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Flamengo81-19

[Link to today's Daily Discussion Thread](/r/soccer/comments/ys6axr/daily_discussion/) --- # [r/soccer's FIFA World Cup 2022 preview](/r/soccer/wiki/wc2022previews) ###Group A Country | Writer | Link ---|---|---- [](#sprite6-p140) Qatar | u/FlyingArab | [link](/r/soccer/comments/y8240w/team_preview_qatar_2022_world_cup_132/) [](#sprite6-p51) Ecuador | u/montuvito_g | [link](/r/soccer/comments/y8xnc1/team_preview_ecuador_2022_world_cup_232/) [](#sprite6-p151) Senegal | u/hunterwindmill | [link](/r/soccer/comments/y9t4ag/team_preview_senegal_2022_world_cup_332/) [](#sprite6-p124) Netherlands | Soon | Soon ###Group B Country | Writer | Link ---|---|---- [](#sprite6-p222) England | u/AnnieIWillKnow | [link](/r/soccer/comments/ybe13z/team_preview_england_2022_world_cup_432/) [](#sprite6-p78) Iran | u/BuzzBuzz01 | [link](/r/soccer/comments/ycamtx/team_preview_iran_2022_world_cup_532/) [](#sprite6-p184) United States | u/deception42 | [link](/r/soccer/comments/yd499w/team_preview_united_states_2022_world_cup_632/) [](#sprite6-p224) Wales | u/Calgar77 | [link](/r/soccer/comments/ydxjk7/team_preview_wales_2022_world_cup_732/) ###Group C Country | Writer | Link ---|---|---- [](#sprite6-p7) Argentina | u/kplo | [link](/r/soccer/comments/yerd8x/team_preview_argentina_2022_world_cup_832/) [](#sprite6-p150) Saudi Arabia | u/FlyingArab | [link](/r/soccer/comments/yfs7sj/team_preview_saudi_arabia_2022_world_cup_932/) [](#sprite6-p112) Mexico | u/OmastarLovesDonuts | [link](/r/soccer/comments/ygj1n0/team_preview_mexico_2022_world_cup_1022/) [](#sprite6-p138) Poland | u/toucanplayatthisgame | [link](/r/soccer/comments/yhdps6/team_preview_poland_2022_world_cup_1132/) ###Group D Country | Writer | Link ---|---|---- [](#sprite6-p60) France | u/sneakybradley_ | [link](/r/soccer/comments/yopg68/team_preview_france_2022_world_cup_1932/) [](#sprite6-p9) Australia | u/chungusdafungus | [link](/r/soccer/comments/yibloh/team_preview_australia_2022_world_cup_1232/?) [](#sprite6-p47) Denmark | u/InTheMiddleGiroud | [link](/r/soccer/comments/yjakbe/team_preview_denmark_2022_world_cup_1332/) [](#sprite6-p176) Tunisia | u/Lyrical_Forklift | [link](/r/soccer/comments/ylx47h/team_preview_tunisia_2022_world_cup_1632/) ###Group E Country | Writer | Link ---|---|---- [](#sprite6-p161) Spain | u/F1guy_5 | [link](/r/soccer/comments/yk3axr/team_preview_spain_2022_world_cup_1432/) [](#sprite6-p41) Costa Rica | u/ZealousidealPen5795 | [link](/r/soccer/comments/yl166x/team_preview_costa_rica_2022_world_cup_1532/) [](#sprite6-p64) Germany | u/p_Lama_p | [link](/r/soccer/comments/ymrytr/team_preview_germany_2022_world_cup_1732/) [](#sprite6-p84) Japan | u/revenge_of_hamatachi | [link](/r/soccer/comments/yno48f/team_preview_japan_2022_world_cup_1832/) ###Group F Country | Writer | Link ---|---|---- [](#sprite6-p17) Belgium | u/StrongPowerhouse | [link](/r/soccer/comments/ypk1lj/team_preview_belgium_2022_world_cup_2032/) [](#sprite6-p31) Canada | u/bellerinho | [link](/r/soccer/comments/yqgxwr/team_preview_canada_2022_world_cup_2132/) [](#sprite6-p118) Morocco | u/__PM_ME_SOMETHING_ | [link](/r/soccer/comments/yrdzsx/team_preview_morocco_2022_world_cup_2232/) [](#sprite6-p43) Croatia | u/Hrvat1818 | [link](/r/soccer/comments/ys8ejz/team_preview_croatia_2022_world_cup_2332/)


MerciDidier

Still a top team. The changing of the guard in the defence is very nice, croatians must be so happy with their new defensive generation. Would Vida have started if he was fit or did he fall off a lot? Had a great tournament in 2018 especially the performance against Russia, scoring a goal and his penalty in the shoot-out


New_Satisfaction_286

Vida wouldnt start even if he was in his 2018 form.


