It may be Super Bowl Sunday, but our football is round! Yesterday in Madrid, Modrić & Vrsaljko walked off the field together after a 1-0 Real Madrid victory over Atletico. Cromance>La Liga.
Both Croatians played the full match as Luka Modric received a ‘7’ as he “didn’t give the ball away in the first-half, barely did so in the second. A delight to watch.” Šime Vrsaljko is back to full strength after sitting out for nearly a year. He received a ‘5’ as he “worked hard and got involved but ultimately did little.” Croatia will be an entirely different team with Vrsaljko’s injection in 2020 – not just tactically, but because of the attitude he brings to the team as well.
Andrej Kramarić played the full 90 minutes for Hoffenheim and scored the equalizer in a 2-1 victory over Bayer Leverkusen. Kramarić made a mad sprint to goal anticipating a pass from out wide, beat his defender, and slid hard to get a foot on the ball for the goal. Kramarić and Rebić have been hot. With Croatia’s world-class midfield, if the defense plays to their potential, the Vatreni can make another trophy run this summer.
Kramarić Goal
After a miserable first year at Aston Villa, where Lovre Kalinć only saw the field eight times, the Premiership side has shipped the Croatian #2 keeper to French club Toulouse for the rest of the season. Toulouse is currently bottom of the barrel in Ligue 1 and are expected to be relegated. In his debut for his new side, Kalinić was voted ‘Man of the Match’ Saturday in a scoreless affair vs. Amiens. He stopped all three shots he faced.
Ante Rebić and his phenomenal stat sheet streak is over. Rebić got the start for AC Milan on Sunday and played 90 minutes in a 1- 1 draw vs. Verona. AC Milan remain in 6th place with the draw.
Aussie Croat said:
“LOL at a ‘Frenchman’ having a crack at Croatia, the most racially pure country on earth!”
That’s okay, but if you point out ‘White Genocide chases whites down with diversity to produce a future with no white children’ you get called a “Nazi” and your comment gets erased.
Good God Ante, you can’t really be that stupid, can you?
If 11 Mandzukic went against 11 Messi or Ronaldo who do you think would win?
Mandzukic by at least 11 goals either match.
@ivan you have some validity,but it’s a different world from when our old men were raising a family.
It’s a woman’s world and the laws have made it that way
@ Maminjo
I like the way your thinking.
Barca taking a crap on Rakitic after he has played his heart out for them to big titles.
He probably needed the rest anyway.
Healthy Vrsaljko at RB?
Just enough time to get himself into a form.
What’s up with this mirko maric kid from Osijek?
Does he play for Bosnia
He has 14 goals this year so u think he woudl be on repka radar
Brozo’s ankle finally good enough for him to come on as a sub for new, shiny signing Eriksen. Inter found their stride with Brozo and scored both their goals after Brozo’s entrance.
Most of us love Rakitic, we are joking and assuming his wife is the primary reason he stayed, and is subjected to ungrateful Barcelona fans who boo him.
Brekalo’s Wolfsburg finally explodes for 4 goals!!!! Unfortunately Brekalo didn’t play in this game.
Rakitić’s contract with them runs until June 2021.
He may as well just jerk them around, and refuse to be sold to any team (screwing Barca over for any sort of transfer money) and then leave on a free transfer.
He gets to live another year in Barcelona with the family, and gets to negotiate a higher contract with a new club who will be getting him on a free transfer.
Ivan Rakitic is untouchable to your losers who criticize him here. Without him, Croatia does NOT make it to the final! He is a Champions League winner. He has nothing to prove. The last coach (Valverde) was an idiot and now he is gone. The rumours to Juventus and Man U this January were not credible anyway. Anyway, he’s done more for Croatia than any of you.
Rakitic:
https://www.marca.com/en/football/barcelona/2020/02/03/5e375920ca474197548b45d4.html
Uff, Ivane.
You’re either an angry single dude, or a frustrated married guy going through some marriage issues.
What does ‘losing’ your single buddies or going on boy trips have to do with having your life run by your wife?
