Croatia vs Argentina: Checkered approach

Argentina vs Croatia; Lusail Stadium, 12.30am (Wed)
First, they slayed giant-killers Japan. Then, they brought a high-flying Brazil down to earth. And they’ve done so not turning on the style. If anything, Croatia have been one of the most tedious teams to watch.
Zlatko Dalic’s mantra en route to the second successive World Cup semifinals, where his team will face Argentina on Tuesday, has been to approach it like an underdog: he has limited the risk, thus curbing the attacking instincts even if it means going all the way into shootouts, and then relying on his players’ unwavering mental strength.Subscriber Only StoriesPremiumPremiumPremiumPremium
The only factor that can work against them is the possibility of having tired legs after back-to-back matches that went all the way up to shootouts. But the Croats had a similar run in 2018; getting back on their feet somehow even when they were battered, with nothing left in the tank.
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Horses for courses
Throughout the campaign, Dalic hasn’t tinkered a lot, unlike many other coaches. His starting 11 has more or less remained unchanged, and the formation – an attack-minded 4-3-3 – has stayed the same. The midfield trio of Marcel Brozovic, Luka Modric and Mateo Kovacic has been central to everything they do.
But it’s not about the formation for them. It’s how much risk they are willing to take. For instance, against Canada, the midfield pushed forward fearlessly. However, when they faced Morocco the same three players barely left their own half. It was the same against Japan, and then against Brazil as well.
So, even as his playing 11 and formation remains the same, how much Croatia are willing to commit forward depended on their opponent.
Midfield as a defensive shield
The way Dalic sets up, the midfielders are used more as defensive shield rather than a creative force for the attackers. Against Japan, for example, Modric, Brozovic and Kovacic were positioned within 20m of each other almost in straight file near the half line whenever the ball was in Japan’s third. Dalic’s priority wasn’t to get more bodies up front to put pressure on the Japanese defenders. Instead, he chose to prevent counterattacks if the forwards lost the ball.
Against Brazil, Croatia took complete control of the midfield. Perisic and Pasalic did not have to bother with tracking the runs of Brazilian wing-backs because they were mostly stationed in their area. So, Croatia’s wingers dropped back and assed with the defensive work in midfield. With five men stacked in the middle of the park, Croatia completely blunted Brazil’s attacking strengths closing down spaces.
And whenever the midfield was unable to res the pressure of their opponents, the defensive line was ready and up to the task.
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Mental toughness
Croatia have absolved themselves of any responsibility to attack. Among the four semifinals, Croatia have the least number of attempts on goal and when compared to Brazil, the tournament’s leaders on that front, they have half the number of shots.
Dalic’s team is unwilling to take any initiative during a match, and is prepared to take it up to the penalties. This perhaps is because Dalic knows that his players will be calm in crucial moments when their opponents get stressed. This confidence stems from the fact that five out of Croatia’s last six knockout matches at the World Cups have gone into extra time, with 2018 final being the only exception. And they won all their games.
Croatia are set up to hand their opponents a slow, painful death. It’s not pretty to watch. But their resilience has been mighty effective.
How they’ll line up
Croatia (4-3-3): Livakovic; Juranovic, Lovren, Gvardiol, Sosa; Modric, Brozovic, Kovacic; Pasalic, Kramaric, Perisic
Argentina (5-3-2): Martinez; Molina, Romero, Otamendi, L. Martinez, Acuna; De Paul, Fernandez, Mac Aller; Messi, Alvarez
Road to semis:
ArgentinaLost 1-2 vs. Saudi ArabiaWon 2-0 vs. MexicoWon 2-0 vs. PolandWon 2-1 vs. Australia (Round of 16)Drew 2-2 (Won 4-3 on penalties) vs. Netherlands (quarterfinal)
CroatiaDrew 0-0 vs. MoroccoWon 4-1 vs. CanadaDrew 0-0 vs. BelgiumDrew 1-1 (won 3-1 on penalties) vs. Japan (Round of 16)Drew 1-1 (Won 4-2 on penalties) vs. Brazil (quarterfinal)