Croatia has never lacked football talent, and they have performed well in the two World Cups in 1998 and 2018, shocking world football and ushering in the world's respect. Now, the team is attacking again under the leadership of heroic coach Dalic and what kind of results can be achieved in Qatar is exciting.
Veteran Modric is undoubtedly the soul and core of this team, and Croatia's strongest in the third line is also a midfielder. But that doesn't mean their 'top midfield' aren't without pitfalls, such as a lack of hard and talented rotational players. As for the defensive and forward lines, what problems Croatia has and whether it has "game-breaking variables", let's take a look.
[Road to promotion]: Losing in an upset at the beginning, and turning over under pressure in the final round
In the European Preliminary Round, Croatia is in Group H with Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta. From a competitive point of view, Croatia's biggest rival is Russia.
However, Croatia and Russia suffered upset losses in the early stages of the qualifiers: Croatia lost 1-0 to Slovenia in the first round with a possession rate of 70%. Russia lost 2-1 away to Slovakia in the third round. The first leg between the two sides was tied 0-0 at the Luzhniki Stadium. This means that before the final round of fighting between the two sides, whoever makes a mistake will fall into the passive promotion.
Croatia then drew 2-2 at home to Slovakia while Russia won all five, so Croatia want to advance to the first place and must beat Russia at home in the final round. In the end, Croatia, which had been unable to attack for a long time, won in the 81st minute thanks to an own goal from Russian player Kudryashov, thus surpassing the opponent's top place to advance.
From a statistical point of view, Croatia's 7 wins, 2 draws and 1 defeat in the Croatian qualifiers are not bad, and the 21-4 goal is also the best in the group.
[Coach analysis]: He became famous in the Asian arena and was appointed as the heroic coach of Croatia on the verge of danger
Dalic in his playing days did not leave a footprint in the five major leagues. Perhaps the biggest highlight of his career was when he played for Croatian side Wadis, where he made 108 appearances and scored 13 goals in four seasons.
After retiring, Dalic studied with the famous coach Blazevic for 3 years. After the grinding of teams such as Vaddis and Rijeka, Dalic has achieved great success in the Asian arena. After helping Saudi promotion horse Alfisali finish 8th in the league, he has coached teams such as Al Hilal and Al Ain. Especially during his time in charge of Al Ain, he led the team to win the UAE League Championship, the UAE Gulf League Cup, the Gulf Super Cup, the Emirates Super Cup and other championships. In the AFC Champions League final of '16, Al Ain lost to Jeonbuk Hyundai to finish second in a dominant position.
Seven years of coaching in Asia has earned Dalic widespread acclaim and recognition. In the face of invitations at home and abroad, Dalic chose to refuse all and returned to China to rest.
Croatia did not perform well in the 18 World Cup qualifiers and also erupted into infighting among the generals. Three days before the life-and-death battle for qualification for the play-offs with Ukraine, Dalik accepted Suk's offer to become the coach of the Croatian national team. Since taking office, Dalic has instilled in the team the belief that "we in Croatia will definitely go to Russia", and successfully helped the team to win the play-off qualification against Ukraine and finally Greece.
The rest of the story was known to the whole world: Croatia reached the final of the World Cup in a historic way, and although they lost to France, their performance won the respect of the world. Dalic also became the heroic manager of Croatia.
In the subsequent European Championship, Croatia, where Manzukic, Rakitic and others withdrew, experienced labor pain, and were finally blocked out of the quarterfinals by Spain in the knockout rounds. However, in the third UEFA Nations League, Dalic led Croatia beat France and Denmark to advance.
[Lineup analysis]: "top-matched" midfielder, but there are many problems
Compared with the 18-year World Cup, Croatia's current 26-man list retains 8 "old men" such as Modric, Kovacic, Brozovic, Veda, Lovren, Livaković, Perisic, Kramaric and so on. In terms of age, in addition to goalkeepers Livakovic, Kovacic and Brozovic, the remaining five veterans have passed their years. The core of Modric is 37 years old "old".
In the goalkeeper position, Croatia's age structure is relatively excellent. The main player is 27-year-old Livaković, who played four games in the previous European Championship. Ivusić (27) and Gerbić (26) signed up as the second and third subjects.
Defensively, veterans Vida and Lovren are both 33 years old and have made only two and three appearances in their last 10 international team games. Gvardior's partners, mostly Caleta Karl or Shutalo. In the full-back position, Sosa, Stanisić, Subasic and Yuranovic will compete fiercely. The lack of leadership in the defence is a big problem in Croatia's backfield.