If a guy has kids, or a pregnant wife, it’s totally understandable if he can’t just go on a Vegas trip or out late on Saturday nights and get drunk with his friends, while his wife has to take care of babies crying at night.
One of my buddies had twin boys, and I totally understand that he can’t come out and hang with us regularly. I had him come over once, and his two boys were literally bouncing off the walls at my place. Dude couldn’t even sit down and finish his beer. It’s fine if he wants to just chill at his house instead, if it makes his life easier. Has nothing to do with his wife, lol.
But yes, some people on here are jumping the gun and assuming too much about Rakitic’s wife meddling in his career.
But that’s the risk she runs for being an attention-seeking trophy wife (which is exactly what she is for being a waitress chasing footballers).
If she had a career or did anything other than post shots of herself online in different outfits for random people to look at, then maybe people would take her more seriously.
Also, if Rakitic didn’t have a long history of being a beta-type personality for both club and country, people would assume that these decisions were his own (and not his wife’s).
It’s all assumptions and gossip based off the information we know, buy nobody knows the details. The same way you know nothing of anyone’s relationships and are making even more baseless assumptions… especially the assumption about anyone that criticizes Rakitic automatically must be being pussy-whipped by their own wives, haha.
All the hate for Rakitić‘s wife …look at your own wedded bliss…your wife is 1/10th as hot,and your mrs RUNS your life since you’ve gotten married.
I dare one guy to admit that’s true, when it’s a fact for 99%on here.
How many have lost your single buddy’s since you got married,how many “boys trips!” Have you been on?
Subservient To her because you don’t want to miss out on below average sex 4 minutes bi weekly, or worse …alimony payment’s?
Bunch of pussy’s!!!
@BZ – spot on with that post on Rakitic/wife etc. Spot on, If he can’t leave Spain he should go back to Sevilla before MLS Inter Miami.
This is bad news for the Serbs.
Don’t they have a one game playoff match against Haaland and the Norwegians in Oslo soon?
The last thing you want to deal with is an in-form super striker like this.
@ BZ
Why can’t we produce a Haland type striker.
He is like a taller version of Alen Bokšić.
We have a bunch of tall athletic kids.
They probably get shuffled to CB because we lack the vision of seeing a big and fast striker.
I have list in my mind of players like Haland I wish were Croatian.
But I realize there are certain type of footballers we don’t really value or produce?
For me Sime played a solid match
Welcome back Sime
Is it any coincidence that Modric’s resurgence of form coincides with Real Madrid rising to the top of the table? Coincident, I think not!
Modrić was phenomenal today vs athletico. If Real Madrid win some major silverware and Croatia make another run, surely Modrić will be a candidate for the Balon d’or.
@BZ
He was rated as having a poor game.
Then again, it’s hard to gauge this with Whoscored.com…especially since Atlético lost.
He started and played the full game. That’s what matters.
If he plays regularly in these remaining four months, he will be fit and ready to go for the Euros. That’s all that matters right now.
@Andrej
That’s actually good advice lol.
Be a caring and loving husband, but just don’t listen to her.
That’s actually the best formula for marriage.
Kramaric scores
Jedvaj scores for opposing team
Vrsaljko played full game vs Real, anyone watch? Really hopeful he played well.
Off topic but Haland doing it in Bundesliga too. Kid is a beast.
Never listen to your wife kids; she’ll respect you forever
@ BZ
I forgot the rant .. but always shake my head at this Rakitic at Barca.
I can’t stand when clubs play blame the nogometaš.
I am supposed to believe Sergio Busquets is some footballing genius? As he weak ass gets bum rushed on the regular?
That said.
Rakitic is 31 and still has another chapter to right.
Take the rest and the check this year and give yourself the opportunity to express your leadership.
Curious how clubs will view his unwillingness to leave when it comes to the next transfer window?
Are they going to say he is 32 and not worth the baggage?
Miami got it going on but MLS is still a shit league.
Luka Modrić is 34 and still at his absolute peak!
Rakitic’s game was never based on speed. You don’t lose your power and his vision has always been there.
Maybe he will regain his Croatian balls and set things right at home and in his career that won’t last forever!
