The secrets of Croatia, the executioner of Brazil who now challenges Messi and the Argentine national team

Ten years in the Real Madrid midfield, 16 in the national team, 172 centimeters of pure intelligence, 37 years of full wisdom. You can’t talk about Croatia without praising Luca Modric. In Russia 2018 he was chosen as the best player of the World Cup, in Qatar 2022 he is already on the list of several players, just as his team is in the semifinals.

Modric, once nicknamed “the Cruyff of the Balkans”, is the captain and heart of Argentina’s next rival. they know him well Messi and company, not only for his brilliant career in Spain, but also because he played and converted the second goal the latest World Cup story between the two semifinalists. Was the beginning of the end for the team led by Jorge Sampaoli that 0-3 defeat in Nizhny, on June 23, 2018. They suffered it Messi, Otamendi, Acuña, Tagliafico, Dybala and Scaloni himself, who was on the bench as a collaborator of the coach.

On the Croatian side, in addition to Modric, Dejan Lovren, Marcelo Brozovic, Ivan Perisic, who were owners, plus Mateo Kovacic and Andrej Kramaric who entered later. The coach, Zlatko Dalic, is the same.

The memory of that game is not just for the statistics. Mark one of the strengths of today’s Croatia: experience. Modric is facing his fourth World Cup and has played 17 matches. Behind him Lovren (33), Brozovic (30), Kovacic (28) and Perisic (33), the backbone, with three World Cups each.

Croatia delivered the coup on Friday by eliminating everyone’s favorite Brazil, showing the rest of their credentials. The defensive solidity (they scored 3 goals in five games), is one of the most remarkable. It allowed him to withstand the onslaught of Neymar and his team for more than 120 minutes without ever losing sight of the goal. Goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic (who joined Russia) and centre-backs Lovren and Josko Gvardiol (the man in the mask) form a solid triangle on which the whole team rests.

Against Brazil we saw another of his characteristics: the ability to react in the face of adversity. They equalized ten minutes after Ney’s great goal and against Japan, in the round of 16, it took 12 minutes to equalize after Maeda’s goal. It’s not just a curiosity, it reflects that the team hasn’t lost order or despair in the moments in which it was excluded from the World Cup.

In both cases Ivan Perisic’s management was fundamental: converted with a header against Japan and generated the overflow which ended in Bruno Petkovic’s definition, with a deflection by Marquinhos, for the 1-1 that forced the penalties. These two goals also demonstrate that although Croatia base a large part of their game on controlling their midfielders, transitions in attack are quick and Perisic is the weapon of choice, generally on the left.

Launched as a winger in the classic 4-3-3, Perisic is another Croatian figure. With a past at clubs such as Inter Milan and Bayern Munich, Tottenham’s current English striker is instrumental in his ability to play from outside and open defences. Brazil failed to stop him in a break that defined everything. He overflowed, took a break and looked for the best option in the box, in this case Petkovic.

Perisic is making history, reached six goals and equaled Davor Suker, Croatia’s top scorer at the World Cup. It must be said that this detachment from the former Yugoslavia is playing its sixth World Cup. He was third in 1998 and second in 2018. In 2022 he is already in the top four.

How does Croatia play?

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We have already said that it is implanted in a 4-3-3. His goalkeeper Livakovichero saving three against Japan and Brazilian Rodrygo, Play for Dinamo Zagreb (Petkovic is also there, the author of the last goal), but the rest of the starters play abroad. The solid defense is composed with Josip Yuranovic (Celtic from Scotland), Dejan Lovren (ex Liverpool, now at Zenit of Russia), Josko Gvardiol (from the German Leipzig and at the age of 20 one of the revelations of the World Cup) e Borno Sosa (Stuttgart).

In between Modric thinks and shines, well accompanied by Marcelo Brozovic (Inter) and Mateo Kovacic (Chelsea). They manage the timing, when they can control the ball but they also tend to enable Perisic quickly. in attack Mister Dalic has chosen Mario Pasalic (Atalanta) for Brazil, who has not always been a starter. The immovable are the powerful Andrej Kramaric (Hoffenheim) and Perisic.

Croatia arrives undefeated in the semifinals, with the curiosity that their group (F) did not win, given that they finished second to Morocco, with whom they drew 0-0 in their debut match. Then they beat Canada 4-1 and finished with a 0-0 draw against Belgium. In the round of 16 they eliminated Japan (1-1 and 3-1 on penalties) and in the quarterfinals against Brazil (1-1 and 4-2).

Now challenge Messi and company. He also comes with two consecutive extensions. A fact that he can weigh on a starting team with an average age of 29, despite Argentina being physically exhausted.

That is Croatia, a team convinced of its own, which was not in almost anyone’s plans but returned to the top four of a World Cup, as in 2018. It took Brazil from Qatar and is still alive, with Modric in the lead.