The Pot 4 Club – Dinamo Zagreb

The Pot 4 Club continues on Just Football with an analysis of Dinamo Zagreb from the writers of CroatianSoccerReport:

Club: Dinamo Zagreb

Straight outta’: Croatia

Group: D – with Real Madrid, Olympique Lyonnais and Ajax

Recent History

Dinamo Zagreb is the most successful Croatian football club of all time with a rich history in domestic and European play. This year’s road to Europe consisted of stops in Azerbaijan (Neftchi PFC Baku), Finland (HJK Helsinki) and Sweden (Malmo FF). This is the first Dinamo side to make it to the Champions League group stage in 12 years, when the club was called Croatia Zagreb, and consisted of world-class players such as Robert Prosinečki, Mark Viduka, Dario Šimić, and current manager Krunoslav Jurčić, before falling to Atletico Madrid.

With the addition of defenders Domagoj Vida from Bayer Leverkusen and veteran Croatian international Josip Šimunić from Hoffenheim and the hot play of Milan Badelj and Sammir, this is the best Dinamo side to grace Maksimir Stadion since the days of Luka Modrić, Vedran Ćorluka and Eduardo only a few seasons ago.

What to expect

Opponents can expect to play at the newly renovated Maksimir Stadion in front of expected crowds of 30,000+ with blue covering every inch of the stands as players look beyond the pitch (even the tartan area around the pitch is blue!) The most passionate and ardent Dinamo supporters, the Bad Blue Boys, will not be in attendance for Champions League matches due to an ongoing boycott with the club’s executive board and executive president, Zdravko Mamić. The boycott has now lasted just over one year.

Tactical analysis

Dinamo typically play a 4-4-2 with tactics being a minimal concern in the watered-down Croatian top flight. Most domestic games see Dinamo turn the competition into a match between men and boys. Dinamo Zagreb has been an absolute juggernaut in recent years, winning their sixth straight domestic title last season and conceding their first goal in the seventh round this year, to hated rivals Hajduk Split in the Eternal Derby. When it comes to much tougher European competition, Dinamo usually plays long-balls down field, both in the air and on the ground, and try to utilize their speed off of counter-attacks. Dinamo has a solid core in midfield but has been suspect in the striker role as many golden opportunities to put the ball in the back of the net
have been embarrassingly missed already this campaign.

Manager

Krunoslav Jurčić, a former Dinamo player, begins his second tour with the Zagreb club this season. Known for his Slaven
Bilić-like ‘over the top’ gestures and non-stop screaming from the sidelines, Jurčić has quieted down in recent times in an effort for more future success with The Blues (Croatia:Plavi) while learning from his past mistakes and accomplishments with the club.

Key Players

Key players to watch out for are Dinamo’s most clincal striker, Brazilian-born Sammir, captain Milan Badelj and defensive stand-out Domagoj Vida. Australian-born Croat Josip Šimunić has also joined Dinamo after a successful career in the German Bundesliga with Hertha Berlin and Hoffenheim, as well as international duty with Croatia in the 2006 World Cup and 2008 Euro championships.

One to Watch

Dubbed the next Croatian Wunderkind, 17 year-old Mateo Kovačić is a player all fans should have their eye on. A product of the Dinamo youth system, one of the best in europe, Kovačić spent time at Austrian club Lask Linz before returning to Zagreb. Young Mateo is the youngest Dinamo player to have ever put on the Blue jersey and the youngest to ever score in the Croatian First Division. He has also represented Croatia at junior levels in international competition. Rumors have it that big European clubs are already looking at Kovačić, including Bayer Leverkusen and Manchester United.

You may not know

Dinamo Zagreb won the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup in 1967 (now the UEFA Europa League) against Leeds United. It is the first and only time a Croatian team has ever won a European trophy.

Prediction

It will be tough for Dinamo to battle against Champions League veterans Real Madrid and Lyon, however, this team might just have enough fortitude to battle for a third place spot against Ajax, who they defeated in UEFA Cup qualifying in 2007. We don’t look for Dinamo to finish in the top two, but we can say that four points isn’t impossible either. This team has shown promise in their qualifying games and could be a surprise dark horse if they play their game correctly.

Last in The Pot 4 Club – Otelul Galati. Follow Just Football on Twitter to keep updated.

Written by Ante Baričević & Ante Kvartuč of CroatianSoccerReport.com

Champions League, Croatia, Dinamo Zagreb, The Pot 4 Club