<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > introduction</h1>
Rakitic's decision to withdraw from the national team came as a surprise to many
< h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > Croatia's existing midfield staff</h1>
Rakitic played the role of "No. 10" in Croatia's 4-2-3-1 formation for the European Championship qualification, while Modric and Brozovic covered behind him, making him more aggressive in the attacking phase. In this formation system, Brozovic's work efficiency and endurance combined with Modric's ability to read matches keep Croatia's formation structure well balanced. This also allows Rakitic's creativity to be unleashed on the offensive end. Rakitic's excellent long-range shooting ability and no-ball running allow the 4-2-3-1 formation structure to change to 4-3-3 (4-1-4-1 defensively), and Rakitic occupies the "No. 8" position on the left in this formation system. Brozovic played a single-back role in a 4-3-3 formation, while Modric and Rakitic formed a side-by-side triangle with wingers and full-backs, thus forming a numerical advantage on the flanks. Although Rakitic has played many positions in the Croatian national team midfield, he can play at a very high level no matter where he is.
In the European Cup qualification rounds, Croatia mainly used these two formations when Rakitic played.
The chart below shows the playing time of all the Croatian national team midfielders after Euro 2016, which data will give us an idea of which players are able to get more playing opportunities in Croatia's midfield position.
There is no doubt that Croatia's absolute core of midfield Modric is in first place, and the second only one is Rakitic. But we can still see that some of Croatia's young midfielders have been gradually increasing in recent years. Brozovic played even more after Euro 2016 than Rakitic, while Kovacic was very close to them, although he played the role of a substitute for most of the time. Badelli has also played a lot after Euro 2016, but young players like Vlasic and Passalic have been given more appearances in the last two years due to their outstanding performances in Europe's top five leagues, while players like Andreasevic and Cactas, despite their strong performances in domestic leagues, are not competitive enough to compete for the main position in the Croatian midfield. In this chart, the 22-year-old midfielder Mayer has attracted most of the attention this season with his outstanding performances in Dinamo Zagreb, and the talented teenager who has long been famous in the pro evolutionary football manager game is likely to become the future candidate for the "number 10" of the Lattice Army.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > the croatian midfielders</h1>
In the chart below, we will analyze the data of Croatia's players who have played for the national team (white dot) and those who have not yet played for the national team (red dot) to find potential replacements for Rakitic. Let's first look at the passing ability of these players, and the data indicators include the number of passes per 90 minutes, the number of passes per 90 minutes to the last third of the area, and the success rate of the pass.
We can see that Modric, Brozovic, Rakitic and Kovacic have more passes per 90 minutes than other players, who have a lot of possession while playing a vital role in Croatia's midfield. The two players who look most promising in this chart are Josip Michić and Nicolas Morrow, who, although both of them pass fewer than the four players mentioned above, try more passes to the last third of the area every 90 minutes. Morrow had 56.27 passes per 90 minutes and 11.39 passes per 90 minutes into the final third of the zone. This season, the Croatian U21 captain has moved to Dynamo Moscow, which also gives him more opportunities to show himself on a bigger stage. Mišić had 54.98 passes per 90 minutes, 10.54 passes per 90 minutes into the final third of the zone, and a pass success rate of 89.73%.
The next metrics we'll compare are progressive runs per 90 minutes and progressive passes per 90 minutes. If we consider both indicators, Modric and Kovacic are undoubtedly the two best performers, while Logue and Vlašic's progressive runs per 90 minutes are impressive. If we only consider progressive passes per 90 minutes, then Mišić is in our sight again, his 10.54 progressive passes per 90 minutes ahead of other players, and Brozovic's more than 10 passes per 90 minutes. Since Moro's stats are very similar to Brozovic's, it is undoubtedly a sign that he is gradually on the right path to becoming a top midfielder.
