The World Cup may last a month, but it only started a week ago and Canada are already playing their game against Croatia on Sunday night.

After a 1-0 defeat by Belgium on Wednesday night, Canada are the only team in Group F without a point; a defeat on Sunday would practically mean the end.

The Canadians produced a brilliant performance against Belgium that stunned the world, but one has to wonder if they will be as dominant against a contentious and intense Croatian side, particularly in midfield.

Coach John Herdman insisted his men move on quickly.

“We have to be proactive because there is always another task ahead of us. We are putting what just happened behind us.”

Huge game

Canada will therefore play their tournament on Sunday and John Herdman knows it.

That’s certainly what prompted him to make such a strong statement just minutes after Wednesday’s final whistle.

The coach believes that this is the most important moment of the tournament for his team.

“It’s a big game and I think it’s a moment that will define us. We have to win.”

To prepare his men, Herdman invited them to a film session. We don’t know who brought the popcorn.

“The old me probably would have tried to compensate in the next game, but we have to take the pressure off.

“We reviewed the game against Belgium on Thursday and they saw that they did a lot of good, they saw all the good things that they did. We could also see the areas of the game where we need to improve.

It was therefore necessary for the players to see all the good things achieved during the first meeting, although we imagine that they already knew them. But a little positive reinforcement never hurts.

The middle

For Canada, the key is controlling the midfield. And it won’t be an easy task against a team that primarily includes Luka Modric and Ivan Perisic.

Stephen Eustaquio was also a little annoyed when asked if it was speed in the aisles that could be crucial for his team.

“We know our strengths, some teams will give us space in the middle and others on the wings.

“It’s hard to know how things are going to go from game to game.”

Small benefit

Canada has a small advantage: John Herdman has analyzed the Croatian style of play, which is quite one-sided in this country, in detail.

Why? Because his son was already part of the Dinamo Zagreb academy.

“They play a very good 4-3-3. I saw a training session and could hardly believe the technical cohesion of the 12-year-olds.

“It’s a whole other level, there’s physical involvement and it’s definitely helped guide my philosophy.”

Turn

With games returning quickly, Herdman could well make a change or two to his squad for this meeting.

But he was careful not to open up his game. The coach is the kind of guy who sits on his cards to make sure the player next to him doesn’t see them.

“We have 26 players available and that’s great. We may need different elements than what we saw against Belgium.

But at least everyone is healthy and ready to play; so it gives him a nice hand.

FORGET THE FIRST GAME

Croatia took a hit against Morocco in their first game and got away with a tiny point after a 0-0 draw.

On Saturday, Croatia coach Zlatko Dalic admitted he didn’t have the game he expected and repeatedly said the game had been postponed to the afternoon, which didn’t suit his side.

“Morocco were a strong team, Canada played well against Belgium. We have to react appropriately and aggressively to their game.

“We need to be very energetic and much better prepared than we were in the last game,” he agreed.

It’s another sign that doesn’t lie that Canada’s performance against the Red Devils made everyone take the Canadians seriously despite the loss.

atypical

Morocco almost pulled off a feat by whitewashing the Croats. These serve to move the opponent’s net.

“We had to be more decisive against Morocco, we didn’t manage to prevail,” admitted Dalic, who is a bit puzzled about the identity of his attacker for Sunday night’s game.

So it could be that Andrej Kramaric is not the designated man. Dalic explained that there has been a good change in his squad in the last four years.

“I used to know my starting XI, but I have at least nine players in mind. We have several forwards in our squad, some of whom are playing very well. I’m confident we’ll have the right player.

“In 2018 we had a team that had been playing together for ten years, players from Barcelona, ​​​​​​Madrid and elsewhere. We have new players. It’s a new team that needs to get the expected results.

A little reminder is in order here. Four years ago, the Croatians had scored fourteen goals in seven games before losing to France in the final. They even offered a 3-0 win over Argentina in the group stage. And most importantly, they hadn’t been bleached once.

Serious team

It’s obvious that we’ve taken notes with the Croatians and that Canada won’t play the little thumb role in their eyes.

“Canada are a serious and impressive side who have beaten the United States and Mexico in their region.

“They made Belgium difficult with high pressing, they deserved to win a lot more [que la Belgique]in this game,” said Dalic.

He also pointed out that since the start of this World Cup, there have been frequent surprises.

“Small teams or underdogs play well, just look at Japan. We cannot rest on our past successes.

Alongside Dalic, Ivan Perisic said little but threw flowers at the Canadians. He was particularly impressed by the performance of the Reds, who simply worked harder than their opponents.

“Canada surprised us with the distance they covered against Belgium, who didn’t react properly.

“We have to be fast and have an aggressive attitude. We have to play our way.”

A wonder

In addition, Perisic was on loan at FC Bayern Munich between a stint at Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur from 2019 to 2020.

He was therefore in Bayern for Alphonso Davies’ sensational move into the Bundesliga and we understand, without imposing ourselves, that he has great admiration for the Canadian prodigy.

“He’s fast, he’s a real miracle. He can always improve.”

And Perisic threw another bouquet in Canada’s garden.

“The other Canadian players played very well against Belgium. I’m looking forward to this game.”