The runners up from the 2018 tournament in Russia are coming into 2022 hoping to replicate some of that success that they enjoyed 4 years ago. The big problem for Croatia is that most of their top players from that magical 2018 run have gotten too long in the tooth. While team leader Luka Modrić remains on the squad and will be an integral part of it in Qatar players like Mario Mandzukic, Vedran Ćorluka, and Ivan Rakitić have all moved on. In the case of Ivan Rakitić he didn’t retire from the game completely, but he did retire from the national team. With some of the old heads, and an injection of young blood can Croatia be a serious contender in the World Cup in Qatar?
Who Are The Key Players For Croatia This Winter?
We’ve mentioned Luka Modrić, and we do believe that the team is going to go as far as he can take them. Maybe not in the way that we saw in 2018 where he would literally take over games. At this stage in his career he can provide balance in that midfield, and find open players that are going to make the runs that you probably don’t want him making on such a consistent basis anymore. Particularly since the tournament forces you to play so many games in rapid succession. Mateo Kovačić can be very important in that midfield as well.
Ivan Perišić also has to find some resemblance to his former self. He’s playing consistently at Tottenham still, but there’s an argument to be made that he’s lost some of that punch that made him a legend at Inter. Upfront they need either Andrej Kramarić or Bruno Petković to be a consistent presence. They maybe don’t need to find the back of the net in every game, but they need to be a player that takes attention away from the defense to allow some of the midfielders and others to find space to shoot in front of goal.
Are They A Bit Too Thin To Compete Deep Into The Tournament?
That was the argument against this team in 2018. What’s ironic is that although they lost a lot of key pieces they replaced them with experienced players. So it’s not like this team is fielding a bunch of young guys and Modric. They maybe would love that change of peace player on the team, and it doesn’t seem like that they have that player. In that regard we could make the argument again that they’re going to be a couple of players short.
Going back to the point we made regarding experience, that makes them a team that no one wants to face. That’s a fact, this is a team that’s not going to get nervous and is going to be able to play any squad hard. It’s hard to see them getting blown out of the water by any other team in the tournament.
Our Prediction
Croatia should find a way to get past the group stage. Belgium is without a doubt their main competition for that first spot in the group. The other two teams, Canada, and Morocco are not going to be easy. If anything we do see the Canadian team as the weaker side just based on their lack of World Cup experience. However, they are really explosive and that could be an issue for Croatia. Don’t get caught having to run back towards your own goal with Canada too much. Outside the group their round of 16 matchup could be against Germany or Spain. Both of those squads seem to be better than Croatia on paper, but these guys have shown us they have a lot of fight in them!
