Josip Juranovic

And a cracking player too

 

Love the guy.

 

Another top character to add to many that have came in this season..

A quality player who i think still has levels to go up. We definitely haven't seen the best of him yet..

Feel like our whole squad is full of good sorts and can get better. That isn't by luck..

 

Just seen he got engaged on Instagram. Some couple of weeks for him. Good guy.

 

Congratulations big man
Cake looks good

 

She is punching

 

* bless you and your girl.

 

Got a belter cake made and took her down the beach wae some red wine. Not a * chance she was saying naw.

 

https://sport.tvp.pl/60333530/josip-juranovic-gra-w-legii-byla-frajda-i-zaszczytem-wywiad/amp

The last two years have been great for Josip Juranovic . With Legia, he won the title of Polish champion. Then he went to Celtic, with which he won the Scottish Championship and the League Cup. He won a place in the Croatian national team, where he played at the last European Championships, and later advanced to the World Cup. In an interview with TVPSPORT.PL, he talks about his memories of Legia, the circumstances of his transfer to Celtic, and the specifics of playing on Scottish pitches. In addition, Juranović shares his impressions of the Croatian national team and reveals what team partner Luka Modrić is.




There are many legends around your transfer from Legia. It is rare for one of the team leaders to be sold between the first game and the second in such an important match as against Slavia Prague. Do you feel pushed out of Legia?
- Absolutely not. A good offer came, the club accepted it, at the same time I agreed to move to Celtic. Everything was done with mutual respect. I do not know how much Legia finally got for me, three million euros? She bought me for something like four hundred thousand euros so it was a good deal for both parties. A big step in my career and Legia could earn a lot of money. I was sorry to be leaving, especially after a goal scored in the first match against Slavia. But in the end, Legia was promoted to the Europa League group and I was very happy about it.

- Did you have an alternative?
- There were several offers on the table. I chose Celtic because I thought it would be the best step in Ekstraklasa for me and I am happy to be here.

- You had difficult beginnings in Poland. Then you became the best footballer in Ekstraklasa in your position. How do you rate your career in Legia in retrospect?
- I'm sure I'm happy with the numbers. I had maybe 13 assists in all competitions. I also scored a few goals. I am satisfied with the whole journey I have traveled with Legia. The city and the fans made it fun and an honor for this club. We had a great team. I can speak positively about the coaching staff. Thanks to this, we won Ekstraklasa three rounds before the end.

- Shortly after you left, Legia ran into trouble. The last place in the Europa League group and the worst season in the league in many years. Do you have your thoughts on why this happened?
- I have no idea. I watched every match of Legia and was disappointed. I suspect that if you play such difficult matches during the week as against Spartak Moscow, Napoli and Leicester City, then it affects the domestic league, you sacrifice it in a way. Legia was in the group of deaths and I think that without the Legia cups next season it will be much easier in the league.

- As we said, you've come to Celtic. Great fan base, Celtic Park, British football atmosphere. You must be having a lot of fun playing there, huh?
- Everything is amazing in Celtic. In each of our games, sixty thousand people, regardless of what time we play - at noon or in the evening. Glasgow combines tradition and modernity. I live very well there.


- What was the biggest challenge for you after the transfer from Legia to Celtic?
- In Scotland I encountered a different type of matches than in Ekstraklasa. My role on the pitch has also changed. In Legia, I was more focused on the wing, I played widely. In Celtic I am a side defender, but I have more tasks closer to the center of the pitch. It took me a few matches to adjust to this. I am pleased because it has brought us success.



Just a few days after the transfer, you went out to the big match with Rangers and played on the left back. How did it come about?
- It was a bit of a coincidence because our left-back got injured in the previous game. I think we were playing on Saturday then, and literally the day before the game, the coach of Postecoglu approached me and asked if I was ready to help the team on the left defense. He convinced me that I can and I have the appropriate experience. I answered the coach in the affirmative that I want to play, I want to play in this match. Old Firm Derby is one of the greatest classics in the world. I want to take this opportunity to prove that I can play in a different position than usual.

- How would you compare Ekstraklasa and Scottish League?
- Both leagues are difficult in terms of physical play. On the other hand, some Scottish clubs have players with more technical skills than in Ekstraklasa.

- In Celtic you took five penalties, all successfully. Who came up with the idea for you to do them?
- The assistant coach asked me about the possibility of penalties. I used my eleven in a series of penalties in the Polish Super Cup, so I declared myself ready. We tried in training and I didn't miss a single one.

- With Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League you hit Panenka and the ball hit the crossbar. Were you lucky? Admit it.
(laughs) I just kicked the ball. It's good that it came.

"You are often fun to watch because you have a few technically well trained players up front." Jota, Maeda, Furuhashi, for me first of all Liel Abada. Who from Celtic do you think has the best chance of reaching the elite level?
- It's hard for me to name one name. I believe we have a few players with this potential if they keep working as before. The advantage of Celtic is that the system is adapted to the team, not units. This helped us win the Scottish Championship.

- Coming back to you. You are an important player in the Croatian national team today. How do you recall EURO and what were you missing against Spain in this crazy 1/8 final match?
- During the European Championship, I felt that one of my biggest football dreams was coming true. I have played two games: against Scotland and against Spain. For me personally, the EURO was perfect. Well, almost perfect, because we didn't pass the Spaniards. We had a few goals in extra time. We didn't use them, and football likes to punish for such ineffectiveness. The Spaniards scored two goals and it was over.

- In the national team you train and share the locker room with Luka Modric. How is he in direct contact and what makes him so brilliant?
- Luka is an amazing man, because despite the fact that he is a football star and the winner of the Golden Ball, he has no head in the clouds. He has his feet on the ground. When I came to the team camp for the first time, Luka came up to me and asked if I needed anything. He said he was at my disposal. That makes him amazing to me. I remember our last World Cup qualifying match, we played with Russia in Split, we had to win. Until the break it was 0: 0. Luka was calm. He told us that we also need to be calm and continue what we were playing because we played a good 45 minutes. Then we will achieve the goal. We won 1-0 and secured the World Cup.

- I think that you may soon collide with the problem of aging stars. Modrić, Perisić, Rakitić Vida - all in their thirties. You have a few talented players of the younger generation, but I don't know if you have enough of them to meet the needs of the still second world team.
- That's your opinion. We have players such as Nikola Vlasić in West Hama in the TOP 5 leagues in Europe. Josko Gvardiol in Leipzig you mentioned. Kristijan Jakić has now won the Europa League with Eintracht. The next ones are Brekalo, Pasalić. I think our future is bright, you'll see.




You will soon be 27 years old, that's a great age for a footballer. Celtic qualified for the Champions League group stage, Croatia will play in the World Cup, you have been called up for the Nations League matches in June. Do you set yourself specific goals or are you enjoying the moment?
- I'm enjoying the moment. I am really happy in Celtic, I have amazing fans behind me who even made a song about me. I have a good time there and enjoy playing football. The last two years of my career have been very good and I would just like to continue - maybe without injuring myself because I was a bit unlucky. But at the same time, Celtic won the championship and that's what matters most.

Josip Juranović - former football player incl. Legia Warszawa, with whom he won the Polish championship in 2021. Currently a Celtic footballer with whom he won the Scottish Championship and the League Cup. Sixteen-time representative of Croatia, participant of EURO 2020

 

If we got as many penalties as they did last season then our right back would be scoring a barrel load aswell

 

Decent interview by the sounds of it, helps when the interviewer isn’t looking down on Scottish football

 

So, looks like we'll have a RB from Celtic and LB from that other lot tonight!

 

We need a left back with his quality and we will be laughing.