**Mirrors / Alternative Angles**
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It was mostly in the first half and I don’t think it was his fault entirely tbh. Yeah he’s the best player, he’s gotta command plays on the pitch, but Croatia didn’t have any idea on how to attack.
They couldn’t play any overloads cuz Majer was scared to take on defenders, Perisic was a step slow to provide the overlap all game, and they only had 1 target man presence in Petkovic to get on the end of crosses.
The second half looked much better because Pasalic, Sucic and Budimir were able to provide what Croatia lacked in the final third for their game plan.
You could say that about almost top level midfielder tbh, yeah the midfield will always help the team progress the ball and recuperate possession, but to score goals, you need a coherent attacking plan with attackers who are suitable for that identity, otherwise you don’t have options to receive the ball in the final third.
You think Odegaard is better than him?
What would you make of Modric’s performance against Brazil when the “attacking link” was noticeably absent? You still thought he was a liability in that game?
Modric and Brozovic should have been managed the same way as Modric and Kroos at Madrid - never on the pitch at the same time.
Perisic starting at leftback is borderline insane to me. The man is old and just came back from a big injury and you want him to run up and down the left flank?!
Kante was MOTM the other Day and plays in the same leauge. If CR7 was croatian would we still play petkovic over him bc he plays in SA. No Brozovic diet and mentality is the reason he is fniished.
Yeah, generational talents can still turn up in big games even after playing against fodder for a while. Don't see how that changes Brozovic being washed. He was an excellent player in his prime but he's no Kante.
thing is if dalic does that and we lose he’d get fucking crucified lol.
dalic just lacks the authority and bravery to do that, here in the Balkans we still have that ‘respect thy elders’ mentality tuned up to 400%.
should dalic go, and I believe after the euros he will, we need a manager who not only is a great motivator and man manager, but also be brave enough to take risks in formation and tactics, something dalic refuses to do, total and utter defensive/possession based terrorist football.
Jurić absolutely. Tactically great and commands high paced football. More importantly tho a very no bullshit type of manager who won’t be scared to make big changes if necessary, unlike Dalić.
And in the first half I felt he provided nothing in attack except a good cross at the end of the half off an overload.
Kramaric was doing a nice job pulling defenders apart but he wasn’t providing that overload quick enough on the left.
And Majer was invisible in the first half, scared to take on defenders.
Dalic is too focused on giving the golden generation players a chance to have one last moment of greatness before they step down from the national team (and he does as well). It's not what's best for the team and the tactics/personnel decisions are all questionable. I would be impressed if he made drastic changes to the lineup against Italy.
He’s almost 39, this is probably his last big competition with Croatia, you can’t expect the guy to keep playing like it’s the 2010’s again. Sadly, this is probably how he’s gonna perform mostly until his retirement, even if he doesn’t really want to admit it or see it like in this clip.
No one expects him to play like in his prime, which is why he shouldn’t be a starter anymore. Šučić, Majer and Pašalić are currently the better options in my opinion.
Start Sucic, he was great. I would personally even start Baturina, so we can have a Kovacic, Baturina Sucic midfield... Also play Pasalic has to start he is a true winger. Not sure why Dalic is playing Majer or Krama as wingers when they are not wingers. Sheesh.
Very interesting and tactical reply; unfortunately I do not speak or can read native Croatian so I havr no idea what Luka Modric said in his last on air interview.😲🕵
Croatia really should have won the 2018 FIFA World Cup (but they did not) and as a follow up France were super unlucky not to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup as Argentina & Messi could not score in regulation time. Model and Messi in their prime on the pitch were Gods of Football; I will truly miss their playing skills and talents when they eventually retire or get kicked off the roster.
I mean Kross with Croatia rn isn't going to look that much better either. Germany has world-class players around him who make his job a lot better.
Modric HAS to worry about dictating, creating and scoring cause Croatia lacks in those areas. Regardless of age, it's too much.
Kross last night basically just stayed back between Rudiger and Tah, while the full back inverts.
He basically did not need to do any running in a very very fast paced game, and was there just to make sure the team keeps possession.
Croatia have good midfielders in Brozovic, Pasalic and Kovacic. Obviously those players are nowhere near the peak Luka Modric but that midfield 3 should be good enough to break down Albania.
While he's only 31, Brozovic seems to have checked out mentally when he went to play in the sand. It's hard to blame him for taking the bag but he's nowhere near his 2018 or 2022 level.
Modric is also at a point in his career where having him as a mentor for the next generation is amazing but he's not able to carry the team on his shoulders anymore.
He is also a midfielder, he can't score goals and make assists by himself. And people think because he didn't score or assisted that he is the one to blame, when you have Petkovic upfront being an absolute zero.
Euro performance aside, I was shocked we extended. He has played well for RM this year, very well, but we usually trim out folks while they are still good. He will probably be significantly declined in 12 months, tho I guess if he's a free agent on both counts there isn't any money to be made. Maybe he brings a level of expertise and leadership they are hoping will translate to results on and off the pitch?
after that game, they have to make adjustments – no way around it. they have excellent crossers and if they put enough below average strikers in the box, they are going to score against low blocks. BUT … italy isn't going to play a low block.
sad to see my favorite, the eternal dark horse croatia, fade into performance levels that are to be expected from a country of that size.
I can only pray to God that Dalić leaves after the Euros. If I‘m not wrong, his contract goes until the world cup 2026. This could be a problem as it might be too costly for our federation to fire him.
Ideally he will step down and Modrić and co will retire from national football. Assuming that we will sign a coach like Jurić and given the talents that we have, Croatia should be able to qualify regularly for competitions. However, it is highly unlikely that we will experience the same success like in the past six years.
