Marko Livaja has played the full 90 minutes only once in seven matches this season, coming off the bench in the other six. Coach Garcia even prefers Bamba and Huram over him, and renowned expert Ilija Lončarević says: 'This game with Livaja makes no sense.'
Hajduk has once again entered the new season in turbulent fashion, with the relationship between coach Gonzalo Garcia and captain Marko Livaja back in the spotlight. While president Ivan Bilić tries to extinguish the fire of fan discontent and sporting director Robert Graf assembles a new squad, the key question remains unresolved: why does the club's best player consistently start matches on the bench?
In seven matches this season, Livaja has only played the full 90 minutes against Varaždin. However, even then he failed to secure a point for his team, he missed a penalty that would have spared Hajduk a defeat. In the other six matches, he came off the bench: against Žilina in the 86th and 84th minutes, Pafos in the 77th and 63rd, Žalgiris in the 66th, and against Istra 1961 from the 56th minute. Particularly concerning is the fact that coach Garcia, in certain matches, gives preference to young players like Huram and Bamba, who cannot match Livaja in experience and quality.
For instance, in Split against Žilina, Huram came on in the 73rd minute, while Livaja only entered in the 86th. Away to Žilina, Huram and Bamba came on in the 75th, and the captain in the 84th. A similar pattern occurred against Pafos in Limassol, where Bamba and Huram entered in the 53rd minute, and Livaja ten minutes later.
The roots of the tension date back to November 22, 2025, when Hajduk suffered a catastrophic 0:5 defeat to Rijeka at Rujevica. At 0:4 in the 51st minute, coach Garcia wanted to bring on Livaja, but the captain refused, citing stomach pain. Garcia then publicly disclosed Livaja's insubordination, further straining relations and polarizing the fan base.
Since then, an agony has persisted: on one side, the coach insists on his tactical vision that, with the current squad, is not yielding results; on the other, Livaja, six seasons as Hajduk's best player and affectionately dubbed "Ćaća", has been reduced to a super-sub role. His contract runs until the summer of 2027, and the player has expressed a desire to extend it.
Renowned coaching expert Ilija Lončarević, in the "VAR Room" podcast of Sportske novosti, did not hold back in his criticism.
"This game with Livaja, where he plays only about ten minutes, makes no sense. I'm also surprised that Livaja allows this and places that burden on the entire team's shoulders. This must be resolved differently..."
Lončarević added that he "doesn't see light at the end of Hajduk's tunnel" and that he is "not sure what the club's leadership is doing at all, or if they're just letting the water carry them." He also warned that "Hajduk has long been in a difficult and uncertain situation, and it won't improve on its own."
Meanwhile, Hajduk has undergone a significant squad overhaul. Compared to the start of the 2025/26 season, as many as 13 players have left Poljud, including regular starters like Krovinović (29 appearances), Šarlija (27), Rebić (26), Almen (21), and Kalik (17). Last summer, nine players were brought in, but only four remain at the club: Pajaziti, Raci, Ivušić, and Marešić. Karačić, although treated as a reinforcement, has been left in an unenviable position because he is not to coach Garcia's liking. The tandem of regular starters, American Rokas Pukštas and Canadian Niko Sigur, both products of the "Luka Kaliterna" academy, are also very likely to leave the club.
New sporting director Robert Graf has brought in Alec Van Hoorenbeck, Mathieu Acapandie, Alberto del Moral, Dalisson de Almeida, and Marin Šotiček, while president Bilić has announced that they are "actively working on bringing in several more players."
Hajduk has already been eliminated from Europa League qualifying this season and has only one point from two league matches. However, the victory over Žalgiris in Vilnius brought a glimmer of optimism, it was Hajduk's first away win in European competitions since August 2020, when they defeated Renova from North Macedonia 1:0 with a goal from Mijo Caktaš in the 4th minute. Next comes an away match against Gorica, followed by the Conference League play-offs on August 20 and 27 against Polish side Rakow or Swedish side Hammarby. Between those two European tests, Osijek visits Split.
The upcoming run of matches could determine the course of the season and the fate of key figures at Poljud. Without resolving the burning Garcia-Livaja issue, Hajduk risks sliding deeper into crisis.