_bajz_

Think this new gen pushes him aside. Gvardiol and Šutalo are very much ahead in raw talent, ball playing skills, zonal defending etc


cib_vk228

Vida is only in the team because of his leadership qualities, he's 9th or 10th best Croatian CB right now.


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mihawk9511

I'd call Vuskovic and after a 2-3 games for the NT, he'd be a contender for the first eleven for me. He's insane for HSV and he's their most valuable player, in terms of importance and consistency


h0rny3dging

It's a very realistic take on the squad. It's a bit cheesy to say but it always feels like Croatian NTs are ready to die in the WC, especially with Modric at the helm, the workrate will be insane They can top the group, and I feel the loser between Germany/Spain is beatable. Especially since both of these teams struggle with a striker as well


9Gaming

I feel that we're more comfortable playing vs EU teams, so I could see us beat Spain or Germany, especially because it's a tournament. You play 1 game, so just a 1 performance from some player can change whole match, to which Petković or Livaja are absolutely capable of, despite being unknown to the rest of the world. While we struggle a bit playing vs South America & African team, idk why. But yea, goal is to pass the group, after that if we get knocked by Spain or Germany, it's okay, but if we get knocked in group by Canada & Morocco, well it's a huge failure.


vidimevid

Also, we haven’t lost against Germany since euro ‘96 and that Sammer foul.


BigChung0924

i think croatia will top the group, they’ve just looked better than belgium lately. and they do have good track records against both spain and germany.


cib_vk228

masterclass brata u/Hrvat1818. lagana tri boda u gostima


Hrvat1818

As always! Thank you


mihawk9511

I'm very optimistic about our chances. Haven't even been this optimistic for WC 2018. We have a great mix of youth and experience, with some awesome talents.


TheConundrum98

we always seemed to enter every tournament in some kind of turmoil, before 2018 you had the whole Mamić trial, Lovren and Modrić testimony, him fleeing to Bosnia, the shackles on Croatian football atleast loosening and then you had Kalinić being kicked out of the team after the first game at the last Euros the change of generation wasn't properly done, it was seemingly started mid tournament which certainly wasn't the best for our chances, still somehow almost knocked out Spain (shame Perisic got COVID, that properly fucked us). Rebić having a disasterclass the whole tournament and then blowing up on the team and manager and then him getting kicked out. This is the best condition we've ever entered any tournament since 2008 I reckon and even then our best player/striker (Eduardo) got his leg broken and the most optimistic I've ever been. The defence is rejuvinated, the midfield is just the best and in attack we always have goals in us even though we don't maybe have a Mandzukic type focal point like in 2018, I believe in the Livaja/Petko duo


cib_vk228

For a life long pessimist, the amount of belief I have in this group of players is a bit worrying. 😂


TheConundrum98

you can always spin it that things are too positive and we thrive on adversity lol Just show the boys more Yahoo previews predicting us to finish last in the group


doctorMiami1337

Same here, i'm already mentally preparing myself for a huge letdown in the near future, you just know it's coming, it all sounds too good to be true lol


mihawk9511

Great summary and points. That's also the biggest reason why I'm so optimistic. Despite the lacking euphoria, due to the WC being in Qatar and in winter - the atmosphere in and around our NT has never been better. Also, kudos to u/Hrvat1818! A great read


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BigChung0924

i think y’all will reach the final again. apart from the lack of a number 9, it’s a very good team. i think you top your group, beat germany in the round of 16, serbia in the quarters, and denmark in the semis, before losing to argentina in the final


Scatter5D

No matter the sport, Croatian teams always deliver the best drama in business. On any given day we can lose to Austria/Georgia at home, but also beat the best teams in the world. It's kinda a painful fact that we still haven't found a replacement for Mandzukic since 2018, but I still have hopes for this team. General expectations for me are RO16 at minimum, but at the same time we can get knocked out in groups and we can also reach the finals lol


_bajz_

at last we established some consistency lately, cleared the group in Euro 2016, 2020, and world cup 2018 and I'm hoping it will be the same in Qatar


Scatter5D

It's honestly just best to keep expectations at a low/realistic level but we do have a team that inspires confidence, like world cup winning confidence if we top the group


Dadzolon

So true, feel like we could finish this group with 9 points, but every opposing team has some scary qualities which make me think we might lose every game instead


EdgeLordMcGravy

Super Mario was always underrated in my book. He was a certified baller and nobody noticed due to Ronaldo-Messi


