goals were spectacular, but at least he's been in 'the right place at the right time' for quite a few months now- and that's more than we can say for Olić in the past three years.

Ivan Rakitić also joined in on the German Cup fun as he scored a goal and had an assist against FC Carl Zeiss Jena in a 4-1 Schalke victory. Rakitić scored on a funny free kick which seemed to freeze the goalie. Good to see him on the score sheet though.

Rakitić scores 6:10 into the clip.

Netherlands

Danijel Pranjić scored the lone goal of the game off a free kick in an important victory over Ajax. Any decent goalie would have stopped that ball but we have to give Pranjić credit nonetheless.

Pranjić most definitely will be sold to a big European club in the summer. I just hope he can stay healthy and not break his back in the mean time because he is currently carrying this Heerenveen side. With a team-leading 14 goals, Pranjić is almost scoring a goal a game every time he steps onto that field.

England

The week started off fantastic for Modrić & Co. at White Heart Lane. With a 3-1 win over Stoke City on Tuesday, the Spurs temporarily moved out of relegation danger. Modrić had the game of his life and was voted on the EPL 'Squad of the Week' by Goal.com. He did all this without even scoring a goal. Modrić ran the midfield beautifully and opened up the Stoke defense. Luka assisted on Tottenham's third and final goal.

Vedran Ćorluka played his usual 90 with ease. He's been on top of things defensively and looks to end the season strong alongside Modrić. Hopefully Tottenham can finish the season on the frontside of the table.

Later in the week, fortunes turned for Tottenham as things couldn't have gone worse. The Spurs went down two goals early, Modrić was getting banged around pretty good by the Bolton defense and had to be subbed out at haftime and even Vedran Ćorluka couldn't finish the entire match.

Although Modrić's replacement, Darren Bent, scored two quick goals and tied up the game late; Bolton ultimately took full points with a 87' goal.

Ćorluka surprisingly was subbed out in the 67' for another defensive player. No injury was reported so he should be ready to go again this week.

Niko Kranjčar is still out for Portsmouth and his return is unknown. I would say he is another 2-3 weeks away. Niko is not even expected to play in the Romania friendly but I believe Bilić just wants to keep him close to the first team and see how he's coming along with the injury.

Eduardo- soon! You can hold your breath or even count the days before you see him back in action. That's how soon his return will be.

Italy

Ivan Jurić played two complete games for Genoa this week and seems to be in incredible form. Genoa drew against AC Milan at San Siro earlier in the week and beat Palermo 1-0 at home on Saturday. Jurić received a yellow card in both games. This Genoa side look like the real deal as they remain in the fourth spot in Serie A.

Seeing Jurić mend with the team in Bucharest should be a treat. I know many of you have not yet seen him play and question his age; but he has a lot to bring to the table.

Spain

Mate Bilić has lost his scoring touch for Sporting Gijon and has not looked good the past six games. In Bilić's most recent game against Sevilla, he had a penalty kick blocked which was followed by a 63' substitution.

It's looking like his own club team is losing faith in him. At this point he wouldn't cut it for Croatia. Good eye Bilić. (Slaven, that is.)

~Ante Kvartuč, reporting from the World Wide Web~

KALINIĆ ON THE WAY OUT????

A day after assisting on both "bili" goals in Hajduk's 2-0 victory over Dinamo in Zagreb, Nikola Kalinić might be on his way out. Sportske Novosti has confirmed that Atletico Madrid scouts were at the game match courting Nikola Kalinic.

Last summer Hajduk rejected all bids for Kalinić, however, with the winter transfer window right around the corner, scouts are busy searching for new talent months before the negotiations start.

I don't see Nikola continuing at Hajduk next year. Any reasonable offer for the HNL leading goal scorer and he is gone. Hajduk can not afford to pass by a 12-15 million Euro bid for the young prospect.

On January 27th, CroatianSoccerReport.com wrote about a 12 million euro bid for Nikola:

DNIPRO DNIPROPETROVSK OFFER 12 MILLION EUROS FOR KALINIĆ?

Hopefully, Kalinić at least finishes out this season, preferably with a Hajduk championship. I don't see Hajduk winning without him.

Source : Sportske Novosti

What should Hajduk do?

~Denis Svirčić, reporting from Lakerville

HAJDUK BLINKS THROUGH ANOTHER UEFA CUP

After coming up short not once, not twice, but three times to the Spaniards this summer in this years summer Olympics in Beijing(Handball, Basketball, and Waterpolo), a Hajduk Split UEFA cup victory over Spanish giants Deportivo La Coruña , would surely make me forget some of the pain and agony suffered this summer.

With Deportivo resting some of its starters for their upcoming clash with heavyweights Real Madrid, a all-time Hajduk winless streak against Spanish club teams, a nil-nil draw away, and with an anticipated rocking full Poljud, chances were looking good. Yes, I too had Hajduk advancing on a second half Kalinić strike.

However, all hopes and dreams of Hajduk reaching the UEFA Cup group stage were shattered in Split as a strike from Riki and a late Joan Verdú penalty sent RC Deportivo La Coruña through and left Hajduk once again searching for answers.

There is no need for summary as Kalinić , failed miserably on his multiple chances and once again it wouldn’t be a Hajduk match without a red card.

Here is the report from goal.com

Here is the report from UEFA.com

Even a special appearance of Croatian International Dario Srna , couldn’t inspire Hajduk to victory.

The only bright spot was that the Torcida made it look like a “World Cup Final.”

Just for the record, there wasn’t any room for the “white boys” banner and the “Confederate” flag.

This young Hajduk fan thought Hajduk was in red.

My Chinese coworker had this to say: “This year no good. It is year of the mouse. Next year is year of Cow. Cow bring good luck.” I forgot to ask him how many “mouse” days are left. To tell you the truth, I'm afraid to look. All I have left to say is, “you have to be cultured.”

A final picture has Hajduk looking on in the shadows of Deportivo.

This picture should be blown up in the Hajduk locker-room. If this doesn’t motivate you, then you should switch to baseball or golf.