Evo sta kazu Englezi - izvadak iz Guardianovog clanka o eventualnom prelasku Luke u Chelsea:

Balkan football has always prized its No 10s. The Croatia side that reached the semi-finals of the 1998 World Cup played with three of them - Robert Prosinecki, Zvonimir Boban and Aljosa Asanovic - something none but the unorthodox coach Miroslav Blazevic would have dared attempt.

More recent interpretations of the classic Balkan system tend to have been rather more conservative, supplementing the three central defenders with two holding midfielders in a 3-4-1-2. Modernisers see that as old-fashioned, but it remains the most common formation in Croatian club football. At Dinamo, Modric operates almost as an orthodox No 10, albeit in a 4-2-3-1.

By the time of the last World Cup - when the issue had been brought into sharper focus by Serbia's impressive qualifying record with a flat back four - it had become Croatian football's equivalent of the West Lothian question, or the debate over whether Gerrard and Lampard can play together in the same midfield.

The national coach Zlatko Kranjcar reasoned that as he had two of the best wing-backs in the world in Darijo Srna and Marko Babic, he may as well use them and stuck to a 3-4-1-2 system, with his son Niko as the playmaker. Croatia were eliminated in the group stages.

Almost the first thing Slaven Bilic did on succeeding Kranjcar was to put an end to the debate. His preference, he said, was for a Dutch-style 4-3-3, and although he has come to favour a 4-1-3-2, there has never been a suggestion of returning to a back three.

The paradox is that while the traditionalists feared the disappearance of the playmaker, Bilic has managed to squeeze in two, sometimes even three. Kranjcar has been retained in the left-sided role in which he is blossoming for Portsmouth and Modric, a player Bilic championed through the under-21 team, has become a fixture. 'My role in the national team is very different to the one I perform with Dinamo,' Modric said. 'Here I have a freer role, but I also have more defensive responsibilities.'

Kranjcar senior hailed Modric as 'very talented, with a strong presence and organisational qualities' after his debut in a 3-2 victory over Argentina in a pre-World Cup friendly. Yet he gave him just 26 minutes on the field, in two substitute appearances, during the tournament.

Bilic, making a conscious turn to youth and away from the physicality and cynicism of Kranjcar's side, included him in the starting line-up as he began his reign against Italy. Modric responded with a goal in a 2-0 win. 'The team now is very different to the side at the World Cup,' Modric said. 'There are a lot of young players. Bilic was our under-21 coach and he knows us and our capabilities. He's a perfect coach and we have a great relationship. You can see that from the results we've had.'

Bilic has proved himself adept at international management. His rough charm disguises his astuteness , but his side has a pleasing balance. With Niko Kovac sweeping in front of the back four they have a stability that has allowed Bilic to give rein to his more creative players. The result is a confidence about Croatia that is probably greater even than in 1998.

There will be 6,700 Croatia fans at Wembley on Wednesday - the maximum number of away supporters the FA will countenance - and they will not care what England need from the game. They will be there simply to celebrate Bilic's new Croatia.

pa to je najveci gust igrat..nemas sta izgubit..samo mozes srusit jednu englesku...ali ako i ne dobiju ja im nista ne zamjeram..pa nasim navijacimu su dali ono sta smo mi trazili..a nasi navijaci ce ici d apokazu englezima sta je Hrvatska za nas...

Ma to sa Lukom da prelazi u Chelsea mi je smiješno! I onda još Židak i neki kvazi menađer provali da Abramović za svaku kilu milju eura!
Kao da je to nagradna igra Bavarie pa dobiješ piva onoliko koliko si težak!
Luka može jedino u Real i to na ljeto

zasto u Real..idealno bi mu bilo MIlan!!! moj savjet...

"There will be 6,700 Croatia fans at Wembley on Wednesday - the maximum number of away supporter"  ajme što će se razočarati oni ni ne znaju tko im dolazi  e pa upoznaće ih.

On je još prezelen za Milan! Pogledaj Šimića! Kad Modrić postane dida onda nek ide u Milan!

Evo prijevoda ljudi - isprike ako ima nekih gresaka - ali zbrzao sam:


Balkanski nogomet je oduvijek cijenio svoje 'Desetke'. Hrvatska reprezentacija koja je dosegla polufinale na Sv. Prv. 1998. igrala je s tri takve desetke - Robert P., Zvone B, i Aljosa A. - nesto sto ne bi pokusavao nitko drugi osim nekonvencionalnog trenera Miroslava Blazevica.