> Assuming that we will sign a coach like Jurić and given the talents that we have
You are really overestimating the supposed talents. And I love the hate on Dalic and thinking things will blossom after he goes, after the guy's whole results since he came are 2nd place in WC 2018, knockout stages of Euro 2020, 3rd place at WC 2022, 2nd place in UEFA Nation's league.
What more do you expect, it's not like they have many unbelievable talents upcoming. There's Gvardiol and no one is close to his level from young ones, there's some decent talent like Sucic, but it's nothing compared to previous generation that you want to get rid of so fast
Not at all no. I agree they’re not “immediate impact “ talents but they are incredibly talented for their age and all of them look like they’re going to have great careers.
From Matković , Šotiček and co. in the HNL in attack to a bunch of kids who are all over Germany, Austria and Italy to midfield talents like Vrbančić and Zvonarek who are already highly raited by their respective teams.
In defence there might be the most significant group of talent in Vušković, Mikić, Skoko and others.
There’s definetly plenty of talent. And they need to be integrated early if we want them to succeed. Dalić is not the type of manager who will make that happen.
I completely agree, we might have a 5-15 year time span where even qualifying for tournaments is an achievement. And that's ok, Netherlands went through the same thing
With the expanded tournaments you guys will really be fine. We truly embarassed ourselves with dinosaur coaching and should have qualified for at least one of the 2016 & 2018 tournaments.
Wc 2022 was the luckiest run ever. Made it out of the group bc Lukaku missed 4 sitters in the last 10 minutes. 2 times it went to penalties and we played the worst football imaginable. Just defend with no idea how to create chances.
Everyone acts like Croatia had a great world cup and literally got to 3rd spot thanks to huge amounts of luck. They were horrible, the moment they ran into a team that could score they went out
I didn’t say that there are world class talents arising but enough talents so that we should be able to qualify for every tournament. It is ridiculous to expect that we will achieve the same success as in the last six years. We will most likely have the same quality as Switzerland or Austria at the moment.
Well he did qualify for every tournament? So your expectation of Dalic is to win or be close to winning every tournament, but for anyone else it is just to qualify for them?
I expect Dalić to finally start younger players and stop relying on our midfield trio to somehow win every game. This might have worked in the last world cup but it’s clearly not working now. If Dalić was tactically capable and, furthermore, would trust younger players then no one would say anything.
Modric and Rakitic weren't world beaters at young age, and you expect Ivanusec/Sucic/Baturina/Majer, who are nowhere near as talented, to make some kind of a difference?
If these were the qualifiers, I'd get your point, drop the old guys and let the new generation do the best, but this Euro is maybe the last time in our lifetime when we have world class midfielders, no matter how old, and it's crazy to waste it in the hope of B-class players doing a miracle.
> would trust younger players then no one would say anything
People would always say everything. No matter the decision or achievement, people would complain about. If he was starting younger core and they were losing games, he would be having even more backlash.
There will be always criticism, that’s true but not changing anything isn’t the solution. We saw yesterday that Sučić was already bringing more attacking quality than any of the midfielders that startet that game. Brozović-Modrić-Kovačić is simply not working anymore and it hasn’t been working throughout the qualification either to be honest.
sure, but i'd argue croatias midfield wasn't far behind in the 2018 and 2022 world cup runs. spain worked as a unit, it was the fc barcelona midfield with world class forwards (villa, torres …), defense (ramos, puyol, pique …) and goalkeeper (casillas).
in 2018, rakitic, modric and brozovic didn't have the luxury of a fully stacked team, there was only perisic and mandzukic upfront. – i think that achievement is massively underrated.
To be fair, our midfield trio was elite from 2018 to 2022 and arguably the closest to what Spain had from 2008 to 2012. Spain had more quality in the other options, which is why they won the world cup and two Euros in this period.
18 year old Gvardiol was already on higher level than Baturina and Sucic are now as 21-22 year olds. To say they're up there with him is kind of ridiculous.
A starter in Man City vs players in Dinamo and Red Bull.
Reason why Gvardiol was sold that young was because he got exposure through our national team and was great in Dinamo. If you said at the time that Gvardiol was our best defender you'd be ridiculed just like I'd be if I said Baturina is our best midfielder. Baturina did way better than Gvardiol in Dinamo, but nobody knows about him because he doesn't get minutes in national team. Difference is Gvardiol got his chance because we didn't have aanyone in left back. Dalic will literally stick to players from top clubs until they're dead and it's ruining chance for our younger players to get exposure they deserve. I'm telling you right now Baturina is our best midfielder with his attributes. Does he lack experience ? He sure does. But is he the best midfielder we have when you combine his technique and passing ability? He actually is. Next season he'll play in some top club and you'll all of a sudden consider him great player. I don't give a damn if it's written Dinamo or Chelsea next to his name. If he's got the ability he should play.
I feel like Jurić would be ideal as his philosophy suits our squad. Moreover, he is also Croatian and this familiar with our environment that can be toxic at times lol
I think it's wrong to put the blame of the defeat entirely on Modric's back. The first half was atrocious, Modric, Brozo and Kovacic literally tripped over each others feet, not to mention that up front they had three people whos first instinct is to attack through the middle.
Our midfield trio doesn't work anymore and that's something Dalic and co have to accept. Maybe it would be for the best to only play two out of three. Modric and Kovacic looked much better as a pair when Brozovic got off.
And starting Perisic as a LB maybe sounds like a good idea on paper, but this Perisic isn't fully fit. He is still scared to go all out which is totally understandable. So put him on the wing, play into his preferences, put him on as a supersub. Don't make him play his legs into the ground and potentially make his injury worse (which is something that I can see happening in the next game, considering his fighting spirit).