The metrics we will look at next include the goal contribution of all players (goals scored per 90 minutes and assists per 90 minutes) and expected goal contribution (xG/90 and xA/90). From the chart above, we can see how much Kakotas and Tolic had a big impact on their team last season, they are the only two players who have both indicators above 0.5, which also makes them even more different. Tolic and Kaktas' performances on the offensive end have made them look more like shadow strikers than offensive midfielders, as has Andryashevic. Passaric and Vlašic's performances last season were stunning, with Passaric's goalscoring contribution and expected goals contributing 0.46 and 0.44 respectively, which also proved that he was an important part of Atalanta's breakthrough last season. With a goal contribution of 0.44 and an expected goal contribution of 0.45 respectively, Vlašić was undoubtedly the best player of the CSKA Moscow last season.
Finally, the metric we're going to compare is the number of touches in the penalty area every 90 minutes. In the qualifying stages of this European Championship, Vlašic scored three goals for Croatia, which also showed that he was able to create a threat to the opposing defense on the offensive end. Krovinovic was an impressive player last season who helped West Brom win his chances to advance to the Premier League. Although Clovinovic had a fantastic season at Benfica, a serious knee injury in 2018 prevented him from catching the last train of the World Cup, but now he has the opportunity to prove himself again in the national team.
<h1 class= "pgc-h-arrow-right" > formation one that Croatia may use in the future: 4-2-3-1</h1>
According to previous data analysis, Croatia's 4-2-3-1 formation system should be the first choice for attacking midfielders in Vlasic and Passaric. Both players have an advantage over others in this position because they both have the experience of playing for the national team, while they both now play for the top clubs in Europe, their age is at their peak and they have made great progress in the last two years.
Young Croatian midfielder Passaric's performance last season was eye-catching
Frequent changes in position on the pitch kept Vlasic from playing at his best early in his career, but at CSKA Moscow he was finally fixed in the position of attacking midfielder. Vlasic's ability to penetrate in the middle can add another dimension to Croatia's squad system, he can connect the midfield and the front line with passing, while his goal-scoring ability can also play a role in key moments. Passaric is a very efficient midfielder who has scored a lot of goals for the team. But unlike Vlašić's ability to control the ball, Passaric's advantage comes more from running without the ball, he has a keen observation of the blind spots of the opponent's defense, and he can take advantage of the loopholes in the opponent's defense at the right time. Passaric is closer to a modern midfielder, and not only is his efficiency on the pitch impressive, but his wide range of runs under the cover of Modric and Brozovic is always a potential threat to opponents.
Other possible options are Mayer and Krovinovic. Majell represents the future of Croatia, and perhaps his call-up will not take place until after the European Championship. Mayer has a great talent, but he must make his play more stable and at the same time prove himself on a higher level of stage. And Krovinovic has proven himself capable of a high-level team like Benfica and a fierce league like the Championship, and his outstanding performance may help him catch the last train of next summer's European Championship.
< h1 class = "pgc-h-arrow-right" > formation two that Croatia may use in the future: 4-3-3</h1>
Croatia coach Zolic often places Brozovic at the back so that Croatia's best trio in midfield will be in the midfield position at the same time. If Croatia choose a 4-3-3 formation system, then the midfield will be their biggest advantage in winning the game.
Through previous data analysis, we have reason to believe that Morrow and Mišić will get more opportunities in the national team. For Morrow, who already has a record for the Croatian U21 national team, it may only be a matter of time before he enters the Croatian national team. The ability to read the game coupled with his productivity allowed Morrow not only to excel in passing, but also to contribute to the team on the defensive end. Mišić, who has just undergone surgery, is expected to make a comeback in December. If he can get back to last season, Zoric may give him a chance. Michić's excellent passing ability allows him to integrate quickly into the team, and his excellent confrontational ability will also bring hardness to the midfield. Given that both Modric and Baderi are likely to retire next summer, Mišić could be a strong contender for croatia's future starters.
< h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" > concluding remarks</h1>
Who can be the new partner of the Magic Flute in the Croatian national team midfield?
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