A smoothly run competition for Croatia that managed to thwart the predictions. Beaten in the group stage by Morocco (0-0) and Belgium (0-0) while beating Canada (4-1), the Vatreni made it into the last four of the competition by dominating Japan (1-1/ 3rd place). :1 on tab) and Brazil (1-1 (4-2 on tab). As if that against Argentina (3-0) wasn’t enough, they finished on a good note by beating Morocco (2-1). .A valuable third place as in 1998 in his first participation and which confirms a little more the final acquired in 2018. Yes, Croatia has become a great football power for more than 20 years and must be respected.Since only member of UEFA 1993 took the checkered Team in six out of seven possible World Cups (missed in 2010) for three appearances in the last four Strength for a team that has also reached the quarter-finals of the Euros twice (1996 and 2008) Netherlands (Italy and Spain will also try to win ), Croatia is now looking for their first title l, which was clearly advanced by the Vatreni.

After the 2-1 win against Morocco, Luka Modric declared that he didn’t want to hang up his boots and stressed the Nations League Final Four, which will take place next June: “I will continue until the final stages of the League of Nations and then we will see. It might have been my last World Cup, but I can’t say anything now. I’m very happy with my career in Croatia, my dream was to win the cup but I’m very happy with the two medals. We wanted to go to the final but I can’t. Winning the trophy was my dream, but we come home as winners and that’s important. With the last World Cup and this one, we put Croatia on the big team map and we’re very happy. On the pitch you could see how we celebrated the win. For Croatia, winning two medals means a lot, it’s something very big and very important. You can’t say that Croatia does something every 20 years. It’s a great team and they have a great future.” Words of praise for the country’s greatest legend, who served as a guide for an entire people and confirms that the golden generation embodied by Davor Suker, Slaven Bilic, Zvonimir Boban or Robert Prosinečki was not an isolated one.

One cycle ends, another begins

A successful change between the generation of the late 1990s and the current team, which coach Zlatko Dalic did not miss at the microphone HRT : “It’s a bronze medal, but it looks like a gold medal to us. It was a tough game. I would like to dedicate this victory to the man who started it all, “Ciro” Blazevic (coach of the 1998 team, ed.). ‘Boss’ is for you! Even if I won five medals, you’d still be the coach of coaches.” Land of talents Croatia, which relies on the great post-training and training work of Dinamo Zagreb and Hajduk Split, are set to undergo a new transition but are just about to be run at their best as coaches, pointed out: “It’s the end of a cycle. For some older players it is the last World Cup. But we have very good young people who give hope, Croatia have nothing to fear with this generation. In Qatar, only 8 of them (Livakovic, Lovren, Vida, Kovacic, Modric, Brozovic, Kramaric and Perisic) played at the 2018 World Cup, while veterans like Luka Modric (37), Ivan Perisic (33 years old) . ), Domagoj Vida (33 years old) and Dejan Lovren (33 years old) certainly played their last World Cup (Ante Budimir and Andrej Kramaric who are 31 years old and Borna Barisic and Marcelo Brozovic who are 30 years old are potential ) , the goal of the euro, which takes place in a year and a half, remains accessible to most. However, the future is written positively.

at gates, Dominik Livakovic (27, Dynamo Zagreb) confirmed that he was made for the number one position and could soon join a more upscale club. to have by Ivo Grbic (26 years, Atlético de Madrid) he likes to see some young talent as an understudy Dominik Kotarski (22, PAOK), Nediljko Labrovic (23 years, Rijeka) or Ivor Panduur (22, Fortuna Sittard) arrive slowly. As for the page positions, Borna Sosa (24, VfB Stuttgart) and Josip Juranovic (27, Celtic) represent the present and the future alike Josip Stanisic (22, Bayern Munich). In these places Domagoj Bradaric (23 years, Salernitana), Robert Ljubicic (23, Dynamo Zagreb), David Colina (22 years old, Hajduk Split) or Marco Pasalic (22 years / Borussia Dortmund) are young people with potential. Croatia also sees it coming in central defence. The aging Domagoj Vida and Dejan Lovren give way to the new young guard, symbolized by Josko Gvardiol. “I think Josko deserves the award for the best young player of the tournament. He is in the running for this award. It is often given to goal scorers, but defenders also deserve these awards. specifically mentioned his coach on the subject. The 20-year-old, symbol of an aspiring youth who is expected to move to a big team in Leipzig, is not the only one who has high expectations.

A rising youth

In the group, Martin Erlic (24, Sassuolo) and specially Josip Sutalo (22, Dynamo Zagreb) have shown that you have to count on them in the years to come. Absent from the competition while on the extended list, Duje Cale car (26, Southampton) and Marin Pongracic (25, Lecce) will certainly have the opportunity to play new tournaments. Mario Vuskovic (21, Hamburg), Filip Uremovic (25, Hertha BSC), Hrvoje Smolcic (22, moved to Frankfurt) or Mauro Perkovic (19, Istria) will also be candidates for future selection. In midfield next to the boss Lukas Modric (37, Real Madrid) who will certainly remain as long as he is very efficient, his friends Marcelo Brozovic (30, Inter Milan) and Mateo Kovacic (28 years / Chelsea) still have some under the sole. Kristijan Jakic (25, Eintracht Frankfurt) will be there in Qatar, but also players who like to develop both in the trident and on the wings Lovro Majer (24, Rennes), Mario Pasalic (27, Atalanta), Nikola Vlasic (25, Torino) or Luka Sucic (20, RB Salzburg) are already being considered as options for the present and the future. things like Nikola Moro (24, Bologna), Bartol Franjic (22, Wolfsburg), Marko Bulat (21, Dynamo Zagreb), Toma Basic (26, Lazio), Ante Palaversa (22 years old, ESTAC), Martin Baturina (19, Dynamo Zagreb), Luka Ivanusec (24, Dynamo Zagreb), Lukas Kacavenda (19, locomotive Zagreb), Gabriel Vidovic (19, Speed ​​Arnhem) or Lovro Zvonarek (17, Bayern Munich).

Certainly the least prominent sector of the competition, the Croatian attack was a real problem. When the wingers Ivan Perisic (33 years) and Mislav Orsic (29 years) were successful, the first risks quickly appear in the last years of his life. Trailing behind in this position and replacing players throughout this competition, Zlatko Dalic’s team will keep an eye on possible up-and-coming talent. International, but kept away from competition due to injury or foul play, Ante Rebic (29, AC Milan) and Josip Brekalo (24, Wolfsburg), options remain. In this position is the most important emerging big talent Stipe Biuk (19, Hajduk Split) although Gabriel Rukavina (18, Dinamo Zagreb) is also promising. Up front the problem is less numerical either Ante Budimir (31 years), Bruno Petkovic (28 years), Marko Livaja (29 years) and Andrei Kramaric (31 years) who are quality attackers. The concern is that they are aging and none have ever really broken away from Mario Mandzukic. Dion Drena Beljo (20 years, Osijek), Roko Simic (19, RB Salzburg), Petar Musa (24, Benfica) and Marin Ljubicic (20, LASK) are the most important solutions that are available for the next few years. For more than 20 years, Croatia has been a true breeding ground for talent and this 2022 World Cup is clearly not the end of the journey.