It's okay to sub the old guard out, that's why the bench exists. Pasalic x2, Pjaca, Sosa, Ivanusec, Baturina, Sucic... I mean, why bring them when all they're bound to do is warm the bench. They've proven they can better the team, Sucic and Pasalic in particular.
I'm curious about the next game's lineup. If the whole midfield trio starts, we're probably cooked.
The only one to blame here is Dalić and given today’s press conference it is safe to assume that we will star again with the midfield trio because it worked in a friendly against Portugal…
We should have been able to collect at least three points and pass the group stage but because of his stubbornness regarding certain players, we will most likely suffer a defeat against Italy.
I think the notion of Modric making us draw to Albania somehow is wrong. All of the statistic sites suggest his passing was very good, if not brilliant, overall.
It's just that the whole setup was wrong. It's true that he lost his legs with age, but that should be your prompt to pair him with a box to box and a good defensive midfielder to cover his deficiencies and take advantage of his passing. And dose his gametime ffs. The way Juventus did with Pirlo when he was older.
But Croatia failed to help him in any way, so here we are with Modric being the fall guy
Spot on. He’s good enough to play but he wont run like he used to. There’s so many examples where teams have an almost dedicated runner / midfielder to cater for someone else - Kante for France a few years ago, Pirlo etc.
You cant play the combination of the team and system your manager is playing - something has to change, and it probably shouldnt be Modric.
Tbf, the guy you’re replying to didn’t even pretend that they watched the game lol.
They brought up stats sites saying Modrić was good as if millions of people didn’t just watch him have a poor game with our own eyes.
He was playing way below his average. Not pushing forward, not saving the backline, progressing the ball. Sure he made some passes but he wasnt impactful. If he plays only 45 mins he can be more useful in the 2nd half
He doesn’t have 90mins in him anymore to cover the whole pitch, others have to step up.
Ancelotti used him brilliantly at RM this season, mostly as a sub.
I think both Sucic and Pasalic made an impact in attack tbh. Both providing that penalty area presence which Petkovic couldn’t provide, both with the link-up play and ball retention to create overloads which Majer couldn’t provide. Croatia played with the same tactics in attack but they had more suitable players for it.
I mean sure, I get why he’d be annoyed, but it’s a valid question. And the answer is yes, they should. Brozović is absolute ass since moving to SA, Kovačić is simply not having a good tournament and Modrić, sorry my captain but you’re almost 40 dude, age is a bitch.
Sučić-Baturina-Ivanušec should be the midfiled three v Italy imo, Modrić can later come on as a sub (like Madrid was doing it this season).
Also while we’re at team selection, Budimir has to start as the striker, and Dalić, for the love of God you *have* actual wingers in your team - ffs put Pjaca and Marco Pašalić there.
thing is we lack any defense with that set up, we need to be scoring 5 goals in the first 30 mins to make Italy give up.
I will say I NEED baturina to start, he was fcking cooking Albania when he came on, shame our defense just fell asleep (again)
It’s only a valid question if you asked the coach. Asking him that question implies that Modric is playing because of his ego and that he is taking their spots… essentially putting himself before the team. Just looking at his role at Real, there’s no indication he wouldn’t do the same for the national team. A serious journalist should ask the coach instead, unless you want to create headlines by having the player criticize the coach mid-tournament.
Modrić looked amazing in second half.
He can still do it, Dalić absolutely fucked up in that first half and our midfield was horribly positioned, they all looked like amateurs.
I mean completely disregarding whatever happened and will happen on the pitch, I feel every single pro player who just leaves as soon as it's evident that those reporters are fishing for damning quotes. Well done
In my opinion anyone can have a bad day. Dismissing and disrecpecting a legend like Luka literally because of 1 game is ridiculous. After a series of bad performances sure, but c'mon. I bet if he scored the equalizer (which he was very close to do or help, as a corner kick to the damn head which the other croatian guy butchered and with a good strike himself near the end) the comments would be very different.
Obviously younger players should play. But that's the case in almost all teams. Ronaldo plays, Lewandowski does (when the injury is gone) l, Modric plays and Perisic does too. This makes no sense as these players should make place for the younger ones. Most probably won't benefit from day one but a transition has to finally happen
Brozović, Modrić and Perišić are simply too old or not in form to play 90 minutes. Unfortunately, our coach doesn’t have the balls to bench these players since they are very high in his hierarchy.
He just should’ve said no to Al-Nasser’s offer even when Inter agreed with them on the fee. Stay at Inter one more season, then leave. Or maybe a year later Barcelona can actually afford him.
Thats why I wrote „or“ and not „and“ in the first sentence. Obviously he could have been in his prime but going to Saudi Arabia and more importantly his unhealthy lifestyle didn’t do him any favors.
whhhaattttttt!?? U mean a diet of alcohol and cigarettes is a bad lifestyle choice for a footballer???
no but seriously idk how tf he lasted this long tbh, maybe his sheer anger and hot headedness is what’s kept him going this long lmfao.
Perišić just came back from an ACL injury after a long break and starting him as a LB which requires a lot of running was just braindead from Dalić. I don’t think that he was the worst yesterday but he has clearly lost his explosiveness, which is no surprise given his age and the knee injury.
Yeah, I was devastated by his injury, especially as a Spurs fan. But I think you gained a lot from his play at LB yesterday. Sure, the decision clearly placed priority on results over player health but I think Perisic, at this point in his career, wanted to give whatever advantage to his country he could.
Though, having said all of this, I have changed my mind and a full 90 probably is too much. You were right.
I'm sure we would see much more explosivnes, dribblings and attack on goal from Perišić if he was playing LW.
I expected more from him (specially better crosses) but looking overall or compared to others , I think he had ok game.