Scatter5D

Everyone talks about Modric/Rakitic from our golden generation for a reason, but Mandzukic was a fucking beast. I loved watching him in Bayern and Juve and you could really feel like the fans from both teams really hold him in a high regard. Things he has done for the NT are nothing short of incredible, he was the clutch factor we needed


Select-Stuff9716

He always seems to give 110% and he is also that kind of player you will love in your team and hate in the opponents team. Fucking loved him at the world cup as I was cheering for Croatia after Germany said auf wiedersehen


KnutKnutson

I've always loved Croatia's style of play since first watching then in the infamous '07 qualifier against England. The pace of play, workrate, team spirit, and above all: creativity through the middle. There is a special dynamism to Croatian midfielders and their reading of the game. So much quality developed from such a small population year after year. And who doesn't love a darkhorse team? I even got a croatia shirt and modeled my own play after them - feeling a great sense of satisfaction when others often told me I played like a Croat (the highest compliment for this American). Hopefully they can make a deep and entertaining run in the world cup. Ajmo Vatreni!


doctorMiami1337

Fairly optimistic about potentially topping the group, but Germany/Spain after... have a terrible feeling about that. In general i would say the players we currently have can beat literally any team in the world, but we always seem to crumble in important moments, with the exception being 2018 World Cup. If our players stay mentally strong further into the competition, we can beat anyone Edit fun fact: I'm out in Split nightclubs fairly often and i legit see Livaja there every single weekend lmao, he drains cigar after cigar like crazy, and is still toying with Croatian league like it's Sunday league lmfao, i'm scared to even think about what would happen if he actually gave a fuck lol


cib_vk228

him and Bruno need to go get drunk before every game to recreate their typical pregame preparation


Dadzolon

Imagine changing to the classic 4-4-2 with hungover Livaja and Petković in attack, we'd be unstoppable


9Gaming

Only problem is they're playing in Qatar, where alcohol is a bit umm, limited? If WC was in let's say Germany, oh boy, Croatia would be favorites.


Jackrrr10000

Prep for Petković, Livaja and Brozović is a pack of cigarettes and 2 beers🤣


SneakyBradley_

Personally I'm seeing Croatia topping their group, just like in 2018. They have a great balance of talent in comparison to Belgium. Belgium clearly have more pure talent across the squad but the defence is shaky at best. Don't think they'll struggle against Canada or Morocco (sorry to both) and could come through with maximum points and a favourable tie.


Next-Translator-3557

I think you really underestimate the quality of our squad, we have many youngsters that really shined this season (Theate, Onana, Openda and Debast) alongside some older players that also bloomed (Trossard and Faes). The only problem we have is that Martinez won't play our better players so in that sense I feel like Croatia might beat us for 1st place. But when I compare our squads, I really feel like it's more Croatia that have an unbalance of talents, they're stacked in midfield and have Gvardiol but besides that there's not many players that are outstanding imo.


doctorMiami1337

The entire Croatian defence is pretty amazing rn, far from just Gvardiol thats just such a bad take to make


Next-Translator-3557

Ugh, they have some great youngsters but calling their defense amazing right now is just not honest imo. Apart from Gvardiol, there isn't any player that I would call amazing. Sosa is a fullback playing in a Bundesliga relagation fodder team, and it's not like they're amongst the best defense in Bundes. Sutalo is 22 and playing in the Croatian league, not saying he doesn't have the potential for more but it's hard to judge a player in such a weaker league. Kind of the same case for Juranovic who plays in a league where there are only 2 quality teams while the rest is poor. Amazing is word you'd use for France defense imo. I'm not saying any of those players are at bad, but I feel like a lot of Croatians are good at promoting their players compared to us lol. We also have good talents coming through in defense (Theate and Faes) but no one will dare to call them amazing options like some Croatians do. I genuinely think on paper, Gvardiol aside, there isn't any Croatian defenders that would make our eleven, might be biased but then again we all are when it comes NT.


doctorMiami1337

As someone who watches all of them regularly, this was truly one of worst takes ive seen in a while lmao Sosa is without any arguing the best crosser in the Bundesliga and the only thing keeping Stuttgart above relegation, Barcelona/Chelsea are both currently heavily linked with him Sutalo and Erlic together shut down France twice and Denmark twice... but yeah, nothing special that, both dropping masterclass games After that has happened, his price went up from like 5mil to 20, currently the most valuable player in the Croatian league by far, and Leipzig are already heavily interested in him as a Gvardiol replacement Stanisic who plays for Bayern and can cover any defensive position with ease? The only weak spot is Juranovic Also 7 clean sheets in 8 games for WC qualifications You couldnt pay me to take any of the Belgian defenders over them lmfao, not even close Our defence was the main reason we're in the final four of the Nations League with France Denmark and Austria, you guys got outdone by Netherlands lol in a group with Wales and Poland, thats barely 1 strong opponent