Nedavne interpretacije klasicnog Balkanskog sistema teze konzervativnijem pristupu, dodajuci tri centralna branica dvojici centralnih veznjaka u 3-4-1-2.
Modernizatori vide ovo rjesenje kao staromodno, ali to je jos uvijek najucestalija formacija u Hrvatskom klupskom nogometu. U Dinamu Modric operira kao konvencionalna Desetka u formaciji 4-2-3-1.
U vrijeme proslog Sv. Prvenstva - kada se ova tema dovelo pod povecalo impresivnim srpskim kvalifikacijama sa ustaljenom cetvoricom natrag - postala je u Hrvatskom nogometu ekvivalent West Lothianskom pitanju ili debati oko toga da li Gerrard i Lampard mogu igrati zajedno u sredini.

Izbornik Zlatko Kranjcar je isao po logici da ima dva najbolja krilna igraca na svijetu u Dariju Srni i Marku Babicu, pa bi ih onda mogao i iskoristiti -  drzeci se tako 3-4-1-2 sistema sa svojim sinom Nikom kao playmakerom. Hrvatska je eliminirana vec u prvoj fazi.

Skoro prva stvar koju je Slaven Bilic ucinio nasljedivsi Cicu bila je zavrsiti spomenutu debatu. Njegov je izbor, kako je rekao, Nizozemski stil 4-3-3 - i iako se priklanjao sistemu 4-1-3-2, nikad nije bilo ni naznake eventualnom povratku na trojicu otpozadi.

Paradoksalno - dok su se tradicionalisti bojali zbog moguceg nestanka tradicionalnog playmakera, Bilic je uspio ugurati dvojicu, ponekad cak i trojicu. Kranjcar je zadrzan u svojoj ulozi na lijevom boku gdje je procvjetao u Portsmouthu, a Modric, igrac kojeg je Bilic isticao kroz u-21 momcad, je postao sigurni clan startne postave. ''Moja uloga u reprezentaciji je vrlo razlicita od one koju obavljam u Dinamu,' rekao je Modric 'Ovdje imam vise slobode, ali takodjer imam vise obrambenih odgovornosti.'

Kranjcar, stariji pohvalio je Modrica kao 'vrlo talentiranog, s velikim utiskom na terenu i organizacijskim sposobnostima' nakon njegovog debija u 3-2 pobjedi nad Argentinom u prijateljskom susretu pred SP. No na kraju mu je tijekom turnira dao samo 26. minuta na terenu, u dva susreta gdje je usao kao zamjena.

S druge strane Bilic, koji se svjesno odlucio za okretanje mladima i udaljavanje od grube fizicke snage i cinicnosti Kranjcarove momcadi, je ukljucio Modrica u startnu postavu odmah cim je zapoceo svoju vladavinu - u susretu protiv Italije. Modric je na ovo odgovorio golom u pobjedi 2-0. ''Momcad je vrlo razlicita od one koja je nastupala na SP-u' kaze Modric 'Ima puno mladih igraca. Bilic je bio nas trener u mladoj reprezentaciji i on nas poznaje, poznaje nase sposobnosti. On je savrseni trener i imamo izuzetni odnos. Mozete to vidjeti i po rezultatima koje smo postigli.'

Bilic se dokazao sposobnim u izbornickim vodama. Njegov grubi sarm skriva njegovu lukavost i njegova momcad ima zadovoljavajucu ravnotezu. S Nikom Kovacem koji 'cisti' ispred zadnje cetvorke imaju stabilnost koja je dozvolila Bilicu da preda igru u ruke svojim najkreativnijim igracima. Rezultat je povjerenje u Hrvatsku koje je vjerojatno vece cak i od onog u momcad iz 1998.

Bit ce 6700 Hrvatskih navijaca na Wembleyu u srijedu - maksimalni broj gostujucih navijaca koje ce FA primiti - i oni nece mariti za ono sto je Engleskoj potrebnoj iz te utakmice. Oni ce biti tamo jednostavno zato da bi slavili Bilicevu novu Hrvatsku.

http://football.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/0,,2213015,00.html

sada se stvarno nadam da ce bilic zaboraviti na svoje simpatije prema engleskoj i engleskom nogometu i da cemo ih pobijediti glatko u srijedu.