Croatian national teams will be in full swing again in June. Zlatko Dalić will go with the A team to the League of Nations, while Dragan Skočić and the U-21 selection are expected to play at the European Championship in Romania and Georgia. However, it will be in full operation in June Croatia U-20 (chosen by Mladen Ivančić) i Croatia U-23 (menu Ognjen Vukojević) representation.
Our young footballers up to the age of 20 are waiting for matches against China (June 1) and the “Match of Life” Selection (June 6), while the U-23 team will face off against Katrom June 8. Clearly, HNS wants to earn something from such matches, even though they don’t really take into account the needs and health of the players themselves.
Mladen Ivančić will gather the under-20 selection on May 31 in Ivanić Grad, and there will be a large number of players from Dragan Skočić’s wider list for the European Championship. The new U-21 selector sent only U-21 invitations to some players (Frigan, Hodža, Sigur, Baturina, Bulat, Kačavenda…), while some, such as Luka Stojkovića have already received invitations to both the U-20 and U-21 national teams.
Dragan Skočić he also distributed a large number of call-ups, and these players (Perković, Palaversa, Goričan, Jelenić, Vasilj, Janković…) should first be in the U-20 squad, and then, if necessary, after the duel with China and the National Team.” The match of life” some of them join the U-21 type at the European Championship in Romania and Georgia.
While the whole story is still somewhat logically conceived, it is completely unclear what the purpose of the U-23 national team is, which will play against Katro on June 8 in Mattersburg, Austria. And it is even more strange that the standard defenseman of Lokomotiv got the call for that U-23 national team Branimir Kalaica who will be 25 years old on June 8!?
Croatian football players had a rather demanding season, and most of the players (at least those from the HNL) will finish their championship obligations this weekend. And instead of the boys, who started preparations for the WC in Katra at the beginning of December, now resting, they have to spend June in the so-called “fictional national teams”, and at about 30 degrees to play against the “Match of Life” Selection (although there is a possibility that that match will be cancelled).
Croatian first league players will start preparing for the new season between June 12 and 16, so some of them could have only three or four days off this summer. The championship obligations will end first for Varaždin and Lokomotive football players, Mario Kovačević and Silvijo Čabraja will give the players time off already today (after the match), and while some will really go on vacation, others will train for another 10 days, making themselves available to the U-20 and the U-23 national team, and immediately after that start preparations for the new season. Crazy…
Schedule of the U-20 national team:
– coach Mladen Ivančić
– gathering on May 31 in Ivanić Grad
Schedule of the U-23 national team:
– coach Ognjen Vukojević
– gathering on June 7 in Velika Gorica