Croatia
Croatia enters the EURO with hopes of football magic doing it's thing. Although Spain are the clear favorites of the group and no one has any crazy expectations, there is always that hope that we can do something because we have a good team. Italy has the better team on paper, but you have to take into consideration that we haven't lost an official game to them since 1945. And there's also Ireland which could be nasty, but we need that win in order for us to have a better chance of qualifying for the next round. It should also be noted that we lost two important players due to injury, Ivica Olić who plays forward for Wolfsburg as of this season ( he played for Bayern Munchen and in the Champions League final vs Chelsea), and Dejan Lovren who plays centre back for Olympique Lyonnais. Lovren was injured for some time, but the big blow was the injury of Olić in the last friendly fixture. He will surely be missed, as he decided more than one game for Croatia ( including a deciding goal vs Italy in the South Korea world cup ), and was one of the key players in our attacking field due to his speed and work rate. Sadly, this Euro was supposed to be his last appearance for the national team, and he was very sad and frustrated when he found out that his injury is more severe than expected.
Goalkeepers
Our goalkeepers are pretty decent, as we have one young talented with great potential and two experienced ones. Stipe Pletikosa, age 33, Rostov(RUS) - he's our oldest goalkeeper, has lots of experience on the international level, and also kept the Croatian goal safe for many years now. Ivan Kelava, age 24, Dinamo Zagreb(CRO) - he has yet to appear in the national team lineup, he is young and has shown lots of potential, and will certainly become Croatia's top keeper in the following years.
Defenders
Our defensive line is pretty solid, although it was not what it used to be, and it is also weakened by the absence of Lovren who is a class defender. Josip Šimunić, age 34, Dinamo Zagreb(CRO) - our most experienced player, he played many games for the national team and is the commander of defense. Even though he is kinda old and not on the level he was some time ago, he is still a force to be reckoned with and can still show a good game. And he also has excellent technique for a defender. Vedran Ćorluka, age 26, Bayer Leverkusen(GER) - one of our top defenders, he has a lot of international experience and is a very solid player, he played for Manchester City and Tottenham before going to Germany, playing many games for all of the teams, and will be one of our key players in the defense. Danijel Pranjić, age 30, Bayern Munich(GER) - he is a very special player and I don't really consider him a defender, because his natural position is wing forward. He is pretty fast and has good technique, but the problem is he didn't play much for Bayern, so we have yet to see how will he perform on the tournament. Still, a great player who deserved a spot on the team. Domagoj Vida, age 23, Dinamo Zagreb(CRO) - one of our young potentials, he showed very good games for Dinamo in the last seasons, and is only a matter of time before he gets picked up by a bigger team. Could show some nice games on the tournament if called up.
Midfielders
Ah our midfield... Sometimes they excel and sometimes they fail miserably. We have some very good players in the midfield, but really it all depends on a lot of factors. If they manage to perform well, then we have a chance vs any team. Luka Modrić, age 26, Tottenham Hotspur(ENG) - ah Luka Modrić... Some say he is underrated, some say he is overrated. The fact remains, he is one of the key players in Tottenham and one of the best midfielders in the Premiership. his performances for Croatia range from mediocre to brilliant, but he never seems to play consistently good when it comes to the national team. We are all hoping for him to shine on the Euro, because his quality could decide the games in our favor. Darijo Srna, age 30, Shakhtar Donetsk(UKR)(C) - one of the most experienced players in the team, he played countless games for his club and national team, and is also captain in both of them. What's interesting about him is that he was wanted by many teams across Europe but he never left, because the Shaktar boss absolutely loves him and pays him more money than any of these clubs ever could ( except City maybe XD ). His wing runs are still dangerous, as well as his crosses, and if he connects some good games he could very well bring us victory. He is also pretty good at free kicks. Ognjen Vukojević, age 28, Dynamo Kyiv(UKR) - a very solid defensive midfielder, he proved himself in Dynamo Kyiev and for the national team, making him a very valuable player for our side. He is not brilliant when it comes to offense, but defensively he is a very good player. Ivan Rakitić, age 24, Sevilla(ESP) - Rakitić is very young but he already racked up quite a few performances for the national team, and he proved himself to be a very good offensive midfielder. He also played consistently for Sevilla in Spain this season, and is certainly in form and ready to prove his worth on the world stage. Could be one of the "discoveries" of the Euro. Niko Kranjčar, age 27, Tottenham Hotspur(ENG) - one of the more experienced players, he had ups and downs during his career, and was unjustly not given enough play time in Tottenham. He is not the fastest or most agile players, but he has a killer shot and very good passes, and some of his goals are simply amazing. Perhaps now is the time for him to finally show everyone what he is made of.
Forwards
This is probably our strongest field, although it has been weakened with the injury of Ivica Olić. Still, the other players are quality material and some have world class potential. Nikica Jelavić, age 24, Everton(ENG) - the rising star of the Premiership, he has already proven his worth to the world and is steadily being recognized as a top striker. People already call him the new Davor Šuker because of his style which very much reminds of the Croatian legend. Everyone in Croatia is hoping for him to shine on the Euro, myself included  Eduardo, age 29, Shakhtar Donetsk(UKR) - ah poor Eduardo. He was one of the most promising and exciting forwards in England until his unfortunate and nasty leg break by that fucking asshole, and he never seemed to fully recover from this injury. Still, he is a very good player with excellent technique, and his time is not over yet, so we may yet hope him doing some magic on the tournament. Mario Mandžukić, age 26, VfL Wolfsburg(GER) - a very promising striker, he has shown consistent performances in the Bundesliga, and some good games for the national team. We have yet to see him perform on a big tournament, hopefully in a good light.
That's about it, the general opinion in Croatia is that we should beat Ireland, have a very narrow game vs Italy, and try our best vs Spain. However, no one should count us out because this wouldn't be the first time we are the underdogs and then prove everyone wrong
|