Road to Success

Zlatko Dalic could luxuriate in sifting through the golden moments in Croatia’s recent past and taking his pick. “I’ve already said the semi-final against England was our greatest match ever, and Brazil comes in second,” he said. “If we manage to win tomorrow, that would make it the greatest, most historic game for Croatia of all time.”

It was no slight on England or any of the other hurdles Dalic, his players and their predecessors have overcome. Beating Argentina and Lionel Messi would bring the warmest of glows and so would a second successive World Cup final, but his assessment was coloured by the development of his own side. This year’s Croatia may not look wildly different from the 2018 vintage in style or approach, but that is laudable in itself: three‑quarters of this squad were not involved in Russia and one of tournament football’s most efficient winning machines has rolled on.

Quick Guide

Qatar: beyond the football

Show

This is a World Cup like no other. For the last 12 years the Guardian has been reporting on the issues surrounding Qatar 2022, from corruption and human rights abuses to the treatment of migrant workers and discriminatory laws. The best of our journalism is gathered on our dedicated Qatar: Beyond the Football home page for those who want to go deeper into the issues beyond the pitch.

Guardian reporting goes far beyond what happens on the pitch. Support our investigative journalism today.

Photograph: Caspar Benson

On Sunday, their goalscorer in the last eight, Bruno Petkovic said, joking, that he was “about 78th choice” for Dalic last time out. He was barely getting a sniff at Bologna and when the national team reached the semis considered travelling to Moscow as a fan.

He was not called up until March 2019 and despite a moderate output for Dinamo Zagreb has never let the national team down. Like Croatia’s other less-heralded newcomers, he has thrived on the standards set by a long‑serving core.

“To repeat such success with a new national team is quite fantastic,” he said. With the exceptions of the centre-back Josko Gvardiol, Celtic’s in-demand right-back Josip Juranovic and perhaps the penalty-saving marvel Dominik Livakovic, Croatia lack obvious new stars in the mould of their veterans. But those joining the fold have been ushered into a tight-knit group that, off the pitch at least, virtually runs itself: Luka Modric, Ivan Perisic and company create the example that others follow, raising Croatia high above the mean.

Those close to the camp relate a palpable sense that the senior players make their peers better by osmosis. Modric and Perisic, to stick with two examples, are not especially vocal in the dressing room or even on the pitch, but it means the shortest of statements or exhortations, when they come, carries significant weight.

Nobody can ignore the diligence with which Modric, an obsessive self-analyst, watches games back and examines his own performance. He shows the path but, in hitting such astonishing heights at 37, also lights up the destination.

Early in Croatia’s 2018 campaign the experienced striker Nikola Kalinic was sent home by Dalic after refusing to come on as a late substitute against Nigeria. Kalinic was popular with the squad’s elders so it was a big call by a coach who was, back then, green at the highest level. But it was a line in the sand nobody has crossed since and is viewed as a key episode in his development of a culture.

Dalic came to know who he could trust. It is notable he feels no need to concern himself over players’ extracurricular activities during, or outside of, a tournament. The grandees – also including Dejan Lovren, Mateo Kovacic, Marcelo Brozovic and Domagoj Vida – lead through their behaviour and nobody would dream of rejecting their blueprint.

Dalic prefers a tight, focused entourage, something more compact than the Brazil setup that arrived at their quarter-final in two buses. Croatia employ only one analyst, the Scotsman Marc Rochon. Their team manager, a high-level administrator who has sat on the bench since 2016, is Iva Olivari. Players and staff cite her influence in making newcomers welcome; Dalic refers to her as “the boss” and hands her control of most off the field details.

It all makes for a group whose methods and mentality feel established, smooth, intuitive. The vast majority of players have passed to senior level through the age groups or at least spent some time playing with or against each other in the powerhouses of Dinamo or Hajduk Split. The degrees of separation are few, but in navigating five weeks this intense this level of familiarity is seen as an advantage.

“We are all a real family and we stick together,” Juranovic said. “We breathe for each other from the first minute to the last and that is simply the secret of our success.”

It is a potent weapon when you are a collective of big names, perceived journeymen and could-bes. And it is more than a fluke when the recipe has come good three times over, starting in 1998 with the group overseen by Miroslav Blazevic.

Now they need to go again, taking it all the way once more if necessary. “If we play just like we did against Brazil anything is possible, without a doubt,” Perisic said.

It will require another lesson in control from a Modric-led midfield that Juranovic, raising laughs, said is “safer than having your money in the bank” when handed possession. If that central area is controlled, and if a roaming Messi can be smothered, Croatia’s generals will set another platform for their sidekicks to write new chapters.

“I’m becoming more and more aware of this goal’s magnitude with every passing day,” Petkovic said of the strike that stunned Brazil. “Maybe I’ll experience something similar in the semi-final or beyond.”

He may, or maybe someone else will. Croatia’s strength is that, in a team sprinkled with illustrious faces, everyone can take his turn at being a hero.