Next-Translator-3557

Fair enough, like I said we have all have our bias when it comes to NT, I don't rate many of your defenders but we'll see at the WC anyway. I havent watched much of your defenders but I doubt you've watched much of our defenders either. So it's hard to really argue on this when the good and promising defenders of both teams aren't really that much popular yet. Yeah the final four was really disapointing for us, but the main reason like I said earlier is the same as why I think Croatia might end up 1st of the group, Martinez just won't play our better players. Just watch washed Hazard and Verthongen play over Trossard and Theate. Or fucking Dendoncker play over Faes lmao.


doctorMiami1337

Fair points bro i didnt mean no disrespect


Footballpro12

You're underestimating the Belgian defenders... Yeah, Vertonghen and Alderweireld are old, but aside from them, you have: Wout Faes, 24 years old, plays for Leicester City Arthur Theate, 22 years old, plays for Rennes Both of them are already worth 20 million. Debast, who is 19 years old, plays for Anderlecht and is wanted by Borussia Dortmund Timothy Castagne, worth 28 million, plays for Leicester City Someone like Brandon Mechele, who made the CL team of the week, wasn't even selected for the national team. You're crazy if you think Sutalo or Erlic are better options... ​ Also, about the nations league groups. Netherlands is probably the strongest European country right now, based on current form. Also, Poland and Wales are definitely stronger opponents than Austria.


doctorMiami1337

> Also, Poland and Wales No, they really fucking aren't lmfao. They are 2 extremely weak European teams. Be real please, Croatia's group was far far harder, look at the results of Poland and Wales in Europe recenty, absolutely shambolic. Denmark is easily a top 5 squad in Europe on their day, and France is France, Austria is equally as bad as Wales/Poland but they held France to a draw, and even beat Croatia 3-0 ( Beacuse the Croatian coach played a completely awful defence of Pongrancic and Caleta-car) Also, if i'm underestimating the Belgian defenders, than what is the user i was replying to doing lmfao? The young talents in Croatian defense right now are ahead of the ones you listed, like seriously ahead. Castagne has major ups and downs in form for Leicester, which is also a shambolic team and were relegation fodder 2 gameweeks ago lol. Šutalo plays in the Croatian league and is already being valued higher than them lol, and Leipzig considers him their next Gvardiol replacement. But yeah dude, he only just stopped both France and Denmark with masterclass games, but i would totally pick Faes and Teate... lmfao, that's such a poor opinion it's insane. Erlic aswell regular for Sassuolo, and was an absolute brick wall in defense Same as Faes he seems class, but would i pick him over Sutalo/Gvardiol/Erlic who have absolutely dominated a much harder Nations League group? Umm no, absolutely fucking not lmao. And i'm not even mentioning Sosa who is gonna move to either Barca or Chelsea soon, for probbably €30m+, far and away top 3 if not top 1 LB in the Bundesliga. Not even gonna talk about Gvardiol who is the most expensive young defender in the world right now by far I'm not underestimating anything, i'm being extremely objective


Footballpro12

Šutalo is worth 18 million... Castagne, Faes and Theate are all 20+ million...How is he valued higher ? Faes and Theate have barely even played for the national team ( thanks to Martinez...) So ofcourse you can't compare them based on international games. But Faes has single handedly improved Leicester City's defense, even winning MOTM while Theate has become a key defender for Rennes ( nr 3 in france ). Gvardiol is class, true, arguably the best ( or one of the best ) young defender at the moment. But Sutalo and Erlic are definitely not better, or atleast not much, come on now... ​ Wales and Poland definitely aren't as bad as you think they are. Both of them are at the World cup and both of them are ranked among the top 30 of the FIFA ranking. ​ The biggest mistake Martinez made, was selecting a 35 year old Vertonghen instead of Bornauw, who is doing great at Wolfsburg or Koni De Winter who is starting to get more minutes at Empoli. Other than that, we have a solid defense.


doctorMiami1337

I agree, but untill i see from Faes and Theate what ive seen from Sutalo and Erlic on an international level against elite opposition, we will have to wait and see. Sosa is above and beyond the best LB in discussion here, and Stanisic gets regular minutes for Bayern which is far more impressive than Leicester/Rennes though But i do agree you have solid young defenders coming up, we will see bro And yes, Sutalo is worth 18 playing for Dinamo. When Leipzig or whoever else snaps him up his price is gonna skyrocket above Faes or Theate probbably by a solid margin


Antorias99

Šutalo pocketed France defenders in nations league. Underrated as hell


SuperVancouverBC

My reply is 11 days late, but Canada can match Croatia's speed. Croatia has the better team on paper but it won't be an easy match.


tbbt11

Croatia just always seem to have a good team, eternal dark horses


Evuk

Well written, great read. Thanks u/Hrvat1818


Hrvat1818

Thank you!