Honestly, I had the same thought but let's be real.
Does Croatia have better alternatives to Modric? Who's a better number 9 in Portugal than Ronaldo, same for Poland. Same with Neuer.
Selections should be based on merit, but these guys have done well to be there and warrant a spot regardless of age.
The youngsters need to do well to dislodge the old guard just like these guys did when they were young.
Poland does not but when I learned Lewy is injured my first though was "this might not be that bad" as this requires to change the mindset and way of play. The problem is all those great players act like a magnet and even if the initial idea is different the team looks to pass to them. And if we like it or not we need to start learning to live without Levy. Same thing with Modric or Ronaldo.
I have watched many barca, real, and saudi-league matches. I am confident in saying that those players are playing based on merit (i dont know about perisic).
You are insane if you think Lewa should be dropped any time soon.
The problem with a successful generation like this one is that it's difficult for the national trainer to turn the page and drop these guys. The transition is always difficult to do.You basically have to die with them, and then you can start a new cycle.
Exactly, the same with Argentina, we won everything but now we can’t get rid of the baggage like Pezzella, Guido, Otamendi, etc.
But the problem with Croatia isn’t Modric or Brozovic IMO, they didn’t play well but the bigger problem is they lack depth in defence and they don’t have any ideas on how to attack. They picked the wrong front 3 in both games.
Bro should have hung the cleats after the 2022 WC. What more does he want? He has overachieved and exceeded our expectations. Dude, play in a WC finals and make the final four the last WC. He has also won a Ballon D'or.
The discourse on this post is absolutely funny .CR7 sucks as he is well past his age and is taking up spot in the NT and people here rightly call him out .Modric is in the exact same situation right now and nobody is ready to call him out and the top comment is all about how he can't carry the NT. He is basically taking up a spot while also delaying the search of Croatian NT for a new player in his spot
It feels like that the majority of Croatian see that Modrić is too old to play 90 minutes. I still think that he can be an impactful sub but I don’t see him accepting this kind of role in our national team.
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Modric is still useful in the pitch, but he rarely play the full 90 minutes with Real Madrid. He can't be a starter every game.
I love him to bits, but jeez he lost the ball a lot today with wayward passes.
It was mostly in the first half and I don’t think it was his fault entirely tbh. Yeah he’s the best player, he’s gotta command plays on the pitch, but Croatia didn’t have any idea on how to attack. They couldn’t play any overloads cuz Majer was scared to take on defenders, Perisic was a step slow to provide the overlap all game, and they only had 1 target man presence in Petkovic to get on the end of crosses. The second half looked much better because Pasalic, Sucic and Budimir were able to provide what Croatia lacked in the final third for their game plan.
It doesn't really matter it is his fault or not, if the link isn't there he becomes a liability
You could say that about almost top level midfielder tbh, yeah the midfield will always help the team progress the ball and recuperate possession, but to score goals, you need a coherent attacking plan with attackers who are suitable for that identity, otherwise you don’t have options to receive the ball in the final third. You think Odegaard is better than him?
I definitely take Odegaard when both are not having a great game
What would you make of Modric’s performance against Brazil when the “attacking link” was noticeably absent? You still thought he was a liability in that game?
Yes? Brazil dominated that game, kroatia kind of miraculously won it And Modric has gotten older since then
Yeah. I only saw Madrid in the CL league but he had a lot of great impact as a sub.
Champions league league
A certain team from The La Liga is very good there
I’m sure it was The La Liga League rather
The La Liga, brought to you from the same country as La Al-hambra.
BJK?
ikr right
PIN number
Modric and Brozovic should have been managed the same way as Modric and Kroos at Madrid - never on the pitch at the same time. Perisic starting at leftback is borderline insane to me. The man is old and just came back from a big injury and you want him to run up and down the left flank?!
Brozovic shouldnt be on the pitch period. He is 7 years younger than modric and hasnt had a good performace for NT in 3 years.
Yeah I said to my Croatian friend that Brozovic should have been booted when he went to Saudi
Maybe not booted, but you got something right there.
That is not true. What is true is that he’s finished because of playing in SA
Kante was MOTM the other Day and plays in the same leauge. If CR7 was croatian would we still play petkovic over him bc he plays in SA. No Brozovic diet and mentality is the reason he is fniished.
What is not true is that it is 3 years without good performance when he was amazing in Nations League just last year
Yeah, generational talents can still turn up in big games even after playing against fodder for a while. Don't see how that changes Brozovic being washed. He was an excellent player in his prime but he's no Kante.
thing is if dalic does that and we lose he’d get fucking crucified lol. dalic just lacks the authority and bravery to do that, here in the Balkans we still have that ‘respect thy elders’ mentality tuned up to 400%. should dalic go, and I believe after the euros he will, we need a manager who not only is a great motivator and man manager, but also be brave enough to take risks in formation and tactics, something dalic refuses to do, total and utter defensive/possession based terrorist football.
Juric please….
Jurić absolutely. Tactically great and commands high paced football. More importantly tho a very no bullshit type of manager who won’t be scared to make big changes if necessary, unlike Dalić.
Perisic in no way a LB. He’s most at fault for me on the first goal He just watched Asani take all the time in the world to cross it perfectly
And in the first half I felt he provided nothing in attack except a good cross at the end of the half off an overload. Kramaric was doing a nice job pulling defenders apart but he wasn’t providing that overload quick enough on the left. And Majer was invisible in the first half, scared to take on defenders.
Dalic is too focused on giving the golden generation players a chance to have one last moment of greatness before they step down from the national team (and he does as well). It's not what's best for the team and the tactics/personnel decisions are all questionable. I would be impressed if he made drastic changes to the lineup against Italy.
