Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic has aimed a dig at England while defending his "worn out and old" side ahead of their clash on Wednesday.
Croatia boss Zlatko Dalic has aimed a dig at England while defending his “worn out and old” side ahead of their clash on Wednesday.
England will take on Croatia in their World Cup opener in Dallas and the two teams should be relatively familiar with each other after high-profile games in recent years.
The Three Lions triumphed 1-0 when they met at Euro 2020 but Croatia came out on top in the biggest game, winning the World Cup semi-final in 2018 2-1, with Dalic in charge.
Thomas Tuchel’s side are heavy favourites on Wednesday against an ageing Croatia squad featuring star players past their prime.
Luka Modric is the most notable inclusion at 40 years old, but Ivan Perisic (37), Andrej Kramaric (34) and Mateo Kovacic (32) are also still key players in Dalic’s squad.
Dalic is well aware of the doubts surrounding his players, but is keen to remind naysayers that few teams have enjoyed as much success as Croatia, who reached the final in 2018 and have had two third place finishes in 1998 and 2022.
“They’ve been writing that since 2018,” Dalic told Croatian outlet RTL.. “We may be older and more worn out since then, but together with the French and Germans, we are the team with the most medals in the 21st century.
“Look at England, which is neither old nor worn out, and hasn’t won a medal in 60 years.
“Croatia has three medals in 30 years. We’ve been at the top level for eight years.
“It’s harder to maintain excellence than to achieve it, and Croatia is doing it very successfully. We’re still at the top of world football. Worn out and old, but we’re pushing.”
‘Kane can do a hell of a lot’
Dalic also had great respect for Tuchel’s England side, picking out Harry Kane as a cause for particular concern.
“They have the best striker in the world, they have Kane and Kane can do a hell of a lot,” said Dalic. “We will do a lot, we will do our best not only to defend ourselves but to attack, to go forward.
“There will be set pieces, which will be quite difficult but we are prepared for that. I expect a great game and it will be a great preparation for the next two games in the group.”