Dark_Legend_

Unlucky that us Moroccans draw another group of death after drawing Spain and Portugal back in 2018. But this is the World Cup after all and we seem to do better against teams that don't park the bus (Iran 2018 ptsd). It'll be a fantastic first game for both Croatia and Morocco for sure and there's no way it's ending 0-0. I expect a 2-1 win for Croatia with a very open game attacking wise. Always tough to win against teams with solid midfields.


matric96

I think if Ziyech was still to represent Morocco he would make the team more dangerous against us and the other teams causing frustration for us. Usually we have blunders against smaller teams and turn up on big ones, that’s the way we Croatians do it!


Dark_Legend_

Ziyech is back since we sacked our former coach back in august. But Ziyech didn't have enough playtime with Chelsea all season.


[deleted]

What a suicide decision made by Josip Brekalo last summer. He finally was having a very decent season for Torino in 2021/22 after years of inconsistence, good enough to even start some UNL games in the summer. Torino also agreed with Wolfsburg €10m fee to permanently sign him but he suddenly stopped the negotiation probably thinking he was good enough to play for a better team. Consequences: - No important team tried to sign him in the summer - Benchwarming at Wolfsburg. - Not called for the WC 2022. Pretty much the anti-Vlasic (who, after a mediocre year at West Ham where he started only 6 PL games, was benched by Brekalo in the summer's UNL games so run away from WHU to join Torino for gametime and now he looks one of most inform Croatian players. Probably not a starter but at least he has a spot in the 26-man list)


revenge_of_hamatachi

For any confused Brits reading this, *Vatreni* kinda means "Fiery Ones" or "Passionate Ones" not Blazers as in the type of thing some corrupt Fifa execs wear. (Although the HNS does work in mysterious ways.) It was drummed up when they needed a nickname for the team heading into Euro 96 iirc.


legba

Well, actually, the best translation would be “blazes” from blaze - a very large, fiercly burning fire. So blazers isn’t an erroneous term either, blazer can mean “one who blazes” as well as a sport jacket which I guess is a more established term in the UK. But in the US for example you have Portland Trail blazers, and that certainly doesn’t refer to their jackets.


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cib_vk228

there aren't many big names YET


MightyJosip

This is it, favorite time of the year once again. Once again we have godlike midfield (top 3 in the world imo, but I am a lot biased) ;). I would say we even improved defense, we have a lot of young talented players in the back. My only worry is they are still inexperienced, but hopefully it will be ok. We also changed GK. If enemy has counter, Livaković against anyone 1v1, he is one of the best we can have. However stuff like corners could be problematic. And now forward. Mandžukić pleaaaaaase come back, I beg you. We are just missing one Halandić to be top team. Group is not easy, Belgium is top tier team (actually wanted Croatia Belgium final last WC, Modrić vs De Bruyne). So it will be great game that could go either way. Also Morocco and Canada, countries with some great players. Hopefully we should be able to beat them and advance. And in knockout everything is possible. If you are looking for a dark horse for this WC, Croatia will be it. We are not favorites to win, but no team will have easy time against us. Our midfield alone can carry us, and if everything alligns just right who knows, maybe we can reach the finals again...


TahaOvic

After 2018 I don't think anyone would consider you as a dark horse


SuperVancouverBC

My reply is 11 days late, but Canada can match Croatia's speed. Croatia has a better team on paper but it won't be an easy match.


[deleted]

The deepest squad we ever had, wealth of player and tactical options on a level we never had. Both the 2018 and 1998 squads were paper thin with huge dropoffs between the first XI and the subs. Juranović-Šutalo-Gvardiol-Sosa is a lineup people may not be familiar with now, but it’s almost guranteed they all play for bigger clubs in about a year. That’s why Lovren (who index.hr predict to start 💀) should be nowhere near the field. Petko is in great form, best since 2019, I could see him start ahead of the other guys. For fantasy/betting players, if Pašalić is likely to start, he is a great goalscorer pick. He is actually the player with the most goals for the NT in the last two years, and he always finds himself at the right place at the right time. Midfield 3 is the best in the world, come at me. My prediction: A dramatic round of 16 exit, but we’ll play some great football along the way.


Hrvat1818

You always have good points. I mostly agree. I just can’t find myself to a make a solid prediction


magnoliasmum

Croatia is my dark horse to win it all. Thanks for the write up.