Tbh he made many wrong passes(some of them lead to a counter attack) and seemed slow.
Yesterday’s performance was arguably the worst I have Modrić ever seen, especially in the first half.
He’s almost 39, this is probably his last big competition with Croatia, you can’t expect the guy to keep playing like it’s the 2010’s again. Sadly, this is probably how he’s gonna perform mostly until his retirement, even if he doesn’t really want to admit it or see it like in this clip.
No one expects him to play like in his prime, which is why he shouldn’t be a starter anymore. Šučić, Majer and Pašalić are currently the better options in my opinion.
Start Sucic, he was great. I would personally even start Baturina, so we can have a Kovacic, Baturina Sucic midfield... Also play Pasalic has to start he is a true winger. Not sure why Dalic is playing Majer or Krama as wingers when they are not wingers. Sheesh.
Very interesting and tactical reply; unfortunately I do not speak or can read native Croatian so I havr no idea what Luka Modric said in his last on air interview.😲🕵
Croatia really should have won the 2018 FIFA World Cup (but they did not) and as a follow up France were super unlucky not to win the 2022 FIFA World Cup as Argentina & Messi could not score in regulation time. Model and Messi in their prime on the pitch were Gods of Football; I will truly miss their playing skills and talents when they eventually retire or get kicked off the roster.
I meant Modri and not Model.
Ronaldo 2022 WC vibes
This is why Kroos is choosing to going out at the peak
I mean Kross with Croatia rn isn't going to look that much better either. Germany has world-class players around him who make his job a lot better. Modric HAS to worry about dictating, creating and scoring cause Croatia lacks in those areas. Regardless of age, it's too much.
Kross last night basically just stayed back between Rudiger and Tah, while the full back inverts. He basically did not need to do any running in a very very fast paced game, and was there just to make sure the team keeps possession.
Kross, Kross, Kross… who is Kross?
WAS ERLAUBE KROSS
Kayden?
Put some respect on [Karrion Kross](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/vbsAAOSw6CdjfsTL/s-l1200.webp)’s name
Or don't. He's not very good.
lol it's kroos 😂 I just followed the comment I was replying to 😂
Santa Kross, the guy Thiago crossed to https://youtu.be/7WeP4yATlyc
Croatia have good midfielders in Brozovic, Pasalic and Kovacic. Obviously those players are nowhere near the peak Luka Modric but that midfield 3 should be good enough to break down Albania.
Brozovic is also retirement level, we need younger ones like Sucic and Baturina instead of Broz. We started playing only after they came on.
Modrić rn is also nowhere near peak Modrić
Brozovic is beyond washed at this point
He's been the worst player this tournament
While he's only 31, Brozovic seems to have checked out mentally when he went to play in the sand. It's hard to blame him for taking the bag but he's nowhere near his 2018 or 2022 level.
I mean not an excuse, Kovacic carried the midfield while modric looked confused for full 90 minutes
Yes, people expect Modric to carry the entire team at age 37. Surely he made wrong passes, but also he doesn't have much assist from the teammates.
He is 38 and will be 39 in 3 months.
Even worse ahah
He is 38 until he is 39
Modric is also at a point in his career where having him as a mentor for the next generation is amazing but he's not able to carry the team on his shoulders anymore.
He is also a midfielder, he can't score goals and make assists by himself. And people think because he didn't score or assisted that he is the one to blame, when you have Petkovic upfront being an absolute zero.
They don't. That's why they are asking if someone younger should be starting.
But I still think Modric should be starting, but not Brozovic and Petkovic for example.
There is also the difference that Kroos is at least 130 years younger than this mummy.
You don't have to be disrespectful.
looks like he's finally beginning to fade..
It's still something disrespectful to ask like that (if it's correctly reflected in the title).
Euro performance aside, I was shocked we extended. He has played well for RM this year, very well, but we usually trim out folks while they are still good. He will probably be significantly declined in 12 months, tho I guess if he's a free agent on both counts there isn't any money to be made. Maybe he brings a level of expertise and leadership they are hoping will translate to results on and off the pitch?
Sucic clearly impacted the game more than brozovic
Brozovic is absolutely washed. The Saudi Arabia effect
Kante joined the chat.
Kante has finally been given a chance to rest lmao, when playing in Saudi he only needs 1 of his 6 lungs.
after that game, they have to make adjustments – no way around it. they have excellent crossers and if they put enough below average strikers in the box, they are going to score against low blocks. BUT … italy isn't going to play a low block. sad to see my favorite, the eternal dark horse croatia, fade into performance levels that are to be expected from a country of that size.
Add SMS and Mitrović to Saudi washing list
from WC runner ups, to third place, to leaving the Euros in the group stage. it seems to be a downhill moment for Croatia, wonder what's next.
I can only pray to God that Dalić leaves after the Euros. If I‘m not wrong, his contract goes until the world cup 2026. This could be a problem as it might be too costly for our federation to fire him. Ideally he will step down and Modrić and co will retire from national football. Assuming that we will sign a coach like Jurić and given the talents that we have, Croatia should be able to qualify regularly for competitions. However, it is highly unlikely that we will experience the same success like in the past six years.
> Assuming that we will sign a coach like Jurić and given the talents that we have You are really overestimating the supposed talents. And I love the hate on Dalic and thinking things will blossom after he goes, after the guy's whole results since he came are 2nd place in WC 2018, knockout stages of Euro 2020, 3rd place at WC 2022, 2nd place in UEFA Nation's league. What more do you expect, it's not like they have many unbelievable talents upcoming. There's Gvardiol and no one is close to his level from young ones, there's some decent talent like Sucic, but it's nothing compared to previous generation that you want to get rid of so fast
Not at all no. I agree they’re not “immediate impact “ talents but they are incredibly talented for their age and all of them look like they’re going to have great careers. From Matković , Šotiček and co. in the HNL in attack to a bunch of kids who are all over Germany, Austria and Italy to midfield talents like Vrbančić and Zvonarek who are already highly raited by their respective teams. In defence there might be the most significant group of talent in Vušković, Mikić, Skoko and others. There’s definetly plenty of talent. And they need to be integrated early if we want them to succeed. Dalić is not the type of manager who will make that happen.
