"I say Argentina is the easiest match, not Argentina. It's the easiest opponent," Dalic smiled at his bold statement, pausing for a moment to react to the shock of the room. Press Conference. He was not disappointed. "We are prepared to face one of the best teams in the world, so what are you afraid of losing?"
Dalic was right in the way he thought, because from the beginning he was ... wrong, or maybe just the old psychological tragedy for his co-worker. At least in terms of form, Argentina is not one of the best teams in the world, while Croatia itself deserves it.
Things have gone smoothly since Dalic returned in October last year after seven years in jail in the Middle East. With the immediate task of saving the 2018 World Cup qualifying campaign against the threat of smog, with Croatia under contemporaneous Croatia and Ukraine, Dalic's first move on the hot seat was to work on a combined plan. succeeded Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic in the midfield.
The decision to put Rakitic stone on Modric contributed to his predecessor, Ante Cacic, paying the price of his own work. Dalic did the opposite, pushing Modric to the stone at number 10 and pulling Rakitc down to support him, assuming more defensive responsibilities.
Not bad! In Dalí's first match as head coach, Croatia beat Ukraine twice without dismantling in Kiev, winning the key to salvage their teachers' play-offs. And then a few weeks later, representatives of the Balkans busted Greece 4-1 after two games to go straight to Russia.
That spectacular firefight helped Dalic get the official contract and so far, the National Football League have never been disappointed or regretted that decision. Croatia's troop success with lightweight victory over Nigeria and no-one is not quite convinced. Do not forget that the big guys are still struggling at this World Cup.
Even harder to look forward to, he also quietly nods when witnessing the performance of absolute points against Argentina. A Croatian 4-2-3-1 lineup filled with excitement, with solid defense against attacking striker Leo Messi and his team-mates.
The track, Modric deserves the title of conductor, or a real master of the world with the ability to distribute the ball genius and the movement of his mobility. Meanwhile, Ante Rebic and Ivan Rakitic stirred the wings, and if better and better luck, Croatia could soon open the deadlock from the first half is not finished.
Rebic did not have to wait long after the break to redeem himself with a volleyed strike against Argentina, even though it came from Willy Caballero's unforgiving defender. Of course, Croatia deserves a fall in the sky, which is brightened by the brightest two stars by two goals in the South American powerhouse, with a magnificent shot by Modric and a line. perfect strike is ended by Rakitic.
Statistic not to lie: This is the first World Cup since 1970 without any coach ever crowned European Cup, as well as the first World Cup since 1958 without any coaches. national championships in all five major leagues - England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France.
Zlatko Dalic becomes a fresh breeze that goes against that alarming trend. Risking to shake 4-3-3 structure and turn to 4-2-3-1 more than the best, the 52-year-old coach confidently launched a new and fertile Croatia, while also exploiting the maximum The world's top modric and Rakitic duo.
So, Zlatko Dalic's arguments before the match against Argentina and Croatia may not be entirely literal, but he knows something about his half-hearted joke in that hilarious smile.
The question now is: How far can Croatia go? As in France 98 years ago when the former Yugoslavia team finished with a bronze medal just six years after being recognized as a full member of FIFA?
However, the feeling of something magical in Croatia is increasingly clear, especially when they stand at the top of Group D. At that time, the quarterfinals will be open with the teacher Dalic almost will only to face Denmark in the 1/8 round.
