What are the strongest points of the Croatians? And where can the Czechs strike?

The Czech national team will face Croatia in the second match and it will be the toughest test of all. Luka Modric and co. are the reigning world vice-champions and although they are not as strong as they were three years ago, they are still a force to be reckoned with.

If there is one quality that defines the Croatians, it is their precision with the ball. Croatians are brought up from a young age to invent, not to be afraid to play and are taught to be very confident.

That’s why the national team is spread out in the best leagues, the captain even won the Ballon d’Or. One thing is for sure, we have a very different game from Scotland.

The Scots often resort to long kicks, matches with them often resemble a war. The Croatians are more playful, they don’t like to get rid of the ball, they rely on ground combinations.

Croatia’s strengths

Perfect ball handling

As we have already mentioned, this quality adorns the Croats. They have no problem combining out of even the most difficult situation, the wing players often go into one-on-one duels. Ivan Perisic in particular is strong in this, and against England he was helped by Joško Gvardiol at left-back. Vladimír Coufal and Lukáš Masopust are going to have a tough job.

Luka Modric

X-factor. You can’t give the Real Madrid midfielder an inch of space, otherwise he can take advantage of it immediately. He can practically single-handedly decide a match, either with a goal or an assist. His energetic approach to the game gives the opponents problems, because he is almost everywhere. Soucek and Kral, or even Holeš, will have their work cut out for them.

Croatia’s weaknesses

Goalkeeper

Nothing against Dominik Livaković, but Croatia fondly remember Danijel Subašić. The 26-year-old goalkeeper of Dinamo Zagreb certainly doesn’t give off a confident impression, even a few balls fell out of his hands against England, maybe because of nerves. If the Czechs test him enough, he may capitulate sooner or later.

Chemistry in the team

Croatia had the reputation of being the only Balkan team that sticks together and everything in the squad is going great. But even that doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. “The newcomers take some things for granted. They need to change their approach to the team and to the older ones,” said the experienced Dejan Lovren. Coach Dalic then confirmed that the chemistry in the team is not the best. At key moments it can be noticeable.

Source