Injuries are a part of the game. They are unfortunate, but they happen.
On Tuesday, in an absolute unnecessary friendly match the HNS put together against Estonia, Marko Pjaca suffered a freak knee injury that will end his season; both for Croatia and club team Juventus. Pjaca is only 21 years old and came over from Dinamo Zagreb to Juve in the summer. He has been active in Juventus’ Champions League run, scoring a beauty against Iker Casillas and FC Porto in February.
Pjaca will be fine. He will return to full strength later in the year. The Earth will keep spinning.
However, President Šuker and the HNS are under even more fire after this incident and the 3-0 friendly loss to Estonia. Perennially, Croatia are a top-20 team in the world but have been notorious for scheduling friendlies with ‘bottom of the barrel’ teams. Players don’t get up for these games and it showed this week with manager Ante Čačić only calling five subs for the game. Friendlies are all about trying new things with new players, but if you’re expecting to do that with 16 players, after a huge 1-0 World Cup qualifying win over Ukraine in the thick of the footballing season where half your team is preparing for the Champions League quarterfinals: you’re crazy!
Nothing is worse than losing a player in vain. And that’s exactly what happened to Pjaca this week.
Bad Luck
Yes, my team Hoffenheim had a great 3-1 win today!
Kramaric with a coolly taken penalty, and his second, was a tap in after a great assist by the self proclaimed best striker in Germany, Sandro Wagner! Niklas Sule the CB also scored a cracker!
I learnt today that Niklas Sule and Sebastian Rudy will be playing for Bayern Munich next season. You gotta love Bayern Munich, they sure know how to stay on top, anyway I’m hoping Sule and Rudy have Mario Gotze like Bayern careers.
Also Jeremy Toljan played at RB.
https://www.google.com/amp/www.intothecalderon.com/platform/amp/2017/3/21/14991258/ime-vrsaljko-injury-not-as-bad-as-first-feared
Šime will be back in a month to get back to his WORLD-class training with Athletico Madrid!
With technology and rehab Pjaca will come back even stronger.
Uvijek vjerni !
@ Z
He looked quick and lively.
He will need to make an impact in Rejkavik.
Kramaric with the brace today for hoffenheim . Nice
Maybe they should only train once a week then, that would certainly minimize risk…
actually, unnecessary risk
its called minimizing risk
@sude Mi
well said
$hit happens….literally $hit happens…blaming a friendly for an injury is ludicrous…guys have been injured training, on vacation, at home, you name it.
You want to play a professional sport for a living? Guess what, $hit happens.
Don’t want to get hurt? Live in a plastic bubble.
4 months would have back in the off season. No need to rush it. As long as he’s good to go in June 2018.
I really like the kid. His stepover, directness and strength are awesome. He can be our right sided Perisic. Would be great to have them both peaking at the same time.
Milik with ACL surgery from same Doctor.
http://www.italianfootballdaily.com/napolis-milik-making-progress-could-be-available-vs-real-madrid/
As for Pjaca. he is seeing some Italian Specialist Dr Pier-Paolo Mariani that can get him on the field in 4 months. He worked on Messi before.
The penalty would have been expulsion from a major tournament. Estonia agreed to a friendly with Croatias “A”
Team. That would explain the two late additions of Pjaca and Kovacic to the team.
Cacic didnt want this game and neither did Suker. They had no choice.
I read Suker was forced into the friendly as a gentleman’s handshake with Estonia. In the Under 17’s Croatia made a clerical error on their game shit. Basically Croatia included an ineligble player on their team list. I think their punishment for the clerical error could have been worse but the Estonia federation didn’t make a stink if Croatia agreed to a friendly in Talinn with certain number of A team players.
Suker had no option but to say yes.
So there you have it. This was the reason they played a meaningless game on a brutal field in Talinn.
Jm, Troljan spends his summers in Cro with family.
The lack of pursuit of toljan is puzzling. If they wanted to make a move, they needed to strike early before toljan became a realistic option for Germany which he is trending toward. Now will be much tougher. Surprised kramaric hasn’t been able to whisper in his ear a bit
Horvat, I follow Halilovc…he had a man of the match performance recently…but I still think he needs to develop. Jeremy troljan is being watched by Chelsea…we need to see if he wants to play for us.
Halilovic has been doing well with Las Palmas. Watch the YouTube videos.
Watch Great Teacher Onizuka 1998 Takashi Sorimachi and become smart to know potential of everyone! Cacic will never learn anything before he watch this movie series!^
I hope I’m wrong….but Halilovic is going to be a croatian Bojan krkic.
What has Halilovic done to deserve a call up? Dude can’t even start at bottom of the table clubs.
no need excuses, by the way!
there is Halilovic also want to have a chance
to prove he is worthy to be called’
FIFA needs to get rid of friendlies. They serve absolutely no purpose in an already crowded schedule.
Players don’t want to play in them and the fans could give a shit.
Summer tours should be the exception.
http://indianexpress.com/article/sports/football/ivan-perisic-criticises-croatia-fa-after-marko-pjaca-injury-4591370/
I will make things clear right here according our 3-0 defeat.
1) Perisic is NOT a World Class with average crossing, average ball control, average dribbling, and so on
2) there is no Rakitic include because we know he deserves for captain instead perisic and mandzukic.
3) no hell cacic will bring halilovic lovren and put them into steady line up and hell to bring some worse talent right there.
4) I think cacic will put Cop for the last forward option and won’t looking another!