Paul Lopez49 said:I’m being dead serious here. Why? Because I know Goluza turned down playing because he thought we were too weak. 🤮 As for Tony Valčić, I didn't have a clue what was going on there.
It wasn't Goluza, it was that idiot Cavar.
He actually turned down the call-up right before the game against Portugal, claiming he had more important things to do—basically embarrassing himself by blowing off a national team appearance.
Paul Lopez49 said:I’ve got about 90% of this forum on mute anyway, so who am I even asking? It’s just me, you, and Ex here. 😁
Well, Tony Valčić gave you his answer: 😉
Paul, if I got a dollar every single time someone asked me what happened to Valcic, I’d be retired on a beach somewhere. Nobody actually knows. People claim his girlfriend dumped him, but I don't buy those rumors for a second. The guy clearly isn't thinking straight.
Back in the day, right before the Olympics and the World Cup in Tunis, there was all this talk about him struggling with weed and supposedly testing positive before the Olympics, which is why he wasn't sent. But honestly, that's just hearsay.
Nobody knows—not even Cervar, not even Gobac, nobody has a clue what went down with Valcic. He's been off the grid for three years now. Three years of nothing. No appearances, no contact, just radio silence. 😁
On another note, guys, it looks like Alilović won't be able to suit up for Team USA anytime soon. There's this new rule being rolled out that says if a player wants to switch their citizenship, they have to play for a club in that country for at least a full year, and then they still have to sit out for another three years after that.
Alright, let's get serious about tightening up this defense of ours.
We just need more movement; our guys know how to play, they just need to stay active. Get Spoljaric inside. Put Ivano on the left to cover their right wing, Mirza on the right, Davor in the middle, either Pero or Denis as the right half, Sulic on the left, and Vori or Sprem up front. More constant motion and less standing around watching, and we'll be fine.
The arena where the game will be held. Honestly, looking at the layout...
It holds 11,500 people. I’m hoping a few thousand Americans show up; if we actually make it to the Final, I'll probably just end up blowing my budget tomorrow night on 😁 tickets shouldn't be an issue.
feralbison62 said:What’s the word on Ivan? Can he actually last the whole game? How’s Djolet doing? What about Sola? Is Blaz looking sharp? I caught the last fifteen minutes against Iceland—is Ivan 🙏 🙏 🙏
Djolet is recovering. It's a slow process, but we expect him to absolutely explode in the semifinals, just like he always has in previous tournaments.
Sola keeps getting better. He shut down the Mexicans with 19 saves—actually 20 if you count that last defensive stop they missed.
Blaz hasn't lost his edge either; we're expecting him to go wild out there too.
The only thing that really bugs me is how much Cervar keeps spinning his wheels. He’ll bench Blazic, then bring Martinovica back in, then pivot right back to Blazic, only to ditch Martinovica again—now he’s messing around with Losert. It’s just indecisive.
Stick with Losert and just wait for Mirko to step up. There isn't anyone else in the mix, my dear Lino, believe me.😁
Well, that’s actually pretty good news. Look, Venio might be a bit out of shape right now, but even at his worst, he’s still miles ahead of Rupa Blazic. I mean, let's be real—Blazic basically gave up the entire defense during the EP (okay, fine, it was a penalty shot, but still)
Džomba is a man of momentum. He plays it safe, almost timidly, until we hit the semifinals—then he flips a switch and goes all out. Even during that semifinal matchup against the Canadians, he was the only one keeping us in the game. I think he finished with 12 goals.
Alright, enough of my optimism. Time to head back to the studio for the broadcast. We’re about to get crushed by the French by at least eight points.
Look, when the commentator for the US national team called Vorijev’s goal against Iceland absolute perfection—after he somehow transitioned the ball from hand to hand while falling and still buried it—you have to admit that guy actually knows handball. And honestly? It was pure perfection.
Meanwhile, Bozo didn't even notice. He just kept doing what he does best: whining about the refs, the arena, the court, our shaky defense, and whatever else he can find to complain about.
Bozo says something like, "And Lackovic shoots low again, and Sterbik had to drop back, but it takes him a second to get into position," which totally frames it like Lackovic missed the shot, rather than acknowledging that Sterbik made an incredible save. It’s always our players' fault in his eyes. If Kjeling manages to squeeze the ball through an impossible gap, suddenly it’s the defense's mistake, the keeper's positioning, or Sola being out of place. Never is it mentioned that Kjeling is just a damn genius.
Look, I think we’re being way too hard on our defense. 😉 Between the influence of Bozin constantly whining about how they managed to score a single goal and Susec getting all worked up, everyone is just on edge.
Believe me, I watched the replay of the game against Iceland, and when you strip away Bozin’s dramatic outbursts and the general nervousness, you can see our backline actually holds up pretty well. 😉 It’s not legendary, sure, but for most of the match, they were solid. Other teams are dealing with much bigger issues; at least our guys are consistently reliable. Again, I’m not saying they were flawless, 😁
Look, the French know how to run a 3-2-1 defense, and they’re damn good at it. They use it perfectly to shut down our perimeter players. We need to attack through the wings to force them to stretch their defense, and once they've opened up those gaps, we let Billy take control of the game.
I’d venture to say playing against the Spaniards will actually be easier offensively because they pretty much only know how to play a 6-0. Sure, they execute it brilliantly, but if our shooters get hot, they won't have an answer.
The French can be incredibly aggressive on offense, which is actually our biggest opportunity since their defense is always rock solid. We have to step up our defensive intensity; if we can neutralize Karabatic, we effectively kill their entire attack. Everything runs through him—he’s the engine—but even he isn't anywhere near having the tactical brain that Billy has, so he's definitely beatable.
Look, they’re forced to run a 4-2 defense against us, which is basically suicide in handball because there isn't any other way to stop us.
Everyone saw what happens when you try a standard 6-0 against a player like Ali Balic—just look at that game against Norway. There’s no saving it, even if they tried some crazy 12-0 setup.😁 The Russians even attempted a 5-1 against Ali Balic with Koksharov, while Ivan was out there playing chess on the court at the same time. We ended up dropping that one simply because Lake and Peter were completely checked out mentally. You can't just man-mark Ivan; he forces the opposition to take risks by sending two players forward, leaving four guys on the line to pummel our pivot. Those two advanced defenders have to stick to Ali Balic and one of the shooters, which kills our ball movement entirely. Plus, our wings were practically invisible until Sprem started preparing yesterday. The Icelanders even tried a 3-3 defense, sending three players out to pressure our perimeter, but honestly, that’s just asking for trouble.
Now, I want to see who’s brave enough to try a 4-2 once Sprem finds his rhythm and Mirza gets back into top form. It’s going to be a total blowout in Switzerland.😁