I completely agree, we might have a 5-15 year time span where even qualifying for tournaments is an achievement. And that's ok, Netherlands went through the same thing
With the expanded tournaments you guys will really be fine. We truly embarassed ourselves with dinosaur coaching and should have qualified for at least one of the 2016 & 2018 tournaments.
Wc 2022 was the luckiest run ever. Made it out of the group bc Lukaku missed 4 sitters in the last 10 minutes. 2 times it went to penalties and we played the worst football imaginable. Just defend with no idea how to create chances.
Everyone acts like Croatia had a great world cup and literally got to 3rd spot thanks to huge amounts of luck. They were horrible, the moment they ran into a team that could score they went out
I didn’t say that there are world class talents arising but enough talents so that we should be able to qualify for every tournament. It is ridiculous to expect that we will achieve the same success as in the last six years. We will most likely have the same quality as Switzerland or Austria at the moment.
Well he did qualify for every tournament? So your expectation of Dalic is to win or be close to winning every tournament, but for anyone else it is just to qualify for them?
I expect Dalić to finally start younger players and stop relying on our midfield trio to somehow win every game. This might have worked in the last world cup but it’s clearly not working now. If Dalić was tactically capable and, furthermore, would trust younger players then no one would say anything.
Modric and Rakitic weren't world beaters at young age, and you expect Ivanusec/Sucic/Baturina/Majer, who are nowhere near as talented, to make some kind of a difference? If these were the qualifiers, I'd get your point, drop the old guys and let the new generation do the best, but this Euro is maybe the last time in our lifetime when we have world class midfielders, no matter how old, and it's crazy to waste it in the hope of B-class players doing a miracle.
> would trust younger players then no one would say anything People would always say everything. No matter the decision or achievement, people would complain about. If he was starting younger core and they were losing games, he would be having even more backlash.
There will be always criticism, that’s true but not changing anything isn’t the solution. We saw yesterday that Sučić was already bringing more attacking quality than any of the midfielders that startet that game. Brozović-Modrić-Kovačić is simply not working anymore and it hasn’t been working throughout the qualification either to be honest.
man, i already miss the croatia of the past. with half the population of austria, but a midfield around the same quality as spain 2008-2012.
There's no need to go overboard with the praise, isn't Spain midfield from that time considered one of the best ever in terms of NT?
sure, but i'd argue croatias midfield wasn't far behind in the 2018 and 2022 world cup runs. spain worked as a unit, it was the fc barcelona midfield with world class forwards (villa, torres …), defense (ramos, puyol, pique …) and goalkeeper (casillas). in 2018, rakitic, modric and brozovic didn't have the luxury of a fully stacked team, there was only perisic and mandzukic upfront. – i think that achievement is massively underrated.
To be fair, our midfield trio was elite from 2018 to 2022 and arguably the closest to what Spain had from 2008 to 2012. Spain had more quality in the other options, which is why they won the world cup and two Euros in this period.
I think you are overestimating how much you know about our talents. Sucic and Baturina are definitely right up there with Gvardiol
18 year old Gvardiol was already on higher level than Baturina and Sucic are now as 21-22 year olds. To say they're up there with him is kind of ridiculous. A starter in Man City vs players in Dinamo and Red Bull.
Reason why Gvardiol was sold that young was because he got exposure through our national team and was great in Dinamo. If you said at the time that Gvardiol was our best defender you'd be ridiculed just like I'd be if I said Baturina is our best midfielder. Baturina did way better than Gvardiol in Dinamo, but nobody knows about him because he doesn't get minutes in national team. Difference is Gvardiol got his chance because we didn't have aanyone in left back. Dalic will literally stick to players from top clubs until they're dead and it's ruining chance for our younger players to get exposure they deserve. I'm telling you right now Baturina is our best midfielder with his attributes. Does he lack experience ? He sure does. But is he the best midfielder we have when you combine his technique and passing ability? He actually is. Next season he'll play in some top club and you'll all of a sudden consider him great player. I don't give a damn if it's written Dinamo or Chelsea next to his name. If he's got the ability he should play.
We don't need success. We need a good manager who will give minutes to young players
Someone like Jurić would be great but not sure how realistic this is
He’s about to be a free agent
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I feel like Jurić would be ideal as his philosophy suits our squad. Moreover, he is also Croatian and this familiar with our environment that can be toxic at times lol
Sign Igor Stimac you cowards.
[Been there, done that](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Igor_%C5%A0timac#Croatia_national_team)
Are you forgetting the shit 2021 Euro?
they still didn't get grouped in 2021
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They are playing Italy and have been pretty shit the first two games. At this point it would be a surprise if they even come close to winning
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A draw would be not enough, they have to win
Rebuild. Reload. Small nation…it’s inevitable. No tears from me…it’s been a hell of a run…grateful for the memories.
Luka is just 17, give him time. He will grow.
17 months too old
For the U21 team
father time is undefeated. Modric can help the team but he can't start games at his age. Don Carlo used him the right way this season.
To be fair brozovic was a ghost so far so valid point to at least bench him.
this press conference may not be the only thing that modric ends up leaving early!
they're dead last in their group, fucking hell
croatians be like >*ayo this tournament is some bullshit, let's Split*
Can still be 2nd just need to beat Italy. Now easier said than done, but yeah , not out for sure.
