Legend Blasts Hajduk
Josip Čop, a former Hajduk player, criticized coach Gonzalo Garcia for his treatment of Marko Livaja. He believes Livaja is the club's strongest force and that he is being sacrificed at the expense of results.
Josip Čop, a former Hajduk player, criticized coach Gonzalo Garcia for his treatment of Marko Livaja. He believes Livaja is the club's strongest force and that he is being sacrificed at the expense of results.
In the third round of the championship, Hajduk finally secured their first victory, defeating Gorica away 2-1. The hero of the win was Marko Livaja, who came off the bench and, with a solo run a few minutes before the end, broke past the defender and the goalkeeper for the final 2-1. Interestingly, Livaja also scored as a substitute against Istra to make it 2-1, but then his teammates squandered the lead and conceded an equalizer.
Livaja's status under coach Gonzalo Garcia is clearly special. After the incident during preparations in Slovenia, Livaja became a substitute, and the conflict between him and the coach has been ongoing since the start of preparations. The latent conflict has roots dating back to Garcia's arrival at the club, before the start of last season.
Josip Čop, a former Hajduk footballer, certified coach, and sports official, who played for Varteks, Dinamo, Zagreb, Hajduk, and Sturm during his career, spoke about the whole situation for Dnevno.hr.
"I watch the matches and think. I admit, much is unclear to me. If Livaja is the man who tips the scales, the deciding factor, then the coach should use him better. Regardless of what happened between them. Livaja does more in a few minutes than the entire team does in a whole match. People see that. I think coach Garcia wouldn't be doing this if there weren't something else behind it," said Čop.
Čop believes that there is a broader consensus within the club behind all this.
"Livaja is by far the best player at Hajduk, and after him, there's a long gap. If you keep him in disfavor, there must be some consensus. Between those who run the club and the coach, against Livaja. After that incident during preparations, Livaja has apparently calmed down, and the coach probably feels like a winner in that conflict," he added.
The former Hajduk player points out that fans clearly see the illogical aspects of the whole story.
"But the fans see the inconsistencies. Why it continues, I don't know. It's just that Hajduk is one team with Livaja, and another without him. I understand that not so long ago, Livaja was Hajduk, and Hajduk was Livaja, so any coach would want to change that situation. But now it seems to me that they've gone to the complete opposite extreme. At the expense of results, I'd even say," Čop said.
When asked how the situation might unfold, Čop believes in a gradual easing.
"Obviously, there are multiple sides here: the management supporting the coach, and Livaja, who seems alone. Yet the fans adore him. The forces are, I'd say, fairly balanced. I believe the situation will gradually calm down, and it will be seen, as it is now, that Livaja is by far Hajduk's strongest force," he said.
Hajduk faces Polish side Rakow in the Conference League playoffs, and Čop believes the Split team can only advance with their best performance of the season and a motivated Livaja with more minutes on the pitch.
"You can always win or lose; that's how I think as a true sportsman. Hajduk can only advance if they play their best match of the season so far. The team is quite turbulent, and you really can't predict how they'll react in a given situation. The Split team needs Livaja, with more playing time, and when he's in form, Hajduk looks far more dangerous. Rakow can't be beaten with tactics alone; you need to score goals. Sacrificing Livaja is still counterproductive for the club," Čop concluded for Dnevno.hr.