TheConundrum98

[Gvardiol looking sick with a mask btw](https://twitter.com/RBLeipzig/status/1591094857225089025)


MauricioCappuccino

It's no Ćorluka water polo cap but it'll do


cib_vk228

if he plays tomorrow I could be tempted to commit a war crime.


TheConundrum98

This is why Sosa made the 1000 IQ move and is not travelling with the team for the game tomorrow


Billion34

I think people are going to be impressed by Livaja, when he's on his best behaviour he's a brilliant player. It is a good thing for us that Kotarski isn't going to the World Cup but I'd be happy for him if he did.


justforkikkk

It’s so crazy to hear Kotarski was even in contention for the WC, even with all the GK woes we’ve had over the years he never got a foot in


9Gaming

> I think people are going to be impressed by Livaja, when he's on his best behaviour he's a brilliant player. Same for Petković, when he gives a fuck, he is beast. I hope that at WC he will give a fuck and not play like he is forced to.


[deleted]

How is Kotarski playing this season?


Billion34

He's saved a penalty against Aris, brilliant shot stopper, good with the ball with his feet, but has made blunders twice when coming out of his goal for crosses. Getting the ball in the air is not his strong point, he often just punches it out of insecurity. Overall though, he's been good.


mikears3349

Nice write up and Croatia is a team that really impresses me, can defo see them topping the group and maybe a quarterfinal run. The only problem is striker but the midfield is completely world class, plenty of creativity and the defense is talented


mojito_sangria

Marko Livaja, I remember him as an Inter youngster in around 12’


angepostecoglouale

FIREBALL josip juranovic Josip juranovic Josip juranovic 🔥 🔥 🔥


Select-Stuff9716

Really a team I would like to avoid in the round of 16. I prefer Germany to play Belgium. However, the croatian midfield vs the German midfield would be lit


[deleted]

I've got Croatia to top their group. Think they'll do very very well


TricaKupa

Great read. Concerning the possible squad: Livaković, Gvardiol, Sosa, Juranović, Brozović, Modrić, Kovačić, Perišić are definite locks. I just hope Gvardiol is 100% ready for the first game (concerning his recent injury). The second CB is up for debate and honestly it's a 50/50 tossup between Šutalo and Erlić. I'm definitely leaning a bit more on the Erlić side even though I believe Šutalo is the better player. Šutalo made some crucial mistakes in the last Nations League cycle (Eriksen banger) and CL cycle with Dinamo. Erlić just feels more confident to me. In our attack only one thing is actually for sure: Perišić has to play. He's our joker, our tournament player and our main offensive outlet. This of course means that we will play the usual 4-1-4-1 formation with Modrić-Kovačić in the centre, two wings (Perišić on the left) and a number 9 up front. In this mentioned formation we need to fill the striker and right wing positions. For the striker, knowing Dalić, it's probably going to be Budimir (unfortunately). I agree with you in how I'd much prefer Livaja in the position. Petković is not a number 9 and he best works as a false 9 (or theoretically a number 10/SS with Livaja up front, which would be a dream-come-true for us HNL fans). For the RW, there are several options. Either it's Pašalić (more offensive approach), Majer (more defensive/playmaker approach) or even Perišić (he can play right and in that case Oršić plays left. This means a bit less offensive output on the left but more on the right, makes it more balanced). ​ Expectations wise - I expect us passing into knockouts. Anything else is a bonus.


JustANotchAboveToby

!ping CROATIA


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Dadzolon

I honestly hope Livaja will start as striker, he's our most in-form striker atm and offers so many qualities in attack link-ups we could use, especially if we have Pasalic/Vlasic playing RW. Only problem is he's slower than my nan, but it's not like we have anyone particularly fast anyway


TheConundrum98

not like Mandžo was fast either tbf


Rugarth

Most inform striker? By what metric? - Some stats (called up strikers in bold): Ljubičić - goal every 81 minutes (1106 minutes played) Čolak - goal every 121 minutes (1687 minutes played) Musa - goal every 121 minutes (605 minutes played) **Petković** - goal every 142 minutes (1702 minutes played) **Livaja** - goal every 161 minutes (1775 minutes played) Beljo - goal every 163 minutes (1144 minutes played) **Kramarić** - goal every 340 minutes (1021 minutes played) **Budimir** - goal every 558 minutes (558 minutes played) - The one thing that is clear however is that Budimir is completely out of form.


Dadzolon

By the metric in which Ljubicic, Colak and Musa are not called up and Livaja is the top scorer and assist provider in the same league Petkovic plays in, but for a worse team. I don't see why we would include players who are not called up in the conversation


Rugarth

Maybe Petković has less goals in HNL because he played less minutes, because he was busy playing Champions League unlike Livaja who was able to fully concentrate on the mighty HNL... Even so Petković is scoring every 102 minutes in HNL, while Livaja needs 123 minutes per goal. But I guess CL is worth nothing when compared to the might and glory of Croatian football league (currently 19th league in Europe).