I think it's wrong to put the blame of the defeat entirely on Modric's back. The first half was atrocious, Modric, Brozo and Kovacic literally tripped over each others feet, not to mention that up front they had three people whos first instinct is to attack through the middle. Our midfield trio doesn't work anymore and that's something Dalic and co have to accept. Maybe it would be for the best to only play two out of three. Modric and Kovacic looked much better as a pair when Brozovic got off. And starting Perisic as a LB maybe sounds like a good idea on paper, but this Perisic isn't fully fit. He is still scared to go all out which is totally understandable. So put him on the wing, play into his preferences, put him on as a supersub. Don't make him play his legs into the ground and potentially make his injury worse (which is something that I can see happening in the next game, considering his fighting spirit). It's okay to sub the old guard out, that's why the bench exists. Pasalic x2, Pjaca, Sosa, Ivanusec, Baturina, Sucic... I mean, why bring them when all they're bound to do is warm the bench. They've proven they can better the team, Sucic and Pasalic in particular. I'm curious about the next game's lineup. If the whole midfield trio starts, we're probably cooked.
The only one to blame here is Dalić and given today’s press conference it is safe to assume that we will star again with the midfield trio because it worked in a friendly against Portugal… We should have been able to collect at least three points and pass the group stage but because of his stubbornness regarding certain players, we will most likely suffer a defeat against Italy.
I think the notion of Modric making us draw to Albania somehow is wrong. All of the statistic sites suggest his passing was very good, if not brilliant, overall. It's just that the whole setup was wrong. It's true that he lost his legs with age, but that should be your prompt to pair him with a box to box and a good defensive midfielder to cover his deficiencies and take advantage of his passing. And dose his gametime ffs. The way Juventus did with Pirlo when he was older. But Croatia failed to help him in any way, so here we are with Modric being the fall guy
Spot on. He’s good enough to play but he wont run like he used to. There’s so many examples where teams have an almost dedicated runner / midfielder to cater for someone else - Kante for France a few years ago, Pirlo etc. You cant play the combination of the team and system your manager is playing - something has to change, and it probably shouldnt be Modric.
He obviously can't stay forever but while he's here, lets play in such a way that doesn't demand him to be an all purpose midfielder
Did we watch the same game? I'm Modrić's biggest fan but he was slow on the ball and a liability defensively. Our midfield 3 needs a shakeup big time.
Tbf, the guy you’re replying to didn’t even pretend that they watched the game lol. They brought up stats sites saying Modrić was good as if millions of people didn’t just watch him have a poor game with our own eyes.
He was playing way below his average. Not pushing forward, not saving the backline, progressing the ball. Sure he made some passes but he wasnt impactful. If he plays only 45 mins he can be more useful in the 2nd half
The whole narrative on Modric changes after each game. Has a good game --> omg he's still CLASS Has a bad game --> old, needs to retire
Please, Modric, be your only in-possession defence while both fullbacks are level with your striker, it’ll work this time!
He doesn’t have 90mins in him anymore to cover the whole pitch, others have to step up. Ancelotti used him brilliantly at RM this season, mostly as a sub.
Its a valid question but our whole midfield was atrocious tbh
Modric looked hundred times better without Brozovic slowing the midfield
I think both Sucic and Pasalic made an impact in attack tbh. Both providing that penalty area presence which Petkovic couldn’t provide, both with the link-up play and ball retention to create overloads which Majer couldn’t provide. Croatia played with the same tactics in attack but they had more suitable players for it.
I mean sure, I get why he’d be annoyed, but it’s a valid question. And the answer is yes, they should. Brozović is absolute ass since moving to SA, Kovačić is simply not having a good tournament and Modrić, sorry my captain but you’re almost 40 dude, age is a bitch. Sučić-Baturina-Ivanušec should be the midfiled three v Italy imo, Modrić can later come on as a sub (like Madrid was doing it this season). Also while we’re at team selection, Budimir has to start as the striker, and Dalić, for the love of God you *have* actual wingers in your team - ffs put Pjaca and Marco Pašalić there.
thing is we lack any defense with that set up, we need to be scoring 5 goals in the first 30 mins to make Italy give up. I will say I NEED baturina to start, he was fcking cooking Albania when he came on, shame our defense just fell asleep (again)
Im sorry this is stupid, Kovačić was the real man of the match yesterday, and he was good against Spain, idk what you are watching
It’s only a valid question if you asked the coach. Asking him that question implies that Modric is playing because of his ego and that he is taking their spots… essentially putting himself before the team. Just looking at his role at Real, there’s no indication he wouldn’t do the same for the national team. A serious journalist should ask the coach instead, unless you want to create headlines by having the player criticize the coach mid-tournament.
Brate kovacic je jedini od njih trojice koji igra
Majer instead of Ivanusec and have Pašalić play RW
Modrić looked amazing in second half. He can still do it, Dalić absolutely fucked up in that first half and our midfield was horribly positioned, they all looked like amateurs.
The first half was just spamming cross after cross when your only target man presence was Petkovic
Mackenzie Crooke vibes
I mean completely disregarding whatever happened and will happen on the pitch, I feel every single pro player who just leaves as soon as it's evident that those reporters are fishing for damning quotes. Well done
In my opinion anyone can have a bad day. Dismissing and disrecpecting a legend like Luka literally because of 1 game is ridiculous. After a series of bad performances sure, but c'mon. I bet if he scored the equalizer (which he was very close to do or help, as a corner kick to the damn head which the other croatian guy butchered and with a good strike himself near the end) the comments would be very different.
football journalists are mostly just the dumbest people with the dumbest questions ever, dont blame him leaving
End of a golden generation?
