Croatia's Luka Modric, 40 and about to play his 200th match for his nation, serves as an example for a new wave of young players establishing themselves with the program.Tony Gutierrez/The Associated Press
He’ll turn 41 in September, but Croatia has no plans to lessen its reliance on Luka Modric.
In many ways, it needs him now more than ever.
Coming off a resounding defeat against England in its opener – just the second time Croatia has conceded four goals in a World Cup match – the world’s 11th-ranked men’s team heads into its meeting with world No. 34 Panama at Toronto Stadium on Tuesday needing all hands on deck. And that includes the former world player of the year, set to play his 200th international match.
“He truly is a phenomenon, and helps me,” said head coach Zlatko Dalic through a translator on Monday. “He’s my right hand on the pitch.
“Luka Modric sets an example to all on how we should do things, and I think he’s a role model for the young players who are yet to come, and how to prepare, and how to play, and how to behave in a national team.”
Eustáquio confident Canada’s midfield can carry on without injured Koné
With a new crop of players coming through, which includes midfielders Martin Baturina, 23, Petar Sucic, 22, and 19-year-old centre back Luka Vuskovic, Modric’s greatest contribution these days may be simply in showing them what it means to represent Croatia, a country of roughly 3.8-million people, on the international stage.
Much like the way defending world champion Argentina operates to maximize the impact of Lionel Messi, Croatia’s twentysomethings can do most of the legwork. That leaves creative players like Modric to use their brains more than their muscles.
“His key feature is the fact that he never gives up,” said teammate Mateo Kovacic, who replaced Modric after 58 minutes last Wednesday. “This is what he has shown in the past years, and I think there is no need to talk any more about his qualities. He’s the leader on the pitch and outside the pitch.”
The expanded 48-team World Cup can present a double-edged sword when it comes to time off between games. In Croatia’s case, there was an immediate hunger to get back out there to put some points on the board.
Modric, right, and the Croatians have lost just three of their last 15 World Cup games. Waiting for Tuesday's match against Panama after a resounding loss to England has made for a long week for the 2018 World Cup finalists.Tony Gutierrez/The Associated Press
However, that wait has done little to dampen the weight of internal expectation for a team that has lost just three games in its last 15 at the tournament.
“Once you lose, you keep waiting for the new game to come,” Dalic said. “So it was a longer period of time, six or seven days in a row. But [on Tuesday] we must be very courageous, very brave, very decisive, determined. We are the favourite. We have to act like it, and we expect results.”
Croatia should be the beneficiary of the large Croatian diaspora in and around southern Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe at Toronto Stadium on Tuesday. Prime Minister Mark Carney and his Croatian counterpart met Monday on Parliament Hill, swapping soccer jerseys and discussing the 250,000 Canadians of Croatian origin.
Dalic had a special message for Canadians coming to the match to support his players.
“I wholeheartedly thank them for the support they’ve provided to us,” he said. “It’s a good thing for them, it’s a big thing for them, as well as for us playing in Toronto. We expect great support from the stands. We really expect the audience to be our 12th player. We’ll do our best not to disappoint them.”
Monday morning halfback: Choosing early World Cup standouts, good and bad
Panama also comes into this match in search of its first win at the World Cup, having been undone by surrendering an injury-time winner against Ghana in Toronto last Wednesday. Panama also lost all three of its matches in 2018, its only other appearance at the World Cup.
Head coach Thomas Christiansen, set to take charge of his 90th match for Panama, was bullish Monday, even as it turned out that midfielder linchpin Adalberto Carrasquilla will miss the game through injury.
Having guided Panama to some unexpected results in recent years though, such as finishing runners-up at both the CONCACAF Nations League last year, and the Gold Cup three years ago, Christiansen knows that his opportunistic, low-block system can pay off.
“I am ambitious, but I’m also realistic,” he said through a translator, “because in this World Cup we’ve seen interesting results with where people did not expect these results. So, why couldn’t we be one of those teams that surprises in a positive way?”