Today is the day – at 20:00, Croatia and England will meet in the second World Cup semi-final at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow.
On Tuesday evening, Croatia coach Zlatko Dalić and Liverpool defender Dejan Lovren held the final press conference ahead of the semi-final spectacle tonight, reports Index.hr on July 10, 2018.
Croatia held only their second training in Moscow yesterday, while at the training the day before, three of their starting eleven were missed – Danijel Subašić discovered a muscle problem against Russia, but Dalić believes he will play against England, as well as Lovren. Only Šime Vrsaljko still remains a question mark for Dalić’s composition on Wednesday, though the player did say he would play with one leg if he had to. Vrsaljko did train as usual with the team last night.
“We will see what is going on with Vrsaljko, there is a small problem. We want players who are one hundred percent ready to play. We will see, I can’t say anything in particular. We need every player, but only those who are ready will play. We have been spent over the last few days, but there is no justification. We are here to enjoy, play football and give everything of ourselves,” Dalić said on Tuesday.
“Croatia has great players playing in the biggest clubs in Europe, and we have not been able to achieve results like this in big tournaments for a long time. This generation has been long been disputed over the results, but they have shown their quality when it was the most important. They will be remembered as a great generation that came close to the one in 1998. This is the result of our hard work and the quality of players at Real, Juventus and other clubs. They showed the quality they have.”
“Modrić? He has won everything he could as a club player, and since this is his last World Cup, I’m glad that we are in this situation, among the four best teams,” Dalić said.
“We’ve analyzed England, we know where the greatest danger is to us. After Iceland, Denmark and Russia, we await a very different match. Maybe we’re more suited to England’s game, but we have to look out for their set plays and corner kicks. There is no reason to be nervous, we are relieved, without pressure, we have come to enjoy the semifinals, enjoy football. It does not matter who is in front of us, behind us, against us. We came to show our best game and the result as it is,” Dalić said.
The English were interested in how a country with just 4 million people achieved such success. Is it talent or systematic work?
“We are such a country where anything is possible. We have 4 million people, 4 million coaches, trainers, and players. Everything is possible in every respect. The whole country is celebrating in the streets, and it is unique. This is our pride. We’re doing fine, but by us, if we compare the result and our infrastructure and the conditions at home, then it’s unthinkable. It’s our talent, pride and emotion and the charge we carry, especially at this championship. After 20 years, we are back in our place. I’m sure we deserved it. Football has done a lot in Croatia and brought a lot of happiness and satisfaction. I cannot imagine what it would be like if Croatia was the world champion. Probably no one would work … We don’t even work now, so how would it be then?” Dalić joked.
About the host of the World Cup:
“We are very grateful for all that we have experienced in a month in Russia at every stage and stadium. We expect support from the stands, it will mean a lot to us, and motivate us even more. It’s football, bringing people together. We can be happy and thankful for everything we have and we will always be happy to remember Russia,” Dalić said.
“This is the best tournament I’ve been to. Fantastic organization, all praise to Russia. Hopefully, they will cheer for us as they have a few similar words, and I would love for them to cheer for us. I know that many Croatian fans are coming and that all of Croatia is cheering for us,” Lovren said.
About 10,000 Croatian fans are expected at Luzhniki tonight, including former representatives of the `98 generation, to provide support to the team that equalized their success from France. The streets of Moscow have welcomed Dario Šimić, Mario Stanić, and Australian football legend Mark Bosnich, among many others.
