Soccer / Euro 2008 Qualifying / Israel has a tough Croatian nut to crack - Haaretz

Subscribe to Print Edition

Sun., October 14, 2007 ,

Israel Time: 02:25 (EST+7)

web haaretz.com

Back to Homepage

Print Edition

Diplomacy

Defense

Arts & Leisure

Real Estate

Jewish World

National

Advertising

Magazine

Week's End

Business

Opinion

Rosner's Domain

Anglo File

Books

Travel

del.icio.us

Digg It! new

Soccer / Euro 2008 Qualifying / Israel has a tough Croatian nut to crack

By Moshe Boker (Zagreb) and Eli Shvidler

Yossi Benayoun, captain of the national soccer team, spoke to a lot of his teammates yesterday, two days before their Euro 2008 qualifying match against Croatia in Zagreb. Benayoun, who is aware of the crucial nature of the match, is very nervous about a second disgrace following a 3-0 drubbing against England at Wembley Stadium last month, and his primary concern has to do with the fact that a large portion of the players who will be in action tomorrow are new and making their national team debut.

"It is true that we are talking about a very difficult match," said Benayoun, who wants very much to leave his own impression on coach Dror Kashtan's campaign. "Some things are very challenging and we are talking about young players. Who knows, maybe I will make such a great slalom through the defense and score a goal and win the match, and then we will stay in the picture [for a spot in the Euro 2008 finals] until the very end. We will beat Russia and Macedonia. We will surprise everyone and advance. It is not a figment of the imagination."

	Advertisement

Then Benayoun moved past the actual result. He told the players that he didn't want "to give a performance that would embarrass us like in England. Restore Israeli soccer's respect despite the gaps in talent level between Croatia and Israel. We have young and talented players and I am sure that in the future, in the next campaign, they will be better because of the experience that they are getting now."

Israel Football Association chairman Avi Luzon is aware of the crises that Kashtan is facing with regard to players who are unavailable. Luzon knows that with the current squad his ability to maneuver is very limited and the present reality will be taken into account in the future.

"In the middle of November, I will sit down and make decisions regarding Israel's national team," Luzon said. "Why do I have to hurry now? Every day, things change. At the end of the campaign, I will sit down and go over everything that happened during this campaign and decide quietly, without pressure, on the best course of action. It is impossible to ignore the distress at the national team today regarding the injury problem. These are not the ideal conditions and I can't remember a similar situation in the past."

Bilic's problem

The primary difficulty facing Slaven Bilic, the Croatia coach, ahead of tomorrow's match against Israel is not related to his tactical lineup, but is instead his attempt to convince his players and the Croatian soccer public that Israel is not a Middle Eastern version of Estonia.

This is a tough task all by itself, primarily if you take into account the opinion expressed by one of Bilic's senior assistants, Robert Prozinsky, who said after watching a video of Israel's match against England at Wembley Stadium, "3-0 is a natural result against a squad like this." Bilic is hoping for a similar victory on his way to qualifying for Euro 2008, and the crowd will be expecting a concert from his team.

Midfielder Luka Modric is of the opinion that there will be no problem repeating Croatia's 4-3 victory in Ramat Gan last year, and goalkeeper Stipe Pletikosa does expect to be especially bothered by Israel's forwards. Croatia has never lost an official match at home, including to teams better than Israel.

It is hard to say that Bilic has not been sleeping the past few nights because two of his forwards, Mladan Petric and Bosko Balaban, are not fit for the match. The only decision that he is thinking about is whether to open with a traditional 4-4-2 formation, with Eduardo da Silva and Ivica Olic up front, or to go with a slightly ingenious 4-2-3-1 setup with two rear midfielders, Modric and Jerko Leko in front of them, and da Silva as a third attacking midfielder right behind a single forward (Olic).

A further question mark concerns the status of midfielder Darijo Srna's leg. Bilic made it clear that if Srna is not "100 percent fit," 19-year-old Ivan Rakitic would take his place. Srna himself is convinced that Croatia is several levels better than Israel, and "will win easily," with or without him.

Bilic asked his players to "discover patience," even if they do not succeed in scoring against Nir Davidovic in the early stage of the match. The Croatian coach is certain that Israel will focus on defending for most of the match and try to strike on breaks.

Bilic emphasized Pini Balili's speed and Yossi Benayoun's ingenuity to his players, while he does not plan to mark Israel's captain one-on-one.

Maksimir Stadium in Zagreb will be filled with approximately 35,000 fans. German Wolfgang Stark will be the referee.

Bookmark to del.icio.us


	An exclusive drink
	We are more familiar with its stepson, gin, but jenever truly 'makes the heart rejoice'.


	Citizens unite
	Azulai's vital book focuses on photography in the contexts of occupation and exploitation.

Today Online


	U.S. grills Israel over road planned on Palestinian land
	Responses: 441


	Orthodox rabbi beaten with baseball bat in New Jersey town
	Responses: 179


	Dichter: Egypt capable of halting Gaza arms smuggling within day
	Responses: 152


	Report: Holocaust denier Irving invited to Oxford debate
	Responses: 168


	Benjamin Weinthal: Germany's secret business ties with Iran
	Responses: 127


	Danny Rubenstein: Jewish settlement in E. J'lem is incitement
	Responses: 120

More Headlines
22:42 Report: IAF hit partly finished nuclear reactor in Syria


22:54 Egyptian border police kill African refugee trying to enter Israel


23:06 PA forces shoot dead two Palestinians, including 5-year-old boy


22:20 Yishai: Peace summit should only deal with economic issues


01:33 Israeli tourist held in Lebanon jail recounts two-week ordeal


01:14 Ultra-Orthodox set to protest against division of Jerusalem


21:43 Haaretz.com TV exclusive: Rare footage of the protests in Burma


22:32 Croatia defeats Israel 1-0 in crucial Euro 2008 qualifier


00:55 Man dies after rejecting transplant but saves three other lives


01:48 Chief Rabbi Amar allows Shabbat work at Ben-Gurion Airport


21:39 Report: High level N. Korean official leaves for visit to Syria


17:23 Rice urges Turkey to avoid major military offensive against Iraqi Kurds


17:30 Two motorists killed in traffic accidents over weekend