The Croatian midfield is unusually clear: Modric, Brozovic and Kovacic are the main combination. Moreover, the theoretical combination of elements such as dragging back combing, advancing impact, countermeasures, and threat transmission is very reasonable. But unfortunately, the third midfield lacks enough substitutes for hard power. Of course, there are also many variables in the Croatian midfielder, for example, the defender Yakic, who plays in Eintracht Frankfurt, has recently made a guest appearance in central defense, which can be regarded as providing a "variable element" in the construction of the squad. And Susic, a 20-year-old from Red Bull Salzburg, may also bring surprises.
After Manzukic's withdrawal, the Croatian national team's forward line was unusually "struggling". Rebić's defeat means Kramaric and Petkovic will compete for the main center forward position. Budimir and others also have a hard time playing well in the center forward position. "Mr. Big Scene" Perisic has excellent qualities such as impact and footwork, but at the age of 33, he is no longer young. Olsić, Vlasic and other wing attackers are waiting for the test of the competition.
Modi
[Core and Variables]: Modric is still thigh, and the Zagreb double star may bring surprises
Modric is strong enough, and at the age of 37, he still has excellent possession, playing and confrontation qualities. He played all 10 World Qualifiers (7 starts); In six UEFA Nations League games this year, he made six appearances (four starts). Dalic has begun to use Modric "in moderation", but in terms of specific use and performance, Modric is still indispensable and trustworthy.
The "variable" players in the Croatian squad may be the three of Gvardiol, Petkovic and Olsić.
As a left-footed centre-back with excellent overall quality, Gvardiol has already played highly in the Bundesliga. However, in the previous European Cup, his performance of "going high and low" is still worrying. After more than 1 year of grinding, he may shine in this World Cup.
Previously, he spent many years in Italy, but failed to deliver on expectations Petkovic, and his improved form in the last two years is gratifying. In the group stage of the Champions League this season, he has shown great confrontation and responsiveness against Chelsea and Milan.
Of course, we can't ignore Olsić, who played for Chinese Super League side Yatai. He can bring and shoot, and he has contributed many "famous scenes" in his career: Tottenham in the Europa League against Mourinho, he completed a hat-trick; In the European Championship against Spain, he came off the bench to make a passing and achievement; In the Champions League group stage against Chelsea, his winning goal led directly to Tuchel's dismissal, among other things. Perhaps, he will become a qualified substitute for Perisic.
[Historical record]: The first World Cup shocked the world, and 18 years ushered in the world's respect
After independence in 1992, the Croatian Football Federation officially joined FIFA. Croatia participated in the World Cup for the first time in '98, and under the leadership of the golden generation such as Suk, Prosineski and Boban, they finally finished third and shocked world football.
However, in the next 02 Korea-Japan World Cup and the 06 World Cup in Germany, they all broke the group stage. After missing out on the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, Croatia, which has a "new golden generation" such as Modric and Mandzukic, did not perform well in the Brazil World Cup in 14 years, losing 1 and 2 in the group stage. However, in the World Cup in Russia in '18, Croatia performed well and eventually reached the final. However, unfortunately lost to the mighty France and ended up in second place.
【Group Stage】
In terms of specific fixtures, Croatia played Morocco first, Canada second, and Belgium, the strongest in the group, in the final round. As long as the weak brigade is won in the first two battles, Croatia can decide the deployment of troops in the final battle according to the actual situation. Judging from the current situation, even if Croatia has certain problems, it should not be a problem to break through from the group stage. After entering the knockout round, how far they can go depends on the specific opponent and the formation and performance on the spot.
Croatia's 26-man squad is attached
Goalkeepers (3): Livakovic (27, Dinamo Zagreb), Ivušić (27, Ossikje), Gelbić (26, Atletico)
Defenders (9): Vida (33, AEK Athens), Lovren (33, Zenit), Barisic (29, Rangers), Yuranovic (27, Celtic), Gwadiol (20, Leipzig), Borna Sousa (24, Stuttgart), Stanisic (22, Bayern), Elrich (24, Sassuolo), Shutalo (22, Dinamo Zagreb)
Midfielders (8): Modric (37, Real Madrid), Kovacic (28, Chelsea), Brozovic (29, Inter), Pasalic (27, Atalanta), Vlasic (25, Torino), Mayer (24, Rennes), Yakic (Eintracht Frankfurt), Susic (20, Salzburg) Forward (6): Perisic (33, Tottenham), Kramaric (31, Hoffenheim), Petkovic (28, Dinamo Zagreb), Olsić (29, Dinamo Zagreb), Butimir (31, Osasuna), Livaja (29, Hayduk)