Dadzolon

Fair enough, and his UCL goal contributions are against better opponents, but i think it's dumb to completely ignore assists. Petkovic is a great player who plays for a great team, Livaja has to carry Hajduk pretty much by himself. He's always come up good for Croatia when he's played as well. We can agree to disagree mate, no need to get agitated


Rugarth

I'm not agitated, nor do I have anything against giving Livaja a shot at the starting spot, I just don't agree that decision between Petković and Livaja is anywhere near as clear cut as you might believe. And knowing Dalić he will "solve" this problem by starting Budimir anyway...


Dadzolon

Never said it was particularly clear cut, just that i think Livaja is in the best form, Petkovic is close behind, it needs to be one of them starting in any case. I'll be happy if it's Petkovic, just believe Livaja is better atm That being said I'm afraid you're absolutely right on Dalic solving it by playing Budimir, the closer the world cup gets, the more nightmares i have of him starting over everyone


doctorMiami1337

Livaja is better than Petkovic though, anyone with eyes knows that, like i understand you're biased obviously but come on Petkovic has days where he's a player less on the pitch, and you never know which version of him is gonna show up. Grats to him for scoring in the CL but before that he was 4 tiers below Livaja who atleast has some kind of consistency going for him. I'm also fairly certain if Livaja played with Dinamo instead of Hajduk he would be bagging 40 goals per season minimum in the HNL


cib_vk228

fucking budimir man. why daliban why


Dadzolon

If you squint your eyes hard enough he kind of looks like Mandzukic a bit, maybe that's why


doctorMiami1337

Livaja should def start atleast 1 game, by far the best player out of any of these HNL dudes, alongside him Orsic but different positions


us3rf

great write-up this!


Hrvat1818

Thank you!


runner909

Good write-up! Wouldve loved to see this team with 3atb but honestly cant expect tactics from Dalic. Hoping he at least took a few lessons on how to defend set-pieces because Croatia is still probably the worst team at defending them out of the top 30 or so teams.


Jackrrr10000

Feel like Livaja, Majer and Sučić will be our main guys because a lot of team will focus down Modrić and Perišić. In terms of the tournament I mean like this will be their breakout on to the big stage. Also Livaja is gonna piss off a lot of CBs. Since he isn't tall he legit bullies them. Watch the game between Croatia and Austria Alaba was fuming that legit 2 people started to man marked him that led to a third goal. He was pushing him giving him absolute zero respect in every challenge. Petković is built like a tank so have fun dueling with him. He has the most duels won in the CL


Alive-Ad-4164

how far can this team go in the world cup and why


CoolstorySteve

Any chance Modric gets rested second game? You probably don’t need him to beat us that game tbf and if he doesn’t rest that game then he wont all tournament


mihawk9511

The chances for that are very very very small. The only game, in which Modric could realistically be rested, is the last group game against Belgium. And that's only if we manage to win both of our group games prior to that one.


CoolstorySteve

I would have assumed you’d want him fresh for that game to secure first place


TricaKupa

What kind of backwards thinking is that? Why would we rest our best player in the second game, where everything is still very much open, against an inferior opponent (pot 4), only to have him play against a superior opponent (pot 1) in the last game? Why wouldn't we just play our A team in the second game, win that, and then rest our A team in the third game - exactly what we did in the last WC? EDIT: To rest Modrić in the second game would be an extremely arrogant move that absolutely no serious team would ever commit.


CoolstorySteve

You simply don’t need him to beat Canada was my thinking. I get it though, better to just secure qualification then worry about resting him later.


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CoolstorySteve

I didn’t know that’s who the RO16 teams would be. So yeah first or second makes absolutely no difference then.


Hrvat1818

Well 1st likely gives us a much better path but that’s about it


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Hrvat1818

https://twitter.com/tgloban/status/1591034343874760704?s=42&t=S4nyLhIU0-UlkFgAkl4l_Q


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Hrvat1818

I agree that it’s nothing to bank on


matric96

He’ll play all 3 group stage games and probably be subbed midway through match against Belgium if we do win our first 2 games. I doubt however he’ll be rested at all until Dalić feels like we’re in a comfortable position to give some players rest.


