Croatia and the Safety First Approach: With Respect Comes Expectation

Art by Tushar Dey

Since gaining independence from the former Yugoslavia in 1991, Croatia's national football team has qualified for six World Cups and finished on the podium in three – that in itself is a major achievement for a country of 4 million people, but the team's performance at the 2022 tournament in Qatar that led to the bronze medal was arguably not on par with that of the 1998 team that got the same result, let alone with the group that won silver in 2018. The team led by coach Zlatko Dal ić took a defensive, "safety first" approach to his game this time around. This approach helped Croatia qualify for the semi-finals, but it once hurt them at this crucial point.

While the two Croatian teams that won the previous World Cup also prided themselves on having a strong back line, it was by no means the only thing in their toolbox. The 1998 team had Davor Šuker, the top scorer in that tournament. In 2018, Croatia saw the great Mario Mandžukić score unforgettable goals, such as the 2-1 semi-final winner in extra time against England. This time around, the team clearly lacked a natural goalscorer. Of course, this particular point is not a criticism against Dalić, who like any other coach has to work with what he has. But the often ultra-defensive tactics, especially those used against Belgium in that torturous final group game, had nothing to do with Croatia. Yes, a big part of the reason the team managed to get the scoreless draw that helped them qualify for the knockout stages was good defending and some great saves from goalkeeper Dominik Livaković. But in the end, it all came down to the fact that Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku missed three absolute starters that made the decisive difference. Had that not happened, Croatia's World Cup trip would have unceremoniously ended in the group stage.

Most of the team's other matches in Qatar were also lackluster on the attacking side. The first group game against Morocco was a scoreless draw, where Dalić's men lacked creativity and conviction in front of the opposing goal. Croatia's second encounter of the tournament saw them take on Canada, which proved to be a welcome exception to the team's attacking problems and saw them overcome their strong but tactically naïve opponents 4-1. Andrej Kramarić, playing on the right wing instead of ninth position, scored a brace and won the player of the match award. A round of 16 encounter with the Japanese followed the game against Belgium, both of whom showed weak attacking performances. Against Japan, Croatia scored on their only significant attack to make it 1-1 through Ivan Perišić, before winning the match on penalties.