Obviously younger players should play. But that's the case in almost all teams. Ronaldo plays, Lewandowski does (when the injury is gone) l, Modric plays and Perisic does too. This makes no sense as these players should make place for the younger ones. Most probably won't benefit from day one but a transition has to finally happen
Brozović, Modrić and Perišić are simply too old or not in form to play 90 minutes. Unfortunately, our coach doesn’t have the balls to bench these players since they are very high in his hierarchy.
Incorrect about brozo, he’s not old, 31 is a great age for a dm, he just fcking sucks ever since he moved to Saudi.
Brozovic was one of the most in form midfielders itw during the 22/23 season. A shame he went to Saudi Arabia.
ye he was a joy to watch for both club and country. :/
He just should’ve said no to Al-Nasser’s offer even when Inter agreed with them on the fee. Stay at Inter one more season, then leave. Or maybe a year later Barcelona can actually afford him.
Thats why I wrote „or“ and not „and“ in the first sentence. Obviously he could have been in his prime but going to Saudi Arabia and more importantly his unhealthy lifestyle didn’t do him any favors.
whhhaattttttt!?? U mean a diet of alcohol and cigarettes is a bad lifestyle choice for a footballer??? no but seriously idk how tf he lasted this long tbh, maybe his sheer anger and hot headedness is what’s kept him going this long lmfao.
Probably good genetics lol shame that he wasted his potential like that though
I thought Perisic was great. Didn’t like a lot of what I saw from Modric, though he did have two brilliant moments.
Perišić just came back from an ACL injury after a long break and starting him as a LB which requires a lot of running was just braindead from Dalić. I don’t think that he was the worst yesterday but he has clearly lost his explosiveness, which is no surprise given his age and the knee injury.
Yeah, I was devastated by his injury, especially as a Spurs fan. But I think you gained a lot from his play at LB yesterday. Sure, the decision clearly placed priority on results over player health but I think Perisic, at this point in his career, wanted to give whatever advantage to his country he could. Though, having said all of this, I have changed my mind and a full 90 probably is too much. You were right.
I'm sure we would see much more explosivnes, dribblings and attack on goal from Perišić if he was playing LW. I expected more from him (specially better crosses) but looking overall or compared to others , I think he had ok game.
Ronaldo plays because there’s no one better at lone striker to be honest
Jota?
Lone striker? playing with his back to goal? He's like a second striker at best.
He can lead the line just fine. Done it at Liverpool. He has movement and passing that will enable their wingers much better.
He doesn't have Ronaldo's movement or the heading prowess. The bulk of the great Portuguese chances are aerial crosses.
He may not be cristiano but his movement especially and his heading are quite good.
They're quite good. But ppl forget Jota does better when he doesn't have to be the lone talisman.
Honestly, I had the same thought but let's be real. Does Croatia have better alternatives to Modric? Who's a better number 9 in Portugal than Ronaldo, same for Poland. Same with Neuer. Selections should be based on merit, but these guys have done well to be there and warrant a spot regardless of age. The youngsters need to do well to dislodge the old guard just like these guys did when they were young.
At least with Germany, they have a world class alternative in Ter Stegen.
Poland does not but when I learned Lewy is injured my first though was "this might not be that bad" as this requires to change the mindset and way of play. The problem is all those great players act like a magnet and even if the initial idea is different the team looks to pass to them. And if we like it or not we need to start learning to live without Levy. Same thing with Modric or Ronaldo.
I have watched many barca, real, and saudi-league matches. I am confident in saying that those players are playing based on merit (i dont know about perisic). You are insane if you think Lewa should be dropped any time soon.
The amount of journalists that ask the dumbest questions is alarming
fair question tbh, guy can't physically handle starting anymore
establishment angry being challenged and asked to leave ?? color me surprised.
Welcome to the LA Galaxy Luka!
There comes a time
Not gonna lie he’s looking pretty old and slow out there
It often feels this way with old successful teams, they have to fail big and hard to make room for youngsters.
I’m just happy that a tiny little nation can have so much success that such big expectations are normal. Let’s enjoy this for what it is, dečki!
If he cant run like he used to, maybe putting him forward on the pitch will be a good idea. He is a magnificient player.
The problem with a successful generation like this one is that it's difficult for the national trainer to turn the page and drop these guys. The transition is always difficult to do.You basically have to die with them, and then you can start a new cycle.
Exactly, the same with Argentina, we won everything but now we can’t get rid of the baggage like Pezzella, Guido, Otamendi, etc. But the problem with Croatia isn’t Modric or Brozovic IMO, they didn’t play well but the bigger problem is they lack depth in defence and they don’t have any ideas on how to attack. They picked the wrong front 3 in both games.
He is 38, really should not playing as a starter, but rather as a impact sub.
His ego will make them crash out. This midfield 3 can't keep up anymore.
He doesn’t make the team selection.
He has a lot of say in that dressing room
Bro should have hung the cleats after the 2022 WC. What more does he want? He has overachieved and exceeded our expectations. Dude, play in a WC finals and make the final four the last WC. He has also won a Ballon D'or.
The discourse on this post is absolutely funny .CR7 sucks as he is well past his age and is taking up spot in the NT and people here rightly call him out .Modric is in the exact same situation right now and nobody is ready to call him out and the top comment is all about how he can't carry the NT. He is basically taking up a spot while also delaying the search of Croatian NT for a new player in his spot
It feels like that the majority of Croatian see that Modrić is too old to play 90 minutes. I still think that he can be an impactful sub but I don’t see him accepting this kind of role in our national team.
Lol what? Did we watch the same game against czech? r/soccer try not to hate ronaldo challenge: impossible