Dinamo join Rijeka and Hajduk in title-race
The arrival of ex-AC Milan and Italy midfielder Gennaro Gattuso at Hajduk Split promised to entertain, and it has certainly delivered.
Hajduk Split’s season is on a knife edge, as is the feisty Italian’s Poljud future, after a 3-1 Dinamo Zagreb derby defeat left ‘Bili’ in third-place, capitulating at the business end of the season.
If Hajduk is to claim a maiden title in 10 years, Gattuso will need to inspire a dramatic turnaround in form, after claiming a mere two points from five games.
Whilst Hajduk hosts leaders Rijeka in the run home, it must now rely on other results.
Excitement levels have been fever pitch this season, with Hajduk’s giant and passionate fan base dreaming that their beloved skipper Marko Livaja and Croatia great Ivan Rakitić could lead it to glory.
But inspired by Zvonimir Boban’s return, Dinamo has now injected itself into the title race, alongside Rijeka and Hajduk.
“There are still three games left. No-one can afford to lose,
but there are still nine points to play for,” Gattuso said.
Just three points separate the top three sides with three games remaining.
Dinamo looked dead and buried trailing Hajduk by eight points in early April, before Fabio Cannavaro’s sacking and the announcement of Boban’s arrival as chairman (fromJune1) gave them wings.
Hajduk’s 3-1 loss, after Livaja – who’s being poached by Turks Besiktas – equalised, was compounded by Dinamo midfielder Petar Sučić’s 101st minute sealer.
While Livaja leads the league’s scorer’s charts, he and Rakitić will need to inspire Hajduk it they are to pull off a May miracle.
Gattuso-Gate
Gattuso has endured a roller-coaster debut season at Hajduk, with rumours persisting that he will leave at season’s end.
Hajduk threw the kitchen sink to lure Gattuso. And backed by the Torcida and Hajduk’s fanatical support base, who saw Gattuso as one of them, the Italian got off to a flyer.
Importantly, his star marksman Livaja has dominated – leading the HNL scorer’s charts with 17 goals – ahead of Lokomotiva’s Robert Mudražija (14 goals) and Dinamo’s Sandro Kulenović (13).
It has led to calls for a Livaja recall to Zlatko Dalić’s Croatian national team.
However, Gattuso has felt the pressure, headlined by his epic post-game blowup with pundit and former Hajduk and Dinamo midfielder Joško Jeličić, barking “I have no respect for you”.
Slobodna Dalmacija is among media outlets that reported after the Dinamo derby defeat that Gattuso has already decided he’ll depart – despite having a contract that runs until 2026.
Sources suggest the Italian is frustrated with internal club dynamics.
Dinamo, Rijeka in box seat
Meanwhile, Dinamo’s resurgence under interim coach Sandro Perković – their fourth coach of the season – has been remarkable.
Despite a shock 1-0 loss to Gorica, four wins including two straight wins over competitors Rijeka and Hajduk has completely revitalised the hopes of Dinamo, who’ve won 18 out of the last 20 HNL titles.
Rijeka consolidated after three straight losses, and held on to claim a vital three points over Gorica on the weekend.
Facing Šibenik next-up, Rijeka plays its Croatian Cup Final away leg against Slaven midweek, before facing Hajduk at the Poljud.
Winning their first ever HNL title by just two points over Dinamo in 2016/17, Rijeka has an opportunity to repeat history in
2024/25.
This article was originally published in the May Edition of Hrvatski Vjesnik.