No, it was done in immigration like Jamon Iberico said. Other nationalities have similar things. Can’t think of one off the top of my head, but I was always told growing up that immigrants said their name and the person wrote it down on their papers. Some people didn’t bother and kept it, others did not. Doesn’t make you less Croat just because someone messed it up on your papers and your ancestors did not want to change it.
Throwing in the h in your surname meant you were either a Yugoslav or were embarrassed of your Croatian surname
What they failed to realise that there is nothing more than your family’s name and your Croatian heritage
Don’t fuck wit that ha
Vatrens cast…adding the h or modifying the name was often done by the clerks processing newly landed immigrants.
I’m the one that called his wife the issue
With Rakitic, just saying .
@Andrej L
Apparently the cup tied rule has been axed now, meaning Rakitic could play for Juve, I think?
I had read an article about how Olmo (a Tottenham target) could now burn them by playing against them and thought wtf. Searched and yeah the rule is no more.
Zidane’s perfect management of Modric
Real Madrid Saving him for season’s end
https://www.marca.com/en/football/real-madrid/2020/01/31/5e34868c22601db0638b45f3.html
I’d rather see him back at Schalke. Maybe they can afford him. They just overpaid for that Polack.
*Pjanic
If Rakitic went to Juve, would he be able to play in Champions League? I think he might not be eligible but I’m not sure.
Does he have a better chance at starting at Juve? Pranjic, Matuidi, Ramsey, and Raboit are all decent players who already know the system. Barca will get a new coach and he might become a regular starter again.
He’s got plenty of money and has been living in Barca for several years now. Why pick up and go to a new country? I see him going back to Sevilla before any other team.
Poor Rakitic gave a waitress/bartender too much power. Never do that young guys! She hasn’t developed the maturity it takes to understand that his job requires multiple location changes, and other concessions. Her decisions will be erratic and she will have a sense of entitlement that she hasn’t earned.
Hope I’m wrong for his sake.
Soul Champ used to have a funny rant about Rakitic’s wife decision.
I don’t agree with him for staying at Barca career-wise. It’s understandable that his wife and kids don’t want to leave Spain. All those ‘fans’ on twitter just hate on him because they need a decent player to blame. He’ll probably win his place back under this coach like he has under every other coach, fans won’t hate him, and they will choke in the Semis of the Champions League again and they’ll turn on him again. I think he’s likely to leave in the summer if this doesn’t all turn around.
What’s worse is that he has become the scapegoat for the fans.
Whenever he’s in the lineup, the fans groan and make fun of him (even though Barca’s decline has nothing to do with him).
It’s like he is desperate to leave on a high note or something. Who knows.
This guy is insane to turn down Juve, especially at this point in his career…
With Luis Suarez injured, Barca dropping points, and the coach recently fired…Rakitic shoulda jumped off a sinking ship.
Dobra picka
Suba’s right he will be a laughing stock there now. What is his obsession with Barca must be that pizda.
Seriously who turns down Juve
Rakitic beginning to lose face here
Good for Rakitic. Hes got nothing left to prove in his career. Hes gonna enjoy that Barca life and probably end up in Miami in a year. If his boss will have it.
Pjaca loaned to Anderlecht.
Benkovic loaned to Bristol.
Šutalo sold to Atalanta for 5 million, a record for Osijek.
Rakitic turns down Juve and Man U.
No not really but okay.
Yet any time anyone noteworthy has a drop Croatian blood we will rep them to the ends of the earth. But if Joe Smoich from Cleveland puts on his checkers and can’t really understand his grandparents native tongue you will all call him a fraud
probably is but its just my take.
@vatrena cast stupid take
unpopular opinion but your croatianess should be subtracted 25 points if you add an “h” at the end of your name.
The Super Bowl ref is croatian.
Bill Vinovich
Go Chiefs!!!
Received notification from UEFA.com yesterday morning that I have 4 tickets for Croatia’s third group stage game in Glasgow against the winner of the tournament in March.
Will be a much crazier atmosphere if it is against either Serbia or Scotland rather than Israel or Norway.
Anybody know if the people named on the tickets must be the ones who attend or can someone else take their place? Do they check id’s to match the ticket?