Castaway(s)

With our 23 (+2) list announced yesterday, some folks here tend to think that Bilic might’ve overlooked a name or two. So who are these black sheeps (plural?) that Bilic decided to separate from the flock? Pardon the metaphor, their human identities are listed alphabetically:

(Percentages on the right are poll results taken from a local website, where people were asked which one of these players should’ve been included. 3228 votes in total)

Marko Babic (Real Betis, 49 caps) 21.24 %
Despite being a regular NT player since his debut back in 2002, and playing in all 3 of our WC matches in Germany, Bilic was quite right not to call Marko up for this one. Since joining Real Betis last summer, he has been nothing more than a spectator in the Spanish side, gathering only a single appearance throughout the whole season. Shame really, considering he was a much more appreciated individual back in Leverkusen. With a number of players already occupying our LB position, and his alternate LM position crowded as well, there’s little room to object Bilic’s decision here.

Bosko Balaban (Dinamo Zagreb, 35 caps) 2.34 %
Even with Eduardo sidelined, Bosko didn’t do enough to earn himself a trip to EURO this summer. While his goal scoring ability is still somewhat impressive (18 games, 11 goals this season), a few injury problems and some decent competition for his Dinamo’s position kept him from producing the kind of influence everyone expected since returning from Belgium (scored 40 in 83). He also didn’t feature regularly under Bilic, so it’s no surprise that our coach opted for other solutions. A few domestic talents emerging didn’t do him a favor as well.

Dino Drpic (Dinamo Zagreb, 1 cap) 50.24 %
This one seems a bit tricky. While his NT record is virtually non existent, Drpic was/is one of those players that’s always mentioned as the one to step in if anything goes wrong and someone gets injured. While he’s been a regular at Dinamo for year now, he’s certainly one of those defenders with a one-howler-per-game reputation. It’s been following him probably since his youth days, and while he has somewhat established himself on the domestic scene (even came close to signing for Besiktas last summer), there’s a common belief that he just lacks the quality to make an impact on the NT. Still, his consistency in Dinamo’s first eleven would’ve been a valid enough reason to give him a call, seeing as some of our key defenders actually rarely feature in their club’s starting lineups.

Mario Mandzukic (Dinamo Zagreb, 1 cap) 7.06 %
I’d imagine his name and surname mean something like “He Who Seldom Shines” in Indian language. Indeed, Mandzukic was a delight when Dinamo beat Ajax 3:2 in Amsterdam, back in October last year, but has failed to produce anything since then. Could it be that he was too good for his own good on that particular match? Probably, because people ended up expecting too much. He’s been dropped to the bench these days, and still has a lot of hard work to do if he’s to live up to what he’s promised us at the beginning of the season. Good call from Bilic here as well.

Jurica Vranjes (Werder Bremen, 26 caps) 19.11 %
Although he’s having a decent season at Bremen, I think he squashed his chances earlier on with his comments on how he couldn’t understand why Bilic wasn’t playing him when he was the obvious choice. He’s got a few appearances under Bilic as well, but I guess he didn’t make an impact, seeing as his position is already occupied by some of our key players. Still, I can’t help but feel that his comments had somehow influenced this decision and that the chemistry with Vranjes just wasn’t what it was supposed to be. He’s a decent player however, and probably worthy of being included, disregarding his comments off the pitch of course.