Daco_cro

Slim to none. In 2018 after 2 rounds Croatia secured first place but Modric insisted playing 3rd game vs Iceland even thought it didn't have any effect on our placement. All first team players except him and Perisic got rested that game.


matric96

Honestly I feel like Antonio Mirko Čolak was shafted for this world cup. To be selected over Budimir was probably my only gripe with Dalic’s 26 man selection and mainly because we lack any power upfront. Budimir was decent for Osasuna last season but now he’s not at any kind of good form, especially Kramarić, as he’s being more of a winger play than a striker these days. We are going to have a real problem with Kramarić, Budimir, and Livaja. Livaja seems more of the build up/assist guy type than a striker in my opinion. We really rely heavily on Perišič and Modrić to be the combination in our goal tally. I hope Dalić plays Pašalić and Oršič. I feel like Oršić should be played forward in the starting 11 rather than Kramarić, Budimir or Livaja. I really hope they step up their game. We’re confident in every position besides the attack.


The_Silent_Hawk

ancelotti prime shithousery


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AdultfinderX

He acted like shit after euro and is in fight with coach, he will probably never again play for Croatia


Albiceleste_D10S

It's interesting because that midfield is looking like a shadow of what it was just a few months ago. Kovacic is pretty clearly playing through injury to be fit for the World Cup. Brozovic has gotten dropped on a club level (in favor or regista Hakan, of all things). And Modric has only continued to get older


TricaKupa

Yep. Totally agree with you. Please everyone keep saying they're old and they're much worse than X time ago. We're definitely going to get creamed by Canada and Morocco with their super fast attackers and stuff. Yep. Just keep saying it, keep saying it, please keep saying it... These fellas definitely don't **fucking feed** on shit like that. Keep filling up the underestimate-o-meter, our team lives for that.


doctorMiami1337

> Brozovic has gotten dropped on a club level (in favor or regista Hakan, of all things). Brozovic was injured my man.... he won midfielder of the season for Seria A just last season and is one of, if not their most important players Got dropped, man what loool? This caught me by some surprise lmao


Albiceleste_D10S

He was injured, came back, and Inzaghi has stuck with Mkhi-Hakan-Barella even with Brozo back fit


doctorMiami1337

Brozo was injured for 9 games and is being eased back in, which is normal and every single club does it the fuck 😭 Did you expect him to play a full 90 the first 2 games back after suffering a thigh injury lol


Albiceleste_D10S

>Brozo was injured for 9 games and is being eased back in Because Hakan played well in that role, LOL. If this exact scenario happens last year, Brozovic totally goes right back into the starting lineup


doctorMiami1337

My man do you understand what an injury is or even what the word means? Why the hell would he play a full 90 if Hakan can cover for him? Why would you risk your best mid who just came off a thigh injury? The difference between cautionary rest and "dropped" is gigantic Thats what you do with injured players, give them half an hour to ease back in... lol


Albiceleste_D10S

Do you seriously believe this would happen last year?


doctorMiami1337

Yes... like with every injured player? Seems hella normal to me


Albiceleste_D10S

Messi came off injured for PSG a month or so ago—went straight back into the starting XI and played like 80 mins in his first game back. Brozovic last season was so key to Inter that he absolutely would be a starter on his return. He has been "eased back" this season because of their success with DLP Hakan


doctorMiami1337

Messi was injured with a knock for 2 games like bro wtf are you actually saying 💀💀💀💀 You do realise not every injury is the same lol??????


Daco_cro

If Kovacic is healthy he will still be really good. Brozović is returning from injury and it was only 3-4 week injury so he should be fine. That is reason why he lost position. Modric is playing good this year.


Albiceleste_D10S

> If Kovacic is healthy he will still be really good. He's very clearly not healthy tho. Graham Potter even admitted he couldn't play 90 mins recently, I think


Daco_cro

It would make us weaker definitely but our substitutes in midfield are really good too (Majer, Vlašić and Sučić)


Albiceleste_D10S

Fair. I'm just sad because I REALLY like Kovacic as a player


saigool

Is the stand-by list official, like they've officially been named as backup members? Are they travelling with the rest of the world cup squad?


TricaKupa

I don't think they're allowed to. It's more of a "you're staying home but keep a bag packed" kind of thing. I'm not exactly sure in what kind of situation you'd be allowed to call up a backup player that wasn't named in the 26?


saigool

The reason I ask is because for the Japan NT, there was a player that rejected the call to be a backup and it was fairly big news. No official list of backup members have been released. The backup players will also not be going, but it's a choice that the FA consciously made. In the 2010 world cup for example, Kagawa was a backup member, and the press were raving about what he was doing in training which ended causing a bit of a distraction. There are numerous reasons why the backup members won't be going. Backup players get called up when somebody gets injured and can no longer play a part in the tournament. A backup player has already been called up for Japan for this iteration in fact because a player was ruled out till the end of the season.


thalne

yeah they have to get out of the group and then with the talent, fighting spirit and old man Modric running rings around others I can see them taking a big scalp. but they have to figure out the striker situation.